The Rosicrucian Forum

August 1951 - June 1954

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A .

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A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AM O RC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM

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Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 11 0 3 of the U . S. Postal Act of Oct. 3 , 1 9 1 7 .

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Vol. XXI

AUGUST, 1951

No. 1

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THE SILENT TRAVELER

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Unless you saw hs eyes.

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Unattended by trumpet or banner
the slent traveler goes his way:

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Healing the sick with the fire

of Heaven;
gathering manna out of the alr;
using his light to banish
darkness . . .

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Pamela Vaull Starr

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY
OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA

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Silently blessing
al! who pass.

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ln any village
on any cty walk
you might see hm and pass by
unknowing . . .

SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $2.25 ANNUALLY

FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 2

Greetings!
V

UNIVERSAL ETHICS
Dear Fr aires and Sor ores:
The prevalent and widespread corruption
in government and in society generally is
reminiscent of similar conditians in past
centuries. It has reached such alarming proportions that it has been suggested that a code
of ethics be adopted for intragovemmental
relations in the United States. The purpose
of a code of ethics is to equalize the evaluation of certain human conduct. It does not
intend to restrict initiative and the exercise
of individual intelligence. It proposes to
show that particular activities cannot be permitted when their effects, though advantageous to one man or a group of men, may be
harmful to others.
There is a distinction between an ethical
provisin and a legal prohibition. The State
may establish a law which declares it illegal
for certain acts to be performed. It is, of
course, assumed in a democracy that such a
law was enacted for the benefit of society.
However, in the stiictest sense many laws
do not have a foundation on ethical princi
pies. They may, for example, be enacted for
economic, political, or hygienic reasons. A
primary principie of ethics is that the con
duct of an individual be such that he does
not take unfair advantage of others. Philosophically, the effect of an ethical code is to
so govern human conduct that individuis
are given equal opportunity to exercise and
to preserve their rights and powers. Perhaps
a simple summation of the practical aspects
of ethics is to refer to it as an attempt at
justice in human relations.
Commonly, ethics are thought of as being
quite independent of moris. The latter are
the guiding principies by which a human
being seeks to conform to a spiritual idealism.
Moris are either inherited as a religious
doctrine or they arise from ones personal
interpretation of what is spiritually proper
in his behavior. In morality, the individual
holds his judge to be a god or a divine princi
pie. His whole moral structure is predicated
on satisfying what he conceives to be the

divine principie as he experiences it. He has

a sense of righteousness in so conforming,
whether other men accept his conduct or not.
Generally speaking and as a distinction
from moris, in practice at least, men are inclined to look upon ethics as a kind of working agreement to their mutual advantage.
They think of the fulfillment of an ethical
code as being one of expediency rather than
as an obligation to some superior or spiritual
power. If one looks upon ethics from this
point of view, he may be inclined to vilate
its code, if he can do so without exposing
himself to any religious censure or fear of
any divine penalty. Conversely, however,
one will avoid intentionally violating a per
sonal moral principie, even if it is to his
material gain. The psychological reason for
this is that a sense of guilt mitigates all satisfaction that we derive from the gain, provided, of course, that the moral mpetus is
strong enough. It must be apparent, then, that
for a code of ethics to be successful, that is,
voluntarily adhered to by an individual, it
should have a relation to his moral standards.
It is a common complaint today that there
is a decline of morality. This being so, how
is a code of ethics to be established upon
morality and yet be effective? It is first
necessary to realize that there will always be
a considerable portion of any society that
will manifest a deficiency of the moral sense.
There are many persons incapable of an
abstract idealism which transcends personal
objective gratification. The satisfactions of
such persons are sensual. Good to them is
only an appeasement of physical desires, a
satisfaction of the appetites, love of possessions, and the like. The self of this type of
person is very limited. There is no extensin
of the emotions and sentiments to include
compassion and the welfare of others. The
morally deficient are unable to realize the
satisfaction of an ideal which may be termed
humanitarian. They do not set up ends
which are related in any way to psychic and
emotional feelings of a high order and which,

AUGUST, 951

when attained, bring a subjective pleasure.

It is necessary, then, to determine the most
general moral qualities of a society and to
formlate ethics from them.
What are the general moral qualities of a
society? What society is to be taken as a
standard for selection? When asked to express his moral convictions, the average person is likely to quote exegetical references
or the edicts of a religious creed with which
he is familiar. Unless he has personally
experienced the psychic and emotional feeling that accompanies the moral edicts, such
are not part of his moral being. The true
moral creed is one that has its counterpart
in the immanent impulse of the individual
to do good. The creed is but an objectification of the moral or spiritual inclination. It
is a subjective urge which finds its ideal in
some religious principi. These subjective
urges, usually referred to as moral impulses,
we may presume to be universally innate in
man. It is obvious, however, that the moris
of society are not universal. This is evidence
that the different moris which men express
or avow are but interpretations of their in
nate urges. The objectification of the moral
impulse, its expression, is dependent upon
(a) the intelligence and education of the
individual and (b) the customs and conventions of society.
The needs and relations of a primitive so
ciety are quite different from those of a
modern complex civilization. The relations
between members of a primitive society are
far simpler than those of a highly organized
state. In the primitive society there would
be fewer incidents or activities that would
be offensive to the innate subjective moral
impulse. Because of the needs of a simple
society, men would be far more inclined to
accept certain relationships as necessary and
beneficial to their welfare and thus not construe them as immoral. When men are not
able to conceive an alternative in human
conduct and when such seems absolutely
essential to them, its performance does not
cause any sense of guilt. For example, polygamy and polyandry are not considered tab
in many primitive societies where there is
a shortage of one sex or the other. The killing of the aged and incurable has often in
the past been consistent with the social moral
sense where it had become a customary economic necessity. Therefore, the needs and

Page 3

customs of society have always been an important factor in the development of its
moris. The individual is likely to believe
that his moral principies are solely and divinely conceived or inspired. "He does not
realize that the slowly evolved conventions
of his society have often formed a mould for
those psychic and emotional urges to which
he refers as his conscience and his moral self.
From the foregoing it is patent that, if we
are to look to the moral codes of different
societies and religious sects as the basis for
the development of universal ethics, we will
only be confused. It is necessary to resort
directly to the cause of moris, to their sbjective r psychic motivation.
All men recognize a transcendental power
of some kind. They are conscious of their
own human limitations and know that man
is not self-sufficient. This transcendental or
supreme power is conceived either as being
natural, as the mechanistic forces of nature,
or as supernatural, namely, a god or a Divine
intelligence. In either instance it appears as
neither expedient or proper for the indi
vidual to particpate in any activities which
he considers offensive to the recognized su
preme power. Instinctively, man feels a
dependence on a power which exceeds his
own abilities. Not being thoroughly familiar
with the nature of this power, he is disinclined to offend it, partly because of fear of
retribution and partly because of a respect
for its majesty. As a result, there is an almost unconscious proscription of any practices which attack any generally accepted
nonhuman authority.
Most men, therefore, would understand
and appreciate the need of a basic rule of
ethics which would prohibit conduct offensive
to the conceived inanimate and exalted au
thority, whether it be God or nature.
The instinct of preservation which motivates the individual toward various kinds of
personal security is likewise an excellent
ground for the establishment of ethical provisions. Any conduct which would jeopardize the physical or mental well-being of
another could readily be recognized as detrimental. Even though the individual is not
directly concerned, he will support the prin
cipie of personal security, for he realizes
that he may need to invoke it sometime in
his own behalf. It may seem that this princi

Page 4

pie has no moral connotations according to

the way we defined moris previously. The
fact is that all men who, for example, recognize a divine omnipotence are of the belief
that such a* power has conferred certain
inalienable rights upon them. One such right
is their personal security or well-being.*
This inalienable security is not limited to
an attack on, or a violation of, the person.
It is also extended to all that the enlarged
self of the individual includes. Thus it includes ones family and ones property, for
these we feel as being part of our self-interests. As a consequence, whenever conduct is
potential with jeopardizing the security of
anothers property or vested interest, it is
construed as a violation of the inalienable
right of security. Any rule of ethics which
seeks to prevent such conduct is psychologically satisfying. Thus, for example, a rule of
ethics not permitting one to take unfair ad
vantage of another in a business transaction
whereby a loss of property would be incurred, is related to an underlying subjec
tive motive.
Misrepresentation, violation of promise,
perfidy, intimidationall of these are in
substance unethical in human conduct because they vilate moral precepts. Misrepre
sentation or untruth is unethical because it
destroys necessary faith in human relations.
For a meeting of minds and cooperation between individuis, a common ground must
be established. An untruth is an unreality.
One mind is thus laboring under an illusion.
To permit untruth would obstruct all human
relations until each person would be able to
reduce all matters under consideration to
their factual elements. Since such is not
always possible, society, therefore, would be
frustrated.
Intimidation strikes directly at the moral
principie of the right of self-assertion or freedom of expression, which men consider a
divine prerogative. Experiencing the intimi
dation of others arouses the sense of justice
within persons; this is the feeling which one
has for his own immediate security and
which is emotionally or sym pathetically ex
tended to another under like circumstances.
Basic moral codes or the virtues have all
been engendered by subjective impulses and
that which men have found offensive to their
sentiments and moral idealism. Men have
made human relations, insofar as virtues are

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

concerned, conform to their instinctive desires. However, where any desire conflicts
with the collective good of society, mans
better judgment tells him it is essential to
subjugate it. Man realizes that society is
necessary to individual welfare. Therefore,
no primitive urge is condoned which will
destroy this society. The Decalogue in the
Od Testament and similar moral codes in
other religious works are clearly fashioned
from mans realization of the need of selfdiscipline. It also constitutes an effort to
reglate his conduct in conformity with his
inherent sympathetic feeling toward his
group or kind. These inclinations of self-love
he has to extend to others that man conceives
as of divine or moral origin.
A system of ethics must fail, therefore,
unless it is definitely related to these innate
moral impulses. If only the basic subjective
urges are considered in the formation of
such a code, the ethics will not conflict with
the different social customs. The uniformity
of the code could be more easily established.
As it is now, ethics is mainly an arbitrary
system of conduct decided upon by various
groups of individuis. In other words, first,
objectives are determined by the group. Then
it is agreed that certain conduct is either
wrong or right in attempting to realize such
objectives. The right conduct of any code
of ethics must be related to basic moral
principies, or there is not that personal emo
tional response upon the part of the indi
viduis pledged to support the ethics.
Ethics are rules. Behind the rule must be
the motivating spirit of the moral or spiritual
nature of man.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
Men and Gods
At the recent Rosicrucian International
Convention, on the occasion of the banquet,
there was the premire showing of the film
Men and Gods. This motion picture is an
AMORC production in color and sound. It is
unusual in that it presents some f the sacred
sites, places renowned in history, in India,
Tibet, and Siam. For example, the spectator
sees the great temple at Bodh Gaya where
Buddha is said to have been enlightened

AUGUST, i 951

under the Bo tree, and Sarnath where he

gave his first great discourse. Magnificent
Oriental pageantry is seen, with processionals
of lamas, priests, musicians, and elephants,
a galaxy of color and costumes. The spectator is taken to the lofty Himalayas to observe
processions of lamas entering their sacred
sanctuaries. The chanting and Oriental
music add to the exotic splendor and attraction of the film.
This film is not limited to showings at
Rosicrucian lodges and chapters. In addition
to being shown to groups of members
throughout the world, it will be shown, as
have our other films, to schools and colleges,
civic groups and the like. Obviously, such
films constitute excellent propaganda for the
Order. Though the film is free from advertising and is classed as a highly educational,
adventuresome travel film, it cannot fail to
bring credit to the Order because of its
uniqueness and because of the manner in
which the subject is presented. These films
dealing with travel in foreign lands have had
the cooperation of the respective governments
and departments of archaeology of the countries in which the scenes were photographed.
If you are a member of a womens club,
or a service club, such as the Rotary, Kiwanis, or Lions, or of any cultural group or
fraternal lodge that has programs of an edu
cational nature, this film will be of interest
to such a body. If you are occasionally asked
to put on a program of entertainment or present something of interest to a group or so
ciety with which you are affiliated, this film
would be an excellent opportunity to render
a service to your group and to AMORC
as well.
The film is 16 mm. in size and 1200 feet
in length. The time of showing is about
thirty minutes. AMORC would be happy to
loan you a print of this excellent film without charge. The only requirements are as
follows:
A. That AMORC be notified at least thirty
days in advance so as to book you for
the showing.
B. That you give a guarantee that there
will be at least fifty persons in attendance at the showing.
C. That one skilled in the operation of motion picture equipment show the film.

Page 5

The reasons for our making these require

ments are obvious. We do not want to go
to the trouble and expense of sending a film
for just a handful of persons to see. That
would be of little valu to AMORC. These
films are expensive and any damage to them
is costly. That is why we must be assured
that one experienced in the operation of
motion picture equipment, and who will be
careful not to scratch or tear it, will project
it. So, if you wish this service, please write
at once to the Rosicrucian Technical Depart
ment, Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
Let us remind you that a companion film
to the one mentioned above is Egypt, the
Eterna1. This film was also produced by
AMORC and it is in color and sound. It
takes the spectator on a journey up the Nile.
He is given the opportunity to visually experience the great temples, pyramids, and
tombs of Egypt, and many other spectacular
scenes made possible through the cooperation
of the Rosicrucian Egyptian, Oriental Museum and the Department of Antiquities of
Egypt. This latter film has been enthusiastically received by educators and college and
school faculties. It has also been shown in
various countries throughout the world. It
is likewise available under the same conditions as the film Men and Gods.X
Sex and Reincamation
A soror addressing our Forum asks: Is
there a progression of incamations by alternation of sex? Does a soul in one incarnation occupy a male body and thence a female
one? Does one sex in the spiritual realm
stand as more advanced than the other?
In fact, why would there need to be the
alternation of sex from one incarnation to
another? Why not the continuous succession of a soul-personality in bodies of the
same sex?
In most of the hagiographies of religions
and mystical philosophies we find reference
to their founders and to the illuminated ones
as being men. There is the implication at
least that the attainment of Cosmic consciousness and of great spiritual insight is
possible only with the male sex. There are,
of course, exceptions to this in history and
in mythology. The Oracles at Delphi were

Page 6

women. There were, also, innumerable goddesses, as Isis, Ishtar, Venus, Persephone,
Demeter, and Athena. The fact remains
that the earthly exponents and founders of
the great religious systems were principally
men.
The eminence given to men in spiritual
matters is more the result of social conditions, rather than that of a Cosmic edict.
In most of the early societies women were
obliged to hold a socially inferior position.
They were not permitted to particpate in
important affairs of state, and they were
rarely allowed to hold authoritative or executive positions in the prevailing religions.
Though women did particpate in religious
and esoteric ceremonies in the temples, the
social prejudices of the secular world prevented them from holding high ecclesiastical
office. The male being physically stronger
and by nature more aggressive, as well,
relegated to himself all of the elevated of
fices, even in spiritual matters.
As a consequence of these practices, those
men inclined toward religious and philosophical matters were given an opportunity
to embrace unusual knowledge. They were
afforded special initiations in the different
philosophical and religious sects. They were,
also, permitted to counsel with sages and
have access to sacred writings all of which
was usually denied to women.
It was to be expected, then, that men,
because of such advantages, would display
more of a profound comprehension of the
spiritual and mystical precepts. Likewise,
because of such advantages, they would more
frequently have the theophanic or illuminating experiences of mysticism than would
women. It is logical that the popular mind,
not realizing these causes, would come to
identify the result or the spiritual attainment of men exclusively with their sex.
It is to be realized that because of the
social restrictions imposed upon women, and
the idea of inferiority generally associated
with the female sex in antiquity, they could
not as freely promlgate any enlightened
or religious concepts with which they might
be inspired. We may draw a parallel from
our own times. Only a relatively few years
ago, the same prejudiced attitude was displayed in the United States toward any
pclitical opinions or aspirations which a
woman might have.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

We must not overlook the misconception,

entertained by peoples of the past, that immorality was inherent within the female
sex. A woman was considered the object of
mans passion. She was, as well, the bearer
of children. She seemed to symbolize, to man
at least, all the elements related to sex.
Women were thought to be the principal
element of temptation by which men could
be caused to fall from a high estte and a
more noble course of life. Around women
ther appeared to revolve a halo of necessary
evil and temptation.
To the credit of the ancient Egyptians,
we must say that among them this prejudice
Was almost nonexistent. Women served as
High Priestesses in the temples and in the
various mystery schools. They also were
permitted to be initiated in the esoteric rites
and to enter equally the holy of holies with
men. They were highly respected, and given
social rights equal to those of men.
Fortunately, in the Cosmic scheme these
appraisals of sex are of no consequence.
There is no spiritual superiority of sex. The
consciousness of self, the manifestation of
soul, is without such distinctions as male
or female. The only individual qualitative
difference is the evolution or unfoldment of
the soul-personality. One person may be
more contiguous in consciousness to the Absolute, to the Divine mind, than may be
another. In some instances this may be a
woman, and in others it may be a man.
For soul-personality to evolve, it must
have diversified experiences. If one is too
materialistic, too objective, is lacking in psy
chic responsiveness, it is then necessary that
the other aspect of his nature be given the
opportunity to express itself. It may be that
this can be accomplished only by truncating
the continuation of the soul-personality in
masculine form in future incarnations. The
female disposition and temperament, in oth
er words, may be needed to incline the in
dividual toward those interests in life wherein he might particpate in practices and ac
tivities providing lessons to be leamed. If
we are to assume that the male sex may be
generally considered positive in contrast to
the female, then periodically, for stability,
the order of the sex would need to be
reversed.
This reversal, however, would not be in
accordance with any fixed pattern or sched-

AUGUST, 1951

ule. There would not need to be a periodicity

of the re versal of sex. The determining fac
tor would be the needs of the individual
himself, the requirements of the soul-per
sonality. The particular environmental influences would be an important factor also.
Therefore, if a man could in his life resort
to the development of the subjective aspects
of his life, if he could pursue the study of
philosophical and mystical interests, he
would not need to experience the change of
sex in another incarnation, or perhaps in
several them.
We must not, from the foregoing statement, imply that women, are, because of
their sex, more spiritually or mystically inclined than men. In fact, the opposite is
often true. Women are psychologically more
emotional. They are more responsive to the
psychic aspect of their beirigs. Therefore, if
they are given the opportunity, they will
have more success in personal unfoldment
than a like number of men. Conversely, how
ever, women can and often do express their
emotional nature in terms of sensual things
onlyjealousy, lust, and the like. Further,
more women than men are inclined to rebel
against the use of reason. This causes many
to resort to superstitious beliefs in the inter
pretaron of their inner feelings and psychic
impulses.
Just as some men would need in another
incarnation the experience of an approach
to life as a woman, so too some women
could be benefited in another life by living
as men. Some women become too introverted. They live only for the experiences
of their psychic being. They refuse to meet
the realities of life. They enjoy a highly
emotional State. They refuse to struggle
with objectivity. They disdain material existence as some sort of earthly imprisonment.
It is only by being compelled in another life
to live as a man and to be aggressive in a
highly competitive world, assuming the responsibility for dependence, that they come
to surmount their unilateral personality.
Sex, physiologically and psychically, impels men and women in different channels
and interests in life, though they do share
many alike. This attraction toward all the
phases of human experiences is what the
soul needs for the evolution of its personality.
The kind of experience needed is the de
termining factor, then, as to whether in

Page 7

one life it would manifest through the body

of a male or a female. In either sex, the
soul-personality may attain illumination.
X
Temptations of Man
A frater from Australia states: Are we
tempted too much so that we cannot do the
good? One hears and has experienced also,
through doing work of a social nature, that
tasks taken on willingly often become irksome because of others not doing their share,
or through the remarks of others. Someone
may say, Why do it? or Dont be foolish,
and What do you expect to get out of it?
or again, You will not get any thanks for
it. Probably there is no thought on your
part of doing the work for remuneration or
thanks. Do such temptations help us in any
way or are they a great obstruction?
The course we follow in life is either one
of personal conviction or it is the conse
quence of custom. If our activities are the
result of conviction, it means that, preceding them, we have given some thought to
what was in volved. We have analyzed the
circumstances and have finally decided that
that is what we want to do. A personal
conviction is very positive. It carries the
forc of thought. At least our minds are at
ease, that is, we have entertained no doubts.
To be persuaded from the personal convic
tion requires that the persuasin be at least
as convincing as the original decisin which
we made ourselves. Statements to be a
temptation have to be as factual and as
logical as are our personal convictions. You
will find, therefore, that the person who does
not allow himself to be motivated by custom
that is, just follow a crowdis very seldom persuaded to do otherwise. He is not
subject to temptation.
If we are one with the crowd and if our
actions are a matter of pur custom, it means
that we have never given much thought to
what we are doing. We have never con
sidered the cause behind our deeds; we have
never evaluated our actions. Then, when
any circumstances arise which seem to throw
doubt on what we are doing, we hesitate,
we are confused, we are forced to make a
decisin as to whether or not to continu.
Persons who are not thinkers, who are in
clined to evade analysis, will abandon their

Page 8

course of action if the remarks of those who

wish to dissuade them are emphatic and at
all plausible.
Will, as we have often said, consists of
an emphatic desire. It is that which the
mind wishes to do and it has all the strength
of that emotional appeal behind it. If you
do not wish to be tempted, make a careful
study of any important program in which
you are to particpate. Consider whether it
appeals to you. If it does, you will find it
very easy to carry through because that
pleasure will become the strength of your
will.
Temptation does help us, however, when
it causes us to inquire into some of our ways
of thinking and our habits. It sets up a con
tra or opposing State, causing us to question
what we have accepted. We are then given
the opportunity of changing what we are
doing in comparison to the appeal of the
temptation. If we are easily tempted, we are
weak in will. If we are weak in will, it
means we have not thought clearly and
deeply enough to come to a convincing con
clusin which gratifies us; for if we had,
only something more appealing and more
convincing could tempt us.
Temptation, as a form of influence, can
be positive and constructive as well. We
refer again to the individual who is merely
a product of custom and is swept along by
conventionality; his actions do not reflect
personal decisions. Such an individual is
not sure that he is doing the best or the
right. If he were asked whether he is, he
would probably reply: Everyone else is do
ing so, using the presumption that whatever the majority does is right. Such is poor
reasoning. That individual could improve
his life in many ways by breaking away
from the crowd, forming certain ideis and
shaping his life to realize them. But he sees
no need to do so. Then, perhaps, he is thrown
into association at his place of employment
or elsewhere with an ambitious and thoughtful person. During the lunch hour the other
person makes many sagacious remarks. He
causes his associate to think along lines that
are new to him. The ideas are appealing
and stimulating. His imagination is challenged and he inquires further. He begins
to read about the subject. He is tempted,
or influenced if you wish, to think and act
along different channels. As a result, he

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

moves out of the od order of living into a

higher and newer plae.
Psychologically, temptations are merely
influences or suggestions by which one is
motivated to make a change in the direction
in which his thoughts and actions are moving. Normally, the word temptation is used
in a negative sense but, as an influence or
suggestion, it can be constructive as well.
Temptation is a kind of appeal. The motive
behind the appeal is the important thing.
What does it lead to? That is the question
we must ask when something arrests our
attention, and inclines us to make a funda
mental change in our way of living.X
Is Conscience Racial?
A frater from Caada, addressing our Forum, says: I recently listened to an address
given by a Dr. W. H. Rogers of New York.
He made a statement to the effect that con
science was racial and individual. He was
discussing the seven ages or dispensations of
the Bible, the second age in particular, commencing after the great flood when the peopie were not ruled by a king or govemment,
but by their own consciences. His position
was that, since conscience is racial and in
dividual, the result was a world full of sin
and wickedness.
To me this does not appear to be true,
as, according to the teachings of our Order,
Cosmic laws and the laws of nature operate
everywhere alike. However, there have been
times in the history of man, such as the
Spanish Inquisition and the Crusades, when
it was considered right to torture and kill the
enemies of a particular religin. Did the
men who instigated and perpetrated those
deeds suffer qualms of conscience?
Conscience is not an innate code of mor
is implanted in man by a divine decree. If
conscience were a specific course of behavior native to all mankind, all people who
believe themselves motivated by conscience
would behave alike. It is all too apparent
that individuis and groups of persons who
sincerely consider themselves acting in accordance with conscience will not agree on
its dictates. Conscience is related to what is
referred to as the moral law or moral will.
This is an impulse on the part of the indi
vidual to resort to behavior which he adjudges to be righteous. For analogy, we may
believe that there is a universal sense of jus-

AUGUST, 1951

tice had by all people. Admittedly, the

sense of justice'is often more pronounced in
some persons than in others. This justice
is not a knowledge leamed. Rather, it is
an instinctive evaluation of the difference in
experiences insofar as they react upon the
welfare of human beings. It is the faculty
of being able to determine the mean, that
is, the equilibrium, between extremes. Obviously, for its expression, this sense of jus
tice depends upon the observation of opposing conditions and what may be considered
as contributing to the hurt of an individual.
A member of society may be conditioned
by his social environment to consider slander
as being no hurt to another. Consequently,
his sense of justice, his sympathetic feeling
for another would not be aroused because of
the derogatory remarks made. This same
person might, however, show resentment if
a stronger and larger man were to brutally
beat a smaller one for what he could not accept as a good reason. Instinctively his sympathy would then be engendered for the
helpless victim. This sympathy could manifest as an interceding in behalf of the wreaker man or what would be called an act of
justice.
We thus can see that justice as a code or
an effective practice is dependent upon ones
training, environment, and the prevailing
customs. Justice, psychologically, consists
of our instinctive concern for our own wel
fare sympathetically extended to others
whose welfare we believe to be jeopardized.
What to the individual constitutes a disruption of social or other vales, sufficient to
invoke his sense of justice, is influenced
greatly by the customs of the society of
which he is a part.
We have dwelt on justice to this extent
because it offers a plausible analogy for con
science. The moral will or impulse behind
conscience we may metaphysically assert is
innate. It is Cosmically endowed. To paraphrase Kant, the desire to do good is the
only real good. Men thus, by the categories
of their beings, have this nisus, this urge to
do good. Wherever men are, in whatever
period of history, this moral impulse is in
nate. However, this impulse is subject to
intellection, that is, to individual interpretation. As a feeling it must be framed in
some ideation, in some thought form. We

Page 9

want to do good. But what is the good? It

is in determining the intent of the good that
men fall into that disparity of conduct that
causes righteous-minded people to move in
different directions.
Race indubitably conditions or molds the
interpretations of good upon which the prac
tice of conscience depends. The races differ
in their emotionalism and, having also been
subject to specific customs for centuries,
their social vales and moral codes are dif
ferent. As a result, the goods of conscience
are not equal for all peoples. This differ
ence is overcome when you have an amalgamation of the different races in one nation which has adopted a universal moral
code over a period of time.
It is this impact of social custom and, of
course, religin, upon the self-expression or
the objectifying of conscience, that causes
one people to abhor the conduct of others.
In such instances as the Spanish Inquisition,
and numerous other examples of Christian
persecution of non-Christians, all the participants were not devoid of conscience in the
psychological sense. They were really imbued with a sense of righteousness, the de
sire to do good. However, their acts were
a result of ignorance. They displayed an
extremely limited conception of the nature
of good.
For analogy, one who is brought up in a
sensual environment, where pleasure means
gratification of the appetites and pain is construed as bodily suffering only, can be conscious of merely a very low standard of what
constitutes the good. He will know none
of the joys of aspiration, the joys of harmony of mind and body. He will never
have thrilled to lofty beauty in the accord
of sound, symmetry of form, or in poetic
expression. The consciousness of such person may never have soared beyond the
grosser impressions of his receptor senses.
His imagination may be dulled by the forcefulness of immediate reality to which he
gives himself. He is unable to visualize and
find happiness in an idealism not yet materialized. None of such transcendental
states of mind, which are the acm of living
to the mystic, the philosopher, and the poet,
could be conceived by such persons as good,
for they are psychic and mental dullards.
Yes, these unfortunate ones have conscience.

Page 10

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

They have the moral urge to do good, but

it is clioked by a limited consciousness of
self.
Until there is a more fully expressed con
sciousness of self, there will be all of the inequalities of conscience which are so apparent today. The Cosmic impulse, the motivation of conscience is in every human be
ing. However, it is within the province of
man to develop his own potentialities. If
this were not so, there would be no need
for such organizations as the Rosicrucian
Order.
There are certain goods as moral precepts
which manifest as conscience among almost
all peoples. They are vales which are so
integrated with the human welfare that
they cannot well be ignored by any society.
The right of possession is one of these. Men
will fight for personal, tribal, or family
property, because it is like an extensin of
their own beingit is part of them. Such
property is realized to be essential to their
welfare. Consequently, it is taboo, or prohibited, to take what belongs to anotherat
least within the same social circles, within
the tribe, or the family. Theft becomes an
evil, the respect of anothers property a
virtue.

The same applies to rape and murder for

the same obvious reasons. On the other
hand, there is no offense to conscience, to
the moral impulse, when the possessions of
other tribes are taken as a prize of war.
Along the same line of reasoning, men con
sider killing in war as a good, and, there
fore, it is considered compatible with con
science. On the other hand, the extended
consciousness which conceives an ideal for
mankind, that prohibits the taking of life,
sets a higher standard for its particular con
science. Under no circumstances would it
conceive killing as a good,
We will never equalize the practices of
conscience until there is less disparity in the
expansin of the consciousness of men.X
Requesting Cosmic Help
Ever of interest to members is the technique, namely, the mystical approach to the
Cosmic for help in time of need. Each of us
is all too aware of our own personal limitations. Regardless of the degree of confidence
we have, or what success we may have at-

tained in the past, we eventually discover

that there are things which are beyond our
individual capabilities. We all are eventu
ally confronted by some situation to which
our intelligence is not equal or for which our
education is not adequate. As a result, we
are faced with defeat when we have exhausted all our personal powers. There is
only one solution in such a circumstance and
that is to have recourse to something, some
power, some being, some intelligence, which
transcends ourselves.
Our limitations need not necessarily hold
us back in life. Beyond our personal powers
lies the source of all power, the great CGsmic.
Our Creative abilities, our initiative, our per
sonal powers of attainment, are but a trickle
from the great inner reservoir of our being.
It is true, as has often been said by psychologists, that we ordinarily use but ten percent
of our mental potentialities. We must realize
that we are not isolated beings. We are not
separate from the source which has created
us. We do have access to that which created
us. In fact, we are a part of it. The mind
or Cosmic intelligence which has ordained
our being, and which preserves it in its various forms, can be appealed to. It can be
directed.
Now, when we appeal to someone or to
something, we are expressing a desire. We
are indicating a want of some kind. We
might say that our prayers are desires which
are either made vocative, that is, spoken, or
which remain silent within our own con
sciousness. In appealing to the Cosmic, in
expressing a desire, the question of what is
the right or the wrong desire is very impor
tant. Having in mind the wrong desire may
result in an unanswered appeal in our petition. For example, a purely selfish, a wholly
mercenary desire, is very difficult to bring
before the Cosmic. Most assuredly we can
not expect to have such a desire gratified.
First, however, let us realize that seemingly selfish desires are not always actually so.
Suppose one appealed to the Cosmic for a
much larger homeperhaps a home that is
better in appearance, has superior arrangements or accommodations or is in a more
favorable location. Now such an appeal may
actually be free from any selfish motive. One
may have a growing family and, as a result,
the accommodations of the present home are
not adequate. To rear the children com-

AUGUST, 1951

fortably and properly one needs a larger

home or improved living conditions for their
health. Then, again, the environment or
particular location of the home may not be
best for the children. It may be too distant
from school or the associations not advantageous to the development of their character.
Consequently, then, an appeal incorporating
these desires would not be Cosmically interpreted as a purely selfish or personal
objective.
Is an appeal for the improvement of ones
health to be construed as a strictly personal
motive? We shall begin our answer to that
by saying that it depends on why we want
good health. In appealing for good health,
it is not sufficient to stress just ones personal
freedom from distraction, from pain, from
discomfiture or even from concern about our
health. On the other hand, if we want good
health in order to pursue a course of service
to our family, to our friends or to society,
then such an appeal is in order. In other
words, if we can benefit our family or
friends, someone besides our immediate
selves, by attaining goqd health, then we
have a right to make that an object of our
appeal to the Cosmic. We may further say
that to want good health just to inspire
others, to arouse them from despondency or
show what can be obtained by vitality, is a
proper motive, too.
W hat of money? Can we ask the Cosmic
to improve our financial affairs, to help us
obtain more money and yet sincerely say
that such a desire is not mercenary? Let us
be frank. It is necessary that we remove the
imagined or hypocritical stigma which some
people have come to associate with money.
Money is not a necessary evil or is evil
inherent in money. From the philosophical
point of view, good and evil are but evalations which man places upon the qualities
of his experiences. In other words, the manner in which an experience is related to our
own personal interests or welfare determines
whether we shall cali that experience good or
evil. The same may be said of objects or
things. They are good or evil depending
upon their relation to the purposes we have
in mind. A power of any kind can, therefore,
be either good or evil, depending on mans
application of that power, the final use of it.
It must be obvious to everyone that money
is a potential power. It can be used to ac-

Page 11

complish innumerable things. Now, the way

in which money is used becomes a moral
responsibility of man. Whether the particu
lar employment of money is evil depends
upon our conception of human relations. If
it affects these human relations detrimentally, we are inclined to think of the power
of money as evil. Simply put, the reason you
want money determines whether your Cos
mic appeal is proper or not.
To use money to pay just debts is certainly
a proper motive. It is also proper to ask for
finances to edcate ourselves, to improve ourselves for a better position or profession,
provide for the future of our children, and
even to acquire funds for the necessities of
life. It is also not objectionable, from the
Cosmic point of view, to appeal for money
so as to acquire moderate luxuries, things
that make living more comfortable and enjoyable. However, to seek money for extravagances which constitute a waste would
be Cosmically improper. It is essential that
we come to understand that the Cosmic does
not have any code of moris, or prohibitions,
or regulations of any kind, corresponding to
those which man conceives. Whatever man
knows within himself, whatever his con
science tells him is right and proper with
respect to his society and his relation to his
fellows, that is Cosmically proper. It is im
material whether or not other persons accept
the same view. Consequently, it is not the
particular use of money, but rather the
motive behind our use, which is the Cosmic
factor and which determines whether our
appeal will be granted.
The Rosicrucian monographs warn us that
our constant appeal to the Cosmic for anything is out of order. The reason for this is
that we are denying the powers, the faculties
and judgment with which we have been
Cosmically endowed and which we should
exercise. To use an analogy, one cannot ig
nore the common-sense principies of economy and thrift and dissipate his funds or
resources and then turn to the Cosmic, asking
that his needs be met. Furthermore, if ones
appeal is accepted by the Cosmic, one must
not expect that it will materialize in a literal
pouring of money into ones lap from some
unknown source like manna from Heaven.
It is Cosmically required that we have a
plan in mind when we make our petition.
That plan includes the proper motive. The

Page 12

nature of our petition to the Cosmic must be

in the form of a request for illumination, for
an influx of knowledge as an idea or ways
and means by which, through our own efforts, initiative and intelligence, we can provide what we need. The Cosmic does not
give us directly the object of our appeal. It
does not provide moneybags or a blank
cashiers check. Rather it always affords us
the opportunities, the ways and means, by
which to materialize, by our own efforts that
which we want. In that way, then, we have
a chance to use the powers and faculties
which we have as Cosmic gifts.
It is essential, in petitioning the Cosmic
for help, that we not think of that aid solely
in terms of our immediate needs. There are
those who do this and then, after these
needs are met, revert to their usual way of
life. In petitioning, we must think in terms
of tomorrow; we must visualize, if we can,
an extensin into the future of the help we
want now. We must use what we get now
in the proper way for the future as well.
Let me reiterate that selfishness, in the Cos
mic sense, is that which is wholly personal
and from which the petitioner alone will
derive benefit. We must also remember, in
petitioning, that we cannot deceive the inner
self. We cannot ask for one thing and indicate a certain motive and yet, within ourselves, intend to use what we receive in an
entirely different way. The inner self knows
what we want to do with that for which we
are asking, and we know that it knows. We
must not appear before the Cosmic as a
hypocrite.
Provided, then, that the desire and motive
are proper, just how do we make the appeal to*
the Cosmic, just what technique is employed?
When we speak of attunement with the Cos
mic, we really mean our having a conscious
ness of the Cosmic Mind, bringing our own
consciousness in harmony with the plae of
the Universal Cosmic Mind. To have a better understanding of Cosmic consciousness,
which mystical attunement really is, I like to
reverse the order of the two words, for I
think it helps us. Let us say consciousness
of the Cosmic, for that is what Cosmic con
sciousness is. It means hving a personal
realization of the great Universal Mind.
We are often likely to think of this Cosmic
or Universal Mind with which we are to
attune as being external or apart from us.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

There are some persons who even look

into the sky as though God or the Cosmic
were not only beyond this earth and the
planets but even beyond our universe, far
out in the reaches of space. The fact is that
the Cosmic Mind, either as consciousness or
order, is in all things. It is in every minute
cell of our being. The ancient Stoics said
that the Universal Consciousness, or the
Great Mind of ultmate Reality, is as well
the consciousness of all living things. They
meant that the intelligence of a blade of
grass or of a more complex organism like an
animal is an extensin of the Great Mind.
They also said that this universal conscious
ness is the very essence of inanimate things.
The physical laws constituting the atomic
structure of the elements is part of the same
Universal Mind but on a lower scale of
manifestation. This great Universal Mind
or the Cosmic, then, is both the Vital L ife
Fcrce which makes beings anmate and that
spirit energy of which their material substance is composed. With these thoughts in
mind, we come to appreciate the fact that
the Cosmic Mind is not remte from us but
its closest point is within our own selves.
Each of us forms a little niche in this
Cosmic consciousness; that is, we are not
separate but an integral part of the universal
ene. It is like the little markers which we
see on the edge of a ruler. Each little marker
contributes to the dimensions of the ruler.
Or we may think of ourselves as being the
wave bands of color. These wave bands may
seem separate; yet united they compose the
whole spectrum of visible light. Red, green,
and blue, the primary colors, when brought
into harmony, produce the white light of
the sun. And so our separate consciousnesses
are really a part of the great Universal Con
sciousness.
When we are in attunement with the Cos
mic, we then for that moment realize our
own niche, our relationship to all the other
niches, to all the other manifestations of
which the Absolute consists. It is then that
we become one in personal consciousness
with the Creative forces of the universe. We
find ourselves literally floating in a great
vibratory sea of Cosmic forces which we can
realize and use and of which we were heretofore not conscious. Contacting these Cos
mic forces, becoming a momentary channel
for them, is a tremendous stimulus to us. It

AUGUST, 1951

results in a rejuvenation of our psychic, our

mental, and our physical being. We experi
ence a sort of ecstasy, a feeling of inspiration,
of having risen above the fears, doubts, and
distresses we experienced previously. There
is acquired a confidence in personal attainment, accompanied by a flow of ideas, and
the resultant self-mastery. It is after such
attunement that we become conscious of
those ways and means by which we can
satisfy the desires of our petition to the
Cosmic.X
Absent Healing
Just how does absent healing affect the
recipient? This question is more concerned
with the philosophy of the procedure rather
than with the technique. For the technique
of absent healing, a booklet written by the
late Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, entitled The
Art of Absent Healing, is complete and
thorough in itself. If that booklet is carefully
studied and its instructions followed implicitly, any individual who has the proper
point of view, that is, a sympathetic understanding of the purposes of the process, can
practice the technique with excellent results.
We will here not attempt to analyze or discuss these techniques. They need no further
discussion; they need to be followed and
mastered.
The principies that lie behind the tech
nique are generally the basic philosophy of
the Rosicrucian teachings. The whole concept of the Rosicrucian art of absent healing
is based upon our entire philosophy and its
application of metaphysical principies and
of mysticism. Specifically, absent healing is
a process by which harmonium within the
human body can be aided in its restoration.
According to the principies of therapeutics
as presented in various of the Rosicrucian
monographs, a perfectly functioning body is
in a State of health or harmony within itself,
physically and mentally. Any external or
internal condition that in any way upsets or
disturbs this harmonious state is a form of
illnessa lack of health.
From an application of other Rosicrucian
principies, we can easily draw the conclu
sin that the healthy or harmonious state of
the human body is positive. Anything that
interferes with that condition or state is a
negative condition. Please realize, however,

Page 13

that this use of the terms positive and nega

tive is a different application from our usual
reference to positive and negative treatments,
as outlined in the Sixth Degree. What we
mean here is that a healthy body is as near
perfection as we can conceive of perfection
within a body. It is therefore declared to be
positive. Any interference with this perfect
balance is a negative factor or a negative
quality entering into and disturbing the per
fect functioning which previously existed.
A body which does not function harmoniously has come to a state where it is out of
harmony or not in perfect health and balance
because of the intrusin of some condition.
In the case of an accident, this lack of bal
ance can be due to the infliction of some object
upon a part of the body, or it can be due to
an invasin into the body of microorganisms
which temporarily take control. The body
fights to rid itself of the irritating invasin.
This is one point of view in regard to the
so-called germ theory of disease. Micro
organisms exist throughout the whole earth.
They enter our body constantly; we have
them with us all the time, but if through
wrong living, wrong eating, wrong breathing, or other behavior that is not conducive
to the maintenance of the normal balance or
state of harmony within the body, these
organisms develop to a point where they
become an irritant within the body, disease
results. The forces of the body are then
directed toward throwing off these organisms,
and the results of this process may be pain,
discomfort, fever, or other peripheral condi
tions that are the results of the action taking
place within the body. Pain is not in itself
a disease or a state of inharmony. It is a
manifestation that the body is being forced
to do something different from ordinary. The
same can apply to fever and any other simi
lar accompaniment of disease.
The human system has a great deal of
adaptability. Not only do we take into our
systems every day many microorganisms,
but we abuse the body. Usually this abuse
is through forcing it to do things which it
should not have to dofor example, to expend energy without proper rest, to expend
energy for long periods of time, to work
under artificial stimulation through the overuse of simple drugs or through burdening the
body with too much food or the wrong kinds
of food. A certain amount of these devia-

Page 14

tions from proper health practices can be

tolerat^d, but if temperance, moderation, and
reason are not exercised, there comes the
time when the bodys defenses will break
down from constant adjustment to these
strains put upon it by wrong living. Under
such conditions, it is possible for the causes
of disease to become fixed and flourish, with
the resultant manifestations of illness.
It is therefore obvious to a rational indi
vidual that he should learn reasonable laws
of living. There are of course many differences of opinion as to what are the proper
laws of health. Many of us would disagree
in regard to such subjects as diet, exercise,
sleep, and work, but there are certain basic
things that seem to be self-evidentthat we
shouldnt overeat, we shouldnt overwork,
overrest, or take into the body anything
in excess.
When disease has actually established it
self and illness has resulted, then the body
does the many things already mentioned,
through the intelligence that directs the
sympathetic nervous system, to rectify the
wrongs, and objectively, the intelligent
human being also tries to do those things
which will help to re-establish the harmony
that previously existed. The first thing to do
is to make possible for the body to draw upon
its natural reserves and upon the full appli
cation and use of the vital life forc that pervades the universe. An attempt is made to
rebalance the body so that its conten of
spirit and vital life forc will again be in
proper equilibrium. One step is to discon
tinu any excesses in which it may have
been our habit to indulge. The second step
is the application of chemistry, and also
through manipulation to help restore the
body structurally and functionally to its
proper harmonious state.
Medication and proper manipulation of
parts of the body are sometimes called for
in this process. Normally, the body will
respond to intelligent treatment, and gradually harmony can be restored. The body
will absorb the forc of Nouswhich is, after
all, the essence of all being and all existence
if it has the chance. We therefore try to
reharmonize the body not only within itself,
but with these constructive forces that exist
about it. All intelligent therapeutic treat
ment is toward this end, and absent healing
is no exception. Through absent healing one

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

individual directs the vital forces to the indi

vidual who may be ill. These forces are of
course already more or less available to the
ill person. Just as a sponge will absorb more
moisture when it is placed in an environ
ment that contains an excess of moisture, so
a body which is working to re-establish
balance by the absorption of those forces
that contribute to harmony, when it is placed
in an environment containing what we might
cali a surplus of these forces, will absorb
more of them. The technique of absent heal
ing is to direct those forces to that body, and
if properly done, as experience has demonstrated to many Rosicrucians and individuis
who have used this technique, it actually
works.
However, we must never lose sight of the
fact that at some time the body reaches a
state where it will not under any circum
stances 're-establish a harmonious condition.
This may be the time of transition; it may
be a manifestation of the law of Karma; it
may be for the purpose of causing an indi
vidual to have an experience for a reason
possibly not understood immediately. There
fore, absent healing or any other form of
therapeutics is not always effective in the
re-establishment of bodily harmony. How
ever, in the case of absent treatments, in contrast to most other forms or application of
therapeutic methods, it is one form that can
not be overdone. The absent treatment, regardless of how frequently or by how many
people it is given, cannot possibly cause any
harm; it is conducive only to making avail
able to the inharmonious body those things
which it needs and upon which it can draw.
Absent healing is therefore a procedure
which, when known to an individual, becomes an obligation as well as a privilege.
We are obliged to assist in the alleviation of
human suffering if we can do so, fully realizing that while we can so aid, the decisin as
to how effective the treatment may be insofar
as our judgment is concerned, lies in a higher
category, or exists upon a plae advanced
beyond the scope of our own limited con
sciousness.A
The Use of Idealism
Idealism is a part of our thinking that can
be used for practical application. It is also a
system of thought that must be considered

AUGUST, 1951

intelligently. Idealism is something that we

can carry around with us or it can carry us
around. In the latter case there is a tendency
for the extreme idealist to lose touch with
reality and to forget the practical application
of any ideal to the problem of living.
The study of metaphysics in any of its
ramifications demands that a choice must be
made between its two principal systems,
materiism and idealism. Although all
metaphysical inquiry tends toward an attempt by man to understand and arrive at a
basis for a fundamental reality in the uni
verse, the means or methods by which meta
physics attains this basic purpose are as
different as are the opinions that individual
writers have expressed upon the subject.
The different phases of metaphysics can, in
the final analysis, be summarized as modifications of materialism or idealism, depend
ing upon the point of view with which the
individual studying the subject or expounding upon the field of metaphysics arrives at
his concept of the ultmate reality.
The field of philosophy provides the explanation of both materialism and idealism.
We can here only touch upon the very fun
damental premise of each point of view. The
main thesis of materialism is that matter and
energy constitute the fundamental reality.
From this main thesis it is conceded that
everything existing or occurring in the
physical world and in the mental processes
of individuis is either material in character
or dependent upon matter in motion. Such
a concept bases its whole existence upon a
physical standard. It exeludes the existence
of anything outside the phenomenal world.
It exeludes freedom of the will, immortality,
and even God. On the other hand, idealism
is fundamentally the exact opposite of ma
terialism. Its principal thesis is that the real
and underlying part of the universe is men
tal rather than material. Some forms of
idealism go so far as to support the concept
that the apparent materialistic aspect of the
universe is only an illusion. Most forms of
idealism, however, admit the existence of the
external world and acknowledge that this
world possesses objective validity. Idealism
further identifies the essential characteristics
of the universe with mind instead of with
matter, energy, and forc.
The machine age of the past few decades
has looked to mechanism and organization to

Page 15

bring peace and self-realization to the indi

viduis composing its society. But as, when
in the past, civilization has come to depend
upon outer defenses instead of inner, it finds
the whole structure it has ordered so carefully faced with possible destruction. Mankind is then forced by circumstances to reconsider its whole sitation. Civilization can
save itself, as in the past, only by turning
anew to the inner resources of the spirit.
Herein lie the opportunities of an idealistic
system to furnish light and learning for the
future as a living philosophy.
The concept of idealism, with all the
meaning that can be attached to it, it must
be realized, is not a perfect concept. In the
field of metaphysics, both idealism and ma
terialism are human concepts, not divine
concepts. Each is an honest attempt to penetrate the unknown in order to arrive at an
understanding of the underlying purposes
and reality beyond the apparent. No philoso
phy can be greater than those who conceive
or adopt it; therefore, we must be wary of
permitting ourselves to become narrow in
our viewpoints by supporting without
thought of revisin an idealistic system that
may, through experience and the future history of man, prove to be inadequate. The
extreme concepts of idealism wherein the
material world has been deniedthat is,
those who by practicing their ideis have
denied themselves food, clothing, shelter, and
comforthave caused some idealistic phases
of philosophy to appear ridiculous to anyone
with reasonable common sense and judgment. Idealism can inspire and hold an
appeal for all who will realize that its basic
fundamentis are worth while, but that its
ultmate perfection has yet to be evolved.
All philosophy begins in wonder. If men
did not wonder, they would be no different
from animals. It is this concept of wonder
on the part of man which causes him to
speculate and which causes him to form
late a philosophy, and at the end when philosophic thought has done its best, the wonder
still remains. There has been added, how
ever, some grasp of the immensity of things,
some purification of the emotions through
understanding; yet, there may -be danger in
such a process of thinking. An immediate
good is likely to be thought of in a degenrate
form o'f passive enjoyment. We must never

Page 16

lose sight of the fact that existence is activity

ever merging into the future.
The aim at philosophic understanding is
the aim at piercing the blindness of activity
in respect to its transcendent functions. In
the search for an ultimate reality, for a
fundamental point out of which all else that
man can conceive has grown, materialism
has been satisfied with what it can objectively observe, while the idealist believes that
these transcendent functions must exist as a
forc throughout the universe. The idealist
further believes that the existence of a Supreme Creative Intelligence is called for in
the Creative process, since that process implies duration and a permanence of purposeful effort. Thus, the Supreme Intelligence or
forc must be not only immanent in atoms,
cells, and processes, but it must also transcend its creation.
The question with which we are frequently faced is: Can idealism exist in the material
world in actual practice? In other words, is
it possible for man to subscribe to an ideal
istic philosophy that builds its foundation
upon the principie of a Supreme Being, a
Creative Intelligence, or an Absolute Mind,
and at the same time live a normal, socially
acceptable existence in a world where ma
terialism dominates almost every thought
and action? That it is possible to be an
idealist in thought and practice can be illustrated by the fact that there are many people
who, without deviating from accepted social
customs and practices, are able to subscribe
and uphold those ideis which exist beyond
the vales established by a material world,
and in their practice are an inspiration to
others who would also subscribe to such
ideis.
In the world today we are faced by the
question of a standard for moral vales. On
the front page of almost every newspaper in
this country we learn of deviations from
moral standards by some individual or indi
viduis. We find that this condition is no
respecter of agethat juvenile delinquency
ranks almost equal with adult crime.
Fifty years ago, moral standards and character were built upon religious concepts.
Religin was able to enforce moral ideis and
practices by the fear of hell or by some other
form of punishment or retribution. Today,
when a world steeped in materialism has
held out to the youth, of the past two or
three generations, that science can answer

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

all questions and that spiritual valu is only

a superstition maintained in the ame of
religin, it is little wonder that moris have
degenerated and that there exists no high
standard upon which moral valu may be
based. It may be that the permanence of
our civilization is at the point where its
continued existence depends on whether or
not character and moral vales can be main
tained without fear. This is the challenge
to modern metaphysics. Can the idealism of
Rosicrucian metaphysics become the founda
tion upon which character and moris can
be based?
Scrates in his time faced a period of
skepticism which had been given wide circulation and seemed to promise the destruction
of the moral order then in existence. People
talked as we do nowthat youth had de
generated, that few placed valu upon establishing a high moral character unless forced
to. The discovery and conviction upon the
part of Scrates was of the Cosmic and per
sonal nature of moral valu. It was Cosmic in
the sense that the moral order was seen as a
part of the nature of things and that it was
witnessed by an inner light which illuminated every soul. Moral valu was personal
in that it was the duty and privilege of every
man to arrive directly at the truth through
his own personality without the intervention
of priest, potentate, or institution. The moral
stimulus of the Socratic conviction saved the
wreckage of Greek culture by enabling
it to pass into the heritage of Rome, and
through development and progress to other
civilizations.
In spite of all our limitations of comprehension, idealism, and particularly the
idealism that constitutes the basic Rosicru
cian philosophy, furnishes a more reliable
background for ethics than can any existent
system of thought. Idealism, if not completely directing the formation of character,
widens the scope of our moral activities and
makes it possible for man to find a niche not
only in the physical world, but also in an
infinite cosmos. Idealism demonstrates, as
far as any man-made metaphysical theory
can do so, that all individuis are a part of
the underlying reality, that is, mind and
soul, and therefore are intimately related to
the ultimate reality. Idealism urges each
individual to assume proper dignity in all
his relationships, and to express moral action

AUGUST, 1951

not based upon prejudice but in a manner

that may become universal and set the ex
ample for a more perfect world.
A common objection to an idealistic con
cept is based upon the principie that behavior and thought are two distinctly differ
ent things. It will not be difficult to bring
to mind illustrations in which individuis
have, on the surface, professed to be idealists.
These individuis have at least orally subscribed to those principies of the highest
moral, ethical, and social valu which con
tribute to the well-being of mankind. These
same individuis have in actual practice
conducted activities and lived in such man
ner that their lives were inconsistent with the
ideis to which they claimed to subscribe.
We normally refer to such an individual as
being a hypocrite. This individual claims to
hold to a certain set of ideis and at the
same time practices whatever expediency
demands. He may in the course of his life,
lie, cheat, steal, or even commit other anti
moral acts completely inconsistent with the
principies to which he gives oral obedience.
Such individuis, however, are not true examples of idealistic behavior. These indi
viduis are usually trying to compnsate for
inferior abilities, lack of knowledge, or improper application of experience. These
individuis have missed the point. They do
not grasp the concept that ideis are as
effective in practice as they are in theory,
and that when practiced, they contribute
more to peace of mind than can any ma
terial gain.
In the Rosicrucian philosophy we place a
great deal of emphasis upon the faculties of
the subjective mind. We acknowledge that
man is dual, that his physical behavior is
governed primarily by the objective mind,
and that our objective behavior is our everyday manifestation of ourselves. Living as we
do in a material world, our objective behavior
is the process by which we live and by which
we conduct our personal and prvate affairs,
as well as our social contacts. Objectively,
much of such behavior is based upon the de
mands of the moment. It is based upon the
knowledge and experience which we have
gained through our objective faculties and
through reason, but we also know that deeper
within the self, in the inner being that con
stitutes a segment of the ultimate reality,
lies the power that is life itself and that

Page 17

motivates all forms of behavior. We cannot

possibly keep in our objective consciousness
all the knowledge and experience which is
ours. We therefore must relegate much of
our experience to the subjective consciousness
in which are stored all memories; therein
reside all connections with the inner self and
all the fundamentis which are the realities
of life.
In the subjective mind we find the connecting link between our objective behavior
and the ultimate purpose of the Cosmic
scheme. If our behavior from day to day
may seem to be inconsistent with some of
the ideis which are related to our concept
of the Supreme Being, it is not necessarily an
indication of hypocrisy, like that of the indi
vidual who intentionally denies his ideis,
but rather an indication of our human inability to grasp the whole meaning of
existence. We emphasize those portions
which we can immediately see and understand to a degree in our everyday experience.
Man is dual; he is psychological and biological. From the biological standpoint, he
is of chemical compositionthat is, he responds to the same laws as do all other
physical things. Psychologically, man is a
mental entity. His behavior is founded with
in this mentality as expressed through the
biological functions and structure with which
he is physically equipped. If man is more
than an animal, more than a biological unit,
he grows through his mental powers and
Creative ability to attain some insight into
the purposes of his Creator. In relating him
self to these purposes, to the ideis which
they represent, he is approaching the mystic
concept of beingthat is, oneness of all life,
of all creation, of all purposeand convic
tion of God as the final reality.A
The Ordeal of the Soul
It is not uncommon for us to receive a
letter from a Rosicrucian member which
reads like this: For some time I seemed to
make great progress in my studies. I had an
understanding of the teachings. I realized,
as well, a satisfactory unfoldment, a broader
visin and an appreciation of the mystical
precepts of the teachings. Then, suddenly,
my life seemed to be plunged into an abyss.
All became despair. All my efforts, no mat
ter what I attempted to do, seemed to be

Page 18

thwarted as if by some invisible power. I

could plan, but my plans never materialized.
All that I could expect, in fact, was failure.
As a result of such events, I was tempted to
abandon all my ideis, the very motives
which brought me into the Order. I wanted
to give up my studies, change my whole way
of life which I had loved. Then these same
members will ask: What have I done to
bring such misfortunes upon myself?
These Rosicrucians forget an od mystical
lesson which is taught in the degrees of the
Order. We are not going to say in what
degrees, but we are going to cali it by its
ame. The lesson is known as the Obscure
Night of the Soul. Just before one attains a
quickening of the inner consciousness, a real
psychic unfoldment, there is a period of great
darkness for the soul. The ancient Essenes
were the first to cali this period of darkness
by the ame of Obscure Night of the Soul.
The early Christian theologians or church
fathers referred to it as a mystical aridity.
They meant that it was a period of desolation
in ones inner consciousness. The alchemists
called the same experience the Black Night
of Matter. In effect, it precedes the dawn of
ones personal inner initiation, just as the
blackness of night precedes the early rays of
the morning sun.
During this period of ordeal, the soul
passes through a time that is a Hades or
Hell of discouragement and misfortune.
Such interval as the Obscure Night of the
Soul may truly become the blackest time, so
far as our personal affairs are concerned. It
is different from the usual failures or turbulence that one ordinarily experiences in life.
It is not just that we do not attain success or
that we have obstructions confronting us.
There is in addition a tremendous psychological despondency accompanying each ad
verse experience. Such experience has a
tendency to destroy our initiative, to break
down our faith, and to prevent our seeking
to rise above the opposition. We develop an
indifference to our future. Our virtues, those
moral concepts we have gradually built up
in life and which are the acm of righteousness, are severely tried. Our idealism wanes.
We do not care whether we attain that
which we have set as our pinnacle of achievement. We are submerged by moods of
Cynicism or doubt which make it difficult
for us to take the advice proffered by others.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

During this Obscure Night the individual

is stripped of all his vanities, his self-assurance, his pride in whatever achievement or
talents he may have. In fact, he stands
naked before his own inner visin. He sees
his weaknesses and realizes himself as he is
and he does not like what he sees. It amounts
to a time of personal readjustment of ones
spiritual and mental selves, a reorganization
of the whole being. Such an ordeal of the
soul requires great fortitude, strength of
character, and resolution to carry on. This
trying time is the great crucible in which we
are purged of our weaknesses in preparation
for the Golden Dawn, the great initiation,
which lies just ahead. The soul-personality
is being refined. We are obliged to put aside
the feeling of depression, to be defiant, if
you will, even when there is nothing to in
spire us. At such a time we cannot allow
our failures to arrest our powers. We must
be resolute and carry on, though all is in
darkness. The reward is this: If we persist,
the Golden Dawn of spiritual illumination
will come to us.
The ancient mystery schools dramatized
very effectively for their candidates this Ob
scure Night of the Soul. The purpose was to
make them fully conscious of its mystical
principies. They had these candidates pass
through dark initiatory chambers in which
there were fearsome noises and other things
to terrify them. These candidates were
forced to have faith in their ideis and the
courage to carry on when confronted with
such terrors. Even the blindfold which is
put over the eyes of candidates in initiations
today, in many fraternities and secret socie
ties, is an inheritance from the mystery
schools. By thus blinding the candidate there
is depicted that darkness when the inner
visin or consciousness is obscured.
To be timid when confronted with the
ordeal of the Obscure Night and not to venture ahead, obliges one to remain in what is
known as the alchem ical garden. This alchemical garden is a psychological state
during which we must transmute fears and
timidity into fortitude, the result of the
knowledge we have gained in our studies.
Now this transmutation may not be accomplished by some in this incarnation. They
may have to remain in the alchemical garden
for another incarnation. As a result of their
fears, their Golden Dawn, the great knowl-

AUGUST, 1951

Page 19

edge and light which will be theirs, is accordingly delayed.

Life on earth following the Golden Dawn
has been called by the mystics the Path of
lllumination. It is true illumination, the
light of understanding, the light of the mind.
Once this is attained, one is never fearful
of the outcome of life. He will from time to
time, as must every mortal, experience tribulation, but he will never again be completely
confounded. He will, thereafter, be majestically independent in the sense that he will
realize his Cosmic resources. He will know
that he can recreate whatever the circum
stances of the moment may have destroyed.
To use an analogy, one who is upon the Path
of Illumination is like one meeting a boulder
that obstructs him on the highway; he does
not despair, because he is able to see beyond
that boulder and to know how he can either
remove it or by-pass it.
The illumination of the Golden Dawn
gives the individual a profound insight into
his real self, his emotional being, his psychic
being, his unity with the great Cosmic mind.
Therefore, potentialities which heretofore
were unknown are revealed to him, and they
cause him to realize that he is equal to what
the future may demand. This Obscure Night
may occur at almost any age but usually
when one is either thirty-five or forty-seven
years of age. Its duration vares with the
individual. It may last only a week for one,
a month for another, and even several years
in instances where fear overcomes resoluteness. The Obscure Night is a mystical transition in which we are brought face to face
with our whole being. It occurs once in
every incarnation.
The way of truly knowing when we are
confronted with the Obscure Night and the
exact steps to be taken to master it, as well as
the great benefits of the Golden Dawn, can
not be revealed here. They must be left fr
those degrees of the teachings in which they
are fully explained.X
Subjectivity
How is it possible for the subjective mind
to learn? This question, asked at this years
Rosicrucian Convention, may seem to be a
simple one, but its answer becomes involved
in the nature of the subjective mind.
It is an acceptable procedure for us to
think of the objective and subjective minds

as being parallel to each other and having

similar things in common, but to believe
that the subjective mind is merely an unconscious form of the objective mind is a
serious mistake. The subjective mind serves
two fundamental purposes: The first is to
control the involuntary functions of the body,
this phase being connected with the sympathetic nervous system; and the second is to
serve as a storehouse of memory. In the
latter case, all knowledge and experience is
at one time or another transferred into the
subjective mind.
The subjective mind is therefore primarily
not a perceptive attribute of our being. Perception is an attribute of the objective mind,
the primary forms of perception being
through the sense faculties by which knowl
edge and information are carried into the
mind. For example, we see, hear, or through
other sense faculties grasp a concept, idea,
fact, or experience through perceiving it.
The subjective mind does not perceiveit
accepts. We know, for example, that the
subjective mind reasons deductively, accepts
everything that comes to it from the objective
mind, and works from that point. It is not
analytical like the objective mind. It does
not weigh the possibilities or probabilities or
whether a thing is fact or fancy; it accepts
anything that is transferred to it from the
objective mind. In this sense all material,
physical or objective, experience and knowl
edge eventually arrive at the point of subjec
tive consciousness through the channel of the
objective mind.
The subjective mind, according to the
Rosicrucian philosophy, is a phase of the
vital life forc and is therefore in contact
with absolute knowledge or with God. In
that sense, it has innately within it certain
knowledge and experience that comes
through that natural attunement existing
between it and the Cosmic forces, plus memores that may go back to other incamations.
It is through this faculty of the subjective
consciousness that we may gain knowledge
which cannot come through the five physi
cal senses; but, and this is the important fact
to remember, we do not gain this knowledge
until that information is translated or trans
ferred into the objective consciousness. We
normally refer to all knowledge and informa
tion coming from the subjective as intuitive
knowledge, but intuition functions only

Page 20

through the mdium of the objective. The

objective mind becomes conscious of fact and
experienceor of knowledge from the sub
jective consciousness. In other words, the
thought process takes place in the objective
mind. The question as to what the subjective
consciousness can learn, then, depends upon
what is transferred to it by objective
consciousness.
Normally, the subjective mind becomes a
storehouse of memories originating in objec
tive consciousness. Even before we reach
advanced childhood our consciousness would
become utter confusion if everything that
we had learned would be constantly kept at
the focal point of objective consciousness.
Knowledge not immediately necessary or
activities not immediately to be called upon
are stored in the subjective consciousness.
Things that we cannot think of at the moment are there and can be recalled through
the function of memory. The subject of
memory is a complete subject in itself and
cannot be considered here in detail.
Concentration, meditation, and contemplation are means by which things are
transmitted to the subjective mind. Casual
happenings are not impressed upon the sub
jective mind because it, too, would have its
limitations insofar as the ability of the objec
tive mind to recall things from that state of
consciousness is concemed. We cannot, for
example, read a thing which we do not
understand and expect it to become firmly
fixed in the subjective consciousness. I once
overheard an individual say that he read a
thing hurriedly but that he was not con
cerned because (as this person believed) the
knowledge was already in his subconscious.
This is not quite true because only those
things that impress themselves upon the
objective consciousness can, in turn, impress
themselves upon the subjective consciousness
and thereby become available for use or for
practical application.
In other words, the subjective mind will
not do for us what we are not willing to do
for ourselves. We cannot sean through a
book, an article, or a process and think that
the full intent and content of those things
will thereby be available to our subconscious
mind. We all know that the establishment
is a habit and takes a lot of time.
A habit is a good illustration of how the
subjective consciousness works. A thing is

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

established through repetition and is easily

called upon and carried out almost automatically. Therefore, all that we thoroughly
digest mentally, through what we experience
and learn, will be firmly established in the
subjective consciousness for future use. That
which we look into only superficially will be
no more available in the subjective conscious
ness than it is in the objective. A
Why Attainment is Not Equal
It may seem strange to some of our members that Rosicrucians who have been in the
Order more than twenty years may at times
feel very disheartened. It would seem that,
with such background of study in the Order
and such long affiliation, they would be masters of any circumstance which might arise.
However, such persons will say during an
interview or in a letter: I am in the high
degrees of the Order; yet I must frankly
admit that my life is not just as I wish it.
Perhaps they further add: I experience illhealth occasionally and my business is not
satisfactory. Then they frankly state:
Since I am exposed to these discouragements
and know failure at times, of what avail has
been my study and my long affiliation with
the Order?
First, we must answer by saying that be
ing in the high degrees of the Order is no
absolute guarantee that the individual will
be exempt from violation of a Cosmic or
natural law. The high degree member must
experience adverse Karma as well as any
other individual if, because of indifference
or negligence, he makes mistakes which invoke the application of this law in his per
sonal life. It is incumbent upon each of us,
especially those in the higher degrees, to use
our Rosicrucian studies to learn our mistakes
and to set about rectifying them. Once we
realize that we have set into motion certain
causes, we must be humble and seek to make
adjustments according to our Rosicrucian
knowledge so as to mitgate the effeets.
What advantage is there in being a mem
ber of the Order? As Rosicrucians, we have
the opportunity to rise above adversity,
which we may have brought upon ourselves
perhaps inadvertentlysooner than others.
We are given the insight to determine the
causes of such adversity. We have also been
taught ways and means to establish other

AUGUST, 1951

causes by which to correct mistakes, even

faults in our own nature. If we disregard the
principies that have been given us or accept
them only as theories, then, of course, we
must suffer the consequences. There is no
Cosmic partiality or discrimination. We must
always be aware that knowledge without
works avails us nothing.
Success or advancement in ones life can
not be the same for each of us. Though we
may enter the Order together as members
and may acquire knowledge alike as we pass
through the degrees, nevertheless the attainment of each will be different. This seems
very puzzling to many members, but there
is nothing mysterious about it. The simple
explana tion is just this: W e are separate
personalities. We have separate soul-personalities and the development of them is dif
ferent to some degree for each of us. When
we enter the Order, the development of the
soul-personality of each one is different. In
the majority of instances when we leave this
life at transition, the development of the
soul-personality of each of us contines to
remain unlike. Each of us will make some
advancement in the Order as we go through
the degrees. We will add something to our
understanding and to our perfection. Yet
that addition to what we already were still
leaves us unequal. The advancement con
tributes only to our differences. It in no
way equalizes them. We must not think
of membership in the Rosicrucian Order as
being like raw materials going into a factory
and coming out on the assembly line exactly alike.
Let us use an analogy to make this point
clear. We shall assume that two men are
entering an elevator in a large modern office
building. They both enter at exactly the
same moment. One of these men, we shall
say, is twenty-five years of age and the other
is forty-five. The elevator ascends to the top
or twelfth floor of the building and its two
passengers exit at the same time. Though
they have left the elevator together, their
respective ages, in relation to each other,
remain unchanged. There is only the addi
tion to their respective ages of the few
seconds it took to rise from the first to the
twelfth floor. The point we are trying to
make is that the ascent in the elevator did
not alter the relative difference in ages of the
two passengers. So, too, it is with Rosicru-

Page 21

cianism. Some of us enter this incarnation

having attained the first plae of psychic
consciousness; others, the second; and still
others, the third. If we are conscientious in
our studies, we may add to the development
of our respective planes of consciousness.
Those who had attained the first plae may
reach the second; those who had attained
the second, may reach the third. The more
advanced would, at the cise of life, remain
more advanced than those who carne in on a
lower plae of consciousness.
The Rosicrucian teachings do not equalize
human experience. They add to it. This is
also the reason why some members of the
Order are much more successful with some
of the mystical and psychic exercises than
are others. It is because they have already,
as a result of previous incamations, attained
a higher plae of consciousiess whereby
they can accomplish successfully some of the
exercises which others cannot. We must,
however, realize that each of us gains in proportion to what we were when we entered
the Rosicrucian studies. It is rare for a member who enters the Order on a lower plae
of consciousness than another student to pass
the latter in personal development through
the degrees. The only way this could happen
would be that the one in the higher plae of
consciousness gave little thought to his per
sonal studies or development while the one
on the lower plae was an excellent and
conscientious student and caught up and
passed the other. This would be rare because
one having reached a high plae of con
sciousness is not likely to be so negligent.
He would realize the need of applying him
self and that would advance him still farther
and cause him to maintain the gain which
he had over others when he entered the
Order.X
Rational Mystics
There are those who in their pursuing the
study of mysticism believe that such a course
justifies participation in mediaeval and mod
ern superstitions. They immediately indulge
in such practices as the planchette or ouija
board, automatic writing, cryptic or strange
and incomprehensible correspondence, and
other equally fantastic antics. It is apparent
that such individuis have no proper conception of the nature of mysticism. They

Page 22

confuse mysticism with occult practices of

the Middle Ages which, even then, were
execrated by real occult philosophers and
mystics alike.
It is hardly necessary to define mysticism
here, but we shall offer a brief definition to
show how far from its principies have deviated some of those who refer to themselves
as mystics. Mysticism is the intimate experi
ence of the Divine through self, or a per
sonal unin with God. Consequently, mysti
cism is concerned only with the development
of the consciousness of self or the realization
of the psychic powers of ones being, by which
he is brought into attunement with the Absolute or the Cosmic. There are but three
major steps for mystical attainment. These
are prepararan, meditation, and illumina
tion. Each of these has been subdivided into
other steps. The subdivisions are really elements of the three major divisions.
The preparation for mystical attainment,
after centuries of practice and as expounded
by illumined individuis, has been reduced
to a few essential requirements. These consist principally of purgation. The aspirant
must purge himself of all thoughts and prac
tices which are of a nature so as to prevent
his consciousness from ascending to a higher
plae. It is really a psychological process
wherein one conditions himself to be receptive to the finer and more exalted impressions of the Divine Mind within him. First,
the purging consists of the rite of lustration,
that is, the cleansing of the body externally
and internally. One bathes thoroughly and
puts clean and simple clothes on his person.
Usually there is a period of fasting preceding
the meditation. The clothes one puts on are
not eccentric robes or costumes. They do not
affect Oriental designs or the costumes of any
particular regin or people. These articles of
dress may be your customary habiliments,
those you would wear in any circumstances
when you wished to be comfortable. No
turbans, sandals, scarves, mantles, sashes, or
any peculiarities of dress are necessary. Immediately, by this postulation we remove one
of the elements of fanaticism and eccentricity
which some persons, ignorantly or wilfully,
have associated with mystical preparation.
This cleansing, however, is more than
physical. It is, as well, m oral and mental.
Prayers are offered in which one silently
seeks to have guidance in accordance with

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the most lofty aspiration of which he is

capable. The aspirant likewise pleads that
he may be strengthened in his moral evaluation; that he may know if his conduct is
Cosmically proper so that he does not offend
the very spiritual forc with which he wishes
attunement. Next there is the sincere effort
to purge from ones mind all thoughts which
are related to the lower order of ones being,
such as envy, hatred, jealousy, and avarice.
Successful purgation is experienced as an
afflatus of the soul; that is, there is a sense
of nobility, of righteousness and a feeling of
freedom from the pangs of conscience, guilt,
and self-condemnation.
During all this preparation there are no
strange or mysterious rites. There is nothing
said or done that anyone who has studied
mystical philosophy from authentic sources
would not thoroughly understand and approve. If the aspirant uses words or sentences which are inscrutable, weird, and
senseless, it means that he is involving some
sort of mediaeval occult gibberish with mys
ticism. The one who explains his mystical
preparation to another in half-sentences
which are vague and cryptic or states very
mysteriously, You know what I mean, is
not a mystic, but he is absurd. When the
assumed mystic uses such a sentence as the
above, he really intends to say: What I say
may be confusing to your reason and not
comprehensible, but your inner self will
thoroughly comprehend it. Such, too, is
absurd.
The mystic always strives for truth or
enlightenment. This truth is whatever is
conceived as real, that is, having existence.
The mystic desires to reduce those Cosmic
experiences which he has to realities which
others can objectively understand. The mys
tic is a teacher at all times. He feels that it
is his mission to reveal to others what has
been disclosed to him, so that they may be
helped and their personal attainment may be
realized sooner. The greatest difficulty the
mystic confronts is to transate the profound
elements of his Cosmic experience into communicable ideas. He knows that all he has
learned within is not capable of being framed
into ideas. Nevertheless he seeks to accomplish this end to the best of his abilities.
Certainly the true mystic will not resort to
insuperable unintelligible utterances. Furthermore, whatever is communicated in an

AUSUST, 1951

objective audible manner, as the spoken

word, is intended for the objective mind or
reason to understand. If there is something
which must be psychically realized by an
other individual, it will then be divulged to
that individual symbolically in a psychic
manner. It will not be presented in an unintelligible jargn either written or spoken.
As for meditation, the art of meditation
in Western mysticism and in almost all the
Oriental religions and philosophies does not
advcate extreme postures and self-mortification, that is, the abuse of body or mind. One
of the ideis of every master mystic has been
to simplify the technique or art of medita
tion. I do not mean to imply by simplifica
ron that successful meditation can be accomplished quickly. There is a difference
between effcrt and time. Something may be
a simple act, insofar as understanding it is
concerned, and yet it may require long prac
tice before perfection is achieved. The more
involved a procedure of meditation, the more
difficult it is to discipline the consciousness
and direct it into the channels necessary for
illumination.
Noetic experience or illumination is the
satisfactory conclusin of the mystical state.
The noetic experience is a unique knowledge
or superior understanding which comes as
light to the darkened mind. The darkened
mind is not necessarily one which is lacking
either in intelligence or education. It is the
mind that is aware of the need for further
knowledge. There is a gap in its understand
ing, a darkness, where there should be light.
It is the understanding and judgment of
true vales, the disabusing of the mind of
false conceptions, which constitutes mystical
illumination. With that light there also depart from the consciousness fears and doubts.
A confidence is bom out of the realization
that one has unity with the Absolute.
From the foregoing, we can see that, if one
professes to be illumined, having actually
attained the state of consciousness of the
Cosmic, he will not need to resort to voluminous Communications, written in an ob
scure and mysterious manner. He most
certainly will be able to present some portion
of his experience in a logical way to another,
so that the latter is inspired. In fact, the
cogency of the communication will be evidence of the illumination had by the mystic.
Sacred literature reveis that all the great

Page 23

avatars and founders of advanced religions

have left messages for mankind which, by
their simplicity and efficacy, have inspired
millions, have raised their consciousness and
led them forward and upward. The very
conspicuity of these revealed truths indicates
that they carne as Cosmic revelations. The
minds which receive such truths perceive
them with such clarity that they are able
to pass them on in like manner.
Here at the Grand Lodge we sometimes
receive ambiguous letters which purport to
be Communications from some disembodied
personality. It is stated that they have been
transmitted via the mdium of a ouija board
or through automatic writing. They are usually a jumble of unrelated random ideas,
disorganized fleeting impressions, which the
individual has released from his own sub
jective mind. The person sending the epistle
to us then asks us to resort to the psychic
self for an explanation, if it is not understandable. Needless to say, such letters are
not considered further. First, we do not
recognize automatic writing as an authentic
psychic function and, second, we do not have
time to resort to our psychic selves for mat
ters which should be objectively presented.
If everything had to be analyzed and interpreted by the inner self for its real meaning, we would not need an objective self.
In fact, the inner self would not need to
have an organic vehicle such as the body,
with its receptor senses, brain, and faculties
of reasoning. Our inner self should only
function as a court of last appeal. Only
when it is otherwise impossible, after exhausting all our objective faculties and
powers, should we turn to this inner self.
This inner self may be likened to the su
preme court of a nation. One does not go
directly to such a supreme judiciary body to
seek redress. He first takes his litigation to
the lower courts. In fact, the supreme court
will not consider those aspects of litigation
for which the lower body is organized and
which it is capable of adjudicating. So, too,
the psychic intelligence will not serve us
when we refuse to use our reason and our
peripheral senses.
If you do not approach the study of mysti
cism with reverence and rationality, you
will achieve no results and, in addition, you
defame the time-honored spiritual method
devised for mans unin with the Divine.X

Faith Healing

l i n O E S tbe pouring forth of the soul

in silent prayer or anguished wail
elicit the divine curative powers? W ill
the act of throwing oneself in humble
faith upon the mercy of the Omnipotent
effect a cure or relieve an ailment? Is
faith the means of placing man in attune
ment with the higher forces, and is it al
that is necessary to insure health, vitality,
and Iongevity? Do you know how far
man may go in exposing his body and
mind to disease without suffering disaster
by merely having F A IT H in the goodness of Divinity? Is faith in divine heal
ing a delusion, a state of self-deception
that blinds the mind to the dangers of
neglect? Millions today are followers of
; faith healing. A re they misinformed or is
it a subtle method of right living little
understood?

fy a c U u f

f y a d ti

l~||j~,H IS subject is daringly and forcfully presented in the b oot, Rosicrucian Essays, by the
celebrated author, H. Spencer Lewis, Ph. D .

E ach aspect of this matter is dealt with as

a separate and complete article rounding out the thought. Devoid of technical terms, the
articles will hold your interest, and yet present you with useful facts discovered in the varied
experiences of this noted writer. Look at tbe titles of these articles:
G erm s

T h e C ause of D isease

W h a t 1 D iscovered in Europe

Rem oving the C ause

Natural Healers
This boolc will be a real addition to your Iibrary.
Useful for continuous reference.

THE R O S I C R U C I A N
.

SUPPLY

San Jos, California, U. S. A.

ONLY

60c per copy

Postage Paid

BUREAU

.A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AM O RC,
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 11 0 3 of the U . S. Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1 9 1 7 .

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Vol. XXII

OCTOBER, 1951

No. 2

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ARISE

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Arse (from sloth), sif (meditating);

Whaf good are dreams to you?
What sleep s there for th' afflicted,
Perced, wounded by a barb?

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Arise (from sloth), sit (meditating),

Train swiftly for tranquility.
Let not death's king find you proud,
or dupe you to subjection.

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Sutta Nipata

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Slothfulness is dust. . . .
Being prone to it is dust:
By diligence, by knowledge,
Draw out the barb of self.

From The Maha-Bodhi, Vol. 58, Dec. 1950

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 26

Greetings!
V

IN TO LERA N CE AND FORBEARANCE

Dear Fratres and Sor ores:
We all presume to know the nature of
intolerance. We generally conceive it to
be the denial to others the expression
of opinions and the participation in activities
which differ from ones own. Obviously,
for the needs of society, each individual
cannot give full expression to all his ideas,
or engage in every activity which may
appeal to him. There are, and must be,
conceptions and behavior which are recog
nized as right, and others which are improper. The latter, thus, must be restrained.
Such restraint, however, does not constitute
intolerance.
To avoid falling into the category of intolerance, the determination of what is right
and wrong thought and action often becomes
a difficult task. History relates the story of
many persons, intolerant in their attitudes
toward others, who were perhaps motivated
by a sense of righteousness. Ignorance is one
of the principal factors that give rise to
intolerance. One may really know a sub
ject, and as a result of such knowledge be
convinced that it is conclusive. Not being
as fam iliar with the contra-subject, it has
the appearance of being wrong to him. In
good faith, then, the individual opposes the
view he mistakenly believes to be false.
Intolerance is manifest more frequently
among religious sects. The cause is usually
twofold. The first cause, again, is ignorance.
The religious conception, the idealism and
dogma of another sect, appears to be quite
foreign. All that one may hear casually of
another creed is far from being as intmate
as ones own. It, therefore, seems to lack
the authority and competency of ones per
sonal and better-known religious dogma.
Each religionist wishes to believe that he
has embraced the true faith. All else, then,
must be false. To many devotees, to recognize, even to tolerate another belief is an
injustice to their own faith. Thus, the sec
ond cause of religious intolerance is the
blind devotion which many religionists show
to their own faith.

Certain behaviors and the conceptions or

thoughts associated with them must biologically and hygienically, as well as socially,
be observed. This is because experience has
proved, or that reason makes it apparent,
that to discredit them imposes disastrous
effects upon men generally. For example,
highly organized civilization at this time
still believes it essential to outlaw bigamy;
under its present conventions and customs
it finds the existing state of marriage more
beneficial to the home, the state, and the
public moris. Unless future circumstances
can prove the present conception false, this
view becomes a social right to be enforced
against all individuis. In suppressing all
the members of society who might think
differently and who might wish to act in
accordance with their personal views, society
must not be considered intolerant.
The theory may be established that no
opposition to counterviews or counteractions
constitutes intolerance if it is done for the
welfare of the greatest number. Here, a
critical factor enters of which there are a
number of examples today: does the mere
mass demand by a people conceming some
doctrine, of which they do not approve,
justify its suppression? To be more succinct,
just because the people do not want some
thing, does that make it wrong? Unfortunately, in our democracies there is the proclivity to extrpate as false all that does not
have public interest; this is equivalent to
endorsing as right anything approved by
public opinion. Important is the distinction
between the interest of the masses and their
true welfare.
There is no better example of an intoler
ance which a society may seek to justify as
right than the religious dominance of a
state. When a great number of a populace
are of one religin and that sect gains con
trol of the state, it is legislated and enforced
adversely against the minority. In such
incidents, history has always shown that
acts of aggressive intolerance occur. To
further the particular interests of its ad-

OCTOBER, 1951

herents, a state thus controlled suppresses

all other religions directly or indirectly.
From an impartial point of view, such suppression cannot be shown to serve the wel
fare of the state as a whole. Rather, it
caters to bigotry and the ignorance of a
people collectively.
The welfare of a people upon which the
determination of intolerance rests must not
solely depend upon abstract ideas. Refore
the conception or activities of another are
to be banned upon the basis of public wel
fare, it must need be shown that such
thoughts or acts produce tangible, detrimental effects upon the people. A thought mere
ly different from that held by the majority
of the people is not sufficient evidence of its
adverse influence upon their lives. It must
be shown that such ideas or ideis held by
an individual or a group of persons are mo
tives which cause them to act in ways which
are to the physical, mental, and social disadvantage of the public.
It is to be noted that no reference has
been made here to moral principies. As in
the past, there is a strong tendency to abolish specific moral doctrines which are said
to be against the public interest. In most
such instances, the prohibitions set up were
examples of absolute intolerance. It could
not be shown that such doctrines or ideis
actually were injurious to the public welfare,
such as affecting the public health or liberty.
Consequently, the abolition of teachings in
which the question of moris is involved
must be related to any consequence resulting
from them which has a tangible effect upon
public welfare. Again we emphasize that a
difference of opinion from that held by the
masses of people is not sufficient justification
for its suppression.
How can individuis avoid an attitude of
personal intolerance? In fact, why do so
many persons oppose the different views and
actions of otherseven when their content
is not harmful? The cause lies in the human
ego and the instinctive urge of self to assert
itself. We are disposed to give ourselves
over entirely to our instincts and desires
whenever the opportunity affords itself. We
are a composite, not just of our thoughts,
but our emotional responses and our desires.
It becomes difficult for many persons to so
detach desire from self as to impersonally
analyze its worth in relation to the welfare
of others. Consequently, we ordinarily de-

Page 27

fend a personal interest, a belief or desire,

as we would our physical person, against
an attack. We seek to advance such beliefs
and favor such intellectual desires just as
vigorously as we seek out ways and means
of gaining our sustenance.
In this instinctive aggression, this promoting of the desires of self, we trespass
upon the rights and dignity of other human
beings. We conflict with their hopes, aspirations, and beliefs-and they have an
equal and inalienable right to express these.
We cannot construe our personal welfare to
mean that all counterthoughts and desires
necessarily jeopardize our being, and must,
therefore, be opposed. Such a conception
would destroy society. It would set against
his neighbor each individual who thought
or acted differently from another. We find
this behavior among many of the lower
animals which are not gregarious. However,
it is not worthy of man and defeats those
elements of his nature which require unified
effort and group living.
This intolerance can be rectified by an
attitude of forbearance. Forbearance consists of some restraint of our animal instincts.
It is nothing more than a form of personal
discipline and sacrificethat we restrain
ourselves in some regard, that we be willing
to forego some of the full enjoyment of our
physical senses and of our personal powers
in order to allow others to do the same.
If you examine every instance of intoler
ance, you will find that the individual did
not necessarily want to injure someone or to
deprive him of his rights, even though his
actions amounted to that. It is really because the individual was concerned only
with his own interests and the satiating of
his own desires that he violated the sanctity
of the self of someone else.
We are not truly exercising all of our
potentialities if we allow desire and instinct
to solely motvate us in our relations with
others. To attain the highest human rela
tions necessitates a rational understanding of
the common human welfare. We can and
we must discipline ourselves. We cannot
live alone. We must forbear something of
our own satisfaction for the collective good
in which we want to participate.
Strange as it may seem, freedom sometimes becomes an obstacle to tolerance.
Thoughtlessly insisting on a personal free
dom, or what we interpret it to be, interferes

Page 28

with the liberalism of tolerance. Freedom

is the exercise of will; it is conforming to
what we want to do or have the desire to do.
If, however, we exercise our personal wills
to their fullest extent as a display of free
dom, we cannot be tolerant! We must im
pose forbearance on will and the instinctive
desire for freedom if individuis and nations
are to know tolerance and the peace which
follows from it.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
Application of Rosicrucianism
The real test of the valu of any worthwhile thing is obviously in its application.
In any subject we find two types of students:
students who study only to accumulate facts
and information, and those who study to
gain techniquesthis is popularly known as
practical application, or a utilization of
knowledge in the course of life. In the
many letters received from members, there
are numerous proofs that individuis have
been able to put into effect this practical
application. They have utilized the teach
ings in their everyday life to change their
point of view to contribute to happiness and
peace of mind. A frater recently wrote our
Instruction Department as follows:
Just four months after becoming a member I was pleased to hear from a man whom
I had practically forgotten. The message
I received was a letter offering me a job
representing a national company. It was a
traveling jobmy first big chance to lea ve
my then destructive surroundings and really
make something of myself. Relieve me, I
worked hard. I began to feel an inner forc
helping me over the tough spots, and though
I didnt notice it at the time, a change was
taking place in me for the better.
I was traveling at the time on the East
Coast and at times it was a struggle to
maintain a semblance of routine study and
digest the teachings. I will admit that at
times I thought of giving up, but just at that
moment I would always seem to receive a
monograph with some note of encouragement in it. I was living in hotel rooms all
over the Eastern part of the country, and at
times it was impossible to set up a study
place and a sanctumor even be in such a

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

state of mind that I could absorb the thoughts

from the monographs. These circumstances
at times put me behind in my studies, but
I would always continu. I was a stranger
in the world again but this time I was on
the path of greater learning, and my inner
self, through the great teachings, gave me
one thing my former life had denied me:
the courage to face seemingly unsurmountable personal and business problems. I began
to feel that something other than my physi
cal body had reached out from me and
picked a constructive goal for me, and
through my studies I was able to keep directional pace with this forc.
Today I am more at ease with the world.
My physical carriage has changed, my voice
control has improved. I have conquered an
od fear of loneliness and darkness. I am
now completely at ease in a darkened room.
This fear I am sure was a hangover from
the war, but I ask myself if the elimination
of this fear was to come naturally, why
didnt it come in the four years previous to
my joining the Order? To me the answer
is obvious. Almost every day I take stock
of myself and ask what more as a reward
could I receive than the ability to be constructing myself through the Rosicrucian
teachings into a being that can live with
self and people. God and the Rosicrucian
teachings have helped me to all the things
I have been able to accomplish in the past
year. Last week I received another advance
ment and another chance to better myself.
I am delighted in that it is a job dealing
with many people, and it will give me a
great opportunity to use those things of good
the Order has taught me.
While this is a good illustration of the
utilization of the Rosicrucian teachings by
one individual, it further illustrates a very
important fact which, if not pointed out,
might be lost by the casual reader. This
fact is contained in one sentence near the
beginning of the above quotation: Relieve
me, I worked hard. This is the essence of
the application that the frater has gained
from Rosicrucianism. If we expect to have
given to us everything which we may seek
in life and without exerting ourselves to obtain those things, failure is the only prospect
ahead of us. It is a law of the universe
that effort and energy will produce results.
It is necessary in our own lives that we be

OCTOBER, 1951

the motivating forc behind that energy

exerting every effort that lies within our
power. To fail to do this is to be deprived
of the benefits which we most seek.A
Time and Tensin
This subject revolves about the questions
that come almost automatically to the mind
when one seriously considers the philosophy
of time. In an early mandamus where this
subject is presented, students frequently want
clarification as to how the concept of time
as presented in the Rosicrucian teachings can
be practically utilized and applied in their
own lives. The theory regarding time is
treated in other articles which have been
presented in T he Rosicrucian Forum, as well
as in the monographs, and we will not repeat at this time the Rosicrucian viewpoint
in regard to time except to reiterate, as has
been done over and over again, that time
is an objective phenomenon. In this sense,
time is one of the many actualities in the
universe of which we are aware. Without
consciousness there would be no time, or as
far as that is concerned, no physical phenomena, but in the process of intelligence
fitting itself into the phenomenal world and
the necessity of judging relationships between objects that make up this physical
world, time and space become very real insofar as we deal with physical phenomena.
We cannot eliminate the concepts of time
and space from our objective consciousness
any more than we can eliminate the actuality of our physical bodies or the buildings
and the contents of buildings with which we
have to deal in our everyday experience. It
is possible for us to realize that when we get
into the field of ultimate realities and final
vales, time has no existence. In other
words, in subjective experience, we are released from the limitations of all physical
phenomena. Since time and space are only
conveniences for the realization and study
of the relationships between these physical
units, then as the physical units themselves
lose valu or utility, time and space also do
not bind our thoughts or actions. Obviously,
if time and space had no hold over us or we
were not in a sense subservient to these
things, our lives would be more free. We
would have more breadth of experience and
expression and fewer limitations. As long
as we are in a physical world confined to a

Page 29

physical body, we have to take the consequences of the limitations that constitute
this physical world, just as in the study of
an exacting science, such as mathematics,
we first have to experience the limitations of
addition before we can experience the func
tion of multiplication; or, we must grasp
arithmetic before algebra, and algebra be
fore geometry, and so forth.
The physical world is a school in which
we learn and gain experience to fit us for
a higher school and a more advanced set of
experiencesexperiences that may not be
limited by the limitations that we find in
the phenomenal world. It is therefore in this
world that we find time as being one restrictive forc. Our entire lives are gauged by
time. We work certain hours, have other
hours for sleep, others for rest, relaxation,
entertainment, eating, and the many other
things that make up our lives. In order to
accommodate ourselves to the physical requirements of our environment, we must
heed these divisions of consciousness, the
seasons of the year, the years themselves, or
other elements of time that make up a part
of the whole structure of life from birth to
death. Time can therefore be a severe master, a severe restrictive forc upon our ex
istence. However, like almost all other phys
ical things and natural laws, an understand
ing of its operation may help us to adjust
our thoughts and actions to it and thereby to
utilize it more constructively and release
ourselves from oversubservience to it.
It is at this point that the Rosicrucian
concept of time can enter into our physical
experience. We say that in the ultimate
reality or purpose of the universe time will
have no significance, that we will come to
realize that we are merely setting up time
as a measurement standard for units of conscious periods. How can we apply this ulti
mate or perfection concept of time to our
present-day living? In the first place, this
idea demands the utilization of a proper
sense of vales. If we place our greatest
valu on physical things, it is difficult to
release ourselves from the demands of any
physical item, be it money, property, time
or anything else. On the other hand, if we
realize that ultimate valesthose that truly
contribute to peace of mind, spiritual growth,
and Creative purposelie outside the limita
tions of physical things, then our whole life
philosophy is altered and the rest of our

Page 30

thinking is directed toward vales which lie

beyond any physical limitation. This is not
a new idea. It is a restatement of idealistic
philosophy that has been given to man
through the ages by philosophers and re
ligious teachers. It is also something that is
frequently repeated and not always applied.
Possibly a misunderstanding that may ex
ist upon the part of many people is the idea
that one must go one way or the other.
Human nature has a tendency toward ex
tremes. Balance and harmony, which are
the fundamental laws of nature and with
which man should attempt to cooperate, are
sometimes the furthest removed from conscious thought. Just because there are greater vales than physical things is a poor
excuse for an individual to disclaim all
physical things, to give up reasonable com
fort and shelter and even what wealth he
may have accumulated. This idea of ex
treme idealism is based upon the premise
that the physical thing is wrong, which is
absolutely not true. Money, for example, is
not wrong in itself. In fact, a certain amount
of it is a very desirable possession. It is
possible for man to possess reasonable ma
terial wealth without considering it to be the
ultimate achievement of all time, life, and
universal purpose. Man can have physical
possessions without assigning ultimate valu
to them. Therefore, if man realizes that
ultimate valu and final purpose lie outside
the field of physical phenomena, he can
nevertheless utilize those physical things that
are a part of his environment and to which
he is entitled without assigning to them the
ultimate purpose and valu.
Insofar as time is concemed, we again
find that it is looked upon from one of two
extremes. An individual may make time his
master; he may become so fixed in his procedures and habits that time ties him down
to routine and then to drudgery, and as a
result he experiences tensin and even nervous disorders. The individual who plans
his life on such a routine, who believes that
every step must follow a certain preceding
step, and be followed by an already decided
future step, is restricting himself so completely in thought and action that he is unable to grasp the significance of those things
which are a part of his daily life and which
should be contributing to experience. When
individuis place such high valu upon ma

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

terial possessions that all time is devoted to

gaining more, they have missed the mark.
They have unfortunately put their goal in
terms of a physical thing which cannot survive and which may be wiped out without
waming within a moment.
The loss of the physical attainments is of
less consequence than the tensin of obtaining them. Time becomes a driving factor.
If an individual devotes his time to the accumulation of enough money on which to
retire at a certain age and makes it his prime
purpose in life, by the time he reaches that
age of retirement he will not know what to
do. He will be unable to retire. The drive
of many years will carry on, just like the
movement of a vehicle which suddenly begins to coast. Relaxation will be impossible.
Tensin will still be there, although, theoretically, purpose will have been achieved. It
is then, and sometimes not until then, that
the realization dawns upon a person that
the physical achievement has been a hollow
victory, that even if one possessed the world
and all its riches, there would still be some
thing lacking. It is therefore prudent that
the individual, while cultivating reasonable
habits of thrift, not give his whole time to
ward the accumulation of a physical fortune
or tie his daily life down to such a routine
series of events that there is no time to ex
perience the unexpected or to enjoy the
pleasures of life, o* even to observe its
lessons.
The other extreme is the individual with
a total disregard for time. Such an individ
ual has no system or order in life. He is
always late for appointments, is never on
time for work or for social engagements. He
lets time sift through his fingers, as it were,
without taking any thought of the present
or the future, merely existing and merely
passing life by in all of its experience. Obviously the mdium position is mans true
position. It is the position of nature and is
frequently illustrated in many examples of
the manifestations of life. First of all, time
is a relationship between the manifestations
of physical phenomena, which we must acknowledge. Second, time is an objective
phenomenon and therefore secondary to ulti
mate vales; and third, man can make time
useful by realizing it is a measurement of
his physical experience, his schooling in this
plae of existence which will prepare him

OCTOBER, 1951

for a plae where ultimate vales may be

supreme and within the realization of that
existence.A
Well-Rounded Development
It is natural for any individual to want
to know the aims of whatever effort he may
be using. Frequently, members in various
Degrees of our studies would like to have
clarified exactly what constitutes wellrounded development as it is taught by the
Rosicrucians.
A complete development of ones abilities
and potentialities is well described by the
term harmonium. While this is usually applied only to physical health, it means more
than that. It carries the idea of complete
and final balance of body, mind, and soul.
If it were possible tp have a perfect body,
a keen mind, and an awareness of our soul
experience and its potentialities, then we
would all be supermen, having attained absolute perfection. Since it is not probable
that such perfection is obtainable, at least in
one life, we can only direct ourselves toward
a well-rounded development to the extent
that it may be possible. The fact that perfect
development may not be im m ed iately
achievble is no reason why we should not
reasonably exert ourselves toward as com
plete development as possible. In the process
of doing this we should take into consideration and give careful thought to the steps
or processes by which we can complete our
development and perfect it as far as it is
possible to do so.
Complete development of the human be
ing comes through knowledge, experience,
and initiation. Little need be said conceming the necessity of knowledge and experi
ence. It is well known that anything that
an individual needs or wants to do must be
based upon a factual backgroundthat is,
knowledge, and the use of these factswhich
constitutes experience. The whole course of
Rosicrucianism, or as far as that is con
cerned, the whole scope of life, is a process
of obtaining knowledge and applying it. In
other words, knowledge and experience are
the two most important things in life because accomplishment can come only through
these channels.
To analyze the psychological background
and function of these steps, we start with
knowledge. We realize upon analysis of that

Page 31

which constitutes all we can know, that

knowledge is confined to the brain and ob
jective mind. All that we learn in a life time
rests upon the basis of what we objectively
acquire. Through the physical senses, which
are the channels between our ego, our inner
self, and the world in which we live, come
a multitude of sensations. These sensations,
regardless of how we may perceive them,
are assembled in the brain in the form of
perception. It is, then, through the function
of the mind that all the precepts resulting
from the sensations of what we have been
able to bring into consciousness are assem
bled and organized. Memory, attention,
imagination are functions of consciousness
that are built out of the sensations which we
have perceived.
It is the ability to recall the information
which has been so assembled that makes
knowledge usable to us and makes it pos
sible to utilize tday what we may have
learned yesterday. Knowledge is therefore
primarily associated with objective con
sciousness. We have innumerable facts im
mediately accessible in our thinking. Some
may not often have our attention, and it
may take some recollection to bring them
to the surface of conscious thought, but they
are there, and consciously or unconsciously,
we use all elements of knowledge that have
been attained as building blocks for present
and future experience.
Experience, to distinguish it from knowl
edge, is what we ourselves do with knowl
edge. Experience, to this extent, is the
utilization of knowledge. It does no good to
have a coliection of facts in consciousness if
we make no use of them, or, to use different
terminology, if we do not experience them.
The average person has little use for algebra,
and for this reason, although most of us had
at least a year of it in school, it would take
some experimentation and thinking to bring
back the ability to utilize some of its funda
mental principies. However, a certain basis
of the knowledge is still there and if we
were put in a situation where we had to
use some algebraic function, we might be
surprised at what little review would be required in order to again have that knowledge
accessible for application.
Knowledge which is used consistently and
repeatedly is closely related to our habit
systems. Therefore, while knowledge is pri
marily a function of the objective mind, ex-

Page 32

perience is primarily a function of the

subjective mind. We learn a certain set of
facts together with the knowledge of how
to utilize those facts; then it is the repeated
use that makes it possible for us to assemble
the necessary habit systems by which they
are put into effect. For example, we learn
how to read music by understanding the
meaning of the notes placed in their proper
positions upon the musical staff. Then we
learn where the equivalnts of those notes
are on a musical instrument, such as the
piano keyboard, but, to emphasize a fact
which is often repeated in our work, that
knowledge does not make one a musician.
Repeated application of the knowledge
through practicethat is, using the fingers
to pick out the notes in proper sequence
and executing the notes as written on the
musical staffwill eventually develop a cer
tain degree of instrumental ability. The
habit system of coordinating the fingers with
the e j e in reading the music and playing
it upon the keyboard is the experience that
is the difference between the knowledge of
notes and of the piano keyboard and the
producing of an actual melody.
All knowledge that is made effective for
us is therefore a function under the direction of the subjective mind, not a function
of the automatic nervous system. Habits
become fixed or established so that it does
not require volition in order to bring them
about. If we had to stop and apply knowl
edge specifically, we wmild never have time
to gain enough knowledge to be properly
equipped to meet even ordinary situations in
life, and certainly we would not be able
to meet specialized situations, such as that
of an accomplished musician. Experience is
a transition stage in the development process.
The more useful and productive habits we
gain, the more smoothly our lives run, the
more effective becomes the application of
knowledge, and the more satisfaction comes
from both knowledge and experience.
The final step in development is initiation.
In this sense the word initiation is used in its
broadest sense; that is, the ability to look
toward higher planes of thought and action,
and to feel the awe and reverence that
come from the realization that we are finite
but have access to infinite forces. While
knowledge concerns the brain, experience
the subjective mind, initiation reaches the
highest subtleties of the emotions. We may

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

gain a vast store of knowledge, and through

experience, we may become highly special
ized in certain parts of its application; how
ever, such individuis would be nothing
more than automatons, mere physical or
mechanically fu n ctio n in g beings. It is
through our desire to reach higher, to come
into a closer relationship with the feeling
of the situation, that makes us appreciate
the music, for example, that knowledge and
experience bring about. It is the emotional
overtones of music or art that make these
higher forms of mans knowledge useful to
him, and at the same time, make the hu
man individual appreciative of the arts.
Initiation, in the final sense, is man-made.
It consists of processes, words, music, and
action in a proper setting that tends to
create the conditions for man to feel the
immensity of all things and enter into a
closer harmonious relationship with them.
Man loves ceremony. The process of initia
tion is a ceremony, and it is commemorative
of the transitions of life. The awareness of
Divinity, the reverence which comes through
the realization of the place in the universe
and our ability to attune ourselves to higher
forces, is brought about by initiation, wheth
er that initiation process be elabrate or
simple. All religious, philosophic, and mys
tical rites are of an initiatory nature. They
tend toward bringing knowledge and experi
ence into the realm of feeling, where aware
ness of time is impressed upon consciousness
by means of that association with the
Absolute.A
Emotional Balance
One of the questions which many popular
or semipopular books on psychology have
encouraged and which we have been asked
is How can one achieve emotional balance?
This question involves more than might
seem apparent on the surface. First of all,
if one is a perfectionist and wants to know
how absolute emotional balance may be
achieved, the answer would be that it is
probably impossible to achieve a perfec
tion of the governing of human emotions;
in additionand of more importanceit
might not even be a desirable achievement.
For some reason or other that is vaguely
hidden in social customs, particularly those
of the latter part of the last century, it became almost popular to control emotions. I

OCTOBER, 1951

believe most persons over forty years of age

can remember that as children every emo
tional outbreak was looked upon with con
siderable disapproval, and in many cases
parents and teachers frowned upon any
emotional expression. Such phrases were
used as Be a man and take your medicine.
One was supposed to endure pain without
crying and not laugh uproariously at some
thing funny, and also to hide the tears of
grief. Emotions carne to be in that social
structure a purely prvate affair, and to a
degree, a persons character was judged by
his ability to subordnate the evidence of
emotion, at least iri public, or as far as that
was concerned, before anyone else. Stories
of courtship in the days of chaperones all
indcate the same tendency.
It is perfectly obvious that in civilized
society people cannot live entirely on their
feelings and impulses, but at the same time,
there is nothing that should constitute anti
social behavior in an individual exhibiting
emotions within certain limitations. A balanced person, then, should develop an equilibrium in emotional attitude by not allowing
his emotions to control him and yet not
subordinating natural emotional expression.
In observing animals and also small children
we can see that emotions are a completely
natural response. Notice how a dog will
growl at what he believes to be something
which should not interfere with him or the
place where he lives, or how he wags his
tail and obviously shows joy at the appearance of his master or anything that pleases
him. This is an absolutely uncontrolled
emotional response.
The child cries when restricted, laughs
when entertained. He does not analyze the
situationit is purely a physical accompaniment to the feeling of the moment. There
is no sublimation, there is no forcing back
of expression into the semiconscious parts of
the mind.
It is interesting to notice that there are
few cases of emotional disorders in animals
and children. When such develop, they are
usually due to quite specific circumstances
of physical or functional origin that can be
determined. While I may be wrong, I have
never heard of a dog possessed by a family
who appreciated him as having ulcers of the
stomach. In human beings, the various forms
of neurosis are seldom developed before
adolescence.

Page 33

Certain schools now generally known as

depth psychology have gone so far as to
state that almost all physical and mental
problems of the human race are due to the
suppression of our true feelings, that bottling up within us of our feelings may do
damage to other parts of our mental and
physical being. This is obviously true to a
certain extent, although it may be exaggerated by this school of psychological
thought.
Actually, one can produce physical disturbances by not letting a degree of emo
tional expression come out. Suppression leads
to tensin, and tensin leads to various actual
physical disturbances, usually of the heart,
respiratory, and digestive systems. Emo
tions are not something that man has been
given merely to control. Primitively and in
animal life, emotions are a very definite
part of the laws of self-preservation and the
preservation of the race. Without emotions
there would be no fear and no attempt upon
the part of the individual human being or
animal to protect himself in the face of
danger. There would be no reproduction,
there would be little joy in life, and, since
many of the finer relationships of man are
expressed in love and respect, without our
emotional equipment there would be no love
or respect and no reason for the family unit
and other larger social groups.
The extreme evidences of emotions are a
natural reaction to a situation that interferes with our regularly established habit
systems. If we see a situation that is very
unusual and unanticipated to a certain ex
tent, it produces one of two emotional reactionsfear or amusement. Comedy is based
upon surprise, and we laugh not because a
thing is intrinsically funny, but because we
are amused by a somewhat ridiculous analysis of a situation.
Henri Bergson, in writing upon the sub
ject of the philosophy of humor, made a
point of the fact that human beings are
amused when inanimate objects act human.
John Burroughs, the naturalist, interested in
this theory, once placed a half dozen apples
in a barrel into which a stream of water
was flowing through a pipe from a spring.
The current of water was so made in the
barrel that the six apples would, one after
the other, come around to the point where
the water entered, line up in single file, and
slowly proceed like marching men around

Page 34

about three fourths of the circumference of

the barrel. Anyone to whom he showed
the barrel with the six apples would im
mediately smile, and when asked why they
were amused, they would invariably say
that the apples acted like little men. This is
an incident where an emotional reaction,
this time in the form of humor, was brought
about by inanimate objects apparently violating the natural laws of being inanimate.
In other words, they acted alive and there
fore out of place.
When such an event is witnessed, a laugh
is a complete release of the physical tensin
that is created by the perception. Theoretically, not to laugh shows that an individual
either does not have a sense of humor or that
he is keeping the reaction within him by
forc of will. This latter would not be im
portant in such an incident as just described,
but in one of the most profound of all emo
tions, that of grief, it is sometimes disastrous.
Grief and its accompanying emotional overtones is one of the most difficult emotional
adjustments that any human being has to
make. It is not purely a human emotion;
many reliable evidences of grief have been
found in various levels of the animal world.
To analyze grief completely, we find that
objectively its fundamental problem is no
different from the illustration of humor. It
is a drastic interference with our habit sys
tem. It not only interferes with the habits
of the moment, but with the plans of the
future. The loss of a loved one breaks up
the whole pattem of our existence in a mo
ment, and furthermore has complications in
that there are emotional relationships al
ready in existence between individuis
where love and respect exist.
If emotions are to be kept under control
and not expressed, the individual is supposed to literally control the outward ex
pression of the feeling within. No doubt we
have all seen an individual overcome by
grief and yet completely stoic, the appearance of brute forc in the form of will power
being used to control that feeling, The late
Dr. Liebman, in his popular book, Peace cf
Mind, wrote one chapter on grief which is
probably the finest in the English language.
He points out that the emotional accompaniments of grief, such as the various expressions of sorrow, are a completely natural
reaction to the emotional complexities that
accompany this experience; that the individ

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ual who is to remain sane and balanced

should permit himself to give full vent to
this expression and in no way attempt to
control it. This is natures way to make
possible a transition period between one
complicating set of emotions and future
rational and emotional adjustments that
must inevitably follow the breaking of any
habit pattem.
This rather general analysis of emotions
shows us that there is no key to emotional
control. There exists only emotional balance
in the sense that we as human beings will
control our emotions enough to live in a
socially acceptable position with the society
of which we are a part. We cannot, for
example, run laughing hilariously into a
serious situation because something strikes
us as being funny, but we can, with reason
able application for the consideration of
proper time and place, let our feelings be
known and release the tensin that has built
up within us. The emotions to the body and
mind are like the surplus water that pours
over the dam after it is full. When the
mximum capacity to hold our experiences
within ourselves reaches the breaking point,
they bubble over in the form of emotions.
The seat of emotional experience is not
purely a part of our physical nervous system.
It is deeper, seated within the subjective
mind and possibly within the soul itself. It
is quite obvious that there must be a great
many physical impressions and much ma
terial knowledge which cannot be carried
into an immortal state. We are inclined to
believe that the higher emotional experi
ences, those that give us the inspiration for
lofty ideis, for Creative purpose and achieve
ment, are those permanent impressions upon
the inner self, the memory, or the soul that
endure for all time.
Love will find a way is a quotation
that we all have heard. The belief that
love is more permanent than any physical
phenomenon is a fundamental reason why
man believes in immortality, and so the
emotions that give us faith in a purposeful
universe, a belief in God, a basis of mystical
experience and a worthy purpose in dealing
with other forms of life, can be a part of
the foundation of the soul itself, expressed
in our present incarnation through the bet
ter things we do, through the highest and
most exalted thoughts we hold.

OCTOBER, 1951

In summary, our emotions are a part of

our mental and physical being. They have
to be regulated in human society, but they
do not need to be suppressed to the point of
their elimination. They are the basis, or we
might say, the accompaniments of the greatest experiences in life. Emotions are the key
by which even more profound experiences
may be opened to us, and, to a certain ex
tent, they constitute transition periods of
learning, just as there are degrees in the
process of all learning. Finally, emotions are
a part of our environment, those within our
selves and those within the people with
whom we have to associate. They are a part
of our total experience, something we have
to learn to deal with, to learn to turn into
usable, practical, and Creative channels.A
Adventure and Entertainment
A soror, rising before our Forum, asks:
Can we abuse our mental health in one
incarnation and not reap the effects of those
causes in that and possibly the next incamation? Can we put into action causes of
mental breakdown without offsetting that
trend and not b born at some time with
an impaired objective vehicle for the soul
consciousness?
For example, consider the forms of en
tertainment prevalent today. They are
mostly negative and destructive in their ef
fects on mental health, and we read of everincreasing mental disorders. If anyone
constantly chooses positive vibrations and refuses to listen to or accept thoughts of hate,
anger, or any other unclean mental food,
is it not fairly certain that his body and
mind in the next incarnation will be healthy
and sane?
Rosicrucians have long taught, and it is
now confirmed by modern psychiatry, that
in humans there is a psychosomatic relation
ship. Our thoughts, emotions, and mental
states in general have an effect upon our
bodies and our physical health. Conversely,
the abuse of the body, especially the nervous
system, due to tensions and undue excitement, can and does effect the mind. Excessive stimulation of certain of the emotions
can produce functional nervous disorders.
This can result from continuous worry and
anxiety-producing fears which, in turn,
cause repressions and emotional conflicts.

Page 35

Our mental habits are most important.

For example, one sets for himself a partic
ular objective, something which he wishes
to accomplish in life. To realize this and to
be successful in it, he causes every interest
and activity in which he participates to become in some way related to it. This major
interest dominates his every conscious moment. Even his play becomes not a true
relaxation or enjoyjnent. Rather, it is made
to contribute in part to this all-possessing
idea. Eventually, the individual finds it
almost impossible for him to divorce other
interests, even temporarily, from this objec
tive. His mind becomes dominated by the
thought that he is wasting time, if he isnt
doing something to help realize this end.
The tempo of his personal drive is gradually
stepped up until even rest, other than sleep,
becomes impossible. In fact, sleep itself may
not become possible without sedation.
The pattem of ones existence under such
circumstances is thus changed. Simple pleasures come to bore the individual. He can
only find partial enjoyment in any activity
which is, in some way, integrated with his
principal objective. At the same time there
is an increasing dissatisfaction with life.
Not as yet realizing his objective, he pushes
it farther beyond him all the time by elaborating on it so that he never quite reaches
it. As a result, his life is empty. He has
caused himself to believe that all else in
life is trivial and of no consequence. As well,
he comes to hate the interests of others because in such interests these other people
find happiness and those things which he
can no longer enjoy. He may even come to
imagine that the normal pursuits of others
are radically wrong and that those persons
are beneath his intellectual status.
Such an unfortunate individual has cre
ated for himself a mental world into which
he locks himself. Further, it becomes increasingly difficult for him to retum to
objectivity, to a realization and true evaluation of anything but his own distorted con
ceptions. Many such persons have actually
become successful in their specific enterprise
because of the concentration of their whole
being upon it. However, their mental health
is seriously affected. They are burdened
with emotional conflicts, making the remainder of their days, notwithstanding any
success attained, a torment.

Page 36

The foregoing is not intended to disparage

initiative of which there is a growing need
in this world. To reach an end, one must
strive for it. However, balance must be
maintained; relaxation must be indulged
in periodically, just as one is required by
nature to eat and to sleep. Relaxation in
the form of entertainment should not be
related, except remotely, to the demands of
ones work, profession, or ideal. The fact
that one may enjoy some form of occupation that corresponds to his ideal is no justification to giving himself over to it continuously. The only exception is when ones
work is quite different from his dominant
objective. In such an instance, the pursuit
of the preferred interest becomes a relaxation
after work. It becomes the necessary play
beneficial for physical and mental welfare.
Of what should ones pleasure and enter
tainment consist? There are physical and
mental pleasures. The former are of a nega
tive nature. We say negative because they
merely result in the satisfying of an organic
desire or appetite. A deficiency arouses our
appetitesand appetites are irrita tio n s.
When we remove those irritations by satis
fying the appetites, the pleasure accordingly
leaves. No one wants to scratch when the
itch is gone. Such pleasures, as the ancient
philosophers stated, diminish in proportion
to the satiation of the appetite. Consequent
ly, sensual pleasures, as eating, drinking
intoxicants, sexual intercourse, or anything
which titillates the appetites, is, at best, a
temporary pleasure.
Most mental pleasures are intended to
bring about drastic changes in the state of
consciousness. They constitute the arousing
of an emotional pattern different from that
to which we are ordinarily accustomed. For
example, one, whose work is drab and monotonous and does not arouse the imagination, finds such constancy irksome. His play
must excite unaroused emotions. He eraves
thrills and excitement. He wants to experi
ence the stimulation of curiosity, love, hate,
fear, and anger. It must seem strange to say
that persons want to experience fear, anger,
and hatred and to do so for entertainment.
Psychologically, they want these stimulations combined with a sense of personal secur
ity. They enjoy hating the villain of a play.
They thrill to the anger of righteous indignation aroused by some imaginary incident or

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

in watching a competitive sport as boxing or

wrestling.
There is negative pleasure derived from
the secondary fear induced by watching motion-picture portrayals of murder, acts of
cruelty, and war. It is not that the individ
ual viewing such performances is necessarily
a sadist. The experience arouses primitive
instincts in which satisfactions are derived
from conflict, if only by observation. Danger
engenders the instinct of self'preservation,
and when there is accompanying it a reali
zation that the danger is not personal, the
excitement is stimulating and pleasurable to
the mind of the viewer. Many who thrill
to murder stories and motion-picture plays
dealing with this topic, and display avaricious pleasure in them, would be cowards
and mentally suffer if they were actually
involved in any way directly in such cir
cumstances.
Adventure, directly and indirectly, as
viewed on a motion-picture screen or in reading about it, arouses a mild fear. In ad
venture there are hazards involved. These
potential dangers stimulate and excite the
imagina tion. The senses are alerted; con
sciousness is quickened. All this activity is
gratifying and pleasurable as compared to
the monotony of a slowly changing and per
haps usually not intense state of conscious
ness.
It is regrettable, however, that most of
the motion pictures have as a mdium of
stimulation for the emotions and imagination the thrill of murder and mayhem. They
are, of course, the most primitive and violent appeals. Their impact upon the emo
tions and the thrill sensations they produce
are quick and immediate. Further, it requires little play of imagination to foresee
the danger in a shooting or stabbing or in a
bombing of individuis or groups. The producers are thus, at the expense of the aesthetic sense and intellectual qualities of their
audience, taking the path of least resistance
to thrill and to emotionally satisfy.
Such types of entertainment can be harmful to young minds. They stimulate the
imagination in the wrong direction. They
arouse emotions associated with ideas that
are destructive and depressing to the moral
sense. Although they are entertaining in
the psychological sense, they add nothing
cultural to ones experience. In individual

QCTOBER, 1951

cases, where moral standards are low or

any degree of abnormality exists, such en
tertainment may constitute a dangerous indoctrination of ideas. All too often the moral
conclusin of a crime picture, for example,
is too hurriedly passed by at the end. This
leaves the whole thrill associated with the
elements of the crime.
There are many thrills in entertainment
which can be associated with expectancy and
skill and which need not shock the sensi
bilices of the individual or his aesthetic
sense. Stories on the screen concerning the
adventure of exploration, founded on actual
historical incidents or even the fantasies
of interplanetary travel, can be replete with
pleasure. Exploring the unknown has often
been made into a most entertaining theme.
It can so stimulate the imagination as to
cause the spectator to subsequently pursue
fields of investigation for further informa
tion. Instead of being degrading, such fields
will be educational and continu the interest.
It is deplorable that most of the fiction
concerning the possibility of life on other
planets, which is so prevalent today, centers
around the idea of these intelligences contriving to destroy earth and mankind. It
implies that such beings are as malevolent
and destructive in their intent as is mankind,
and that their only intercourse with earth
would be invasin and war.
Your mind is you. You are the interpreting center of life and of this world. Your
thoughts color, if not make, the whole of
reality. Harmonious thoughts can result in
harmony of mind and body and in the health
of both. The opposite to these can only
mean mental illness. To disregard mental
health can result in the karmic experience
of mental suffering in this incarnationor
in the next.X
Rose-Croix Institute Dissolved
The late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis,
was a practical humanitarian. He was not
alone an idealist in human relations, but
in many expedient ways he sought to further
human welfare and happiness. One of his
dreams was to rid humanity of the scourge
of cncer. The fact that the established
medical and drugless systems of therapeutics
had not arrived at any solution to the great
problem, and even despaired of ever succeeding, did not deter him. It was his con

Page 37

viction that the Rosicrucian teachings, those

concerning the study of the human body and
health, could be instrumental in finding a
remedy for the dread disease.
Like every great thinker and scientist, Dr.
Lewis had certain theories as to how his
objective could be realized. However, he was
not conten only to theorize, but wanted, as
well, to try his hypotheses under actual con
ditions. To do this would require a modemly
equipped, even though small, sanitarium
where persons with malignant diseases could
come for examination and treatment. Careful statistics were to be kept of all that was
done. In addition, Dr. Lewis was anxious
for practicing physicians of the different
established health systems to become famil
iar with Rosicrucian methods of treatment
as well. Thus patients were to be given, by
licensed Rosicrucian physicians, treatments
used by conventional systems, and Rosicru
cian treatments were to be accorded them
also, the latter without any cost whatsoever.
Comparison of treatments and suggestions
for improvements were to be carefully noted
in a scientific clinical manner.
The resources of AMORC did not make
possible the necessary withdrawal from its
reserve funds of the sum needed to establish
such an institute. Thereupon, Dr. H. Spencer
Lewis made an appeal to members in the
higher degrees of the Order for contributions
for such a purpose. The response was generous and gratifying. Dr. Lewis, in addition
to his other numerous duties and with the
help of technical advisers, prepared the design for the construction of the building
which was to become the Rose-Croix Re
search Institute and Sanitarium. He also
supervised the purchase of furnishings and
equipment. Early in 1939, the Institute was
opened to both Rosicrucians and the public
at very nominal fees. In many ways the
facilities were in advance of those of other
institutions of like size. The Rose-Croix
Research Institute and Sanitarium was separately incorporated from the Rosicrucian
Order, AMORC, and had its own Board of
Directors.
During this whole period Dr. Lewis was
in declining health, in no small way further
induced by his zeal for his new work and
the corresponding labors it imposed upon
him. Eventually, as all members know, he
was incapacitated in the spring of 1939. On
August 2 of the same year, he experienced

Page 38

the Great Initiaticn and passed through

transition.
Though several persons knew of his ideis,
his program had not yet been fully formulated; and his staff at the Rose-Croix Re
search Institute and Sanitarium were, there
fore, not qualified to pursue it as he would
have wished. Had he lived but a year longer,
he would have been able to fully acqaint
them with his ideas. His transition occurred
relatively too suddenly to make this possible.
While ill, he obviously could not be further
burdened with questions as to details of the
methods he had in mind.
In addition, one month following the
transition of Dr. Lewis the European War
began. This was followed by Americas entrance into the conflict two years later. Supplies, equipment, and physicians who were
also Rosicrucians were difficult to find.
Though Dr. Lewiss original plans had to be
abandoned, Rosicrucian healing methods
were continued, in connection with conventional systems of therapeutics. Many hundreds of patients will vouch for the excellent
care and splendid results obtained at the
Rose-Croix Research Institute and Sanitarium
over the many years since 1939. Treatment
was given for various kinds of ailments,
though research in cncer cure was neces
sarily abandoned.
It was hoped that the original plans of
Dr. Lewis could again be put into practice.
However, the growth of California cities
during the postwar era caused San Jos to
expand considerably. New regulations for
buildings, especially hospitals and sanitariums, went into effect and were applied as
well to the Rose-Croix Sanitarium. One of
these regulations would have required the
expending by it of many thousands of dollars to conform to the rule. As an expedient
to attempt to meet the requirements, inpatients were no longer accepted. This
meant that patients would no longer be
permitted to reside on the premises but
could come to the Institute for treatment.
As said, it was Dr. Lewiss intention from
the very beginning that the Institute be
humanitarian. As such, it was incorporated
as a nonprofit Corporation. Its fees and
charges were kept at the very minimum.
All directors and officers, who worked in
its behalf, did so without salaries or remuneration of any kind. Only those on the
staff, as physicians, nurses, or those per-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

forming clerical duties, received pay, and

such was very nominal. Increasing costs in
the postwar era resulted in the Institutes
facing financial difficulties. A point was
finally reached when it would need to draw
regularly upon its meagre reserve if it
wished to continu to operate.
Various methods were undertaken to try
to overcome this situation. However, eventually the Board of Directors, rather than
risk a radical departure from the original
spirit of the Institute as founded by Dr.
Lewis, decided that the Corporation should
be dissolved. Its real properties have subsequently been sold, as well as almost all the
equipment and fumishings. It was decided
by the Board of Directors that all moneys
on hand and those derived from the sale of
the property should be transferred to the
Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC, Incorpcrated to be held in trust by the Supreme
Grand Lodge of AMORC, Incorporated for
a purpose that would best serve the majority
of Rosicrucian members in a cultural man
ner. In this way the funds would still be
used for the enlightenment of mankind and
for the benefit of all Rosicrucians.
The exact wording of the wishes of the
members of the Board of Directors, as it
appears in the minutes of the Corporation,
is as follows:
A. The funds would not be used by the
Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC
for any administrative purpose or
operational expenses; further that
they would not be used for general
propaganda and advertising of the
Order.
,
B. The funds would not be used for any
of the wholly local activities from
which only a minority of the Rosi
crucian membership could derive
benefit.
C. The funds should be used for any
cultural or humanitarian program
consistent with the purpose of the
Order, and which, in the opinion
of the Board of Directors of the
Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC,
will bring cultural or humanitarian
benefits to the greatest number of
Rosicrucian members.
The Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC
consented to receive the moneys for these
stipulated purposes and has entered them
into a special account on its books, available

OCTOBER, 1951

for the inspection of any member. It shall

decide when and how, in accordance with
the spirit of the contributors, these moneys
shall be used for the benefit of the Rosicru
cian members. In all probability in the near
future a program of scientific research, consistent with Rosicrucian principies, will be
announced and be supported by these funds.
The results of such research, in simple language and in other ways, will be passed
on to Rosicrucian members regardless of the
degrees in which they are. In this way,
though not exactly as Dr. Lewis had planned,
humanitarian ideis, in his ame and that
of the AMORC, will be carried on.X
Help Your Lodge or Chapter
A Rosicrucian lodge or chapter consists of
an assemblage of Rosicrucians within the immediate area of a certain city. The purpose
of a lodge or chapter is to supplement the
sanctum studies. In a lodge or chapter, the
member has the opportunity, in an appropriate atmosphere, to particpate in inspiring,
enlightening rituals and ceremonies which
he could not possibly perform within his own
home sanctum. These rituals have a traditional origin dating back many centuries in
their symbols, wording, and gestures. These
ceremonies and rituals are not performed
just to impress the members or to aweinspire them; they are a dramatization of
mystical truths in symbolic form. The appropriate lighting, music, words, and action
do much to reach deep into the psychic
nature of the individual and to awaken
and quicken the inner consciousness. We
recognize, of course, that we are more than
intellectual beings; we are also emotional
and psychic in our nature. These rituals
have been evolved and refined down through
the past centuries with this fact in mind.
They are especially designed to appeal to
the inner man.
In addition to these rituals and ceremonies,
many other features are of great interest to
members. There is, of course, the important
one of association with others of like mind.
There is also the opportunity to exchange
ideas, to obtain a fresh viewpoint. All of
this is very stimulating. The members, as
well, have the opportunity to hear special
discourses and to witness unique demonstrations, both mystical and scientific, which
could not be performed, we repeat, in their

Page 39

own home sanctums. All of this supplementary activity is extremely beneficial to the
Rosicrucian.
We would like to make it plain that it is
not obligatory that a Rosicrucian become a
member of a lodge or a chapter. One can
have a profound understanding of the teach
ings of the Order and derive much benefit
from them without such association; how
ever, the majority of the members who are
members of lodges and chapters know the
distinct advantages that come from such
affiliation.
From time to time, lodges and chapters
request that we send them addresses prepared by the Supreme and Grand Lodge
officersspecial greetings and messages of
importance. Of course, whenever these busy
officers can personally visit the various lodges
and chapters, usually on the occasion of
rallies, or local conventions, they do so; but
the pressure of duties here at the Supreme
and the Grand Lodge makes it impossible
for the officers to visit all of the lodges and
chapters throughout the year. In the past,
when they could not attend, the officers of
th Order have set out printed messages,
or discourses, representing their thoughts;
such messages were read upon the occasion
of the rally to the assembled members.
With modern technological development,
this method has been greatly improved upon.
In his study at Rosicrucian Park, the officer
may now make an actual recording of his
voice on tape. The recording carries with
it much more of his personality than is
possible through a printed message. It is a
much more intmate and effectual way than
to have his message read by someone else.
The Rosicrucian members in lodges and
chapters are very pleased with this new
method of listening to discourses by their of
ficers as a substitute for the actual appearance of the officers.
A number of our lodges and chapters do
not, as yet, have their own tape recorders.
They are obliged to rent such recorders
whenever such discourses arrive. Such rent
is are inconvnient and add expense if used
very often. The ideal method is for each
lodge and each chapter, if possible, to have
its own tape recorder. This would mean
that more frequent addresses could be scheduled for the lodge or the chapter. Further,
the tap recorder could be used in numerous
other ways to the advantage of the lodge

Page 40

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

or the chapter. Special music for use in

connection with rituals could be recorded, as
well as sound effects for allegories and plays.
The machine could record special discourses
to be played back on other occasions. There
are numerous uses for such recordings.
Members who would like their lodge or
chapter to have one of these machines from
which many would derive benefit should
make a contribution to the officers of their
respective lodge or chapter, especially stating
that their contribution is for such purpose.
Tape recorders of excellent quality are much
more reasonable now and more efficient because of the competitive market. The cost
is not prohibitive if members will make contributions for this purpose.
The Technical Department of the Grand
Lodge will be very happy to recommend the
necessary mechanical requirements to accommodate our recordings. The reason for
such definite requirements is that We wish
to be certain that the recorder which a lodge
or a chapter will purchase will be suitable
for all tapes which we send. Therefore, we
urgently request that an officer of any lodge
or chapter intending to make such a pur
chase correspond immediately with Frater
Lester L. Libby, Director of the Technical
Department.X
Can W e Know Reality?
A frater asks our Forum, Can we know
the noumenal world through studying the
phenomenal world? Are they comparable?
The frater has here touched upon one of
the classical philosophical and metaphysical
problems. By noumenal world is meant the
world as it isin other words, absolute
reality, or things in themselves. The phe
nomenal world is the one of appearances.
It is the world as perceived by our objective
sense faculties. The crux of the question,
then, is whether there is a correspondence
between reality, or existence as it may be,
and our experience of it. Obviously, if we
can rely upon experience, then we could
say that what we perceive as what is seen
or heard is actually the world.
The reliability of the senses has too often
been refuted to put any absolute dependence
upon it. There are many commonly known
examples of the deception of our faculties.
What may seem as real to one may be
experienced quite differently by another

whose faculties may be either impaired or

more nearly perfect. Also, as each of us
knows from intmate experience, a visual
image may appear to change its nature in
relation to our position to it. At a distance
an object may seem to have one form, but,
when we approach it, it assumes different
dimensions and qualities. Did the object
change because we changed our position in
relation to it, or did the varying spatial
factors, the distance from which we observed
it, cause an illusion? Simple experimentation proves that the object does not change
its qualities, but distance causes us to ob
serve them differently.
We thus know that what we experience
as reality, the objects seen, heard, or felt,
for example, are to a great extent subjective
experiences. The nature of our existence,
the world of particulars, is dependent upon
our consciousness of it. We experience real
ity through limited faculties. These senses
confer even the qualities which we associate
with objects of the world. Physics, for further
example, has proved that a color, as red, is
not inherent in a red image which we per
ceive. Such an object may just reflect those
wave bands of light, or vibrations which
engender in the consciousness the sensation
of red.
Plato, in one of his Dialogues, gives the
analogy of shadows flickering on the walls
of a cave. These shadows are of objects
which are outside the cave. To one seated
in the cave and who cannot see outside, or
beyond the shadows themselves, they appear
real. However, such shadows may be quite
unlike whatever exists beyond the cave and
which causes them. Little children all have
experienced or participated in the game of
making silhouettes of animals and persons
by the manipulating of their fingers so that
they cast shadows on a wall. To one who
did not see the fingers so being used, the
shadow images would appear to be quite
real. In his analogy, Plato was making the
point of the deception of the senses and that
they give one no true conception of the
world of reality.
Other philosophers, as Locke, Berkeley,
and Hume, have challenged the nature of
reality. Locke took the position that there
is no reality as we perceive it. The ideas (in
fact all knowledge) stem not from what is,
but rather from our perception of external
impressions, and from the notions arising

Page 41

OCTOBER, 1951

out of the qualities of our senses. Berkeley,

too, took the position that perceptions, or the
experiences of the senses, are the essence of
reality. Hume, likewise, held that there
is no material world which corresponds to our
ideas, and that reality and knowledge are
sensations only.
It is a corollary that there must be some
reality, some being apart from the human
mind itself. Certainly the human conscious
ness does not just float as an isolated reality
in a state of nothingness. Kant expounded
a unique relationship, in his time, between
experience and reality. He took the position
that a thing is only to the extent that it
participates in our mental world. Our ideas
are not images or counterparts of objects
in the world outside of us as so often has
been thought. The mind has an inherent
faculty of synthesisa combining of sensa
tions into ideas having a unity. This power
of the mind is independent of the external
world, and it is separate from those sensa
tions which arise from the world. Things
have a reality only as they fit into this
combining faculty of the mind. The mind or
consciousness is what confers the particulars
upon the world of reality. Things have no
existence until we conceive them. However,
these constructions of the mind do not deny
a reality independent of the mind. It makes
of this reality an abstract, formless, nameless something.
To be more explicit, a reality, or a nou
menal world, exists, but it is quite unlike
anything which we realize it to be. This
external something reacts upon us in the
way which it does only because we are so
constituted as to perceive it in just that way.
We are thus working with illusions at all
times; these illusions are the phenomenal
world, the one of appearances, the one of
our senses. We cannot abandon our senses
and at the same time have any media for
experiencing the noumenal world, that is,
the one which actually is. We must be
content with our phenom enal world. We are
obliged to understand ourselves as thorough
ly as possible and realize that as humans we
will have only certain general experiences
channeled through our receptive faculties.
From such experiences we shall crea te a
world of daily living, and this world will
be a grand illusion.
To use a homely analogy, it is like our
peering through eye glasses which are op-

tically imperfect. They may elongate every

object perceived through them. However, we
know that images as seen through the glasses
are not true to the object. We could not see
at all if we were to remove the glasses; and,
further, since other glasses are not obtainable, we are obliged to adjust our under
standing to what we do see. As a conse
quence, we should not disturb ourselves
over what the noumenal world, or the thing
in itself, may actually be like.X
Sacrificing For Others
A soror, now addressing our Forum, says:
Should a person, who has what he thinks
is more important work to do, lay aside
his own interests to amuse other people?
How much of a persons life should be or
need be given up for another? A person
does not want to be selfish or live entirely
to himself. However, when other people ask
or expect one to give up what seems like
too great an amount of time to amuse them
because they are incapable of doing so them
selves, is not that an imposition? To help
others sounds ideal but how do we know
what the Cosmic may want us to do in the
matter? Could we not be interfering with
the Cosmic in our attempt to amuse idle
minds?
For centuries, spiritual leaders and philosophers alike have extolled the virtues of
service and sacrifice for others. At first
blush, both seem to be humanitarian ideis.
In fact, even the lower animals, as dogs,
have been known to aid their own kind and
to sacrifice their own lives or best interests
for an animal friend. It is expected that
man can do no less. There are, however,
qualifying circumstances which apply against
the general principie of sacrifices for others,
and these must now be considered.
Man is capable of exercising individual
intelligence and will. He can make sep
arate decisions regarding his affairs and
employ will to enforce these decisions within
the limits of his mental, physical, and social
powers. When man fails to do this, he is
forfeiting his individuality as a human be
ing. Each of us, because of heredity, envi
ronment, or social factors, excels another in
some way. One may have greater strength,
intelligence, education, wealth, or influence
in society than someone else. Within the
scope of his particular superior qualifications,

Page 42

he has the advantage over less fortnate

persons.
Where others exhaust their own means,
whether strength, intelligence or experience,
in trying to attain some end, humanitarianism dictates that the superior person come
to their aid. It must be apparent, then, that
the end which one seeks must be consistent
with moral principies, the laws of nature
and the welfare of society, if he is to receive
help. It is this mutual co-operation that
constitutes the underlying principie of
society.
Whenever one stops employing his own
resources, whether material or immaterial,
in his own behalf so as to help another, that
constitutes a kind of sacrifice. Whatever we
give is that much less had for our own
interests. The real spirit of sacrifice goes
farther than that, however. It is to give
until it hurts, that is, until we are conscious
of a personal loss of materials, time or effort.
We must again emphasize that the recipient of the service or the one receiving
the benefits of the sacrifice, should be
worthy of them. One who has, through indifference or negligence, placed himself in
a state of affairs where he needs the sacri
fice and service of another, must first show
his contriteness before he receives such
service. He should be willing to admit his
errors, if such they be, and, as well, indicate
a desire to rectify his ways. One is not
inclined, or is it Cosmically proper, to help
another who is indolent or negligent in his
concern for his own welfare. To sacrifice
for such a person is to encourage his dependence upon others to the point where he
conceives such assistance as his right. In refusing to aid such persons, it is often neces
sary to point out that in order to receive
help, they must first reveal a willingness to
act in their own behalf. Godand man
helps those who help themselves. There are
persons who are actually thieves of sentiment. They come to know those who have
a generous spirit and they plan to rob them
of a good portion of it by playing on their
sentiments.
There are many extroverts who lack the
ability to stimulate their own minds through
their own mental powers. These persons,
when left alone and to their own resources,
become bored unless their senses are constantly titillated by some external activity.
They are unable to arouse their minds

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

through their own mental efforts by means

of abstraction, imagination, Creative effort,
and the like. They are, in other words,
mentally passive. Their minds must be excited, that is, moved by external stimuli
every second when they are not asleep or
occupied with their duties. They are the
type of persons who must listen by the
hour to the radio or watch televisin. If
these means of entertainment are not avail
able, then they must have people, neighbors
or friends, come in to chitchat, that is, engage in small talk so as to occupy their
minds.
Others of the same type, for want of
knowing how to change the states of their
own consciousness by means of internal
stimulation, or for want of making the effort
to do so, find that it is necessary to move
their whole body to bring about entertain
ment. They have to bring changes of envi
ronment to their consciousness by racing
along the highways in automobiles by the
hour. The fleeting visual impressions which
they see as they travel along the road take
the place of marshaling their own ideas
through their mental powers. Many of these
persons just cannot understand how it is
that others want to be alone with good
books or activities which improve their
minds. To them, such would constitute labor
and be very irksome. When others kindly
reject their continual invitations to while
away an hour in some superficial amusement with them, they are very often offended.
In conclusin, we would say that no one
is obliged to sacrifice his personal time,
which contributes to some worthy function,
in order to amuse shallow minds. The best
way to help such persons is to compel them
to resort to ways of finding their own
amusement. Eventually, their shallow in
terests become exhausted and, to avoid con
tinual ennui, in desperation they expend
efforts by which they come to discover talents which are worthy of them and which
provide lasting means of entertainment.X
Conscientious Objectors
A frater from London, England, addresses
our Forum. Along with the fear of war
comes the question of the conscientious objector. Before the last war I gave much
thought to this and discussed the matter with

OCTOBER, >951

one who professed to be such. I understand

that we are under oath to abide by the laws
of the country in which we live, but does
not this clash with the idea or demand that
we be brothers to other members who quite
possibly are fighting for the opposing coun
try? I would appreciate the Forums view
on this matter.
In answering this question, one treads
upon delicate ground. In taking a positive
stand, one may unintentionally offend those
who think differently. It is best to say that,
in this instance, the answer is not meant
to be dogmatic but rather to be an expression
of an opinion which should at least be con
sidered.
From the fundamental mystical and spir
itual point of view, man is not justified in
taking the life of another human being in
war or under any circumstances. The hagiographies of different religions expound that
the power of life and death is reserved alone
to Divinity. However, in these sacred writings there are references to Divinitys condoning the slaying of human beings. In the
Christian Bible, God is made to be an ally
against certain peoples whom He aids in
slaying because they oppose His fats.
Let us go back to the matter of selfpreservation. We either fight for sustenance
and the safe-guarding of our lives and all
that is associated with them, or we cease
to bethat is the law o f life. Man may, if
he chooses, conceive an ideal that transcends
natural law, but he cannot enforce it successfully. When we are attacked by an
assailant, we either repel him with like
forc or we forfeit our lives. In such selfdefense it may be necessary to kill. It is a
matter of our life or that of another. In
either instance, death is being dealt. When
we kill in order to live, we are at least
consistent with the natural law of selfpreservation.
Suppose an intruder enters our home and
threatens the life of a small child or that
of another loved one. Would our conscience
forfeit their lives by refusing to permit us
to defend them at the cost of taking the
intruders life? No rational person would
refuse to take life under such impelling
circumstances. Can this analogy be applied
to war? The answer is Yes, under certain
conditions. Nations engage in war. Nations
are organized society. Society includes our
selves. A society, in theory at least, repre-

Page 43

sents what we want, respect, and wish to

preserve. If our society is exposed to threat
of invasin or to a forc that will destroy
it, we are obligated, even morally bound,
to protect it. To attack our way of living
is'the equivalent of attacking our person.
Thus we must fight even if that means the
sacrifice of an opposing life. As we have
said, religious works, such as the Bible, have
justified defense in war against Gods
enemies.
We cannot particpate in society, share
its privileges and benefits, even demand
them, on the one hand, and on the other,
refuse as conscientious objectors to protect
that society. No rational person loves war.
It should be abhorred and prevented. How
ever, when it comes, it is then too late to
avoid responsibility as a citizen. If you
feel that, as a member of society, circum
stances may arise, such as invasin and
direct attack, which would oblgate you to
enter into combat of which you do not approve, then you should leave organized so
ciety now while there is a state of peace.
Do not take what society offers you and
then refuse to pay the price which society
requires. As yet man has found no way
of eliminating war and there are no bloodless wars.
As Rosicrucians, we strive, in our way
and through our teachings, to evolve the
human consciousness so that man will not
cause those conditions from which wars stem.
When, however, misled men and the society
they represent attack us, we must enter the
combat in defense of the right just as we
would in defense of our individual persons.
It may be contended that some of our
wars are not justified, that society itself
brings them onand not for the noble de
fense of humanitarian ideis but for purely
mercenary ends. It is granted that many
wars have a wholly political objective. If,
however, we live in and are part of such a
corrupt society and if we give tacit consent
to it by sharing whatever advantages it may
provide us, we cannot then become suddenly
aloof and noble when that society is engaged
in war. In other words, we cannot blow hot
and coid on the same issue.
It is strange that many persons who in
time of war claim to be conscientious objec
tors never exhibit during the period of peace
the same spiritual concern for mankind.
Many of these conscientious objectors in

Page 44

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

peacetime do not take part in charitable and

other activities designed to further the wel
fare of mankind. They do nothing to ease
the distress and suffering of those very lives
which they disdain to take in time of war.
The real conscientious objector is one who
has aligned himself in time of peace with
activities which help the poor, the ill, and
sufferers in general. In other words, he has
lived a life consistent with his professed
ideis. Such men and women are affiliated,
as active and working members, with re
ligious bodies that have always been recog
nized by most governments as legitmate
claimants to being conscientious objectors.
Further, these religious groups, which are
sincere in their claims, oblige their members
to make considerable sacrifice in time, mon
ey, and service in the interests of humariity
in peacetime.
The majority of the crop of conscientious
objectors who come to the fore in wartime
can never prove, by their previous conduct
or their peacetime affiliation, that their lives
in any way exemplify the love of humanity
which they profess later.X
Cosmic Marriage
A soror from New York now addresses
our Forum: Several Rosicrucians and I got
into a discussion on the subject of marriage
and fidelity. As a result of this discussion,
there are questions I would like to ask. My
first question is: Are all marriages Cos
mically planned?
My second question is: If two people
have a very good marriage, spiritually as
well as physically, and both love each other
to a very great extent and say as much to
each other and to the worldand if one
seeks an outsider for sexual relations without
the knowledge of the marriage partner,
would such a person be building up an un
a vorable karmic condition? Would the fact
that no one knows of such circumstances,
and that no one is hurt by the clandestine
relationship, have any bearing upon the
karmic principie? Suppose further, that one
learns of this infidelity and it cannot be
remedied. Suppose the latter refuses to
grant legal separation or divorce, does that
person bring karma upon himself?
The term Cosmic marriage is poetically
and romantically very attractive, but it is
not very realistic. Only in a remte and

very exaggerated sense can it be said that

marriages are made in the Cosmic. Every thing that occurs, of course, is the conse
quence of Cosmic law, but all occurrences
are not by intent. Things are not planned
by the Cosmic in the life of the individual.
We conform to law, but the circumstances
of that law follow from natural order and
are not an expression of the Cosmic mind.
In other words, the time and place of a
happening are not ordained, but the forces
behind it are. For analogy, gravitation
is a natural law, but there is no specific
decree That a certain object shall fall and
be drawn to the surface of the earth at a
particular time. The forc of gravitation and
other natural powers are continuously at
work. Whenever their combina tion is such
that gravity, in particular, shall apply, we
then have the experience of the falling
object.
This analogy can readily be applied to
marriage. From the Cosmic point of view
the sexual or biological natures of men and
women are as opposite poles which attract
each other. This attraction is, in turn, modified by social customs and intellectual ideal
ism. Men and women are not attracted to
just any member of the opposite sex. They
exercise will, and consequently make selections; these choices are influenced by intel
lectual ideis, also, which serve as desires.
In effect, it amounts to one perceiving in the
physical appearance, character, and mentality of another, that which most conforms
to his or her own ideal or mental image of
the opposite sex. Each incarnation molds our
soul-personalities to some extent. As a result,
that which we seek in members of the op
posite sex vares with our personal growth.
One person may be drawn to another of
the opposite sex solely on the determinative
of sex, or the physical appeal. It would
indicate that the physical aspect of that in
dividual^ triune nature was strongerthe
animal instinct was more dominant. Another
person, considering that same individual of
the opposite sex, might recognize the physi
cal attraction of the person, but his more
sensitive nature would also note the char
acter and mentality of that individual. If
the latter qualifications seemed to be lacking,
he would find such a person unacceptable.
In this way, the Cosmic merely provides a
law to which marriages conform. It is a law
that through the unfoldment of the soul-

OCTOBER, 1951

personality we will seek persons as marriage

partners who are in harmony with our composite selvesas of this incarnation.
Why is it, it may be asked, that a person
who is apparently highly evolved spiritually
will often marry one whose consciousness is
of a far lower plae than his or her own?
Here, again, a Cosmic law enters. Perhaps
karma has made it necessary that the one
of the more lofty plae should learn some
thing of suffering and sacrifice. Perhaps
that experience is needed for the progress
of that individual. After all, most certainly,
such mismated marriages will cause suffer
ing and hurt to both partners, or at least
to one. No matter how compatible two
persons may be sexually, if one is more
spiritually enlightened and aesthetic in sensi
bilices, that one will suffer through such a
marriage. A married life consists of more
than sexual relations. There are other nec
essary mutual relations for connubial bliss.
There must be interests which both share
alike, for without such concerns and with
only sex interests they would ultimately
come to hate each other.
It is not true that sex interest is sufficient
to dominate all other factors in marriage.
The mental and spiritual elements of a
marriage are also important if it is to endure.
No specific individual has been, figuratively
or otherwise, Cosmically earmarked for mar
riage with another. There are no Cosmic
matchmakers, although that idea has long
intrigued the imagination of unthinking and
extremely romantic persons. Such idea has
been associated with another one known as
soul mates. This appealing but unsound
theory is that each soul is incomplete, that
is, as a man or as a woman, making it nec
essary that a polarity of the opposite sex
be united with it for its completion. Further,
a particular soul, like a part from a jigsaw
puzzle, would have to match precisely ones
own. It was conceived that one must search
for that one; all others would be ineffective.
The amusing part of the soul mate theory
is that when one found another whose per
sonality appealed to his own psychological
condition, he, or she, would then conceive
of that person as having been Cosmically
created as the soul mate. It was the equivalent, to use an analogy, of one finding a
perfume to which he was most responsive
and then conceiving the idea that the manu-

Page 45

facturer had him in mind when he had

manufactured that particular fragrance.
As for the second question, we reply that
if two persons have a very good marriage,
spiritually as well as physically, and both
love each other to a great extent, as the
Soror relates, neither one would commit acts
of infidelity. Such acts of inconstancy would
not be possible. Where there is a great love
between two married people and physical
or sexual compatibility also exists, infidelity,
such as extramarital relations, could not en
ter. In the first place, there would be no
desire for these extramarital relations and,
if there was any temptation, the great spirit
ual feeling, which the soror said existed,
would prevent the infidelity. In such an in
stance as the soror relates in these questions,
there must have been insinoerity and misrepresentation on the part of the one guilty
of the infidelity. That party must have misled the other into believing that there was a
true physical, mental, and moral affinity
between them, which in fact did not exist.
Does karma accrue from infidelity? Extraneous circumstances enter into the nature
of this question. Mortals make mistakes.
Often, they are not too careful in the appraisal of their own feelings. Physical or
sensual appeals, being primitive and very
strong impulses, persons are at times swept
away by them into a marriage without considering the mental and moral factors. Thus,
some partners in marriage eventually find
that they are not compatible. To continu
such a marital life would mean the continuation of mental torture for one or both.
The practical answer, then, would be the
obtaining of a divorce. Even Cosmically,
there would be no marriage if there were
no real unity of the soul-personalities. How
ever, some religious sects, because of custom
and political advantage have created dogmas
to prohibit divorce. These compel the continuation of a wrong marriage at the ex
pense of Cosmic law and self-respect. Further,
infidelity is encouraged on the part of one
or both of the marriage partners. Though
such individuis regret their infidelity, they
sincerely and mistakenly believe it a lesser
evil than violating the church creed by divorcing the marriage partner. In such cases
of infidelity, founded upon ignorance and a
blind faith, Cosmic justice would temper any
karma involved.

Page 46

Where, however, one can obtain a divorce

and is justified in doing so, and yet contines
to indulge infidelity, that individual invites
adverse karma. Further, where infidelity
exists and the guilty person seeks for a
divorce rather than continu a mock mar
riage, and the other party refuses to grant
a divorce through a spirit of retaliation or
hate, the latter person, because of such a
motive, invites adverse karma.X
The Psychology of Criticism
Most of us do not like criticism, especially
if it is directed toward ourselves. This is
quite comprehensible because it does one of
two things. It either shakes faith in our
own ability or it affects our ego, our pride,
even if we realize that the criticism is justi
fied. However, criticism is essential and is
quite in order, provided the motive behind
it is proper. That motive should not be mere
ly an attempt to attack, but it should be a
sincere and impersonal desire to present facts
or truth. The criticism should be kind, not
sardonic or bitter. The criticism should be
from the point of view of enlightening one,
not to ridicule the error, the mistakes, or
the lack of knowledge that one may have
had.
Unfortunately, much criticism is of just
the opposite kind. It is intended to besmirch,
belittle and to confuse; it is intended to
bolster ones own merits, activities, or appeals at the expense of another. Quite fre
quently there are publications issued by
some small religious groupsor a large one
which devote most of their pages to a
more or less scurrilous attack on all other
religious sects and particularly attacks on
mysticism, which includes the Rosicrucian
Order.
In reading such articles, one is impressed
(if familiar with the facts) with the obvious
intent of such authors to deliberately distort
the truth. They delete phrases, omit references, or couch their wording in such man
ner as to intentionally create the wrong
impression on the part of the reader. There
is a psychological principie behind this type
of criticism: that which the publisher represents is not strong enough in its own qualifications to command the attention and re
spect of the public at large; thus, he proceeds to eliminate, or try to do so, all that
which he considers as being the publications

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

rival. The reasoning behind that type of

criticism, if it is such, is to try to strip away
all which holds the publics attention in competitive interest. The assumption is that
when everything else has been discredited,
nothing remains with apparent virtue except that which the publication represents,
and that, therefore, will then be accepted
by necessity by the readers. Such authors
sincerely believe that the public will accept
what their periodical represents because
everything else is made to be wanting.
All this is very poor logic because, as our
late Impertor, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, has
pointed out, if you are successful in attacking a particular field of thought, or subject,
to such a degree that you convince the peo
ple that the majority of organizations or
societies, or whatever they may be, representing this particular thought, are false
you then have undermined their faith in
that entire field. They become so disillusioned, so discouraged, that the majority will
abandon all interest in it. As a result, what
ever you have to offer that is related to that
field also remains not accepted because of
your attack upon the entire field.
The best way to be successful in putting
over anything, whether a product or an
idea, is for one to devote all his efforts in a
positive way toward the presentation of
what he has to offer. If he does that he will
outshine his competitors. He will not have
to resort to insidious criticisms at all, some
of which are slanderous and libelous. In
fact, publications which try to build them
selves up by means of tearing down all opposition are really insulting the intelligence
of their readers. The average intelligent
reader senses very quickly the presence of
hatred and bitterness in an article. He can
tell when there is a note of sour grapes in
it. The more he reads, the more he instinctively comes to the defense of that
which is being criticized, and the less he
is influenced by what the critic has to offer.
Today there is much of this type of nega
tive criticism: as criticism of people prominent in govemment who hold influential
positions. It is often an attempt to belittle
their character, to disparage them, to make
them resign their post, or be forced out of
it by an unthinking public. Behind most of
these attacks are not the true principies of
criticism, that is, to present the truth, but
rather to remove someone from public office

Page 47

OCTOBER, 1951

so that the vacancy created may be filled

by the political appointee of the interests
who are making the attack.
It behooves each person, then, if he wants
to cali himself intelligent and fair-minded, to
be very accurate in his analysis of any
articles that are critical in order to see what
the real motive is behind it.X
Racial Intermarriage
A frater states that in one of the monographs he has found the following: We, as
Rosicrucians, consider all races equal in their
ultimate mental and spiritual status but, for
biological reasons, we are obliged not to
sanction promiscuous intermarriage. The
frater then asks our Forum: Please explain
this more fully.
The Rosicrucians have always taken the
position that, Cosmically, there are no su
perior races, that is, no race has been divinely ordained to be the superior vehicle for
the soul-personality. All human beings have
flowing through them the Vital Life Forc
of Nous with its Cosmic intelligence. Thus
all are Cosmically endowed with the potentiality of becoming a highly evolved conscious being. Beyond this the factors of en
vironment and heredity enter but they have
no preferences in their influences. Any race,
regardless of the pigment of its skin, can
exhibit a high degree of intelligence and
moral discipline, given the opportunity for
such development.
If a people has become geographically
confined in an area which is hostile to hu
man welfare such as a jungle regin, then
culture, the result of finer sensibilities, is
slow to become manifest. In fact, intelli
gence itself is inhibited. Where men are not
afforded the opportunity for leisure and reflection, the reason develops slowly. When
men, as is the case with the race that first
occupied the Nile delta, are precipitated by
circumstances into a favorable lcale, they
will advance rapidly as a race and as a
civilization. The rich, dark, alluvial soil of
the Nile delta, the rainless climate and the
plenitude of water provided by the great
river and the natural safeguard against easy
invasin provided by the desert bordering
the delta, accelerated the culture of this an
cient people. They advanced much more
rapidly than their contemporaries who were
fighting climate and the teeming life in the
great jungle of equatorial Africa. In fact.

they were far in advance of the Late Stone

Age man of the great Swiss lakes to the
north.
Though all men are equal in the potentiality of greatness, that does not warrant
miscegenation on a grand scale. It is true
that, in past history, the intermarriage of the
races was permitted without restriction. It
is occurring again now in many sections of
the world. With a shrinking of the globe, so
far as nations are concerned, and the growing congestin of peoples, it will occur again
on even a grander scale. It is contended
that, until there is a complete merging of
these races, or nearly so, there will be an
admixture which will not be wholly satisfactory in a psychological sense. The emo
tional patterns of some races, as a result of
long conditioning by social customs and en
vironment, are quite opposed to the nature
of others. This, it is theorized, may make
for some instability until such differences
over generations of time have become adjusted. Some races, as well, have certain
physical advantages, the result of their long
gradual adjustment to a particular environ
ment. Such advantages may be lost through
intermarriage. Conversely, however, others
may be gained which are highly beneficial.
There is no moral reason, from the Rosi
crucian point of view, that should cause any
objection to the intermarriage of the races.
Such an objection could only be based upon
social or racial prejudice. On the other hand,
it is not necessary for one to intentionally
step out of his racial group to marry one
from another race just to be spectacular or
to demnstrate his liberalism.
Often those who have been called mem
bers of an inferior race are the ones most
inclined toward miscegenation because of the
social handicap imposed upon them. There
is a psychological basis for their attitude. It
constitutes a defense against the stigma of
inferiority. By marrying a member of the
alleged superior races, they feel they have
altered their status and defied the social
proscription. Actually they had no need to
do this. They are Cosmically equal inherently to any race. It is just a question of
their individually developing so that they
are equal to anyone of their own race or
another. The marrying of someone of an
other race is a psychological adjustment in
most instances. It is by no means necessary.
X

Balked
By a Word!
Does a Definition Stand Between
You and Understanding? . . . .
Does the lack of meaning of strange words and terms block
your study progress? Do you find yourself caught in a web
of uncertainty as to the inner, esoteric significance of mys"
tical phrases? Are you one of many who finds the common
dictionary inadequate in providing the true philosophical
interpretation of rare words? Do you know the Rosicrucian
definition of spirit, Cosmic, soul, Cosmic consciousness,
fourth dimensin, harmonium, karma, Nous, projection,
Shekinah, etc.?

Stop guessing at truths. Obtain the Rosicrucian Manual

and learn the proper meaning and use of all the unusual
mystical words of your monographs.

The Students Guide

ead between the lines of your lessons, by the aid
he Rosicrucian Manual, the students guidebook.
an encyclopedia of official Rosicrucian terms and
Lses. It also contains diagrams and explanations of
pmbols and outlines of the practices and customs of
the Order. Further, it has special instructive
articles on such topics as the Great White Lodge
and how to obtain psychic illumination. It is, in
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Only $2.85 per copy.

ROSICRUCIAN S U P P L Y BU R EA U

ROSICRUCIAN PARK
PRIN TED IN U . S . A .

THE ROSICR UCIAN

P RE S S, L T D . ,

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA

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

,A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM

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A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMO RC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1 1 0 3 of the U . S. Postal Act of Oct. 3 , 1 9 1 7 .

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Vol. XXII

DECEMBER, 1951

No. 3

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A MESSAGE FOR YOU AT CHRISTMAS

Lovely the legends that have found
their way
To us from that far-off, first
Christmas Day:
The air stirs with the beat
of ngel wings;
Rich gifts are laid before
the King of Kings;
And legend has it that a child
brought to the stall
A Christmas Rose the simplest
gift of all:
The Christ-Child touched it, and
of all the rest,
This lowliest gift was most
supremely blessed.
Could all our hearts be haloed
with this light,
Peace would be born on earth
this Christmas night.

Helen Red Chase, F.R.C

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY
OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $2.25 ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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Page 50

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

PA TRIO TISM VERSUS PROPAGANDA

Dear Fratres and Sor ores:
Patriotism is an admixture of affection
and moral obligation. The affectionate aspect of patriotism consists of the same emo
tional attraction one exhibits toward anything which contributes directly to his per
sonal satisfaction. From the psychological
point of view, the nation, as far as the indi
vidual is concerned, is a collection of environmental factors. First, the nation to him is
his immediate surroundings, the climate,
scenery, and associations in his community,
the afforded conveniences or the lack of
them. Second, it is the individuals way of
living, such as the opportunities provided by
the government, freedom or restrictions imposed, and the traditions he has inherited.
The moral aspect of patriotism is a natural
consequence of any devotion the individual
may have for those factors which he terms
my country. It is a sense of duty that
constitutes loyalty toward whatever makes
possible his personal gratification. This duty
is, in fact, an innate desire to secure what
he conceives as a good, intimately related to
himself. It is an enlargement of the con
sciousness of self to include those elements
he understands to be of his nation. Certainly
each individual feels an instinctive obligation
to himself and to whatever he considers as
his.
Patriotism does not stem from pur intellectualism, though it frequently employs
reason to substantiate it. An emotional necessity which may cause patriotism and
which arouses the moral obligation presupposes a sense of ought to in relation to it,
as Kant says in his treatise on moris. In
other words, one who finds enjoyment in his
physical surroundings, social relationships
and national traditions, is conscious that he
ought to do something to preserve them.
He thereupon seeks to hypostatize his feel
ings; that is, he seeks to find logical grounds
to support them. A strong emotional attrac
tion to any idea may often cause reason to
build a fairly logical case in its behalf. The
emotional stim u lu s provides inspiration

which in turn gives a cogency to the patriots

arguments that makes any inherent weakness in his claims seem inconsequential.
Is patriotism a social ill or a necessity in
modern times? Unless man becomes again
wholly savage in his culture, he cannot es
cape the need of society and the patriotism
which may follow from it. Society is the
outgrowth of mans realization of the need
for mutual dependence. The state is a form
of organized society. If the society is representative of a mass ideal, that is, if it conforms to what men want and what they
believe furthers their interests, the feeling
of patriotism is inescapable. It is a psy
chological consequence as previously stated.
No society can stand for any time without
the emotional support of its respective mem
bers, their affection for it and their moral
duty to defend it, which is patriotism.
Since the basis of patriotism is an emo
tional attraction to organized society, which
seeks to express itself on logical grounds, it
must be spontaneous on the part of the in
dividual. It cannot be imposed by govern
ment compulsin, as enforced allegiance or
fear. Such attempts produce a counter emo
tional reaction. One hates what one fears
or that which causes pain, either mental or
physical. The emotional stimulus of hate
is equally as intense as that of love. By such
stimuli the reason is incited, as in love or
devotion, to postlate grounds for the feel
ingsand in the instance of hate may result
in the overthrow of society. The crusade
against a cause has as much zeal or fanatical
fervor as the crusader for a cause.
Every society is aware that it has enemies
or, to put it more considerately, those who
oppose its major political policies. The state
realizes that it often institutes practices
which will have a disagreeable effect upon
the individual, even though it may consider
such to be for his ultimate welfare. Since
patriotism is an affection for the good that
the individual conceives he is deriving from
society, any such objectionable circum
stances arising from the same source are

DECEMBER, 1951

likely to change his emotions toward it. The

reasoning of the opposition forces then becomes more and more plausible to the in
dividual.
In desperation, society has to offset the
exhortations of those who differ with its
unpleasant policies. The government or
state then resorts to propaganda. This consists of statements, oral or written, designed
to induce the acceptance of certain propositions. In effect, propaganda is intended to
engender interest in certain subjects exclusively or rather to emphasize particular
topics. Some people profess to abhor any
type of propaganda; they take a violent dislike to that which obviously attracts their
attention. Such an attitude of mind is logically unsound. It is usually the result of
social customs and prejudice. It is a psy
chological fact that we all respond to that
which has certain appeals to our receptor
senses. Curiosity is an instinct. We cannot
avoid having it aroused. A certain stim
ulus, visual or auditory, will attract our at
tention, as a loud sound or a sudden bright
light. One of the commonest means of arresting attention is to impart motion to
somethinga blinking electric sign or a
swinging object. Propaganda is nothing more
than resorting to psychological appeals de
signed to arouse interest and to cause people
to act in accordance with them. Those who
reject obvious propaganda are nevertheless
found to respond to other forms not quite so
apparent to them.
It is natural that we should want others
to further our interests. The very basis of
society, as said, is a mutual dependence. To
get others to co-operate or to avail them
selves of what we offer, we must extol the
merits of our propositions. The only danger,
therefore, that lies in propaganda is misrepresentation. It is, however, not a fault inherent in propaganda. Rather, it is the corruption of its power. This misrepresentation
may be deliberate, having as its purpose the
deception of a people or it may be the exaggeration of enthusiasm. In either instance,
it is most damaging not only to those who
accept it, but eventually to the propagandists
as well. Once you have lost the confidence
of those to whom you must appeal, the goal
you seek to attain is lost.
To stir up emotionalism and keep patriot
ism at a high pitch so that the individual
may become impervious to those many dis-

Page 51

tractions which the state may feel necessary

to impose, the state conducts extensive prop
aganda campaigns. Its millions of words,
issued in printed form or uttered by its representatives on the air or from the platform,
do contain much factual matter. Unfortunately, however, the reality of such state
ments, the truth, is often colored by overemphasis or by deliberately withholding
other qualifying facts. What is the psy
chological effect, to use a crude analogy, of
a continual stressing of the color blue in
relation to certain objects which people need
or think they do? It gives them the impression that blue, as a color, in relation to
those certain things continually mentioned,
is the ideal to be attained. Eventually, yellow objects, which in every other way are
equal to the blue ones, are considered in
ferior or lacking in a necessary quality. The
y ellow objects are rejected by the people
and perhaps even referred to in a derogatory
sense.
Let us suppose, to continu with our analo
gy, that you were the manufacturer of a
yellow product which in every way had the
same excellent qualities as a blue one. We
may further presume that you are not af
forded the same opportunity to propagandize
your yellow product as are the makers of
the blue one. As a result, you are put to a
tremendous disadvantage and suffer loss of
prestige as well as material resources. It is
just this adverse effect that the governments
of the world are having upon one another
with propaganda. In endeavoring to intensify their respective patriotism, misrepresenting propaganda is issued. Purely local cus
toms and preferences of a nation are commonly lauded to the extreme. The implication is that the extraneous practices of other
peoples or nations are false or ludicrous by
reason of their difference. The fact that
other people do differently, by necessity or
preference, is omitted as a qualifying explanation. The propaganda catering to the
patriotic spirit appeals to the natural vanity
of the individual. It extols the supremacy
of his standard of living, his ideis, beliefs
and religious views, and his way of doing
things. By comparison, it subordinates the
achievements, ambitions and heritages of all
other peoples.
These nationalistic campaigns of propa
ganda, which are now at their greatest
height in history, even tolerate the expound-

Page 52

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ing of racial prejudice and the vilification of

a people on the part of individual enterprises. Newspaper cartoonists and publishers, hoping to capitalize on the spirit of
sectionalism and chauvinism, caricature races
in a most abusive way, without any objec
tion from their governments. During World
War II and at presentthe Asiatic people,
for example, were drawn by cartoonists in
such a way as to appear almost bestial. Their
racial physical characteristics were emphasized to a point of hideous distortion. All
this idealizes one set of nationals at the ex
pense of another.
The sum total of this activity is an offense
to a people that is not forgotten when the
ink is dry on a peace treaty or on an armistice agreement. It is an insult to the race
and to the customs of the people, of which
they are an intmate part. We cannot expect world peace and understanding when
our patriotism and our love for self-interests
become offensive to millions of other people.
It is actually a weak form of patriotism that
endures only by fraudulently representing
the status of other peoples. There is little
difference in moral substance between suppressing knowledge about another people
and in presenting untruth about them which
inculcates hatred.
Patriotism should thrive upon first-hand
experience with ones social and political
conditions. It should not need the inflation
of propagandaat least not for its own
people.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
Finding Personal Peace
The problem of attaining personal peace,
or inner harmony, is becoming increasingly
difficult. Peoples of the world are exposed
to an impact of distressing news and that
which is potential with great danger. Many
of the statements of commentators, news
analysts, editors, and the like, are intentionally kept tense. It is their way of employing the psychological principie of sus
pensethe sustaining of interest by dramatization and overexaggerating every incident
of importance. These persons know how
profoundly the populace is concerned with
the world state of affairs, and they capitalize

upon it. They isolate and then augment to

a high emotional degree some otherwise
casual incident in the days news.
As a result of this tendency, mostly done
for the purpose of increasing circulation
rather than for public information, it becomes difficult for people to find refuge from
such influences. The usual channels to
which persons are accustomed to escape from
the turbulence of the day, such as radio,
televisin, magazines, movies, and newspapers, are saturated with disquieting headlines, comments, pictures, and editorials. It
is not that the average intelligent man or
woman does not want to be well informed.
He also does not want to retreat from reality
like an ostrich, putting his head in a hole
in the sand, yet he does wish to realize his
own self occasionally. He desires to med
tate upon the impressions rushing in upon
him so that he may put his mind in order.
He does not feel that all lifes activities are
trenchant and vile. He believes that there
are some noble things that can and should
be done, through which some of the worlds
tensions can be lessened. He also knows
that society is only as men think, believe,
and act individually. It is this individuality
of self that he wants to preserve.
If individuis are despondent or abandon
all hope for social improvement, then the
agencies of society, its various activities,
come to reflect this attitude. However, a
certain amount of idealism exists in every
person. There is almost an instinctive insight had by each normal person as to the
best procedure to follow if he is given the
opportunity to medtate upon it without be
ing influenced adversely. Thousands of years
ago in the market places of ancient Athens,
Scrates revealed that almost every man
can come to a wise decisin upon the most
important matters if the content of such
matters was fairly presented to his better
judgment.
The problem which confronts most per
sons is where to go to find that environment
which will arouse ones spiritual and finer
sentiments. The present appeals tend too
much to the passions and to materialism,
to a stark preservation of our economic
order at the cost of humanitarian idealism.
It is regrettable to say that many churches
and temples of the different sects do not
afford that sanctuary for peace with ones

PECEMBER, 1951

self. For political and propaganda motives,

across the pulpits and altars of these holy
places, there often comes a virtual barrage
of words of hatred, enmity, and the condoning of destruction of some people or
nation to save their vested rights, prestige,
or religious dominanc.
A strong people is a people who are not
panicky, fearful, and jittery. They are a
people who have arrived at a decisin from
an unemotional point of view under the
clear guidance of a well-disciplined mind,
inspired by the highest dictation of self.
Such prsons can make mistakes in their
decisions; however, not being terror-stricken,
they can more readily and freely adjust
their minds to each changing event and
make corrections.
If Rosicrucians faithfully and conscientiously maintain a sanctum in their homes,
consecrated to that which they hold to be
sacred, they will find that it will become
the sanctuary for their own rehabilitation.
In devoting even a few minutes to being
alone each day, the Rosicrucian can weigh
the impressions of his spiritual motives as
against all else that has crowded in upon
him objectively during the day. In such
brief periods of relaxation, he will be
amazed to notice the new light in which the
circumstances of the day will appear. The
true from the false will be easily distinguished, and the latter just as easily dispelled from ones mind. That which we
need mostin fact, what the world needs
mostis the opportunity for personal thought
and the free exercise of self. There is no
greater need today than for the silence of
selfthe aloneness with ones own triune
nature.
Those who are so unfortunate as not to
be able to establish such a sanctum in their
homes, no matter how humble, must find a
substitute for it outside. The great out-ofdoors was mans first temple; there is still
none better. A walk down a forest trail,
even if covered with snow, is inspiring; and
so is a slow, meditative stroll across open
fields with a pet dog trotting along; or an
isolated perch upon a jutting rock underneath a windswept sky overlooking sea or
bay. All of these circumstances may provide a suitable contact with the Cosmic, an
occasion for that peace within.

Page 53

Those who reside in large cities and who

have no home sanctum, need not feel that
they are deprived of this opportunity to be
alone. If one will use the same initiative
and thought to find a place in his city for
such periods of meditation as he does to
secure his worldly interests, he will succeed! It is not too difficult to lcate a niche
in a public park, a bench that is more or
less secluded; one might even stroll to the
end of a pier or wharf. Such places provide
the atmosphere with the quieting effect of
lapping waters.
I am reminded of a method employed by
a frater in the Middle Western United
States to find this peace within. He is a
locomotive engineer (driver) on one of the
crack, streamlined, transcontinental trains,
known as the City of San Francisco. This
train, with its many cars, travels at very
high speed from Chicago to the Pacific
Coast. This frater is the engineer of this
train for a large portion of this joumey.
Obviously, his responsibility is great, and
the resulting tensin considerable. Increasing automobile traffic has added to the hazards which he encounters. When at home,
he has found it difficult to relax and to find
just that environment for attaining peace
within. Recently, he became a member
of a local flying club. He and his associates
purchased a new, small cabin airplane. He
has become a proficient pilotand he is not
a young man.
With elation, he told me how he has
found peace and the opportunity for medita
tion for which he so long sought. When off
duty he flies in the cabin plae to an altitude
of three or four thousand feet, in smooth
weather. He then trims the plae, that
is, puts it in a state of balance where it
virtually flies itself in the vault of the blue
sky. While cruising along, he recollects passages from his recently studied monographs
and even practices some of his mystical ex
ercises. There, suspended between the heavens and the earth, and with a sense of free
dom, he acquires a new perspective of the
affairs of his life. This new inner view fortifies him for the events of the day. As the
frater related these facts to me, there was
a radiance about him, a confdence and
happiness, by which I was strongly impressed.

Page 54

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

One, of course, does not need to learn

to fly a plae in order to find this sanctuary
of self, but each can use his initiative to
recapture his intimate feelings and thoughts,
and the peace which follows from them.X
W hat is Universal Love?
A soror now speaks before our Forum:
The phrase Divine Love or Universal
Love is common in our studies and because
each of the words, individually, is comprehensible, it would seem that the phrase
should also be completely understandable,
but is it?
What exactly do we mean by Universal
Love? It must differ from love generally,
as we know it, inasmuch as physical and
mundane love, however impersonal, requires
a personification to be realized and expressed.
How may love of a supernal intelligence,
which is not anthropomorphic, be personified?
In the theological sense, Divine or Uni
versal Love is made comparable to an exalted impersonal human love. If this con
ception were not associated with the phrase,
it would in fact be incomprehensible to the
average human being. Further, in using
this conception of Universal Love, there is
the direct implication of an anthropomorphic
or personalized god. In most of the historie
religions, as Judaism and Christianity, the
relationship between man and his god is
conceived as paternal. God is the Father;
and humanity, the children. The affection
and devotion, the compassion and emotional
bond which parents usually exhibit toward
their children, is believed to be displayed by
the deity toward mortals.
Universal or Divine Love, though most
often associated with an anthropomorphic
god, is expected, of course, to transcend all
the foibles of mortal love. It is not thought
to be rooted in any physical appeal and
to be selfless; that is, it is not a desire for
any emotional or somatic satisfaction. The
theory is that God loves because love is of
Him. This love is a kind of feeling of goodness and grace extended toward all things
which are consistent with His nature. To
use a homely analogy, it is like the property
of a magnet. It attracts without discrimination all that has a natural affinity with its
own nature.

The average religionist can, as has been

said, think of love only in terms of his
own mortal experience. From the real mys
tical point of view, this love of Divinity is
far more abstract. In fact, the word love is
really an inadequate substitute for a more
appropriate word or phrase. These other ab
stract explanations the average religionist
would reject since they would lack appeal
to his imagination and they would, also,
depersonalize his god. Love is desire. Thus
there are many kinds of love. There is
physical love which is the desire for those
experiences and sensations that satisfy the
appetites. There are, as well, loves of the
mind or intellectual loves. They are a desire
to attain ideis. Then, there are the spiritual
loves which are the desires to experience
an afflatus of the soul or to experience cer
tain ecstatic states. In all these instances,
psychologically love is centered in the self.
We love something else, not just for the
thing itself, even though we may imagine
that, but rather for the satisfaction which
that thing may provide us, spiritually, intellectually, or sensually.
From the mystical point of view, the
Divine is self-sufficient and perfect. It de
sires nothing because there is no void in its
nature. It has a state of concord, order or
harmony, which is always inherent in it.
All things are of this Divine harmony, this
perfect order, because the laws which give
them existence are of its very nature. In
animate things are never out of harmony
with the Divine. Even that which seems to
lose its form, its beauty or other qualities,
is still in harmony with the Divine. It is
because devolution and a breakdown of substances is part of the change which is Cosmic
law. Beauty and ugliness are not qualities
inherent in things, but merely notions of
mans mind. They are but the way that
man is affected by the appearance of things.
Thus, the object which becomes repulsive to
man is just as much a part of this Cosmic
h a rm o n y as that which is beautiful.
The same principie applies to animate or
living matter. No matter how vicious or how
vile, as man experiences it, a living thing
may be, it as itself is only conforming to its
immanent nature which is always of the
Cosmic harmony. In man, however, there
is an important distinction. He has a high
degree of intelligence and the will to enforce

DECEMBER, 1951

its decisions. He is capable of conceiving a

Divine principie, a Cosmic cause, regardless
of how he may interpret or express it. Thus,
he can by choice oppose this Cosmic har
mony. It might be asked, Is not such reason and will, after all, also a part of mans
nature? Further, if it is a part of his nature,
then can he really put himself out of the
Cosmic harmony of which his nature consists?
The distinction with man is that he can go
and often is quite conscious that he is going
contrary to the Cosmic order, though he can
never put himself completely out of it. In
other words, he can have the intent to op
pose Cosmic harmony. It is this intent to
counter it that is the only real negative state
in all of existence. This kind of action brings
as a result a spiritual suffering, which man
can and should avoid. It tends to cause an
intense inharmony within the higher con
sciousness of self or the soul-personality of
man. The spiritually circumspect individual
is the one who realizes the motivations of
his higher self or the Cosmic impressions
and abides by them. He then enjoys a peace
of mind and an inner satisfaction which, if
he is a religionist, he calis experiencing
Universal Love.
We may look at the matter in this light.
This Universal Love or Cosmic harmony is
a constant state, the effects of which are
materialized as mankind and all the other
manifestations of nature. All things are of
it. Man can, by willful disregard, endeavor
to act in a way that causes discord for him.
Conversely, if he is consistent with Cosmic
harmony, he then becomes conscious of an
ecstatic feeling which he may imagine is
being particularly directed toward him as a
Universal Love.
We can know only that which we ex
perience. An exalted feeling, which we may
have, seems to be intended for us alone, that
is, we think of it in that light. Those of us
who think of the Divine as a parent, or as an
anthropomorphic being, feel during such ex
periences that we are being especially enfolded in Universal Love.
The term universal is most appropriate
because this harmony is, of course, both
ubiquitous and all-inclusive. This mystical
and abstract conception of Universal Love is
wholly impersonal. It is far more so than
the customary orthodox or religious concep

Page 55

tion. The idea is a little shocking to the

orthodox religionist who is not accustomed
to the high planes of consciousness experi
enced by the mystic. It causes him to feel
alone and abandoned, and precipitates a
sense of despair. He has not learned that
he never really is independent, that he
never can be separated from the One and
that, therefore, he does not have to command
the attention of the One or expect that it
will search for him or reach out to him.X
Our Mind Body
A frater says: In one of our monographs
it states every creature in existence has a
body which is the shape of its mind body.
What does this mean in relation to people
who are bor deformed or become deformed?
Each cell has in it an immanent intelli
gence which constitutes its mandate to per
fora! a specific function. Some cells are in
tended to build tissue, bone, or hair; some
build blood and still others are to provide
the substance for muscles and nerves. As
Leibnitz said, this duty inherent in cells
constitutes a preconceived harmony. The
totality of these cells, the collective Divine
Mind with which they are imbued, con
stitutes the psychic pattern or mind body of
man. The physical body, insofar as its form
and functions are concerned, is to a great
extent the counterpart of this mind pattern.
Congenital deformity is, both biologically
and physiologically, a result of the inhar
mony or imperfection of this mind pattern
or mind body. Diseases of parents may
cause a mutation of the transmitted genes
so that the offspring becomes mentally or
physically deformed. The effect upon the
child may not exactly correspond to that of
the parent but it will have a deformity, the
result of the imperfection of its mind body.
The transmitted cells are so affected that the
intelligence which is latent within them is
obstructed and cannot perform its function
properly.
Where deformity occurs, due to accident
or disease, the mind body is indirectly af
fected. The Cosmic intelligence, resident in
each cell, is of course not altered but, due
to the injury, its physical vehicle, the cell
substance, comes to inhibit the intelligence.
Thus for this intelligence is prevented an

Page 56

THE ROSJCRUCIAN FORUM

unrestrained function of its Cosmic power,

and the mind pattern of the cells has this
restriction imposed upon it to the extent that
the pattern, too, is deformed. In the Rosi
crucian teachings, we are shown ways and
means of causing the Cosmic intelligence in
the cells to be revitalized so as to completely
reconstruct or partly return to normalcy the
cell structure. Severe deformity, however,
cannot be overcome simply because the cell
structure is too severely altered for the reconstruction of the organism to occur.X
The Light of Being
Among the simple words frequently used
in mystical and occult literature, probably
one that stands out with more significance
than many others is the word light. Few
questions are asked concerning the word in
our literature because terms in ordinary use
are less spectacular than special terminology.
Often the basis of a so-called new movement
of any kind is partially dependent upon a
catch-word or coined term being used to attract attention. All of us, over a period of
years, can think of words that have been
coined by the writer of a book or pamphlet,
giving the title a certain uniqueness or newness, which appealed to and attracted many
people. Usually in such cases the real bene
fit or meaning hidden by a term or catch
phrase is of little significance. This is a
reflection upon the serious thinking of men
and women today. The fact that catch
phrases and catch terms have such great
appeal does not signify systematic thought
and the application of reason.
Language, whether written or oral, is no
more than a symbol, and the symbol itself
can mean nothing uiiless there is true sig
nificance exemplified or symbolized by the
word or phrase adopted. Much of the profound thought, and particularly those phases
of thought that are related to the feelings of
human beings, are found in simple terms,
usually terms of one syllable. These words
that express vales in human existence are
significant in their simplicity and profound
in their meaning. Light is such a word, and
it is so easily applicable to so many phases
of study and human application that it has
come to be used with many implications,
and synonymously with many more complicated concepts.

In the physical sense, light is one of the

most important factors of our environment.
Light makes possible the use and effectiveness of the most depended upon of our
physical senses. Sight is responsible for
more than half of the physical perceptions
which we receive. However, we overemphasize this one physical sense. What is
commonly accepted as the truth, is that
Seeing is believing. This of course can be
proved as not being consistently true, but it
does reflect the general concept that the
average individual holds in regard to seeing.
The person who is blind is shut off from his
world and his environment by a barrier that
is extremely difficult to overcome. That it
can be overcomeand blind people have
and can adapt themselves with a reasonable
degree of adjustment to their environment
is proof that sight is not the essential sense
that those who see attempt to make it. All
the physical senses are important to proper
environmental adjustment. Light, also, in
the physical sense, adds beauty and makes
possible the perception of space that is so
advantageous in assisting us in our various
adjustments. Our placing so much emphasis
upon light and the physical sense of sight
that accompanies it is a reason for this word
to be applied to principies outside the physi
cal world.
Light, in the physical sense, is a physical
phenomenon. We will not attempt to explain the physics of light but to accept light
as a material thing, a part of the material
world into which we find ourselves constantly fitting our existence. Broadly speaking,
light is used in the spiritual sense to refer
to any form of illumination that may direct
us. Just as physical light makes possible
for us to direct our way along a path, spir
itual light makes it possible for us, mentally
and spiritually, to find our way in the psychic
or immaterial world. We even refer to knowl
edge as being an illuminating experience.
It adds to the totality of being and develops
in us the principies or potential tools that
are ours to use for the benefit of our whole
being.
In Rosicrucian literature, frequent reference is made to the greater light and to the
lesser light. Generally speaking, the lesser
light is the physical light of the physical
world. The greater light is the illumination
of mind and soul. In the temples of the
Order, the lesser light is sometimes sym-

DECEMBER, 1951

bolized by a burning candle, and the greater

light by the cosmos of which not only we
but our being and God are a part.
Light is therefore in any sense a means
and an end. It is a means because it illuminates our way whether that way be in
the physical world, in the paths of knowl
edge, or for the achievements of the human
soul. All that contributes to our progress is
dependent upon or comes as a result of the
light by which we find the way. Shut off
a flashlight or a lantern on a dark night and
the path becomes obscure. Cise our minds
to knowledge and inspiration and the whole
path of life is obscure.
As an end or goal, the greater light is a
personification of God, and the Supreme Be
ing, the Cosmic scheme. It is stated in
various sacred writings in various ways that
God is the light of the heavens and of the
earth. In this sense, all that we can
achieve is through the illumination which
we choose to observe or utilize; and, by the
light which it provides, we reach the mys
tical concept of association with God in the
sense that a part returns to the whole.A
Pleasure and Pain
Is it true, a member has asked, that
pleasure and pain are the mpetus and the
detriment of life? In other words, this
member wishes to know if all incentive to
ward action and living is pleasurable, and if
all that is a means of thwarting, stopping, or
hindering is a form of pain. Broadly speak
ing, this is a brief statement of the pleasurepain principie which was one time quite
popular in psychological thought. The basis
for this belief was that not only man, but
all animal life tended to avoid pain and seek
pleasure. This concept meant that in every
thing that we do as human beings, or that
animals do, there is a tendency toward
pleasure and to get away from pain. On
this basis, early psychological experiments
were conducted, particularly with animals.
Animals were put in various types of apparatus or mazes, where, if they found their
way and avoided electrical shocks and other
means of stimulating pain at various points,
they would eventually reach food and there
by find pleasure in the satisfaction of their
appetites.
There is no doubt to some extent a great
deal of truth in the pleasure-pain concept.

Page 57

Every individual, to a certain degree, strives

to find pleasure. We avoid all pain that is
possible, only enduring pain as a rule when
it is for the purpose of achieving an end
which will be pleasurable. This is even true
when that pain is vicarious, even though we
might not so state the truth in this way.
To conclude that pleasure is a natural
thing for the human being to seek and that
it is natural to avoid pain, is a concept quite
easy to prove within itself, but difficult to
prove as being the final and ultimate motivation of all life. It was the great American
psychologist and philosopher, William James,
who in his classic Principies o f Psychology
first gave serious contradiction to the concept
that man behaved only as a means of achiev
ing pleasure and avoiding pain. In consid
erable detail he outlines other motivations
that are not directly, or even indirectly, as
sociated with either pleasure or pain. The
motivation for living lies deeper than the
feelings that accompany the physiological
system. Pleasure and pain, in the accepted
use of the terms, apply purely to the reac
tion of the physical body. We experience
pleasure and pain through our physical
senses; therefore, it should be concluded that
in the ordinary sense, or within the usually
accepted definition of the terms, pleasure
and pain are physical phenomena. It is there
fore logical that as far as the physical body
is concerned, we will not cause pain if we
can avoid it, and we will particpate in pleas
ure when the opportunity arises. Reason
dominating human action will modify the
extent to which we will participate in pleas
ure or avoid pain.
At any point in the universe, man has a
choice of always going two ways. These
ways are exempHfied by the swinging of a
pendulum. There are two extremes, and in
thought and action, we are always somewhere between the two extremes. We bal
ance one way or the other, depending upon
the circumstances, but extremes are always
precarious. The pendulum pauses only on
the extreme side of the swing long enough
to move back. To artificially hold it there
would only defy natural laws and cause the
meaning of the movement to have no pur
pose. Extremes are to be avoided as a perma
nent condition. No one can find satisfaction
in physical pleasure as a permanent thing,
and of course no one would want to suffer
continuous pain; and yet the extremes of

Page 58

some thinking have accentuated both of

these. Certain ascetics have believed that
the voluntary production of pain is the key
to the spiritual growth, while those of the
extreme pleasure-seeking school of thought
have believed that pleasure is the sol end
of existence. That neither of the proponents
of these policies have found complete satis
faction in life is proof of their error.
We must, however, concede that insofar
as the physical body is concerned, it is not
wrong for man to share in certain types of
pleasure. In other words, pleasure in itself
is not a sin. It is only the misuse or the
possible overemphasis of pleasure, particularly when it involves others who may be
caused pain, that the pleasure-seeking proc
ess becomes a sinful act. Within the world
of physical phenomena, the seeking of pleas
ure and the avoidance of pain becomes an
endless spiral.
Pleasure, however, being on a physical
level, does not have the permanence that we
imagine exists. All of us have had the ex
perience of anticipating a pleasure which
was not as pleasurable in actuality as it was
in anticipation. We have looked forward to
certain events, a meal at a favorite restaurant, a trip, an evening at the theater, and
many other things, but by basing our anticipation upon some pleasure that we have
experienced or that we believe someone else
has experienced, we have been disappointed.
Pleasure, if sought entirely in the physical
world, must be continually augmented until
its true aim and purpose is lost in the complications of attaining it. The limitation of
pleasure is therefore due to the wrong point
of view in assigning vales. If physical
pleasure becomes so desirable that it becomes the most important thing in life for
an individual, then all effort directed toward
its achievement loses sight of the forms of
pleasure that may be at hand and are passed
by.
Most of what has been said here has to
do with pleasure derived through the phys
ical senses. Are there other pleasures? Logically there are, for we know that some
of the happiest people in the world have
been those who have been deprived of, or
to whom there have not been available,
most of the means with which we normally
associate the concept of pleasure. People
isolated, insofar as a place to live is con
cerned, or limited by lack of physical pos

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sessions, have found great happiness and

peace of mind in the pleasures which would
ordinarily be considered comparatively sim
ple and almost unassociated with the luxuries
normally related to pleasure. The simple
and healthful expressions of the normal
emotions of the human being are our most
enjoy able and satisfying physical pleasures.
In the same sense, there are pleasures in a
psychic or immaterial sense. The man or
woman who finds true valu in intangible
things, in ideis, concepts, and principies
having no relation to the changeability of the
physical world, finds an enduring pleasure.
Such pleasure underlies and sustains an
individual in spite of the physical inconveniences or even pain that may be a part
of his daily living.
As has already been stated, physical pleas
ures diminish with use. We constantly
have to buoy them up with the addition of
gadgets or various actions that tend to sustain
them. A part of such pleasure is lost in
actuality after ones anticipation is ended.
Insofar as the psychic world is concerned,
the exact opposite is true. Anticipation can
only be a minor inkling of the true sensa
tions to come, and the pleasure that comes
from the realization of ultimate vales from
the paths that lead through concentration,
meditation, and proper use of reason to God
and the absolute, are constantly evolving
paths of pleasure producing effects that the
mind of physical man cannot duplicate even
in his wildest and most far-stretched imag
ination.
There is the injunction, written, I believe,
in the New Testament, which states Seek
ye first the Kingdom of Heaven. This in
junction is a guide to man implying that if
he will seek first the ultimate realities of the
universe, all other knowledge will be added
to him. It is not wrong to try to understand
our environment, but to place valu upon it
is to leave a gap in lifes experience that
can in no other way be filled. To seek first
the meaning of the absolute, the personal
realization of God, is the path leading not
only toward true pleasure, but to the means
of understanding everything else. In the
broadest sense, then, the pleasure-pain prin
cipie does exist. Through both his spiritual
and physical being, man strives to find peace,
to find knowledge, and to enjoy his proper
relationships in the Cosmic. If he places his
vales where real valu exists, the whole

DECEMBER, 1951

experience will be elevated; it will raise

him to a level of such understanding and
experience that will be a perpetual pleasure
and that will endure because it is unencumbered by any physical limita tion.A
Individual and Group Karma
Under the stress of present-day conditions,
it is not unusual to receive questions from
members concerned about what their attitude
should be in work having to do with the
manufacture of weapons and means of hu
man destruction that may possibly be used
in war. One frater, after explaining that
his present work is involved with important
military research and design as well as
manufacture of weapons, would like to have
a statement as to what should be the indi
vidual Rosicrucians attitude toward such a
position.
It is very difficult for any individual to
arrive at a point of what is right and what
is wrong in connection with this type of
work. The reason for its weighing heavily
upon the thinking of sincere and conscien
tious individuis is the historical fact that no
nation has ever devoted itself to the manu
facture of implements of war and the training of men for war without using them. It
would seem, if the future is governed by past
history, that present-day activities make war
inevitable. This is a pessimistic point of
view and should not be accepted as a state
ment of fact. The thought of war is qualified by its basis upon past events. It is still
within the realm of human possibility that
the solutions of differences existing in the
world may be settled without war. We can
hope that this is true. Whether we believe
it is true depends upon our own analysis of
existent conditions.
There must be literally hundreds of mem
bers of AMORC working in a capacity either
directly or indirectly connected with the
war effort. The individual conscience is
what makes one stop and analyze his posi
tion. A person who is opposed to war, who
is hoping for and directing his own individual
efforts toward peace, cannot help wondering
if, contrary to his convictions, he is actually
contributing to the existence of war by his
efforts. The satisfactory answer to this ques
tion must eventually be found within the
individual. No one can answer it for an
other person. The Rosicrucian Order cannot

Page 59

take an arbitrary stand as to what its mem

bers should do. To do so would be complete
ly inconsistent with its purpose, as Rosi
crucianism teaches the philosophy of life
whereby the individual adapts himself to his
actual living experiences as best he can.
Furthermore, it is important that we not lose
sight of the fact that every citizen of a
country has a responsibility and a duty to
that country. The history of Rosicrucianism
is dotted with example after example of in
dividuis who have served their country
well.
From the formation of the present active
cycle of the Order, its policy has consistently
been that the individual must do his best to
be a good citizen, because it is only by
working through the channels of citizenship
within the country upon which he depends
for the benefits coming from such citizenship
that free thought and individual develop
ment can prosper. Applications for membership in this organization require an
affirmative statement of that viewpoint. In
the oath of the Order, the member subscribes
again to this point of view, and the organi
zation has never permitted any individual
to use -its ame as an excuse for the evasin
of any obligation or duty to his country.
The right to express oneself is the right of
democracy, but the obligation to the coun
try which supplies that form of democracy
is also necessary to be maintained in order
that such ideis can be retained within
human society.
The average individual who has been a
member of the Order for any length of time
is quite familiar with the general concept
of the Law of Karma. As individuis, we
experience what we are prepared to experi
ence. Our pleasures and triis are the result
of previous activity and conclusions. We
are therefore in a constant state of growth;
and if we draw upon the best knowledge
and experience available to us, we are minimizing error and lessening future trial and
tribulation.
Closely interlocked with the individual is
also the Karma of the group and the nation.
The greatest patriot is the first to acknowledge imperfections in his country. No coun
try is perfect any more than the human be
ings that individually compose it can be per
fect; therefore, the country as a whole is
subject to Karma just as is the individual.
If the errors of our country, or the country

Page 60

of which a member is a citizen, have brought

about conditions that cause disagreeable
events and circumstances, they can be solved
only by the efforts of all individuis composing the citizenship of the country, through
accepting their due part in the responsibility
and the meeting of the obligations face to
face.
At the present time this country is faced
with grave intemational problems and cir
cumstances. We all as individuis will disagree as to whether or not these conditions
should exist; and possibly we will disagree
as to their causes, but the intelligent person
cannot but agree that they do exist. The
obvious conclusin from this trend of reasoning is that every individual citizen is going
to have to do his part to solve the problem,
whether or not each part that is done by
each individual is entirely in accord with his
wishes.
During World War II almost everyone
objected individually and personally to many
regulations that had to do with the rationing
of food and other products. In spite of our
objections and our more or less good-natured
complaining about them, the average citizen,
or the great majority, complied with regula
tions. We, as individuis, usually did not
do so with the cheerfulness that would have
been ideal. We would rather have had what
we did without, but in complying we helped
the country out of a difficult situation.
It is only reasonable, and, in fact, it is
instinctive, that man should prepare to pre
serve himself, his loved ones, and his proper
ty. It is therefore only prudent that this
nation, or any other nation, should be ready
in the event of war to protect itself. There
fore, as much as we individually may dislike
the idea of war and all the implications
that go with war, we cannot relieve ourselves
from the responsibility of doing our part to
prepare for the protection of our country.
If one finds his skills and abilities useful in
a war plant or a manufacturing concern
dealing in war materials, the responsibility
of the moment is to carry out those activi
ties to the best of his ability.
At the same time, however, we need not
take the attitude that we are only providing
the means of destruction for someone else.
We can work to the best of our ability for
those influences and forces which will help
produce peace. As individuis, we can think,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

speak, work, and hope peace. We can apply, as Rosicrucians, the principies which
we know that will be effective in the promotion of peace. We can take the time to
transmit through correspondence our viewpoint to those responsible in government,
and let our representatives in the legislative
bodies of the country in which we live
know of our support of those measures
which we believe are conducive to peace
and intemational good will. To question the
advisability of working in connection with
the production of war materials and then
be unconcerned insofar as expressing our
selves to government authorities as to what
our true point of view is, is a ridiculous
situation when it is analyzed. To do our job
well and to let it be known what our convictions are is a far more constructive procedure.
Group policies are frequently in conflict
with individual convictions. This is unfortunate but it is true. Mistakes that have been
made by nations in the past are causes of
effects that are yet to be felt. A person may
be idealistic, may have the highest aspirations and aims in life; nevertheless, as an
individual citizen of the social group to
which he belongs, he is to some extent
responsible for the errors of the past. He
must therefore participate in those steps that
may help to rectify such errors in the pres
ent. This may sound like fatalism. It may
seem to some who read these remarks that
all is hopeless, that regardless of the indi
vidual ideis, the errors of the group, and
particularly the errors of minorities, selfish
groups will control future human destiny.
This may be true but it is not fatalism.
It is not beyond the scope of modification,
provided people will honestly live and express the ideis which they believe.
In these comments, implications rather
than definite rules have been discussed. The
idealistic individual is constantly in the posi
tion of reconciling his thinking to the actualities of the material world in which he
lives. It is only by sincere and conscientious
study of ones place in the universe, of ones
potentialities and abilities, and a growth in
the feeling of the individual mystical approach to the concept of God that we may
find the full answer. The answer may differ
with each of us because this final answer lies
with the God of our Hearts.A

PECEMBER, 1951

The Source of Incentive

What is the ideal incentive for individual
effort? is the general implica tion of a ques
tion which should interest everyone under
present-day living conditions. Incentive is
technically that which tends to incite or
stimulate thought or activity insofar as it
applies to the human being. If there is no
incentive to do anything, whether it is
mental or physical, there is little effort and
enthusiasm put into the act.
In the world today, incentive is primarily
associated with money. The individual works
for wages. These wages represent the necessities and, all individuis hope, some of the
pleasures of life. Without that incentive it
would be difficult to secure the services of
any individual for any purpose. In view
of the fact that our physical needs must be
met, it is little wonder that so much emphasis is placed upon a material incentive.
As a result, we find in every line of human
endeavor today those individuis who have
built their incentive entirely upon the ma
terial gain possible from their efforts and
so have lost sight of those vales which are
of more importance than any material
thing.
There was a time, and probably still is
in the case of some individuisbut unfortunately they seem to be in a minoritywhen
pride of accomplishment, skill, and workmanship, the producing of valu for valu,
were also incentives for anything which
was to be accomplished in a days work. A
person took pride in what he could do and
do well. However, if an individual^ outlook is so clouded by the material gain to
come from effort that he fails to have any
pride of accomplishment, the product or
thing worked upon suffers due to this limited
outlook of the individual. How many times
have we all heard of inferior quality products
and services. If we could investgate them,
we would find that the individuis providing
these things were looking only to their
selfish material gains as the result of their
efforts, and not to any sense of accom
plishment.
It is not wrong to work for what one is
worth or to demand valu received for valu
given, but it is wrong to live a life where
all incentive comes from the outside as mere
ly a stimulation of material things. True
incentive comes from within, not from

Page 61

without. The ideis that produce the vales

that have real worth to human life lie within
the individual. If these ideis are cultivated
and brought to the surface, the incentive is
made greater and all human endeavor is
completed with satisfaction as well as with
material gain. The growth of human dignity
is based upon the giving of vales, not upon
the accumulation of material wealth. If we
lose sight of this fact, we have lost sight of
those factors which link us with the highest
purposes of life, and we, as individuis, are
the losers.A
Commercial Use of Ideis
The approaching Christmas Season reminds us of how little is left of the real
ideis that the season represents. At this
early date, and this is written about the
middle of November, we are faced in our
daily newspapers with one advertisement
after another trying to entice from us the
expenditure of money for Christmas. The
giving and receiving of gifts at this season
is older than the Christmas observance it
self, but the extreme steps that are taken
to commercialize upon this tradition cause
many people today to stop and wonder
whether or not it might be a good idea to
suspend all giving and try to give some at
tention and time to the ideis that the
season represents.
There are holidays, throughout the year,
of religious and patriotic significance that
have all been grasped for commercial gain
by those who are engaged in commerce.
Many people, at least the younger ones,
could not elabrate too much upon the ideis
represented by Thanksgiving, except as they
are reflected in the price of turkey, or those
represented by Christmas except as one com
pares the gifts which have been given and
received, and by a mathematical computation
determines whether his has been a gain or a
loss. Probably if we were all engaged in
retail business we might have a different
attitude. We, too, would commercialize upon
any holiday season or ideal that would
bring us profit. This is not a condemnation
of commercialism where it serves a purpose
or gains someone a living, but it is a con
demnation of the overemphasis of commer
cialism to the sacrifice of the ideal itself.
The ideal of Christmas should go beyond
anyones religious belief. There are people

Page 62

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of many religious beliefs who observe to a

certain degree the Christmas holiday and
the ideis it represents. The concepts of
peace on earth and good will among men
are ideis that the human race has aimed
to attain since man became a rational being.
Furthermore, these are ideis worth obtaining whether or not we believe in the theological doctrines surrounding the personality
and the life of Jess, and whether we are
Christian, Moslem, Je wish, Buddhist, or not
associated with any formal religin. To exemplify these ideis in our actions and words
at the Christmas Season, and by our expres
sion carry these ideis to other people, is of
far more importance than the exchange of
gifts.
Man is a rational being and therefore
should be able to reach a mdium point of
view. He need not deprive his children of
toys or his friends of a Christmas card or
a gift, but he should remember that the
greatest gift he can give to anyone is by
example and injunction to implant in the
minds of other people the ideis that this
holiday season represents.A
Our Incarnations
How many times does the soul-personality
reincarnate? Is there a limit to the number
of times that the soul-personality will occupy
a physical body and reside on the earth
plae?
The incarnation of the soul-personality in
mortal form is in accordance with a Cosmic
cycle known mystically as the Cycle of Incarnation or popularly as the cycle of ex
istence. The period from birth to rebirth
constitutes a cycle of 144 years. This num
ber of years in the cycle of existence is
based upon the observations of mystics for
centuries. These mystics and metaphysicians,
in comparing the experiences of each other
and those told them in conversations with
numerous students who have been able to
recall the events of past lives, concluded that
this cycle approximates 144 years. It was
not strange to them that the period after
transition, or the time on the Cosmic plae
if you wish to express it thus, should be in
accordance with cycles. After all, as our
monographs state, throughout the whole
manifestation of the Cosmic, of which we
have knowledge, there is found to be a
periodicity, a thread which ties all phenom

ena together. Such a Cosmic cycle of in

carnation has a relationship to the movements of the plaets, the comets, the sun
and moon, the revolution of the earth and
the periods of gestation for animals and
plant life. Why should it appear amazing
that there is a Cosmic cycle of existence,
when our earthly cycle consists of a series
of periods of seven years each, and which
orthodox science has come to recognize?
As our monographs further relate, the
ideal Cosmic cycle intended for mans ex
istence consists of a full 144 years here on
earth. After transition, the soul would then
be rebom immediately into another body,
the one best suited for the further evolvement of such soul-personality. The fact that
we do not live this span of 144 years on
earth and must spend the difference, be
tween that number of years and our age at
transition, on the Cosmic plae, is our own
responsibility. With greater knowledge of
Cosmic laws and that aspect of them which
we cali nature, our earth span will increase
and the Cosmic interlude will decrease.
When does this cycle of incarnations
cease? Is there a specific number of lives
which we must live? The number of lives
one has lived or the chambers of the soul,
as the incarnations are esoterically called,
are not known. It is true that you may read
occult and metaphysical literature outside of
our Order that is quite emphatic in stating
that the soul reincarnates two, seven, nine,
or some other number of times. Such a state
ment, however, is wholly speculative and has
no authoritative foundation. There are those
who have had many ways of substantiating,
to their own satisfaction, experiences which
are of previous incarnations, and which
have shown them that their incarnations exceeded nine in number, or even more.
Even the teachings of the A.M.O.R.C. have
speculated that there were perhaps but
twelve chambers of the soul. This theory,
and that is all it is at this time, was based
upon the premise that the cycle of twelve
would be in accord with the table of the
chemical elements which the Rosicrucians
state will prove to be 144. When the
A.M.O.R.C., during the early days of the
second cycle of its activities, stated that the
chemical elements would reach a total of
144 in number, it was considered an absurd
statement. The elements were then barely in
the nineties. Scientific speculation at the

PECEMBER, 1951

time postulated that perhaps two, three, or

a few more would be all that would be
known. Now we have advanced so rapidly
in this field, have discovered so many new
elements, that the A.M.O.R.C. postulation
stands a chance to be proved empirically.
However, the Rosicrucian Order has many
times modified or completely altered an
earlier postulation on the strength of later
research and findings. Since Dr. H. Spencer
Lewis wrote, many years ago: 44the soul
may have twelve such chambers, he carne
to believe, through his many resources, that
the probability of there being many more
incarnations than twelve was very great. In
fact, subsequent articles in this very Forum
and in other Rosicrucian literature bear out
this transition of his thought on the subject.
It would appear from the opinion of those
who are masters of these mystical and Cos
mic principies that, in the average case, the
greatest number of incarnations or past personalities that can be recalled is twelve in
number. It would seem that the memory of
the soul diminishes or rather the impressions
we receive objectively become very vague
beyond the twelve incarnations. There may
be a Cosmic purpose in not having the aver
age person recall lives beyond the twelve
cycles of incarnation. Most certainly we are
now agreed that there is no definite number
or limit for the incarnation of the soulpersonality; at least we know of none.
It would seem more mystically consistent
that an effect or result be attained by reincarnation rather than that there be a cer
tain number of reincamations. Man may
measure cycles of manifestation mathematically, but Cosmically this number is of no
importance because number is man-conceived. The mystical doctrine underlying
the necessity of reincarnation is the absorption of the soul-personality into the
Universal Mind. This process is called a
perfecting of the soul-personality. Life by
life through varied experiences the person
ality unfolds as we become more and more
conscious of the divine or Cosmic intelligence
resident within us. Our lives, our behavior,
our thoughts, all reflect the profound insight
which we gradually acquire as the outer self
becomes more in attunement with the exalted
self or that higher consciousness within us.
When eventually our soul-personality, that
is, the reflection of the soul in its human
expression, is equivalent to the soul forc

Page 63

within us, to its intelligence, to its spirituality, then perfection is realized. We are then
truly a manifestation of the Cosmic in the
sense that we are one with its consciousness.
At such a time, rebirth is no longer neces
sary. Life can no longer teach us lessons.
The physical cycle of existence ceases. The
soul-personality remains on the Cosmic plae
absorbed into the One of which it was but
an extensin when in the body.
With some individuis this perfection, this
great cycle of the soul-personality, may be
realized in twelve incarnations. It is what
the Buddhists cali the stopping of the turning of the wheel. For other persons it may
require fifteen or twenty lives or even many
more before the necessary experiences are
had. It is for this very reason that a true
mystic is not boastful of the number of his
incarnations. Certainly, there is no honor,
for example, in having had twenty incarna
tions if it were possible to attain perfection
in a much smaller number of lives. It would
be like a youth who might ignorantly boast
that he spent seventeen years in the elementary grades of school. Such would not eleva te
his status in the opinion of his listeners.X
Are Our Lives Decreed?
A frater, addressing our Forum, points
out what to him appear as inconsistencies
in the monographs with respect to the topic
of fatalism. He says that in one of the
monographs of one of the higher degrees it
says: There is an appointed and decreed
time for transition in the earthly life of
each individual and there is also a Cosmic
reason and purpose in a seemingly untimely
ending of an earthly existence. Another
monograph states: Our own choice of vocation, manner of living and thinking will
affect the probable date of transition. In
still another and higher degree, it says: In
nearly every case where disease of the flesh
of the body has seemingly brought about
transition, or so-called death, there was also
disease or an abnormal condition of the
psychic body that actually brought about
the transition. Finally there is the state
ment: No true mystic can believe in fatal
ism, except the fate that we create our
selves. There is no mysterious hand that
writes our lifes fate on a scroll before our
birth or at the time of our birth except
the mystic hand of our own acts.

Page 64

There is a psychological inclination for

every man to want to believe in fate. It is
most disturbing for most men to feel that
they are pitting their puny mental and
physical powers against the magnitude of
natural forces which surround them and of
which they are aware. Man is fully con
scious of his inability, most of the time, to
direct these Cosmic powers to his own ad
vantage. He realizes that this futility is
principally the result of his ignorance. To
believe that one must in some way direct
his own destiny and yet not understand
how, is frustrating. Consequently, fatalism,
on the one hand, instils a sense of confidence
and, on the other, a resignation to a power
which it is presumed has predetermined the
life of each individual.
The belief in fatalism frees some minds
from any responsibility for their acts. They
wish to believe that they can give them
selves over to abandon. They further believe
that the consequences of their acts, which
are enjoyable, would have been so whatever
they thought or did, and the same for any
adversities they experience. This type of
thinking transfers all causation or will entirely to some supernatural mind or deity.
The individual prefers to be a puppet rather
than to be troubled with the direction of his
own life.
The most evident flaw in such a philosophical doctrine is the very apparent func
tion of human judgment. We cannot escape
the evaluation of our own experiences as
well as those of others. W e can perceive
and apperceive courses of action which will
lead to our welfare and others which will
lead to our detriment. Further, we can
know that, if we pursue one course, the re
sult will be quite the opposite from what it
would be, if we followed another course.
Then, too, we know that will, as desire, can
preciptate us into a preferred direction.
Why this human mechanism of mind, if all
causation or what men assume to be causality is alone possessed by a power that transcends man?
We mortals may not have absolute free
will. It may be that we are obliged to fol
low either one inclination of our being or
another. However, we do have these im
pulses to act, many of which are engendered
by our own judgments and which would
not be necessary if we were completely un
der the motivation of an external power.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

How then do we reconcile what appears as

inconsistencies in our monograph statements?
Is there an appointed time for the transition
of each individual? Or does ones thinking
and manner of living contribute to the prob
able date of transition, as another one of the
monographs states?
Actually both of the above questions may
be answered in the affirmative, with some
qualifications. Potentially within us is the
appointed time of our transition as a result
of certain factors, some of which lie within
our control and others do not. Biologically,
our inheritance of health and mental and
physical qualities and our intelligence, to a
great extent, predetermine the course of our
lives and our transition. Environmental con
ditions, as customs, opportunities for education, exposure to disease, and economic sufficiency, also shape the course of our lives
and, to an extent, establish the time of our
transition. For example, the mortality tables
of the great insurance companies throughout
the world can predict, with a great degree
of accuracy, the average life span of people
in different sections of the world. Such
statistics are founded upon empirical condi
tions, the circumstances under which people
live and the customs of living. Therefore,
each of us, as we fit into the Cosmic order,
has an appointed time for transition which,
however, is influenced by what we are. This
Cosmically appointed time is not absolute.
It is flexible. W e can alter it, and extend our
lives by a change in our thinking and in the
manner of our living.
To understand this better, let us use a sim
ple analogy. We shall say that there is a
large commercial building containing many
floors of offices. To this building each day
come many strangers to conduct business
with those having offices on one or the other
of its many floors. These visitors, upon entering for the first time, observe a door
leading to an elevator which is cise at
hand. This elevator ascends only to the
fourth floor of the building. A little farther
down the corridor are doors leading to other
elevators that go to higher floors, but are
not so easily seen. As a result, most of the
visitors to the building enter the nearest
elevator because they do not trouble to look
farther. These persons are obliged to leave
the elevator at the fourth floor, even though
they wish to go higher, and are thus disappointed.

PECEMBER, 1951

It would be easy, then, for a statistician to

predict that a given number of persons
entering the building each day would have
their ascent cut short at the fourth floor
because of their lack of observation. If they
were more alert, these same visitors could,
by looking and inquiring, ascend by means
of one of the other elevators, to the higher
and proper floor. By the exercise of their
intelligence and natural faculties, they could
change the statistical average so that a great
er majority would ascend properly.
The gradual advancement of the human
race is not a predetermined destiny. It is
not a fat of fate that man shall be this or
that he shall be that. Destiny is govemed
by environmental factors, as stated, and primarily by the exercise of human intelligence.
Certainly in a large proportion of the illnesses which prevail, man comes to realize
that he is the main contributor to them. He
will admit improper diet or the abuse of his
health in some other way. Therefore, if
illness contracted in sch a manner even
tually shortens his life, making it less than
that of the average span, it is not fate but
him self who is the cause.
Many fatalists refer to adventitious events,
that is, sudden unexpected happenings which
vitally affect their lives, as being examples
of the intervention of fate. They are confusing fate with probability. Inasmuch as
man cannot ascertain in advance all those
causes that will have an effect on his life, it
is most probable that the element of surprise
will enter into his life. This probability,
however, is not a series of ordained events.
Further, probability can be reduced by projecting our judgments of experience into the
future, which permits man to avoid certain
trends and what are called accidents.
As the monograph has stated, a mystic,
a Rosicrucian, cannot accept fatalism. To do
so would be to deny his Divine heritage, his
natural faculties, and to abandon the ideal
of personal evolvement and aspiration to
perfection.X
The Oneness
A frater rising and addressing our Forum
says: I would like to know something
further about the Oriental philosophical con
ception that All is One and One is all.
Further, can Occidental mysticism accept
this conception without modification?

Page 65

The one-ness of reality, or the monistic

conception of being is treated by many re
ligions and philosophies which were Eastern
in origin, or which had their roots in the
Orient. Though their terminologies are dif
ferent, basically their concept is the same.
Perhaps the highest ideal of the human mind
and one of the most commendable has been
the search for unity in diversity. In a world
of such apparent separation, of so many determinatives, it is a splendid commentary on
human thought that it should have conceived
the possibility of a sol realitythat is, a
oneness.
This speculation and belief in monism, or
the one, goes back to the very beginnings of
history. Today, as well, modern science is
endeavoring to unify its various fields of inquiry only because it has proved the contiguity of one phenomenon to another. Sci
ence does not profess that it has discovered
the whole order of manifestation, but day
after day it is confirming the doctrine of the
Cosmic Keyboard, that is, the unity of all
reality, which has been one of the principie
Rosicrucian teachings.
Oneness of reality is a subject of pur
metaphysics, known technically as ontology,
or the science of being. The aspect of this
topic upon which the frater wishes further
enlightenment is just how the all can be one,
and yet there be that separateness which
is the human personality. First, let us touch
briefly upon some of the Oriental conceptions
of oneness. Perhaps, the oldest doctrine of
monism is to be found in Indian philosophy,
more specifically in that higher treatment
known as Brahmanism. For example, we
find in the Upanishads: All this is BrahmanHe is myself in the interior of the
heart, smaller than the germ of the smallest
seed. He is also myself in the heart chamber,
greater than the earth, than all these worlds.
In this statement, we find that Brahman
is the sol reality; it is without attributes,
distinctions, or determinations. It is the
Absolute, pur being, out of which all ex
pression or form appearsand in which they
all remain a part. The Brahman, the power
which presents itself to us embodied in all
beings, which brings into existence all
worlds, supports and maintains them and
again reabsorbs them into itself, this eternal,
infinite, divine power, is identical with the
Atman, with what, after stripping off all of
this external, we find in ourselves as our

Page 66

inmost and true being, our real self, the

Soul.
In the aboye doctrine, the One is made
to appear a universal, divine, and infinite
power. It is the cause of all. It would ap
pear that as a forc, its action or motion is
to extend itself, and thus it assumes the
form of the many worlds, of the universes,
and the particulars of those worlds. This
Cosmic motion of Brahman, it would seem,
is both expansive and contractive, for we are
told in the above reference that it reabsorbs
what it creates back into itself. This does
not mean to imply that there is ever any
loss of its nexus, or connection. Whatever
form is expressed, the bond is not destroyed;
it is always part of the one.
It is also interesting to note that the atman,
which is the Soul, is said to be identical with
Brahman. This would make the Soul an
extensin of the universal one into the hu
man form. Such a concept is quite consistent with Rosicrucian mysticism. In man,
the divine forc exhibits a dual manifesta
tion of its own nature; or, rather, in man
we find a unity of the different phases of
the oneness. This oneness, or unity of man
is characterized by atman, Soul, or his high
er self. It is only this oneness of the nature
of man that is capable of realizing the
infinite oneness or the divinity of which
mans nature consists. In all being, it is only
that which has the lesser oneness of selfconsciousness, as man has, that can come
to realize the existence of the greater one
nessnamely, the Cosmic.
In Ruddhism, which was influenced by
Indian philosophy, we are told in the Jijimuge Doctrine of the Kegon School of Japanese Buddhism: All things are one and
have no existence apart from itthe one is
all things and is incomplete without the least
of them. Yet the parts are parts within the
whole, not m erged in to it; they are
interfused with reality while retaining the
full identity of the part, and the one is no
less one for the fact that it is a million
million parts.
We understand this to mean that, though
all things are of the one, yet the sum of all
things is not the whole of one. In other
words, the one is potential with becoming
far more than the number of things which
appear separate. A particular thing is not
a part of the One. It is, rather, one of the
infinite ways in which the sol reality ap-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

pears to us. Things, in relation to the One,

are like the colors of the spectrum; colors
are not independent creations of light; they
are, rather, the way in which the nature of
light, its wave bands, are perceived by us.
Buddhism makes plain that no thingincluding manis detached from the One, ex
cept as we are conscious of it, the way we
perceive it. We are one, but we must know
that we are one. We are not tmly con
scious; that is, we have not fully exercised
our exalted consciousness until we realize
our oneness with all else. This doctrine, then,
is also consistent with Occidental mysticism
and the Rosicrucian philosophy. The aspiration toward Cosmic Consciousness is nothing
more than the human desire for man to have
the experience of his unity with the One.
Aristotle, too, sought to expound unity
between matter, form, and mind. He declared that the Divine was an unmoved
movant. This meant that it was an absolute
substance which, in itself, was the moving
cause of all, yet remained unmoved by any
thing else. Within this divine substance there
was the potential of all the states which we
recognize as form. There is an entelechy, or
series of ideis progressing upward, prompted
by this sol divine mind and power. Each
time the ideal was reached in its progressive
scale we have a particular expression, or a
definite kind of matter. The acorn has po
tential within it the final state being, of
coursethe tree. Thus, according to Aris
totle, starting with the laws expressed, this
ideal inherent within the unmoved movant
passes on and upward, through the soul of
man and finally returns to itself, completing
a cycle. The One has extended itself and
then is reabsorbed into its own formless
state. Aristotle makes the point that pur
being, the One, is formless. What we per
ceive as form is an activity of the Divine.
With the later Stoics, God was considered
immanent in everything in every part of
the universe. The sol reality, the One, is
God. The Logos, the rational principie or
the mind of God, permeated the entire uni
verse. In the lower or material substances,
the Logos constitutes what we know as the
physical laws, or the very order of natural
phenomena. In man, the rational principie,
the Logos, is called pneuma and is the Soul.
Specifically, according to the Stoics, the
One is the universal consciousness. Then,
in the lower order of creation, this one be-

Page 67

PECEMBER, 1951

comes the law of nature itself; in the higher

expression, the One is again Mind or Intelligence. Every particular, then, no matter
what its nature, is the consequence of the
very mind substance of which the One is.
In the Neoplatonism of Plotinus, we see
this doctrine of the One assuming the char
acter that later became infused in Occidental
mysticism. In the Enneads, V. 12, of Plotinus,
we find: The One is not a being but the
source of being which is its first offspring.
The One is perfectthat is, it has nothing,
seeks nothing, needs nothingbut we may
say it overflows, and this overflowing is
Creative.
By stating that the One is not being is
meant that it has no determinative qualities;
we cannot describe it because being has no
qualities by which it could be identified in
the sense that we know matter. The con
cept of Absolute reality, or pur being, with
out qualities, is truly mystical, yet difficult
to comprehend. The overflowing referred to,
is what we may cali the expansive activity
of the One, by which function we come to
perceive it as having many attributes which,
in fact, it does not.
After the intellectual denudation, that is,
putting aside our objective side, the One
finally appears to the Soul in this manner,
we are told: And, they are no longer two
but one, and the Soul is no longer conscious
of the body or of the mind, but knows that
she has what she desired, that she is where
no descriptions can come, and that she would
not exchange her bliss for all the heavens
of heaven.
As previously stated, this means that we
have attained oneness on the lesser plae.
Our self-consciousness has evolved to the
point of experiencing the greater conscious
ness, the oneness of which it is composed.
The Sufis are the Islamic mystics. They
put aside much of the external ritualism of
Mohammedanism and sought the ultimate
verities that could be attained through the
doctrines of Mohammedanism. Actually,
their meditations transcend, in beauty and
profundity, the basic teachings of Moham
medanism. Their prose and poetry constitute a collection of some of the most inspired
mystical precepts ever to illumine the mind
of man. They derive their ame Sufi from

Suf, the word for a rough, white wool

clothing which they wore, and which contrasted against the silken garments of the
wealthier, sensual Mohammedans. One of
these Sufi mystics, Awarif al Maarif, says:
Except God, Who is the real and absolute
existence and operator, nothing else exists.
All other existence, attributes and inde
pendent actions are unreal; thus, the reflection of every existence is from the light of
the absolute existence.
In other words, we cannot confer upon
the particulars of the world any substance,
any reality, no matter what it appears to
be, other than calling it a reflection of the
one reality. The more we rationalize that
something cannot be of the divine because
it appears to be inconsistent with the godly
nature, the more unreal we make it. A
thing is either of the One, or it is not real;
and therefore is nothing.X

Datigers of Nationalism
The Rosicrucian Order has long been convinced that world security and freedom from
war can only be attained by a thorough internationalism. In fact, we are of the opinion
that the ideal solution of many of the world
problems now being experienced, social and
economic, can never be eliminated until
there is one world. Such a world would, of
course, necessitate the abolition, by agreement and peaceful means, of the individualism of nations. The ideal of dispensing
with nations, as political entities, does not
infringe upon the rights and opportunities
of the individual. In fact, those who have
the humanitarian and expedient concept of
one world think of it wholly in terms of the
betterment of the lot of the individual.
Admittedly, th ideal of one world, by
peaceful and voluntary acceptance, is some
time away from realization. There are
those who criticize the concept as being
fantastic and too abstract. Though it cannot
be accomplished in the immediate future, the
first step toward it is the promotion of true
nter nationalism. When peoples of various
nations can and will work in closer unity
and understanding, such condition will be
apodictical of the obsolescence of nationalism
with all its od ills.

Page 68

Certainly the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC,

as an intemational organization, has had
much opportunity to observe firsthand the
advantages of internationalism, even at a
time when nationalism has become more in
tense. One of the commonest reactions of a
people precipitated into relationship with
others who are thousands of miles distant is
their surprise at the similarity of problems
which they share. Of course, one people
can imagine the common concerns of employment, sustenance, and health of a peo
ple remte from themselves. It is in the
ordinary affairs of the day, in matters which
they have been accustomed to associating
with their own particular history and per
sonal lives, that they are the most surprised
to learn that others have the same problems.
To find that another people think more or
less as you do, struggle with social factors
as you do, notwithstanding differences of
customs and traditions, creates a sympathetic
understanding. This understanding in turn
engenders tolerance.
Before Japan opened her doors to the West
and before extensive trade with China, the
peoples of the Occident or of Christianity,
as they preferred to cali themselves with
egoistic pride, actually looked upon the
Orientis as some kind of sub-human. Ignorant as they were of the Orient, they nevertheless ridiculed its peoples and despised them
because of their non-Christian faith. Any
endeavor to include such peoples of the
Orient in an equal social status was objectionable to the mass mind of the West. Even
today in the United States particularly, and
in other Occidental nations as well, there is
the oft-heard reference: We are a Christian
nation. Whether admitted or not, that con
stitutes the implication that the non-Christian
nations are inferior in idealism and in the
propensity of spiritual attainment. It is such
prejudice that keeps peoples, as nations,
races, and creeds, separate from each other,
suspicious and hateful.
What makes one religin superior to an
other? In the first place, such is a moot
question. The superiority of a religin, from
the point of expediency, cannot be said to
be its intellectual standard, its doctrines and
dogma. It cannot be judged like a philosophy
entirely on its appeal to logic. Religin must
be appraised on the character it develops in
the individual and the adjustment it causes

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

him to make to life and to his fellows. In

other words, by their fruits shall they be
known. Strictly on analysis of their history,
almost all of the self-affirmed Christian na
tions are hardly in a position to refer to
themselves as virtuous or as paragons of
Christian principies. If it is admitted, then,
that the human equation and not religin
alone accounts for the conduct of a people
and a nation, then let us stop conferring
superiority upon ourselves on the grounds
of religin.
Each of the worlds great living religions
has doctrines and dogma that represent the
finest in human spiritual aspiration. Each
also suffers by interpretation and the in
fluence of human self-centeredness. It is the
blind faith of a religionist or a loyalty
amounting to intolerance that causes the
religious zealot to refuse to recognize those
virtues of another faith that are equal in
moral idealism and in practice to his own.
Nationalism, through centuries of time,
has come to admbrate all other customs and
beliefs but its own. It has tightly bound
up in many states of the world its particular
dominant religions and standards of living
with the concept of supremacy. In the lead
ing democracies of the world there may be
no prohibited thinking or speaking about
that which is different from their domestic
religious tradition and customs. However,
public opinion makes such free thinking and
speaking seem offensive. It makes it appear
as a kind of national sacrilege to consider
with favor that which is not of the national
background. Consequently, with most peo
ples, it is easier to remain a member of
society by moving with the current of nationalistic customs than by climbing out of
the stream to look directly upon the rest of
the world.
In endeavoring to conduct its intemation
al, philosophical but nonreligious and nonpolitical activities, AMORC has encountered
this rip tide of nationalism. Strange or dif
ferent phraseology in our literature, prac
tices which are. not common but which ap
peal to the human mind, often bring opposition because they differ from the customs
of a nation. The usual objections we experi
ence are, for example, to quote them: This
cannot be presented in our country; our peo
ple are not accustomed to such activities,
or We do things differently here, or again

PECEMBER, 1951

The Rosicrucian Order must take into spe

cial account the feeling of a large group of
our nationals. In other words, the general
theme is: When you are in Rome, you must
do as the Romans do. Think and believe as
they do.
Now, what is the basic fallacy of such an
idea? A philosophical doctrine, which is dif
ferent from what people think or are ac
customed to, could never be introduced if it
had to conform to the usual stream of
thought.
In other words, no matter how
much a doctrine might later be proved to be
to a peoples advantage, it would be barred
for its being in conflict with their nationalistic conventions and beliefs. The Rosi
crucian teachings are by no means new but
to the minds that have never before been
contacted, they, of course, seem to be. As a
result, they may jar and challenge the complacency of customary thought. We can
not, however, comply with the od doctrine
of When you are in Rome, etc.
Further, the individual who is bound by
nationalistic customs and refuses or resents
that which differs from his usual methods
or belief is not very progressive. He is hardly one who is ready for the doctrines of the
Rosicrucian teachings. Moreover, if AMORC
were to reconcile itself with the traditional
concepts had by any given society, then
such would no longer be AMORC teachings
or methods. It would, in fact, be that of
which it became a part. We have members
who, as individuis, are conscientious Rosi
crucians but who do not wish the Order
to issue literature in which there is an ap
peal about mystical or occult principies. They
say: The people do not understand these
matters in our country. They further state
that one must resort to self-improvement and
applied sciences as his appeal. The fact is
that the individual who may be only interested in self-improvement will most likely
not be interested in the Rosicrucian teach
ings. The reason for this is that to many
persons self-improvement means a particular
training for a vocation or a profession such
as accountancy, law, music, or the like.
Such training, is in no way conceived by
them as being for the improvement of their
psychic self, or to acquire a philosophical
approach to the realities of living.
The same may be said of an interest in
applied sciences. Though the AMORC

Page 69

teachings include much of physical science,

as every member knows, yet they do em
brace much that is not materialism. Gen
erally, those referring to applied science, as
our inquiry has proved, do not interpret such
to mean mystical or mental science but the
physical ones only. Further, since our Order
is mystical in the wholly philosophical sense
of that word, why conceal this subject in
our literature and in our approach to those
whom we wish to interest?
We are often amused by the well-intended
suggestion by members in distant countries
who say American ways of introducing the
Order in my country are not appropriate.
They are quite different from our national
customs. What amuses us is the members
belief that our methods are wholly Ameri
can. They may be different to the general
habits of a people or country, but they are
not exclusively American just because the
Grand and Supreme Grand Lodge of this
jurisdiction are located in the United States.
As an intemational organization, we incor
prate elements of psychological appeal in
our literature and in our practices which are
not of any one country. The fact that such
may appear different to some people does
not necessarily mean that they have an entirely American flavor.
The fact remains that in all countries
where it has been said by a few that the
AMORC cannot introduce its activities here
by the modern methods it employs, we
nevertheless have done so and, in most instances, with success. Intemationalism is
slowly overcoming the odds which it is work
ing against. In the very countries where it
has been said that modem methods of intro
ducing mystical and philosophical teachings
could not succeed, such activities have been
going on. We have, on occasion, pointed out
similar activities by cultural groups of which
objectors to our modern methods were not
aware.
We readily admit, however, that a study
of the psychology of a people and of their
customs is always necessary before launching any intemational activities in their midst.
For example, where a country is religiously
dominated, where the Church rules the state
and is consequently intolerant of all other
religious, and also of philosophical or social
ideas which are different from its own, caution must be exercised. Such a religious

Page 70

state will persecute all members of fraternal

orders such as the Rosicrucian, Freemasonry,
and Theosophy. Likewise, the state, where
a political ideology seeks to suppress all
freedom of thought, as the church-dominated
one, must be treated with exceptional con
sideration by AMORC so as not to jeopardize
the welfare of its members who reside there.
Other than where such policies of sup
pression exist we, as an organization and as
individuis, must not let wholly nationalistic
customs and traditions prevent the spread of
intemational humanitarianism and enlightenment for which the Rosicmcian teachings
stand. Remember that there is nothing in
the work of the Order, its teachings or prac
tices, that is immoral, socially degrading or
seditious.
Periodically, from almost every country
of this jurisdiction of AMORC, we receive
requests to establish regional offices within
the country. In each country of our juris
diction, there are lodges and chapters and
regular times and places for conventions,
convocations, and rallies of the members.
The requests for regional offices do not mean
a place for the congregation of members for
that has already been established wherever
possible. A regional office means an admin
istrativa office, a place where the administrative work of the Order could be conducted.
Such an office would be a duplcate of the
administrative activities of the Grand Lodge
at San Jos. Such requests are often founded
upon a wholly nationalistic pride but at the
expense of the efficiency of the whole Order.
It is true, however, that many commercial
organizations do have such duplicate admin
istrative systems in the countries in which
they operate. Their offices are necessitated
by the export and import laws of the par
ticular country in which they do business.
They are not established by reason of ef
ficiency or economy.
Let us consider one factor alone in connection with the establishment of a regional
administrative office. This factor is mailing
or postage. Though there is some periodic
delay to members in different parts of the
world in the receiving of their mail, gen
erally after the first delay the mail comes
with such regularity that members are not
frequently deprived of their studies or membership benefits. To duplicate the mailing

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

system and clerical help of the Grand Lodge

in part for each country, where we have
members, would be a very expensive undertaking. It is the large centralized activity
of the Grand Lodge which makes possible the
use of modern office machinery necessary
which, in turn, reduces operational expense.
Whenever we find it actually to the ad
vantage of the Orders activities in a country
to have a regional administrative office and
it warrants the additional expense and investment, we are glad to undertake it. How
ever, we cannot do so merely to cater to
nationalistic pride. We cannot establish a
series of administrative offices throughout
the world when we already have lodges and
chapters providing fraternal contact and
ritualism. Rosicrucian members, wherever
they are located, must think of the Grand
Lodge administrative offices as being Inter
national and not localized. After all, if the
Grand Lodge of this jurisdiction were not
here in San Jos, it would have to be some
other place, such as Toronto, Paris, Sydney,
or Rio de Janeiro.
As a member of mankind, let us become
internationally-minded.X.
Go to School Again
Have you thought about attending this
summers term of Rose-Croix University
or of reattending? We are never through
studying and learning, unless we wish to
cise our minds. Experience begets experi
ence. The more we think, the more we
observethe more channels are opened to
us. It is amazing how many persons who
have academic degrees, or who are in professional life, find their interest further
stimulated in higher education through the
Rosicrucian teachings. The monographs
challenge their imagination and cause them
to think along lines unthought of before, or
which had been forgotten. Their attendance
at the Rose-Croix University provides them
with the opportunity for a brief and thorough
study of those fascinating subjects which
later in life have come to appeal to them.
A great number of those who attend RoseCroix University have never attended college or university before; when they were
younger they perhaps did not have the
means or the opportunity to take up a

PECEMBER, 1951

higher form of education. Now, as Rosicrucians, there is a particular subject that

interests themsomething that down through
the years they have wanted to know more
about. They have not been able to attend
college or university for a four-year course
because of having a family, business, or
other obligations. The Rose-Croix University
terms make it possible for them to start
learning what they want and do so in a
relatively short timethree weeks, of six
days each; they find the courses are
economical, as well.
If you can understand the monographs, if
you can understand the Rosicrucian Digest
and the contents of this Forum, then it will
be equally as easy for you to obtain tremendous valu from the Rose-Croix University
studies. The subject matter, though techr
nically correct and thorough, is presented in
the same easy-to-understand way as the
teachings of your monographs.
We suggest that you write for a recent
copy of the Story of Learning, which is a
prospectus of the various courses of the colleges of the Rose-Croix University. It is true
that you may have had a copy of this book
let in the past, but new subjects are being
continually added, and we suggest that you
write for another copy and make your plans
to come this summer.
The subjects taught are many. You have
a very excellent choice: art, music; Rosi
crucian healingwhich includes biology,
physiology; physicswhich includes the
study of the structure of matter, various
manifestations of vibrations, sound, light,
and color; philosophythe great thoughts of
the thinkers of the past; metaphysical doc
trines; alchemy; psychology and parapsychologythe training of the mind, the func
tions of the mind; and many other subjects
too numerous to mention here.
Remember, too, that at the Rose-Croix
University you will receive personal instruction. Each teacher, or professor, is a member
of AMORC, in addition to being a fully
qualified teacher in his subject. Most of
our faculty members are teachers and professors in other colleges and universities. As
Rosicrucians, they know how to present

Page 71

their subjects so that they are related to the

Rosicrucian teachings. In simple ways, they
show the effectiveness of the topics in everyday living. In addition to your classroom
instruction, there are many demonstrations.
We have fully-equipped laboratories neces
sary to prove the many laws and principies
expounded. An extensive Research Library
is at your disposal.
You will have much opportunity for selfexpression. Not a year goes by without the
current of life of some student having been
changed by the fact that he or she has attended Rose-Croix University. Here is an
opportunity to discover latent talents or to
develop them. Many have become success
ful in new fields of endeavor because of the
stimulus of a term at Rose-Croix University.
There is a balance in activity at the RoseCroix University; all is not study. You have
the opportunity to hear discourses by the
Supreme and Grand Lodge officers. You
have fraternal relationship with men and
women who attend as students from various
parts of the world: Europe, Africa, Australasia, and South America. The spacious
campus with its shady nooks, flowers and
lawns, gives excellent opportunity for medi
tation and relaxation between classes. Fur
ther, there is the splendid recretional side
of attending. The student body organizes
various events for fun and frolicdances,
banquet, week-end trips to the nearby Pa
cific Ocean and to the Giant Redwood forests.
The social and fraternal aspects are not
forgotten.
In conclusin, we would like to add that
nowhere will you find such thorough study
facilities and all that goes with them, at
such a reasonable tuition cost. To enroll
in the Rose-Croix University, it is necessary
that certain brief matriculation studies be
obtained, first. These matriculation studies
are to be don at home so as to prepare you
for attendance at the Rose-Croix University.
So, make your plans nowlearn about these
courses through the special booklet. Write
today for a complimentary copy of the
Story of Learning, to: Rose-Croix University,
Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California,
U. S. A.X

"?

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lU

a m

'T o l e )

I t l e

Is Your Advice As Good^

As They Deserve
T H E R E is no question of your
J'L motive. You w ant to give the
best advice*but do you? If your
cKilds KealtK is in danger you consult a pKysician. If Kis eyes trouble
Kim, you do not rely on family
opinion ^ you visit an optometrist.
It is also your duty to guide Kis
imagination into tKe rigKt cKannels
to awaken natural latent talents^to give Kim tKe start tKat perKaps
you did not Kave. B ut are you prepared? C an you instill in tKe sus
ceptible mind of your boy or girL
those few words each Jay^tKat can
influence Kis or Ker Iater life for tKe
better? You cannot pass tKis respon
sibility on to scKool and teacKer.
TKe molding of tKeir cKaracters,
tKe direction of tKeir mental visin,
are your job.
TKe Jnior Order of TorcK Bearers (a nonreligious movement), devoted to tKe cultural training of

cKildren, Kas prepared a series of

intensely interesting, simple-to-read
and easily understood, lesson-stories
for parents to read to tKeir cKildren,
or for cKildren to read for tKemselves. WKetKer your cKild is five
or fourteen, tKere is a lesson-story to
fit Kis or Ker mind. TKey teacK appreciation of beauty, art, and music;
tKey indicate tKe need of selfreliance, and tKe consideration of
otKers
tKey encourage initiative.

Send For These Free

Part culars
W itK ou t obligation you may Kave
furtKer information on Kow you may
receive tKese cKild guidance lessonstories or Iecture-Iessons. Just write
today to tKe address below and aslt
for tKe "Keys to tKe CKest of
Knowledge (jo-LG-512), a guide to
parents. It will be sent free.

The Jnior Order of Torch Bearers (AMORC), San Jos, Calif.

,A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER
Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 11 0 3 of the U . S. Postal Act of O ct. 3 , 1 9 1 7 .

Vol. XXII

FEBRUARY, 1952

No. 4

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THERE IS NO DEATH

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1 take delight to contmplate

the restoraton of my soul,
completing cycles pre-ordaned
a part of universal whole.

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It comforts and t strengthens me

to view transition in the light
of Cosmic laws of justice, made
by one supreme eternal might.

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Each time 1 come upon this earth

l'm influenced by past estte;
and if in wilfufness 1 err,
1 know that 1 must compnsate.
With each rebirth and sojourn here
1 closer creep toward my God;
then leave to rise to greater heights
while clay meets clay beneath the sod.
Peter North

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BYTHE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OFTHE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $2.25 ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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Page 74

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

V V

W H Y IM ITA TE T H E A N CIEN TS?

Dear Fr aires and Sor ores:
Various things with which we surround
ourselves often help induce a desired state
of mind. The practice begins in childhood.
Children eagerly wear costumes associated
with some ideal of their play. They wear
playsuits designed after the uniforms of the
military forces, or of nurses, policemen, and
the costumes of cowboys, and aviators. The
costume is worn as the only reality to sup
port the imaginary state into which the
childs play projects him. In other words,
it gives his thoughts a realism enhancing the
satisfaction which he derives from his fancy.
It constitutes a link between the world of
make-believe and the actual character that
he assumes himself to be.
There is another psychological factor connected with this practice, and it is interest
ing to note. The wearing of the habiliments
of a character who is being simulated causes
the individual to more readily adapt himself
to what he conceives are the qualities of that
character. Notice the small boy playing
football. If he wears a football helmet,
shoulder- and knee-pads, he seems to take his
participation much more seriously. The cos
tume, to him, is emblematic of what is required of the football player. He acts as if
he must conform to what the costume suggests.
Behind this natural practice is a kind of
primitive reasoning. It is closely related to
the sym paiheiic magic practices of primitive
peoples. Though the individual may never
have expressed the thoughtor even consciously entertained the idea the wearing
of things closely related to his ideal appears
to impart some of its virtues to him. It is
an implied admission that the individual
feels unable to manifest these virtues in his
own right. He must imitate them by wear
ing or using those things as used by people
who had those qualities to which he aspires.
This primitive and childish state of mind
is often manifest in the practices of religious
cults. It is most noticeable among some of
the Christian cults. Their followers are often

attired in robes simulating Biblical characters. In their person they seek to affect the
appearance of Christ and his disciples in
accordance with artists conceptions they
have seen. They wear long beards, allowing
their hair to grow down over their shoulders,
and they walk about barefooted. Some go to
the extreme of adopting the manner of speech
of the Bible.
In purpose, the members of these cults
profess to live a Christlike life, and claim
to adhere rigidly to his doctrines. If this is
so, then why the antedated costumes? Cer
tainly the costume by no vicarious means
transfers to them the spiritual qualities of
Jess or of his disciples. In fact, there is
nothing of the costumes and manner of dress
of twenty centuries ago that will make an
individual more or less spiritual or enlightened than the dress of today. By wearing
such fantastic clothing, these persons actual
ly imply that modern apparel, in some man
ner, is a preventive of spiritual attainment.
Christ and the Apostles did not revert in
their personal appearance to the costumes of
the ancient Egyptians or Babylonians; their
dress was common to the average man of
their own period. Certainly Christ and his
disciples placed little importance on their
attire insofar as its influence upon their
spiritual concepts and powers were con
cerned. They dressed in the mode of their
times. They did not imitate any personages
or period before them.
Recently in a city in the Northwestern
part of the United States a group of exotically-dressed men and women suddenly made
their appearance. They had come from an
other State, where they had previously estab
lished a center of their religious cult. They
wore robelike garments, simulating the at
tire of the lower classes in the time of
Christ. On the breast of each robe was an
unfamiliar symbol apparently of their own
devising. They were barefooted, in spite
of the chill of winter. They had permitted
their hair and beards to grow long. Accompanying them were a few women who were

FEBRUARY, 1952

similarly garbed. They called their leader

Christ, and implied that he was a perpetua
ron of the personality of Jess the Christ.
This latter practice is not uncommon. In
the last twenty-five years I have known of
at least a dozen sectsmost of them shortlivedwho declared that their leader was
the Christ returned.
Amusingly enough, these leaders accept
the idea, in fact, in most instances, proml
gate it. The majority of such cults are
communal. Their devotees are obliged to
make over to their Christ and his cause,
all of their worldly properties, lands, monies,
and the like. Ostensibly, such are to be
used for the furtherance of their mutual end.
Subsequent litigation has usually revealed
that the property was always retained in the
ame of the Christ leader.
The incongruity of these sects who garb
themselves in Biblical attire is their otherwise strong attachment to modernity. They
drive automobiles; they have radios; and
they make tape-recordings of their Christs
voice. All of this conclusively proves that
either they have primitive beliefs of a vicarious power to be derived by dressing after
the manner of their ideal, or, they are mak
ing a brummagem appeal to public interest
and curiosity.
In many respects we owe the ancients a
great debt of thanks for their multitudinous
contributions to spiritual truth, to philoso
phy, the sciences and the arts. Some of
these developments are so transcendental
that we still cannot surpass them. As a
result, we incorprate them in our arts and
sciences. In this manner, we preserve such
functions, but not because they are of an
age to venerate; rather, it is because of the
inherent contribution which they continu
to make to our times. We may even erect
a structure or buildings after the dsigns of
Greece or Egypt. Many of our public build
ings are of the architecture of another age.
Such practice is but a reminder of the classical beginning of some activity or style.
In many fraternal orders and lodges, ritualistic robes are worn but such are worn in
connection with a specific ritual, which
ritual is symbolic of certain principies. These
rites are only intended to re-establish, dramatically and within private circles, the
environment of a certain period or age. Rit
uals are mystery plays. He who participates
is enacting a role; he knows it is a role,

Page 75

and when he ceases playing the role, he is

again in his time and in his age.
To personally simlate the costumes of
another age is to identify oneself with the
practice of sympathetic magicthat such
things, by the similarity of their nature to
another age, transfer the virtues of that
time to the one indulging them now. It is
this kind of primitive reasoning that con
stitutes a warning to all intelligent persons
to beware. It denotes faulty thinking and
fanaticism. There is certainly the connotation that those who think and act thus are
not likely to be preceptors of any beneficial
teachings.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
*
Imperator.
Meditation and Contemplation
A Canadian frater now rises to address
our Forum: In our Rosicrucian studies is
there a difference in meaning and activity
between meditation and contemplation or are
these words interchangeable?
In our everyday usage of words we often
interchange them, when actually they do
not have the same meaningas, for ex
ample, the words belief and knowledge. All
knowledge constitutes belief but all belief
is not knowledge in the full meaning of the
word. So, too, we commonly use synonymously the words, meditation, concentration, and
contemplation, as though their content were
identical. Especially is the interchange of
these words wrong in connection with mys
tical philosophy.
Contemplation is a form of cogitation upon
a specific idea. It consists of holding in con
sciousness a particular thought for a review
of the original impressions associated with
it or to augmeiit them by use of reason with
other related ideas. Contemplation makes
possible the isolation of an original idea or
the development of it. A word about ideas
is in order. Our ideas are generally of two
main sources: the first are derived from
sense impressionsthat is, they may have
their origin empirically in the experiences of
our objective faculties; second, our ideas may
be the consequence of reflection and of our
subjective categories. Upon reflection we may
combine ideas, which we have received from
the sense impressions, into new concepts.
Also upon reflection the subjective categories

Page 76

of time, space, and self may shape them

selves into definite concepts. These cate
gories are not wholly a priori knowledge,
for man must have objective experience be
fore he can have a comprehension of self,
time, and space. In other words, these sub
jective categories depend for our realization
of them upon impressions which have been
externally received. Such external impres
sions react upon our being and our con
sciousness, providing, in turn, those other
sensations which become the categories.
Contemplation is not a passive state of
mind, but an active one. We just do not
enter the contemplative state with the intent
of alowing random ideation or ideas to
merely course through our consciousness
without control. When we contmplate, we
select in advance ideas or concepts derived
from reflection or experience, and we make
them the focus of our consciousness. It may
appear that we have made, by this explanation, contemplation correspond in its
function to that of concentration. However,
there is a difference between the two that
must be noted. Concentration is the focus
of our consciousness upon a set of impres
sions or upon a single idea or concept. If
we want to concntrate, for analogy, upon
a selection of music being played, we cause
our sense of hearing to dominate all other
impressions. All the other sense faculties
are subordinated to the auditory sensations.
You know that, when listening intently you
may not visually observe things that are
occurring cise to you. Also, when we are
concentrating upon an idea, there is an isolation of it in our consciousness. We, in fact,
try to prevent its elaboration or deterioration
for that would constitute a deviation from
the point of interest.
Suppose we wish to concntrate on a par
ticular hue of the color blue which we have
experienced at some time. We would cali
from merory the visual impression and
would center our whole consciousness upon
that recollection. We mentally attempt to
see that color as detached from all other
impressions. If we proceed further to deduce
where such a color may exist in reality,
things that it might be used for or that we
have seen in connection with it, we are no
longer just concentrating; we are then contemplating. In contemplation we do use the
function of concentration but we are not
limited to it. Contemplation may employ

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

freely several of the functions of mind, as

memory, imagination, and judgment. Con
centration may frequently give rise to contempltion. In concentrating, for analogy,
upon the formation of the leaves of a strange
plant, what we see before us may give rise
to suggestion. We may recall having seen
objects that have a formation similar to that
of the leaves. Then, by free association of
ideas, we may begin to contmplate why this
plant would have a geometric design in the
formation of its leaves.
Meditation, in the mystical connotation
of the word, is a passive state. We often
state that we are to meditate upon some
Cosmic principie so as to have a particular
psychic experience. This is usually erroneous phraseology, but one that is commonly
and sometimes loosely used in our own Rosi
crucian monographs. While we are performing an exercise as preliminary to the meditative state, we are not meditating. In the
conscientious perusal of the details of the instructions, we are actually concentrating. In
setting up a condition conducive to the desired meditation or Cosmic experience, we
are focusing our attention, our concentration,
upon the suggestions given in our studies.
We may, through habit, cali the whole procedure meditation; but, in fact, it is not
only a portion of it is.
In the meditative exercise we first set into
motion through inward concentration cer
tain psychic forces. The exercise may consist
of holding in mind ideas as contained in a
prayer or an affirmation which, like advance
agents, reach into the subjective mind and
stimulate its functions. Thence we seek to
allow our objective consciousness to become
inert or rather become plstic, so that it can
be easily acted upon by the Cosmic and the
subjective mind in the way desired. Let us
use a crude analogy to better understand
these principies. We shall think of one who
climbs a long flight of stairs to the doorway
of an apartment. Rehind the doorway of
that apartment are things that will bring
agreeable surprises to him. However, he
does not know their nature. After the effort
of climbing the stairs, with the resolve of
standing before the door, he finally does
so. He then remains perfectly still, thinking
of nothing and waiting for the door to be
opened and to reveal its surprises to him.
In this analogy, the only aspect of the whole
procedure that consists of meditation is the

FEBRUARY, 1952

waiting before the upper door. All else is

concentrating and even contemplation.
Meditation is adjustment to experience,
adjustment to subjective experience. That
which is realized are the subjective impres
sions during meditation. If these impressions
are forceful enough they enter into the ob
jective consciousness and are recalled when
the meditative period is concluded. Medita
tion, then, is really the attainment of a plae
of consciousness where one becomes receptive to vibrations which are natural to that
plae. In the Upanishads, ancient Aryan
philosophy, we are told that there are two
general states of consciousness: one of being
in this world; and the other, a condition of
being in another world. This means having
a consciousness of the external world on the
one hand; and, then, of being able to be
conscious of the inner world, the world of
the self and its Cosmic unity. Meditation is
proclaimed in the Upanishads to be more
than thought. It is further held that under
standing is more important than meditation.
Most certainly such is true. Of what avail
is meditation if the subsequent experience
is not comprehensible to us?
A central practice of Buddhism is medita
tion. To the Buddhist it is a technique
necessary to the attainment of the end set
forth by the doctrines of their faith. It is
related that instead of cultivating matter
of fact knowledge, we should cultvate the
power of concentration. Instead of leamedness we should preserve our faculties to
learn and to keep our mind open. This
emphasizes that a mere accumulation of
facts as knowledge is not sufficient. We must
observe and analyze personally realized ex
periences and arrive at a personal knowledge.
Instead of just being able to recite or regurgitate accumulated facts, we should also
exercise and develop the faculties of judg
ment and the evaluation of our world, and
acquire that mental visin through which
illumination comes.
To the Buddhist, meditation is a Pro
gressive unity from the differentiation of
surface consciousness to the unity of depth
consciousness. Here, then we see that medi
tation is the means by which we become
conscious of all forms of existence or the
various planes of being to which we can
attain. The subconscious is merely a generic
term for many levels of consciousness as
distinct from objective consciousness. It is

Page 77

like referring to a ladder without reference

to the many rungs of which it is composed.
The surface consciousness to which the
Buddhist refers is our normal peripheral or
outer consciousness. The depth conscious
ness alludes to the inner or subjective
states of consciousness.
The whole function of meditation to the
Buddhist, as it is to the mystic, is found
in the phrase, a transforma tion of conscious
ness. The Buddhist makes the point, as
Rosicrucians have done, that meditation is
not philosophical speculation or reason or
contemplation. We do not meditate upon
things of objective origin or quality. When
we meditate we change our state of receptivity. It is like tuning to a higher wave
length. In fact, meditation is just that
attunement.
As a further confirmation of the fact that
to the ancients meditation was attunement
of consciousness, we quote a Buddhist text:
Now let the human consciousness change
or transcend its rhythm, and any other aspect
of any other world may be known as a
result. Henee the mystics claim that in their
ecstasies they change the conditions of con
sciousness nd apprehend a deeper reality
which is unrelated to human speech. This
instruction further relates: To change and
to transcend the rhythm of human conscious
ness is the aim of the spiritual training of
the Buddhist in the higher stages of medita
tion which correspond to the experience of
higher world planes.
We are further told that meditation grows
from a reflective state into an intuitive one,
where ecstasy, rapture, and Cosmic con
sciousness are had. As we reflect and con
tmplate, we often stimulate our inner con
sciousness, especially if the contemplation
is upon spiritual or moral precepts. We are
then easily raised to a state of meditation.
It is for this reason that in our Rosicrucian
rituals and exercises, we are first obliged to
concntrate, then to contmplate certain
thoughts which are conducive to the psychic
state of meditation.
In our Rosicrucian teachings, we are specifically told that meditation is best accomplished when preceded by contemplation
upon that which is quite different from our
usual interests. If the contemplation is re
lated to moral principies or ideas, the inner
consciousness is more readily quickened.
Then the necessary transformation of the

Page 78

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

consciousness to other planes is more easily

brought about. Often in our teachings, emphasis is placed upon the borderline state.
This is a point where the activity of the
subjective mind begins to dominate that of
the objective state, but is not completely
in domination. They are in touch with each
other. There is a partial state of dual con
sciousness. It is just before falling asleep
or upon awakening that this borderline
state is realized. At such a time it is easier
to transfer ideas from the subjective as im
pressions to the objective mind, and vice
versa. The object of meditation is to make
possible communication between the sub
jective higher state of consciousness and the
objective one.
The Rosicrucian teachings relate that
meditation provides a realization of the
unity of all beings. By this is meant that
we can become one with the whole Cosmic.
We may realize the various forms of being
and manifestations which are embraced by
the Cosmic. We know that only a very small
part of the Cosmic expression can be perceived by our peripheral senses. Therefore,
we have to raise our consciousness to attune
with the rhythm of the higher planes. As
a result, meditation as a technique helps us
to experience true oneness.
As the Rosicrucian monographs further
explain, in meditation we separate thought
from action. We have in meditation only
one concept and that is attunement with
other levels of Cosmic consciousness. We do
not try, in meditation, to act upon those
levels or even to direct what comes to us.
We merely desire that the action have its
source in the Cosmic and we be moved by
it. In meditation our thought is transferred
to the Cosmic and it is the latter which acts.
This procedure is the reverse of our normal
mental functionings where thought causes
us to act and the acts become the external
realities of the thought.
For a summation of the distinction be
tween concentration, contemplation, and
meditation, we offer the following:
Concentrationthe focus of conscious
ness
Contemplationthe in te r-re la tio n of
thought
Meditation
the transformation of
consciousness
X

Must W e Request Help?

A frater of Caada addresses our Forum
and says: Must there not be some exceptions to the rule in the giving of metaphysical aid or indirect treatments? The rule is
that a person must ask for metaphysical aid
before it can be given, or be fully effective.
Would not a small child, or an adult who
is unconscious from an ccident, be an exception to the ask and ye shall receive
rule?
I know a man who has had presumably
a good education and who may have had
a better than ordinary intelligence before
his mental illness carne upon him. Because
of an instability which prevents him from
keeping his mind on one thing for any
length of time and which prevents his
thinking straight, it might be hard for him
to understand what might be done to help
him. In short, the helpless should be helped.
The rule exacting a request for assistance
from those to receive metaphysical help is
not a mere ethical principie or abstract
tradition. Perhaps, more than any other
system of therapeutics, metaphysical treat
ment requires the full cooperation of the
patient. As we know, there must be har
mony between the practitioner, the one administering the treatment, and the patient.
Further, on the part of the patient, there
must be a sympathetic agreement with the
principies to be employed. He must believe
that the power of the Cosmic can be directed
to heal him. He must, further, believe that
there is a means by which he can rejuvenate
the Creative forces in his own being through
the aid of the Cosmic, to bring about a cure
or a relief of his distress. Unless he believes
these things he cannot induce the necessary
state of attunement and receptivity to the
Cosmic aid being directed to him.
In metaphysical treatments, the patient
is not wholly passive. In contrast to the one
giving the treatment, he may be relatively
passive, but there is the psychological state
of mind required of him which is also posi
tive. He must want help. He must have
confidence in the method being employed.
He must be willing to follow the instructions
given. If he does not act to this extent he
inhibits the Creative forces in his own being
which the metaphysical treatments seek to
stimulate.
For these reasons it has long been a rule

FEBRUARY, 1952

that when one asks for a metaphysical

treatment of another, it is usually first determined whether the patient is in accord
with the request made in his behalf. The
practitioner knows that if the patient is
wholly skeptical, or, due to some misunderstanding of the principies to be administered,
opposes the treatment, the results will be
negative.
Obviously, as the frater has pointed out,
there are exceptional circumstances as when
the request and the approval of the patient
cannot be obtained. The small child and the
unconscious person are excellent examples
of these exceptions. It may be asked: since
the child and the unconscious person cannot
comprehend what is to be done, or request
the help, can they cooperate sufficiently to
receive benefit from the treatments? The
answer is in the affirmative. It is not so
much a matter that the patient understands
exactly the technique that is to be used, for,
after all, unless one has studied metaphysical
and Rosicrucian treatments rather extensively, he could not be expected to be familiar
with its unique aspects. What is important
is that the patient does not interpose his
will in the form of an objection to the treat
ment. If, through fear or prejudice, he wills
himself not to be in attunement with the
Cosmic aid which is directed to him, he
then mitigates or makes ineffective all the
efforts put forth in his behalf. One cannot
be metaphysically treated in spite of him
self. The psychic self will not respond when
we suggest to ourselves that it should not.
To use a figure of speech, a person with
such an attitude insulates his psychic self
with his own thoughtsan insulation from
the special Cosmic impulses being trans
mitted to him.
A person who because of an injury or ill
ness has become unconscious cannot inter
pose his will to interfere with the treat
ments. Patently, he is then in a receptive
state psychically because the objective mind
is dormant. The psychic self of the individ
ual may then be more easily approached
through metaphysical means. In fact, in
some instances, the unconscious patient may
be a more responsive one than the conscious
one who requests the help. In the latter in
stance, though a patient may ask for help,
in his willingness to receive it and in his
imagining what is required, he may inadvertently interfere with the technique. The

Page 79

patient at times presumes what is expected

of him, and resorts to practices which become obstacles to his being reached psy
chically.
The non-Rosicrucian who is to be treated
by metaphysical means, even though he re
quests it, must be approached cautiously. If
care is not used, the patient may become
frightened through his ignorance of the
methods employed and thereby prevent his
own relief. In giving a general explanation
of what is to be done, do not enter into
complicated technical explanations with the
non-Rosicrucian. Do not try to impress the
patient with your part by making your
efforts appear mysterious or omnipotent.
First, remember, as it states in the Cathedral of the Soul brochure, what is being done
is through the divinity of your soul. It is
not you, the individual, that is exerting the
power. You are but Cosmically directing
certain divine powers to stimulate the curative forces that are already within the being
of the patient. Tell the individual that the
method constitutes a directing of the divine
forces toward him in such manner as to
bring his being once again in harmony with
them. Tell him that prayer as used in most
religions is the individuaFs attempt to accomplish this in his own behalf. The treat
ment you are to give him employs the same
principies but in a more specific manner.
Since the divine Creative power is to be
usedand that is the only one that can
be usedonly benefit can accrue from a
successful treatment. If the treatment is
not successful, at least there is no detriment
from it.
All of the above remarks refer principally
to what the frater has called indirect treat
ments, or rather, absent treatments. Direct
treatments, or as they are called contad
treatments, employ in their technique the
use of scientific methods requiring a knowl
edge of the human organism, and this meth
od is explained in the Rosicrucian mono
graphs. We shall anticipate the question as
to which method is more effective, that is,
the absent or the contact treatments. The
answer is that it depends upon the one who
is giving the treatments. With most Rosi
crucians the contact treatments are more
productive of results. This is only because
the average member comprehends more easi
ly the fuller technique of contact treatment
and is thus better able to reach the cause

Page 80

more quickly and effectively. If, however,

the member will conscientiously apply the
principies of the indirect or absent treat
ments, he will also be amazed at his accomplishments.
It is to be pointed out that absent treat
ments do not consist of a mere vague holding a thought in mind. In fact, to hold
it in mind would in no way help those
who are in need of the power that you can
direct. A thought in your mind does not
help someone else if it just remains in your
mind. We urgently plead with every mem
ber that he obtain a copy of the booklet,
The Art of Absent Healing, from the Rosi
crucian Supply Bureau. Its cost, postpaid,
is a nominal amounttwenty-five cents.
This is a condensed and convenient form of
the more elabrate technique of absent treat
ment as given in the monographs. This
brochure is available only to members. Keep
it readily accessible in your home.X
Birth Control and Soul Development
Now a soror from Caada rises to address
our Forum. She states: With the persistence
of the question of birth control, particularly
in overcrowded countries like India and
China, where there are many millions, if
birth control is largely practiced (I am not
questioning its wisdom), what will happen
to the soul-personalities who are seeking
evolvement through reincarnation? Will the
face of the earth change once more? Will
new races people the earth in order that
evolution may proceed? Will the birth rate
of our own race increase? surely never
in proportion to the rate of decrease that
may well take place in such place as India.
Is there a Cosmic law that would show all
races what is the Cosmic will so that the
race of man might not interfere even though
attempting to lift itself up?
At first blush, it would seem that contraception or birth control would eventually
arrest all further evolvement of soul-per
sonalities. One who had attained, we shall
say, the second plae of unfoldment, might
not, because of birth control, be afforded the
mdium of another physical body for further
evolvement. In endeavoring to answer the
sorors questions, we shall not enter into a
consideration of the moral or Cosmic prin
cipies involved in the practice of contraception, the reason being that this subject was

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

extensively treated in this Forum recently.

Let us presume that the practice is agreed
upon and that it is not Cosmically wrong.
B}^ the time that there could be a voluntary universal acceptance of birth control
among the peoples of the world, there would,
as well, be a universal higher unfoldment
of the soul-personalities of these peoples.
Those who advcate birth control as a hu
manitarian measure have a more profound
consciousness of the needs of humanity
and this notwithstanding the exhortations
of many religionists to the contrary. These
persons sincerely believe that there is less
evil in restraining birth than there is in
overpopulating areas of the world with
starving and underprivileged people. The
argument that the correction of such condi
tions can come through improved economic,
social, and political conditions without birth
control, is not wholly sound. It is the con
gestin due to overbirth that makes for these
deplorable states to a great extent. The in
telligent advocates of birth control recommend that its practices not be followed
where there are adequate means for raising
a child to a higher status, spiritually and
economically.
People who can intelligently and sympathetically discuss and propose these measures for the welfare of mankind have at
tained a high degree of spiritual unfoldment.
If mst of mankind would reach such a
pinnacle of understanding, then patently
there would not be need for so many cycles
of rebirths or reincamations. That in itself
would, then, decrease the necessity for soulpersonalities to have bodies in which to express themselves. Further, as stated, where
the level of idealism of the mass of humanity
ascends, there is a general improvement in
human relations. Under such an ideal state
and with more illumined minds, there would
be a desire for children. Such persons would
then want to rear families so as to further
contribute to the advancement of man. In
other words, the condition would readjust
itself.
Certainly such a venture would not be a
Cosmic violation and, therefore, would not
incur Cosmic opposition. Those who object
on the ground that this whole plan is an
intervention of Cosmic order may, as well,
say the same of all effort to prevent disease
and human suffering, for the latter are nat
ural also. Further, are not the attempts,

FEBRUARY, 1952

by such reasoning, to ease mans labors contrary to the Biblical injunction that man
shall eam his daily bread by the sweat of
his brow? Mystical principies and moral
teachings take on a broader interpretation
with the evolvement of the human con
sciousness and the advancement of society.
It is not that the principies lose their efficacy
with time, but that demands of a more expansive society require them to be interpreted in the light of that society and its
needs.
The Mosaic laws, the edicts of Moses, can
not, for example, be as literally applied to
our times. Though their hygienic and moral
conten is still valid, different practices must
be observed to express them. Consequently,
in an advanced society of one or more cen
turies henee, where there would be an unselfish agreement on birth control, the soulpersonalities to be embodied in the populace
of the time would begin their cycle on a
higher plae of consciousness. This would
reduce the number of incarnations required
of the individual. This itself would prevent
any mass arresting of undeveloped soulpersonalities.
Is spiritual attainment concomitant with
economic security? Would a society that
was more prosperous and educated have a
greater number of spiritually enlightened
people? Common experience has shown
that wealth and ease of living are not
necessarily synonymous with moral enlightenment. Poverty and the social condi
tions which accrue from it often foster
crime. Congestin, filth, undernourishment,
lack of privacy, all these contribute to social
irregularities in which crime more easily
breeds. Conversely, however, some of the
greatest spiritual leaders were born in a
humble environment. Further, other en
lightened persons who sought to aid hu
manity have taken vows of poverty and
have lived most frugally. In weighing the
two extremes, however, against statistics,
we can say that the elimination of poverty
and the congestin of living makes for an
environment freer from moral problems.
Overppulation prevents adequate education because of the economic problems which
it entails. Though education, in itself, does
not constitute a spiritual awakening, it does
afford the opportunity for that understand
ing of self that results in spiritual unfold
ment. Education eliminates much of the

Page 81

superstition, and consequent fears that fol

low, that are an obstacle to the expression
of the higher aspeets of self. One who, for
example, fears, as a supernatural act, every
natural phenomenon which he cannot comprehend, can nver fully realize the imper
sonal harmony of the Cosmic. He believes
himself constantly obliged to appease a will
so that it may act in his behalf.
We can say that regulation of birth con
trol, if inspired by humanitarian ends which
have as their ideal the perfection of the in
dividual, physically, mentally, and morally,
will make for an advanced race of mankind.
If it is motivated by reason of power or
repression of society, it can only result in
the degeneration of mankind.X
So Shall You Reap
When we refer to the Law of Karma, it
must always be kept in mind that the word
law applied to natural phenomena has a
different meaning from that applied to manmade regulations. It would be advantageous
in some ways if another term rather than
the word law would be used. In modern
society there are so many laws that a cer
tain tolerance of them has developed in
human thinking. We accept the fact that
in every phase of life we are regulated, to
an extent, by man-made laws. These laws,
in a democracy, are made with the intent to
benefit individuis. Disagreement upon this
question is within the field of politics and
has no place in our present discussion, but
laws that function within the scope of what
we generally cali natural, or Cosmic laws,
are fixed systems established outside our
control.
Those who believe in a deity comparable
to an absolute monarch consider that these
laws are the personal command or regulation
of this deity. On the other hand, those who
accept a more pantheistic viewpoint toward
God realize that, although the laws that
function through the universe and through
man have been set into existence by a higher
forc than those created pon the level of
mans thinking, we nevertheless are dealing
with purposeful forces which, when combined, carry to ultimate ends, even though
human visin may not be sufficient to grasp
these ends.
The undeniable fact resulting from these
conclusions is that the law is effective re-

Page 82

gardless of mans belief or sympathy toward

the law. The seasons change whether man
prefers summer or winter. The earth rotates,
and man cannot hold back night or prolong
day. These are functions that are universal
and established. The same laws apply to all
the great transitional changes in individual
human life. Birth and death, as well as the
intermediary stage of growth, are regulated
by laws, the nature of which man can under
stand only by the observation of their effects.
Their full meaning and even the complete
understanding of their operation, at least
under present-day knowledge, is not com
pletely comprehended. Whether or not we
agree with certain laws of this universal
and Cosmic nature has nothing whatsoever
to do with their function. Deny the law of
gravity but gravity still functions; deny the
laws that produce growth but growth in all
life will still be evident. Anyone who has
seen a tree growing on a barren, rocky hillside will realize that even though its growth
is stunted and deformed the forc of life,
which is the manifestation of this law of
growth, is in evidence and continuing in
spite of obstacles.
The Law of Karma is one of these Cosmic
or universal laws. We do not understand
it in all its implications. We understand
Karma only as we understand the laws
goveming life, from the accumulation of
the objective observation of the phenomena
over a period of mans conscious thinking.
Karma has been accepted for thousands of
years by millions of people with various
interpreta tions. It is evidenced not only in
the life span of human beings, for also with
in certain physical laws governing cause
and effect we see its parallel as affecting
the physical world about us. Not everyone
accepts the Law of Karma as being an ab
solute truth, but, again, the functioning of
the law takes no consideration of its acceptance or rejection in the mind of any human
being.
The interpretation of the Law of Karma
by the Rosicrucian philosophy is not upheld
by us to be an tiltimate or final truth, but
it is believed to possess elements of truth
directing us toward a future complete un
derstanding. This interpretation is based
upon the observation and experience of
many people. It has attained certain authority from those mystics who have shown
every evidence of having had cise and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

harmonious relationships with God and the

Cosmic scheme. It meets another qualification consistent with other Cosmic phenomena
that is, it is simple. The belief is that
man creates his own life not only for the
present but for the future, that man compensates for his errors, and benefits by right
living.
In its simplest term, this law is logical.
It not only seems to be one which originates
with a just and infinite God, but one which
is consistent with the highest powers of
human logic. It is demonstrated in the lives
of individuis; and even from childhood we
are conscious of those inconveniences and
benefits that have come to us in life as a
result, or, we might say, as the effect of
past thought and action. We refer to the
glossary of the Rosicrucian Manual, which
reads in part: the sol purpose of compensation is to teach us a lesson, to. make
us realize the error and to evolve the under
standing thereby. . . . Of this we can be
sure, however: we will not suffer through
any requirements of Karma and be uncon
scious of the fact that it is a Karmic debt
we are paying. This concept places man
in a category of being able to gain realiza
tion of the various phases of his life. Man
has the capacity to reason, and, through
reason, the analytical ability to arrive within
the limits of his intelligence and experience
to the why and wherefore of his being.
Exception is taken with this point of view
by a frater who asks if this is not incon
sistent with certain other principies of Rosi
crucian philosophy in that we suffer even
through our ignorance of the violation of
universal or Cosmic laws. In other words,
this frater raises the question: If through
ignorance we err, is it just that retribution
should come?
*
Highly involved in this question is the
technical interpretation of justice. To repeat a well-worn illustration, if a child
touches a hot stove, he will be bumed.. He
will still be burned and have pain if in
ignorance he does not understand that the
stove is hot. Some might interpret this inci
dent as being evidence of injustice. Why
should a child, in ignorance, suffer pain, and
a severe pain that we all associate with a
burn of the flesh, when he cannot possibly
be conscious of the results that will come
about from his action? However, it is the
duty of that child and those about him to

FEBRUARY, 1952

learn through that experience that heat can

be painful. If that lesson were not learned,
the child would probably never grow to
adult years. He would be so protected from
events that would lead to self-destruction
that he would in all likelihood experience
accidental death before even reaching the
age of adolescence. Therefore, we can see
that pain resulting even from an action in
ignorance is a lesson to help that child become an adult. It is experience that teaches,
even though the results of experience may
not always be pleasant.
For some unexplainable reason, the hu
man being is not usually prone to accept
in full confidence the experience of others.
Put up a sign wet paint, and, in a few
hours, nine or ten fingerprints will be found
on the wet paint. The human being seems
to delight in proving through his own ex
perience what someone else has experienced.
In other words, the painter knows the paint
is wet, and through his experience makes
that known to the world by means of a sign,
but there are a lot of people still determined
to prove by their own experience the validity
of the sign.
*
This process goes on through life. We
learn by means of what we experience. The
child who burns his fingers learns, after the
pain has subsided or even possibly while it
is still existent, that to place a finger on a
hot stove is not prudent. In other words, he
leams, according to the Law of Karma, that
sufering is the result of an incident per
formed either in full knowledge or in igno
rance. He learns, too, that he can become
conscious of what it was that was wrong to
experience, and that he can increase his
knowledge thereby, and compnsate for the
misery and inconvenience caused, by direct
ing his life differently in the future.
Ones point of *view has a great deal to
do with all this. If it were conceivable that
the child would become furious and kick
the stove or try to push it over, he would
be gaining nothing from the lesson. How
ever, if he learns to respect a heated object
or fame, he has learned his lesson. If we
go through periods of annoyance, or incon
venience and even suffering, and if we have
a sufficiently open mind to direct our con
sciousness toward attunement with God and
the Cosmic laws, we have the ability to gain
to a degree some knowledge of why this
experience is ours and what we can do in

Page 83

the future to avoid a repetition of such ex

periences. Furthermore, an experience of
this kind teaches the intelligent human be
ing that if the law of compensation func
tions, it will function both ways. For those
things we do that are beneficial to others
for our display of kindness, tolerance, of
sympathy, for the efforts we put forth promoting the welfare of all human beings, for
peace and good-willwe build for ourselves
some periods in life that shall be, to a de
gree, satisfactory, and will offset, also to a
degree, the compensation for those things
which, in ignorance or in carelessness, we
had performed in error.
Some of us are more stubborn thn others.
We are slower to see vales where vales
lie. Here again we are here dealing with
the same trait that causes a person to touch
wet paint. We have to develop the ability
to reason sympathetically with ourselves, to
grasp at knowledge that is convincing and
points toward the truth, and to make even
the small glimpses we have the basis for
future behavior.A
Should Rosicrucians Have Religious
Beliefs?
A frater of England rises to address our
Forum. He states: May I submit the fol
iowing problem for your kind comments:
Rule Number 22 of the Rosicrucian Code of
Life (Rosicrucian Manual) tells us, Give
your support, moral or physical, to some
church in your community, that it may have
your help in carrying on the great work in
its Light. Further, in the Rosicrucian M an
ual, under the definition of belief, we read:
A mystic should have no beliefs, but should
supplant them with knowledge or a frank
admission th^t he does not know. Now, to
become a member of a church, it seems
necessary to subscribe to a set of beliefs or
doctrines. The principies expressed in the
above two quotations seem to be in conflict
with each other and I would be grateful if
you could throw some light on this subject
for me and indicate what attitude a Rosi
crucian should take in regard to his churchs
doctrines.
First, it is necessary to distinguish be
tween church dogmas, the varieties of doc
trines of the different sects, and their general
purpose. The doctrines represent levels of
human consciousness or understanding. Re-

Page 84

ligions are the consequence of personal interpretations of either traditional doctrines or

inspired new spiritual concepts. The followers are those who, like water, gravitate to
those levels of interpretation that appear
more in accord with their own moral con
cepts and sensibilities. It is quite improbable
that we shall ever experience a universal
religin in the sense that its dogmas and
doctrines will find agreement among all men.
Such would require a mean of human intel
ligence, so that men would perceive and
conceive the elements of their religin alike
indefinitely.
The fundamental express purpose of the
prominent contemporary religions is twofold: (a) to cultiva te a theocracy, that is,
to have men live and govera themselves in
this life in accordance with Divine precept,
and (b) to prepare men for the immortal
Divine state. Generally, then, religin hopes
to cultvate the moral will of the individual,
and to have it become the motivating factor
in his relations to other human beings. It
must be admitted that there can be no more
noble purpose for man than this. That the
results, unfortunately, fall far short of this
ideal can be mostly attributed to the modus
operandi employed by the different sects.
The human equation and what it adduces
often changes these objectives. The differences in opinion, the intolerance of divergent
views, the lust for political power and per
sonal fame, frequently defeat the noble primary purpose of religin.
The question is, Should or should not
churches be supported since they are not
infallible? To the majority of the people,
the church still constitutes a vehicle for the
awakening and development of the moral
and spiritual elements of mans nature. It
remains the largest factor in society for accomplishing this end. Aside from the theological arguments to the contrary, there are
vehicles other than the church which may
carry some individuis farther in their spir
itual ascent. Such individuis are exceptions,
of course; they are the ones who in their
personal unfoldment have gone quite be
yond what the church affords. Before one
can accept a dogma, it must have a ring of
personal convictionit must produce an
inner response. The church, of course, advocates faith. The elements of faith, however,
depend upon our intuitive acceptance of
them. If our judgments, subjectively formed

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

as a result of our experiences and contem

plation, reject the elements of faith, it does
not become a part of our being. Faith, then,
does not elicit that inspiration and devo
tion so necessary to the religious concept.
To compel persons to subscribe to a re
ligious doctrine that does not engender this
sympathetic and emotional bond constitutes
for them a form of persecution. There are
philosophical and mystical societies which
become the haven for many thousands
yes, millions of personswho cannot sub
scribe to any of the contemporary churches.
The Rosicrucian Order is one of these so
cieties. The members learn to enter the
Silence of their own beings, there to invoke
the presence of Divinity. Their own con
sciousness becomes to them a personal
church. Their dogma is the moral convictions they form as a consequence of the
theophanic experiences which they have. As
mystics they become as spiritually motivated
in their personal lives as do any orthodox
sincere religionists.
What these thousands experience is int
mate; it is wholly personal and, therefore,
constitutes knowledge in contrast to mere be
lief. What they have received comes to
them through the mdium of their own be
ings. Thus they are not obliged to have
faith which, in the psychological sense,
means reliance upon the authority of some
one or something extraneous to their own
beings. In fact, the most devout religionist
is one who has had a mystical experience.
He has had personal revelations in accord
ance with the evolvement of his own soulpersonality. These confirm the dogmas and
his previous faith. In fact, the mystical ex
perience is the converting of faith into
knowledge.
There are numerous Rosicrucians, how
ever, who are church attendants and mem
bers. Their reasons for so being are varied.
In some instances, the particular clergyman
is exceptionally enlightened. He is, in fact,
a mystic. Though he is obliged by his office
to couch his sermons in the terminology of
the sect which he represents, yet his interpretations go beyond the mere dialectics of
the church creed. His Rosicrucian attendants
know of his mystical and liberal inclinations
or they sense them from the conten of his
texts. I know of one member in particular
who is a clergyman in one of the largest
Episcopalian churches in Southwest United

FEBRUARY, 1952

States. His average congregation numbers

many hundreds. Only a comparatively few
of that number are actually Rosicrucians. He
skilfully presents his sermons in such man
ner that those who are not Rosicrucians look
upon him as a most enlightened individual.
Even the bishop of his diocese is thrilled
with the manner in which he has built up
the congregation. The Rosicrucians present
know the reason; they know he is a mystic.
They know he speaks from intimate inner
experiences.
Other Rosicrucians attend church because
they feel the institution of the church is
very much needed in our present society and
should be encouraged. As said, the church,
speaking collectively, has the greatest moral
influence upon the greatest number of per
sons. If the church were to be suddenly
suppressed, the masses of people would be
left morally destitute. They would not
know how to commune with self; they would
not know how to enter the Cathedral of
the Soul.
If a Rosicrucian cannot conscientiously
find the church whose doctrines will constitute knowledge to him instead of demanding blind faith, he should at least defend
and physically supportthe church as an
institution. First, this means to oppose all
insidious efforts by any political or religious
body to suppress any morally circumspect
religin. Second, it means to help a church
to exist by any service or any support which
can occasionally be given for the welfare
of those who need its influence. However, to
attend a church in person when you cannot
subscribe to its dogmas, when you find them
objectionable to your inner sense of vales is
hypocritical. The Rosicrucian Order strenuously advises against such conduct.X
Dreams of the Blind
A frater, speaking before our Forum, says:
May I approach you with a question upon
the subject of reincamation? Observing that
we accept the subjective mind as the storehouse, so to speak, of complete memory, it
occurs to me that an almost objective proof
of prior experiences could be found in the
dreams of those who were born in and have
lived in a state of total blindness.
My theory is that should their dream
experiences be of places and peoples seen
while in a natural dream, they could only be

Page 85

the result of prior memory carried over into

their current incarnation. The so far very
limited research that I have made into the
subjectthe dreams of the blindhas resulted in but vague replies. Indeed, it seems
a matter of difficulty for those so afflicted to
describe their dreams. This possibly may be
induced by the questioning, as setting up
some type of suspicion or wondering why
the question has been asked. I would appreciate any information or comment that
can be made available to me, or advice as
to where I may find anything bearing upon
the subject of the dreams of blind people.
Most dreams are random ideation. This
consists of an involuntary association of
ideas or the coming forth of impressions. The
fact that most dreams lack coherence and
appear illogical is evidence of this random
flow of mental impressions. To use an anal
ogy, such random impressions are like opening a closet door in which numerous objects
have been stored. Instead of making a selection of the desired objects, one just puls
down the shelves and lets the articles fajl
out as they will. Not all dreams lack a
rational order in their entirety, as we all
know from our personal experiences. Some
of them are amazingly realistic in their
cogency. Such is due to the attraction that
certain elements of the dream have for
each other. This attraction results in an as
sociation that follows, or nearly so, the order
in which the original impressions were re
ceived.
As we know, our experiences consist of
ideas both simple and complex. The latter
may be composed of such qualities as color,
size, distance, as well as of certain other
images. The complex idea, when realized, is
perceived as a unity. For analogy, we see
a man walking across an open field toward
us. To the consciousness, to our state of
realization, this is a single idea. Actually,
upon analysis, we can subdivide it into a
number of different ideas, as explained. If
the experience has aroused our emotions sufficiently, or caused us to concntrate intently
enough upon it, it will become definitely
registered in memory. During a dream
state, some single element of the previous
composite experience may be arosed. As
a result, every one of the associated elements
will in all probability likewise recur so that
the dream image corresponds to the original
impressions received.

Page 86

Again, however, a dream may consist part

ly of realism and partly of fantasy. Resorting again to the analogy above, we may
dream of the man Crossing the field toward
us. He may appear just as we had actually
seen him. Then, suddenly, he is surrounded
by objects which were not actually seen and
which would be quite incongruous. Such
indicates that the elements of the complex
idea have also activated other ideas in some
way related to them in the mind, and which
now enter the consciousness at random. Dur
ing the waking state such random ideas
would be rejected by the will because the
reason would protest them as having no
obvious relationship to the idea to be recalled from memory.
When we dream we recall sensations. The
sensations are the result of impressions re
ceived through our peripheral senses. Even
our cogitation, our reasoning, uses as its
basis, impressions received through our ob
jective sense faculties, Ideas are sensations.
When an impression creates a sensation, as
& condition of consciousness, it is realized
and that realization is the idea. We cannot
be conscious without sensations, and we can
not have ideas which are free of sensations.
Even the time and space concepts are bound
to our perceptions. We think that we see
and feel space. We also conceive time which
is but the changes and durations of our state
of consciousness. We actually but think of
time and space. We recollect notions of them
caused by some previous experience we had
of them. It is not that time and space are
objective, but, rather, that objective experi
ences caused these notions to occur subjectively.
Now, what of the congenital blind? Can
such persons dream? Most certainly! We
know that not all the images of dreams are
visual some are olfactory, as the smelling
of flowers or of disagreeable odors. There
may be auditory images, as a voice, music,
the barking of a dog, and an infinite number
of sounds. Dreams also consist of the images
of taste and feeling. The dreamer who is
born blind combines his single impressions
into the complex just as one does who can
see; but, of course, without the visual images
common to the normal person. For example,
the blind person sees through his fingers,
that is, he gains tactile sensations in this
waythe feel of the object gained by touching it.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

You may have seen a blind person run

his fingers lightly over the face of a child
or an adult; in this manner he forms a
mental image of the person. This experience
does not give the blind person the same
state of consciousness of his experiences as
it does to one who sees. His image consists
rather of proportions, size, texture, as hard
or soft, coid or warm, etc. All of his images,
therefore, combine impressions of one or
more of only four of the receptor senses.
There is, of course, added to these, the sub
jective notion of time and space and the
psychic impulses and those evaluations of
experience as pain and pleasure.
In fact, the blind person may also see
colors. Of course, these are not perceived
externally. We can put pressure on the eyeballs causing a stimulus of the optic nerve
so that geometric pattems of color slowly
seem to sprad across our visin. Those of
us who are able to see identify these sensa
tions as being red, green, purple, and other
colors. The congenital blind are conscious
of them in the same manner, but their un
derstanding of the particular color would not
correspond to our own. It is because they
have never seen red externally, for example,
and have never associated it with that ame.
It is quite probable that these blind may
identify the color they experience in the
matter of pressure on the eyeballs with
some other associated images. Perhaps, those
color sensations may have in the past arisen
concomitantly with some sensation of the
sense of smell, taste, or feeling. For ex
ample, frequently persons who experience
vrtigo have, during such fainting spells,
related sensations of color before their visin.
The congenital blind personafter having
a similar experiencewould therefore associate with the color image the tactile or
other sensations which he had when faint
ing. After all, the ames which we give
colors are merely arbitrarily associated with
them. The blind may give them some other
identity. Red could be called by any other
ame as long as it would convey the same
idea.
Undoubtedly, it will be physically and
psychologically possible to teach the con
genital blind to have the same conception
of color as one who sees; if, for example, we
know how to induce in consciousness the
sensation of the color redthen, when the
same is realized by a blind person, he can

FEBRUARY, 1952

be told the ame of the color he experiences.

For instance, suppose one had no knowledge
of what the word pain means. Then, for
analogy, by pinching the person and inflicting a minor hurt, he could be informed that
all experiences producing similar sensations
constitute pain. Experimentation by the
use of the application of mild electrical im
pulses that would stimulate the optic nerve
and produce specific color sensations might
be the eventual mode of operation in teaching those bora blind to know the ames for
the primary colors.
All psychic impressions are usually translated into objective experiences. They associate themselves with ideas of objective ex
perience, or otherwise we could not comprehend them. The teletype is a very excel
lent analogy of how that functions. The
teletype is a device for transmitting over
telephone wires or by radio electrical im
pulses which actvate a typewriter and cause
it to write in the customary manner. Each
letter of the alphabet has certain electrical
impulses that correspond to it. These im
pulses, in themselves, mean nothing, but
when they cause the letter A to be typed,
and the letter B or C, then they have
common meaning to everyone. So it is with
the psychic impulses. These impulses are of
an extremely high vibratory rate and they
are transformed into impulses which stim
ulate certain cortical neural areas in our
brain, thus producing in our consciousness
sensations with which we are familiar.
Now the foregoing does not mean that
the psychic impressions always produce
something that we have already experienced
objectively. After all, to go back to our
analogy, the electrical impulses of the tele
type do not always produce a message that
is already known, but they always use letters
of the alphabet which are known to compose
messages, no matter how new or strange.
So, too, the psychic impressions will always
use the qualities of our objective senses to
form the experiences for us that come from
within.
In the case of the congenital blind, they
will naturally experience recollections from
past incarnations as readily as will one who
sees. Their sensations, however, will be interpreted only in terms of those which they
have objectively experienced. They would
lack visual content because objectively they
would not have had visual ideas. These in

Page 87

carnation experiences would, however, have

all the other qualities or sensations and they
would be just as realistic to them as they
are to those who see objectively.
As to where one may get further partic
ular information concerning the content of
the dreams of the congenital blind, and to
confirm what has been said here, we sug
gest first that the frater write to the Braille
Association. He should ask them what psy
chological research may have been done in
connection with the congenital blind insofar
as their dream experiences are concemed. It
is quite probable, too, that some of the departments of psychology of some of the
leading universities may have conducted ex
perimentation along the lines discussed in
this Forum.
Further, it opens a very excellent field of
experimentation for those Rosicrucians who
are research-minded. I am sure that each
will be able to find some intelligent openminded, congenitally blind person who would
be very willing to collaborate.X
Did Egypt Preserve the Light?
A frater from Detroit, who is very much
interested in the history and preservation of
mysticism, says: The Fama states that some
of the brothers travelled to gypt for mys
tical instruction. Had not the light of mys
ticism in Egypt dimmed prior to the period
considered in the Fama? I have read that
the Greeks preserved the mystical knowledge
of Egypt and passed it on to the Moslems
who, in turn, carried it to Spain. Was this
the mystical knowledge that has been pre
served for us and is it not conceivable that
the brethren of the Fama could have gotten
their enlightenment from the mystics of
Spain?
The answer to the fraters question is primarily to be found in the Fama itself and
in the facts of history. The Fam a Fraternitatis is one of a series of pamphlets issued
by the Rosicrucian Brotherhood in the early
part of the 17th century. It constituted,
shall we say, a public announcement of the
existence and avowed purposes of the Order.
The issuing of that pamphlet and several
others in the series by the Rosicrucians
caused many personsand even profane
historians of the periodto conceive the
event as the beginning of the Order of the
Rosy Cross. Rather, the Rosicrucians were

Page 88

taking advantage of printing, then a new

mdium, for the dissemination of informa
tion. It was the wide distribution of the
pamphlet which printing made possible,
while this was still a novelty, that caused
considerable comment about the Rosicru
cians.
The Fama Fraternitatis is described by at
least four persons of the period who, it
would seem, had one of the original copies
in their possession. There was a polemic
discussion as to just when the first edition
was published, though the year is generally
conceded to be 1614. It is reported that
there was also a 1612 edition. Further, it is
claimed by one that he read a copy of the
Fama in 1610 in a small village in the Tyrol.
The pamphlet or small booklet, it is stated,
consisted of thirty-three pages and was pub
lished in Cassel, Germany. It is also affirmed that it was first issued in Latin. How
ever, it was subsequently published in several languages. Further, other editions of it
appeared in Frankfort-on-Main, Marburg,
and in Holland.
There was bound with the Fama another
tract entitled Communis et Generlis Re
form ado (Universal Reformation). This
tract has always puzzled scholars as it did
not seem to have any particular relation
ship to the Fama Fraternitatis. Upon the
good authority of Michael Maier, Grand
Master of the Rosicrucian Order in Germany
(1618), it is stated that the Communis et
Generlis R eform ado was not a Rosicrucian
manifest. He relates that it was a work
translated from the Italian and that it was
bound up with the Fama. It appears that
this was a practice with booksellers: to bind
together several tracts regardless of their
relationship.
The story of the Fama concerns the
mythical founder of the Rosy Cross and the
circumstances under which the Order carne
into existence. Some current historians and
even some little groups, styling themselves
as Rosicrucian, believe that this mythical
character, having the ame of Christian
Rosy Cross or C.*.R..C.\, actually originated
the Order. The whole tale is allegorical and
symbolical. No individual had the actual
ame of C. R. C. Rather, the tale refers to
one of the members of the established Order
who was a Christian of the Rosy Cross. It
is true, however, that, if read literally, the
account would seem to indicate that such

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

a person had originated the Rosicrucian

movement. Other historical events, of course,
show that the Order was known before the
alleged time of Christian Rosy Cross or even
the earlier period mentioned in the Fama
itself.
The account relates how, after many vicissitudes, C. R. C. parted from one who began
the joumey with him, and travelled alone to
the East. The eminent Rosicrucian, Thomas
Vaughan, more generally known by his pseudonym, Eugenius Philalethes, relates, in his
classical translation of the Fama, that C. R. C.
shipped himself over, and went to Damasco
(Damascus), minding from thence to go
to Jerusalem; but by reason of the feebleness of his body, he remained there, and
by his skill in physics he obtained much
favor with the Turks; in the mean time he
became by chance acquainted with the Wise
Men of Damasco in Arabia, and beheld what
great wonders they wrought, and how nature
was discovered unto them; hereby was that
high and noble spirit of Brother C. R. so
stirred up, that Jerusalem was not so much
now in his mind as Damasco-
It is related that C. R. C. was but sixteen
years od when he arrived at Damascus!
These Wise Men had never met him and
yet, to the surprise of C. R. C., they called
him by ame upon his arrival. They caused
him to stay and introduced him to many
secrets. To further quote from Vaughans
translation of the Fama: He learned there
better the Arabian tongue; so that the year
following he translated the Book M into
good Latin which he afterwards brought
with him. This is the place where he learned
his physics, and his mathematics, whereof
the world hath just cause to rejoice.
Of C.R.C.s journey to Egypt, we are told:
After three years he . . . shipped himself
over Sinus Arabicus into Egypt, where he
remained not long, but only took better
notice there of the plants and creatures.
Afterward he sailed the Mediterranean Sea
and arrived at Fez where the Wise Men had
directed him. He found Fez a great center
of learning to which men journeyed who
sought further knowledge, Yearly there
carne something to Light, whereby the Mathematica, Physic and Magic (for in those
are they of Fez most skilful) were amended.
After two years study of the secrets and
mysteries (sciences and arts) in Fez, C.R.C.
journeyed to Spain. He expected to be well

FEBRUARY, 1952

received because of his learning. When he

left Fez, he took with him many costly
things into Spain. He had learned so much
in his travels and personally had so profited
by his knowledge that he hoped the learned
in Europe would highly rejoice with him,
and begin to rule and order all their studies
according to those sound and sure foundations. To his great disappointment, how
ever, all his learning was to them a laughing matter; and being a new thing unto
them, they feared that their great ame
should be lessened, if they should now begin
to learn and acknowledge their many errors.
We can thus see that the spread of the
Rosicrucian teachings, in the early 17th century, encountered many of the same difficulties which members now experience in endeavoring to introduce the teachings of the
Order. Many people are inclined to laugh
at that which is different from their habitual
beliefs, not even acknowledging the merit
of what is offered. Still others will not admit
the obvious errors of their thinking for fear
that their personal integrity will be lessened.
However, as do all Rosicrucians of today,
C.R.C. kept up his campaign of interesting
others in the wisdom of the Order. Eventual
ly, according to the account, he undertook,
with some few adjoined with him . . . to
further expand the teachings.
The greater part of the wisdom which
the particular frater, who was called C.R.C.,
received was not had by him in Egypt. By
this time Egypt had passed the pinnacle of
her great civilization. Though the traditions
were not dead in Egypt, its wisdom had
reached other people who were more capable, at that moment of history, of preserving and disseminating the Light. During
the time of the Ptolemies in Egypt (367?283 B.C.), Alexandria had become the
worlds greatest center of learningin fact,
one of the greatest of all time in the ancient
world. At the Alexandrian Museum, as it
was called, were great laboratories, classrooms, and an amazing library of over half
a million volumes. Research was conducted
in astronomy, mathematics, physics, medi
cine, geography, languages, philosophy and,
of course, metaphysics. It was the first
great institution of learning supported by
the state. Such renowned teachers as Euclid
lived there and had no financial responsibilities. They devoted their whole time to
research and studies.

Page 89

The mystery schools lourished in Alex

andria as well. Ptolemy Philadelphus, the
Pharaoh, commanded Manetho, the re
nowned Egyptian historian, to transate the
od hieroglyphic Papyri manuscripts which
even in that early time few could still read.
Copies of these translations of the earlier
mysteries were preserved in the archives of
Alexandria. During the Hellenistic period,
two centuries after the time of Alexander
the Great, the profound philosophical works
of the Greeks were introduced from Greece
to Alexandria. In that ancient city, the
great wisdom of the East and West began
to merge in a systematic wayeven as it
does in our current Rosicrucian teachings.
Later, when the Arabian conquest began
to sweep along the Mediterranean, the West
had stupidly condemned the teachings of
the East as un-Christian and, therefore, to
be destroyed. It was then that these unChristian Mohammedans began to preserv
the great culture of the East. The Arabs
even added to the sciences of mathematics,
astronomy, and alchemy, the latter becoming chemistry and contributing greatly to
medicine. The Arabs carried this learning
with them into Spain. Liberal-minded
Europeans who sought further knowledge
became secret students of the erudite Arabs
and the great Islamic mystics.
At the time of C.R.C., it was not any
longer at Alexandria, but in Damascus and
Fez, that the great ligh t was to be had.
People in Spain were still hostile to the great
learning of the East. They were jealous of
a wisdom which surpassed that which they
had, as it is related in the Fama. If one
went to Spain to consult a mystic, it was,
during this period, more than likely to be
one of the great Moors. Slowly, however, as
in the tale of the Fama, the Light was intro
duced throughout the West. The Romn
Church opposed all such pagan heresy.
Eventually, however, the Romn Church
embraced some of the Aristotelian doctrines,
especially those which appeared to strengthen its dogma so as to reconcile it with the
growing rationalism.
It is suggested that Rosicrucians obtain a
copy of Thomas Vaughans complete transla
tion of the Fam a Fraternitatis. The whole
story of the Fama, as contained in this manuscript, is very fascinating and instructive.
It should be known by every Rosicrucian. It
should be in every members library. An

Page 90

English versin of the original by Vaughan,

in mimeographed form, may be had for
only fifty cents, or the equivalent in foreign
money, postpaid from the Rosicrucian Supply Bureau, San Jos, California. When
remitting, just ask for the Fama.X
Do Prayers Help the Deceased?
A soror again addressing our Forum asks:
Are the prayers of the living helpful to the
loved ones who have passed through transi
tion?
This is a controversial subject. It is a
delicate one because the question involves
the doctrinal beliefs of some religious sects.
If, however, we view this subject with an
open mind, perhaps a somewhat different
conception may be had than the usual one
entertained. Without entering into an extensive analysis of the psychological content
of prayer, we may say that it consists primarily of petitions to a supreme or divine
being. These appeals or expressions are
usually vocative, or the words may be just
held in mind. However, it is obvious that
every wish or desire does not constitute a
prayer. In the usually accepted sense, a
prayer is a communication between a mortal
-or mortals and that divine or supematural power which they conceive to exist.
All prayers in their content are not peti
tions for direction, aid, or intervention on
behalf of man, or of his interests. Some
prayers are prayers of confession, like those
that are inscribed on the walls of pyramids
dating back to the time of the Od Kingdom
of Egypt, approximately five thousand years
ago. Still others are prayers of rejoicing, like
those of the Psalms. The majority of pray
ers, however, are in the nature of petitions
for intervention or aid. It is when man
has exhausted his own resourcesmental
and physicaland those of society, that he
seeks the help of powers which he conceives
as transcending his own. It is then that
men turn to their gods. Their prayer of
intervention, a petition for aid, indicates
that there is a consciousness of human limi
tation and weakness.
Prayers are frequently ineffectual because
men often ask for that which they should
not expect. They hope and expect that exceptions will be made of them. They wish
that Cosmic laws and principies will be
set aside for their own, and often selfish,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

interests. It is only by knowing more of

oneself and the world in which one lives,
and the Cosmic laws which govem all mani
festations, that men can pray properly
and effectively. Contrary to what religionists
believe and are taught, all things are not
possible with the Divine. Most certainly the
Divine would not oppose Itself. If it did,
then there would be no stability, no immutability upon which mortals could rely.
Consequently, man should not couch his
prayers in such manner that a reversal of
Divine principies is required for their fulfilment.
When the soul-personality has passed
through transition, what then occurs? The
different hagiographies of the various sects
are not in agreement on this point. Does
the soul unite with the universal Divine
mind, or Infinite soul? Or again, does it go
to a purgatory, an intermediary state be
tween the conceived heaven and hell where
it writhes in torment for its sins until salvation is achieved? If one believes that the
soul-personality is an extensin of Divine
intelligence that permeates the body, then,
after death, or transition, it is freed from
human bondage. It is one with the Cosmic
realm. It is apart from material errors and
weaknesses of the flesh. It is liberated from
any influences which might restrict its state.
On such a lofty plae, in attunement with
the exalted, universal consciousness, and un
der the aegis of the Divine, of what need is
prayer to the soul-personality? Why would
man need to ask that it be shown considera
tion? The soul-personality is in its own
realm after transition. Nothing man could
do could influence the existence of it while
under such Divine guidance. Is it not presumptious, from the mystical point of view,
that after the final rites of transition man
should suggest through prayer what guid
ance the soul should have? It is an implication that mans judgment reaches into and
orders the Cosmic scheme of things. If the
soul-personality is not to be entrusted to
the Divine, of what avail would mans peti
tions to such an intelligent Being be?
Conversely, where one is taught to be
lieve that the soul goes through severe punishment at the arbitrary will of a Divine
Being after transition, then it may seem
plausible that prayer should be offered as a
plea for mercy. Such a view necessitates the
anthropomorphic concept of God. It con-

FEBRUARY, 1952

fers upon Him all of the jealousies, discriminations, favoritism, and singular evaluations of human behavior, which are the
foibles of man himself. It implies a duality
for the nature of the deity and that the
better side may be exhorted to dominance
by the prayers of man.
A prayer at any time has beneficial re
sults; even prayers that ask what would be
divinely inconsistent can often be helpful
to the one praying. We are reminded of the
writings of the great mystic, Dionysius the
Areopagite, in which he likens prayer to a
golden chain. He said that man believes
that praying is like reaching overhead and
pulling a rope, hand over hand, and that he
is thus bringing the Divine down to him.
Whereas, in fact, Dionysius tells us, he is
thus actually lifting himself on high. There
fore, each prayer, sincerely uttered with a
heart free of malice, brings man into attune
ment with the God of his heart. It pro
duces a mystical unin with the spiritual
consciousness within his own being.
The one who prays does not mystically
better the existence of the soul-personality
that has passed through transition; he does,
however, heal his own grief for the departed.
He receives such comfort, solace, and relief
from the Light that enters his own con
sciousness that he then has the inner con
viction that his prayer has been answered.
If by praying, one experiences Peace Profound, what difference does it make by what
means such was derived?X
Metnbership Travel Credentials
With reduced fares to Europe and many
foreign lands, travel overseas is increasing.
Travel on the continent of Europe and in
Latin America is increasing, as well. One
of the thrills of travel, to Rosicrucians, is
the opportunity to visit a Lodge in one of
the other Jurisdictions of AMORC, or Lodges
of this Jurisdiction in foreign lands. Such
a visit makes one realize that no matter
how many thousands of miles one may be
from home, one is always among friends.
In these foreign lodges and chapters, you
are greeted enthusiastically and there is al
ways one or more who can speak your language and can make you feel at ease. You
know that they have the same common
ideis and love for culture, learning, and
for spiritual attainment that you have. To

Page .91

travel and not visit a Rosicrucian Lodge or

Chapter in the countries through which you
are passing is to miss an exceptional experi
ence.
In the past, it has been the practice to
accept just the usual membership creden
tialsthe membership cardand, in addi
tion, to subject the individual to certain
examina tion before admitting him as a mem
ber. Some of the foreign jurisdictions are
not as familiar as they might be with our
membership credentials, and because they
differ from their own, such differences some
times create embarrassment. To avoid this
situation it was decided that an intemational
membership credential should be created
which would be used by every traveling
Rosicrucian of every Jurisdiction of the Or
der. Consequently, a Lodge or Chapter
would immediately recognize it and accept
it without question.
This credential is in the form of a mem
bership passport. Each foreign Jurisdic
tion will issue it to a member of its Jurisdic
tion in good standing, who is planning to
travel; it would be validated for a certain
length of time. These specially prepared
credentials would cost one dollar and fifty
cents, postpaid, or the equivalent in other
money. It will be necessary, however, that
the member, when remitting and requesting
this traveling credential, also send in his
letter a standard-sized passport picture of
himself. Such a picture may be obtained
from any passport photographer. Passport
photographs are suggested, in addition to
their identification valu, because the traveler will have to obtain passport photographs
anyway, and one extra print would cost but
a few cents more.
This identification photograph, then, will
be placed on the membership travel creden
tial and will be certified by the respective
officer of the Jurisdiction to which the mem
ber is attached. Other bona fide informa
tion will be entered in the credential that
will show to what degree a member has at
tained, and other vital facts. It is requested
that the member sign his ame across the
face of the passport picture.
If you are going to travel this spring or
summer and want to visit Lodges or Chapters
outside of your respective country, you will
kindly do these things:
a.
Obtain a standard-sized passport photo
graph of yourself. (No others are acceptable.)

Page 92

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

b. Sign your ame across the lower portion of the passport photograph.
c. Endose the photograph and a remittance in the amount of $1.50, or the equivalent in foreign money, to the Grand Secretary, and say: Please send me a member
ship travel credential.
It is understood, of course, that this cre
dential will only be issued if the member is
in good standing. Good standing also means
that ones dues have been paid to the date
of the request.
The information on the folder will be in
three languages: English, Spais h, and
French, making it just that much more ef
fective. The credentials will then be placed
in the very beautiful identification folder
which is of maroon leather finish and
stamped in gold.

How many times do you consult the Directory of your Rosicrucian Digest? Perhaps
you have noticed it but have never given it
the attention you should have. Therein you
will find not only the ames of the majority
of the Lodges and Chapters throughout the
world, but also their addresses, or the ame
and address of the one with whom you may
communicate for information about their
Convocations and activities. Many members
have missed the opportunity of participating
in exceptional rituals and ceremonies in
some city because they did not realize that
there was a Rosicrucian body in that city.
When you are about to travel, consult your
Rosicrucian Digest Directory to find whether
there is a Lodge or a Chapter along the
route you are going.
If the Directory does not reveal the in
formation as to the hour or day the Con
vocations are held, telephone, write a letter,
or send a local telegram to the officer, or to
the address given, for the information you
need. Find out what special functions will
occur while you are in that city. You will
find that no more enjoy able evening could
be spent than one at a foreign Lodge or
Chapter, meeting these personalities of the
Order.
Attend the International Rosicru
cian Convention in San Jos,
California, J u l y 6 -1 1 M eet
members from throughout the
world!
X

Reality of Thought
A frater of England asks: Have our ideas
or thoughts of today an evolution before
them; in other words, are they destined to
become as real and tangible as any of the
objects of the material world which we ob
serve via our physical senses?
Thoughts can become things has long
been a principie of metaphysics. Just how
this is meant and accomplished has been a
discursive topic among the systems expounding it. Perhaps the most logical approach
is the consideration, even sketchily, of the
probable nature of reality. Certainly, it is
essential to have a conception of reality be
fore considering the relation of thought to
it. Does reality constitute the infinite variety
of objects which we perceive and which we
think of as the particulars of our world?
Upon further reflection we know that the ob
jects of experience have no permanence and
may change their appearance to us as we, in
turn, change the relationship of our con
sciousness to them. The common deception
of our receptor senses proves that many par
ticulars of our world are unstable.
Is what we perceive, and which seems to
persist, reality? In other words, may the
whole of reality be divided into the classifications of our five senses? For a long time
it was believed that the phenomenal world,
the world outside of us, was an archetype of
our ideas of it. This meant that there were
actual things that corresponded to our men
tal images of them. Subsequent develop
ment of the sciences of physics and psychology have shown that, by varying the
impressions registered upon our senses, our
perception and conception of what we ex
perience changes. Thus, we know that the
sensations of our experiences are not counterparts of the world beyond us.
That there is something which acts upon
our senses and which, though not a part of
our personal being, has as much existence
as we do, most philosophies agree. Again,
we are confronted with the question, Which
is the reality, the world of our experience
or that which acts upon our consciousness?
Must our thoughts correspond to externality?
Suppose the world of phenomena is amorphous, that is, without any determinate na
ture. Then externality, in order to have any
existence, must consist of the construct of
our own thoughts. Reality would be the

FEBRUARY, 1952

reality of our experiences, of our own

thought. We, in fact, would be the creators
of the external world.
With these thoughts we return to the
ideas of Kant, in part at least. He held that
there was a noumenal world which was the
real, but it is not the world which we ordinarily experience. The phenomenal world,
or the one of our senses, is conditioned, that
is, limited by the very limits of our own
being. Consequently, we could never know
reality just as it is. However, Kant held
that there is a real part of ourselves and
a real knowledge. There are fundamental
categories of our being which are part of
the whole unified nature of existence. These
categories constitute a priori knowledge. It
is the knowledge that goes before the
experiences of our senses. Thus, for example,
the categories of time, space, quality, and
quantity cause what we experience to con
form to them. The will, based upon our
reason, is called by Kant the moral will
and this moral side of our being is the real
self.
According to Fichte, another Germn philosopher and idealist, there is an absolute
self and intelligence which permeates the
universethat he held to be the real. This
intelligence, of course, is part of nature and
is the order of nature and it is also the in
dividual self in man. Mans thoughts, then,
of what is real about the world constitute
the forms of nature. We need not according
to this idea concern ourselves with the thing
in itself. For what it is, is only what it
appears to be in our minds.
This, then, would make whatever we
think a reality. However, with most of us
there is no personal satisfaction unless we
can find in the phenomenal world, the one
outside of us, something that corresponds to
our thoughts. We cannot live entirely in
the mental world. We do not, for example,
want a flower to be wholly a concept. We
want to experience as well, through sight,
touch, and smell, those impressions that
will give rise to the ideas of a flower existing
outside of our minds. So we are obliged to
construct, in the world outside ourselves,
those conditions that will give rise to im
pressions corresponding to our thoughts. We
want the world to appear at least to have
as much reality as do our thoughts.
To create the world of reality we put
ourselves in various relationships to it so

Page 93

that its impressions may be registered upon

our senses. These impressions eventually
are in harmony with our thoughts and the
world is as real, then, as we think. If I
think of a book, that thought has a reality.
But if I want it to appear as a reality apart
from m yself, I must then act to make it so.
I so act as will cause those sensations and
experiences which will have me perceive
the form of a book with as much existence
as my idea of it had. Actually, there is no
such thing in the external world as a book.
There are only a collection of impressions
which cause us to have the idea of one.
When we have the idea, we then mentally
transfer it as a reality to the world of phe
nomena. Thus at all times our thoughts, our
personal realization, are the real.
Mans inherent duty, his nature, requires
action. Therefore, man must create. He
must objectify what the real self thinks.
He cannot rest content with any idea in it
self. He must materialize it. He must collate phenomena so that it will cause him to
seem to experience, outside himself, what
otherwise is but a conception. If our thoughts
are definite enough, have enough reality to
the reason, they compel us to action. They
evolve to a point in some future where, in
part or whole, they become to us an external
reality. We must be able to see the synthetic action of our minds. We must first
reduce every idea (as told in our Rosicru
cian studies) to any or all of its component
parts. It is in this way that we seek in
the phenomenal world those elements which,
when experienced, become the creation of
our thought.X
Growth Through Realization
It is a well-known fact that the main
interest of the individual member of AMORC
lies in his personal growth, or, as it is some
times stated, psychic development. The
questions about this subject are numerous
for the simple reason that every individual
who affiliates with the organization has a
personal motive in mind. It is no disgrace
to admit frankly that all of us have certain
selfish aims in connection with anything
we do. When we put forth effort for selfimprovement, we, in turn, believe that it
will improve our relationship to the circum
stances which we meet in life as well, and
we hope to improve the circumstances them-

Page 94

selves. We are trying to do something that

will make life better, happier, more livable,
and, in the final analysis, more comprehensible.
The more selfish an individual is, the less
concern he has with understanding, and the
more concern he has with gaining some
thing he thinks is of valu. It is the pur
pose of the basic Rosicrucian philosophy to
make the individual aware of his general
place in the universal scheme, and through
this broadening of his horizon or thoughts,
to eliminate a degree of selfishness, by mak
ing each one see that the things to which
he aspires are dependent upon growth on the
part of others as well as that of ourselves.
This foundation helps us to realize that if
we are going to gain the things which we
individually may wish, we need to be con
cerned with the general welfare of the rest
of the human race.
In the material world, it is conceivable
that one individual could possess all the ma
terial wealth of the world and the rest of
the world have nothing. It might not be a
very satisfactory existencein fact, it would
be filled with danger and a continual feel
ing of instabilitybut, technically, it is
within the realm of theoretical possibility.
If one is going to gain what is ordinarily
referred to as higher vales or psychic
qualities, this materialistic outlook must be
replaced with the realization that if an in
dividual is to master himself and his environ
ment, to gain complete happiness and int
mate attunement with the Absolute or the
Supreme Forces of the universe, he is not
going to do it by any selfish, individualistic
method or procedure.
It is not possible to attain complete devel
opment or Cosmic consciousness and ignore
the rest of the world. A perfect state of
existence, the Utopia of many philosophers,
could come about only if everyone advanced
to an equal degree of intelligence, under
standing, tolerance, and true estmate of
spiritual vales. Psychic development is
therefore, in the first place, primarily an
individual thing, but it is dependent upon
social conditions as well. The development
of others contributes to our development,
and we, in turn, contribute to the develop
ment of other individuis. This in no way
relieves the individual member of this organization from the responsibility of taking
care of, or looking out for, his own develop

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ment. The individual has a choice in this

matter, and it is he alone who is responsible
for initiating the process and carrying it
through.
Help from others can be an inspiration
and a guide, but it will not replace the
technique and process of our own individual
growth. The experiences of others can in
spire and supplement our own experiences,
but they do not replace the efforts that we
must put forth toward our own personal
development. The technique of gaining psy
chic insight or individual growth is contained
in the Rosicrucian teachings. The mono
graphs include fundamentally two things:
the philosophy of Rosicrucianism, which
serves as a background, and the instructions
through the exercises that are provided,
through which the individual can make this
philosophy and these ideis applicable in
practice to themselves. To go further into
an explanation of techniques would consti
tute no more than a repetition of the prin
cipies and exercises presented in the mono
graphs, particularly through the first nine
degrees. We will therefore leave the devel
opment of technique to the monographs.
The process over and above the applica
tion or the gaining of individual techniques
is more in the sphere of philosophy and psychology, and we can here consider some of
those phases of individual development.
Briefly and concisely, we might state that
the process of psychic development is summarized in the three words that head these
comments: growth through realization. Real
ization concerns itself with what we learn
by experience and what the total content is
of our knowledge. Anything that is unknown
to us becomes a realization in our mind
when it is explained. If you are looking
for an object that you have misplaced and
someone else tells you where it is, you have
come to a realization in your own mind
through another individuals experience of
having previously seen the item for which
you seek and who knows its location. The
application of this knowledge, by going and
looking in the same place, is your applica
tion of the realization that comes into your
mind through the acquisition of knowledge.
This realization, insofar as it is applied
to individual development and psychic
growth, is what develops in our conscious
ness as a result of our study and application
of the techniques as we learn them. We are

FEBRUARY, 1952

dealing, in this process, with the full capacity

of the human mind. We are gaining through
our objective consciousness all that is pos
sible to take into consciousness through ob
jective channels.
Through the exercising of the perceptive
abilities of our physical senses, sight and
hearing, as well as through application of
the other senses, we experience sensations
and these we convert into knowledge. We
use our eyes to read what others have ex
perienced, what their philosophy and ideis
are. We use our ears to hear the experiences
of others. And if we are of reasonable intel
ligence, we direct our senses toward the gain
ing of as much knowledge as is possible
through these objective channels. Nevertheless, objective knowledge is, in a way, surface knowledge. It concems itself mainly
with those things that can classify them
selves as part of our environment. The
proper synthesis of this knowledgethe con
tent of our mind that can develop and coordinate this knowledgemust come from
within.
The subjective mind is related to the im
material or so-called psychic world, just as
the objective mind is related to the material
or physical world. The subjective mind is
our connection with life itselfit is an at
tribute of soul and has the capacity of translating, or, at least, inspiring us within our
own consciousness with knowledge that is
not obtainable in the immaterial or physical
sense. Obviously, since man gives more of
his attention to his objective processes, he is
unaware, in his experience, of the abilities
and potentialities of the subjective mind. It
is through the techniques developed in the
exercises and experiments that AMORC presents to us that we are able to improve the
awareness of our subjective consciousness
and the influence it can have upon the coordination of the ideas and facts which we
assemble in objective consciousness. Develop
ment of both the objective and subjective
faculties is therefore the first and most im
portant of the processes that proceed to
make possible psychic development and to
produce growth through realization.
The thing with which the beginner, or
the neophyte, is most concerned is time. For
that reason, we seek to cause the neophyte
to begin to think seriously upon the subject
of time by introducing some of the philo

Page 95

sophical concepts and Rosicrucian interpretations of time and space into the earliest
monographs he receives. In fact, these sub
jects are among the first principies presented.
Man can easily make himself a slave to
time, particularly in modern civilization.
Habit and adjustment to the demands of
our environment cause us to reglate a good
many of our acts in terms of time. If we
did not, we could not hold the job necessary
to make a livelihood. We have to report to
work, we have to catch trains, keep appointments, do many other things that are absolutely essential to our social and economic
life. For this reason, time is emphasized in
our objective consciousness.
We realize that there is nothing wrong
with this except that it is not made plain to
us in the ordinary course of events that time
is just as much of passing material valu as
is any other material thing; that is, time is
only concerned with physical and material
vales. Outside the material world, time has
no valu. The measurement of the length
of the day is of no more importance to the
Cosmic scheme or to God than is the foot,
the rod, or the material to measure distance.
Thy are conveniences, helpingman to adapt
himself to the physical world, and have no
valu outside the physical world.
We must therefore realize that in growth
of personality, time must be forgotten. We
are dealing in psychic development, as we
have already stated, with the subjective
mind, with immaterial vales, with infinite
concepts; in these categories, time does not
exist because it only has valu in association
with material objects. It is therefore essen
tial that we realize the artificiality of time,
insofar as the infinite is concerned, for as we
approach the infinite through psychic de
velopment, we recede from the dependence
upon time outside the phases of our life
that are directly related to physical things.
The student who can grasp these elementary processes, who can see beyond the nec
essaryresponsibilities and behavior of everyday life to a higher level of existence, to a
higher concept of vales, and can realize that
his growth is toward an infinite rather than
a finite end, will be able to grasp the im
portance of subjective development. He will
minimize the importance of time in reaching the personal growth to which he wishes
to attain.A

It e

c d e w

c u i^ J o .

f y n

&

t it ( * n

iA

PERSONAL INSTRUCTION
at the
ROSE-CROIX UNIVERSITY
'VV7 AS your youth a disappointment? Did circum
stances and necessity deprive you of completing
your education? Have the years shown that regardless of your early training there are things you should
have learnedfacts that would make life more understandable and enjoyable now? Opportunity is not
lost to youit knocks again at the gates of the RoseCroix University. Satisfy that longing to delve into
the mysteries of scienceto work in fully equipped
laboratories. Sit in modern classrooms, particpate in
discussions concerning the great phiiosophical truths
of the ages. Listen to competent Rosicrucian instructorssimply and fascinatingly answer those questions
that have long puzzled and intrigued you.

Fun and Facts

Go to school againthe Rosicrucian way. No
previous college or university training required. Return home with reborn personal power and a confidence founded upon useful knowledge. Add one week
to your usual two weeks vacation and attend this
summers term of the Rose-Croix University. Good
fellowship, splendid associations, and unforgettable experiences await you. Write today
at oncefor free booklet of full particulars.
Address Rose-Croix University, Rosicrucian
Park, San Jos, California.

Low
Tuition
#45.00
June 16 to July 5
(THREE WEEKS)

P R IN T E D IN U . S . A .

T H E R O S IC R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D .

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A *

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Page 98

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V V

A CHANGING CON CEPT OF GOD

Dear Fratres and Sorores:
We have a distinct advantage as an organization in knowing the innermost re
ligious views of some persons. Our expressed
doctrines in our literature, our books, periodicals, and monographs, compel a response on
the part of our readers. The teachings of
the Rosicrucian Order inspire its members
to confide in us their personal views with
respect to God, divine law, and mans moral
obligations. In letters, they relate concep
tions that many did not have the courage
to express in publicor even to members of
their family who might not understand.
They know that this confidence will never
be misplaced. These members are hungry
for some impartial response to their cherished
ideas. They want to feel that they are right.
Likewise, nonmembers are often moved by
our literaturechallenged, if you willto
voice their opinions of our doctrines. There
are those who take issue with us and re
quest that we elabrate on our ideas. Again,
there are others that appear even antagonistic merely because our thoughts are contrary
to theirs. At least, in either instance, they
are frank in their correspondence in expounding what they think and believe. One
of the commonest reactions arises from a
question that appears in our membership ap
plication which inquirers receive. The ques
tion is worded: Do you afirm your belief
in the existence of a Supreme Ruler, Divine
Mind, or God? Intelligent and well-written
letters state that the inquirer is much interested in our literature, that it appeals to
him, but he has refraind from applying
for membership because he cannot answer
the above quoted question. He may preface
his remarks: You may think me an atheist
or an agnostic, but I cannot conscientiously
say that I believe in the existence of a God.
We do not immediately reject such applications. We have learned that the majority
of such inquirers re truly seeking for
knowledge and spiritual guidance. The applicant is in disagreement with the traditional, religious terminology and its meaning.
We write him asking for his reasons in not

replying to the question in the affirmative.

His reply often discloses that as a child or as
a youth he had been obliged to attend some
orthodox Sunday school or church where
orthodoxy was more paramount than spirit
ual principies. The definitions of God as
expounded by the clergymen was exceedingly limited, almost primitive in its content.
The God was made to appear as a personal,
anthropomorphic being, with humanlike at
tributes. To the God were ascribed such
qualities as vengeance, hat, envy, as well as
those of love and compassion. The unfolding
spiritual consciousness and the growing ex
periences of an intelligent young person
made such a God incompatible with the
spiritual ideal which he was slowly evolving.
As the individual further matured and acquired a philosophy of life, it appeared to
him unreasonable that a just God would
function in the manner he had been taught.
Further, there was too obviously a disparity
between natural phenomena and the func
tion and purpose ascribed to the anthropo
morphic being which had been defined as
God.
Such persons, and there are millions of
them, believe that a divine or spiritual prin
cipie or power should transcend obvious
human knowledge; it also should evoke ad
mira tion and love. The believer must not
be obliged to expel the results of experience
and to suppress realities so as to accept
blindly a limited conception of God. Con
sequently, to these persons, the word God
carne to represent an obsolete term substituted by primitive minds, or those primitive
in their thinking, for the powers of the
universe and its spectrum of phenomena.
Those who think this way do not necessarily
regard themselves as being omniscient. They
realize the limitations f human reasoning
and understanding. They are fully aware
that there are phenomena and an order, an
intelligence and a state of reality, that go
far beyond what man perceives and is able
to direct. The word God, however, as they
have come to know it, is incapable of mak
ing such a state explicable or acceptable to

APRIL, 1952

Page 99

them. It is their search for something representative of the omnipotence that brought
them as inquirers to the threshold of the
Rosicrucian Order.
The fact that the question in the applica
tion also states: Do you affirm your belief
in the existence of a Supreme Ruler, Divine
Mind is not enough. In their opinion
these other terms are but different ames
for the same limitations they have come to
associate with the word God. After all, a
Supreme Ruler might be construed as an
exalted, personal being, as a mighty king
as implied in the Od Testament. Then
again, Divine Mind might imply a mind
having a wholly personal and humanlike
content, its divinity being only in its authority. In other words, there is rebellion on the
part of the individual against the conception
of a personal deity. It becomes necessary
in a personal reply t these inquirers to
introduce another term which is acceptable
to them, and to relate that term to the word
God.
In corresponding with these persons, we
state that the Rosicrucian Order does not at
tempt a definition of God, for we conceive
God as an intmate experience. We may
merely present the different ways in which
God may be conceived. Whatever is in ac
cordance with the individuals consciousness
objective and subjectiveis God. This,
to him, corresponds to an underlying su
preme spiritual cause, transcending and yet
permeating all physical existence. It mat
ters not whether such emotional, intellectual
image as you have is had by another. God
must be intmate, not foreign, to the human
personality. Such must be experienced to
be known, to have a reality or truth of ex
istence. Consequently, we say that if the
inquirer finds the phrase Infinite Intelligence or Universal Mind acceptable to
him, we then will understand that such is
God to him. In the majority of these cases
the inquirers have found these proposals of
ours commensurate with their moral or spir
itual consciousness.
All of this indicates that for those people
of today who reflect, the older religious
terminology is inadequate to express a spir
itual consciousness without offending the
wider scope of human knowledge. There are

many persons who actually labor under the

false belief that they are atheists because
they have rejected older theological termi
nology and beliefs. They have not as yet
found that there is a progressive termi
nology that aids man to find God within
the depth of his own understanding. This
personal understanding is so beautifully ex
pressed in the Rosicrucian term: God of My
Heart. Literally it means, God of ones un
derstanding, the God of ones spiritual as
well as intellectual naturein fact, the God
of the various states of his consciousness.
The God of ones heart never becomes
obsolete because it grows with the awakening and expanding consciousness of the in
dividual. A God whose definition becomes
too difficult for the human understanding
and arouses no emotional response is to man
a lost God. A God that is an ideal lying
within the inner visin of the individual and
whose conception arouses a psychic response
in the being of the believer is real to him.
It is as real to him as anything else which
he perceives. As he evolves in his spiritual
illumination, so, too, does his God expand.
He then realizes that his former conceptions
of God were wrong only to the extent of
the limitations of his previous understanding.
Many theological doctrines oblige the in
dividual to adhere to a dogmatic conception
even when the image that he has established
is no longer intmate to him. As a result,
not being able to experience the God within,
the individual becomes godless because he
has moved beyond the fixed idea transmitted
to him. The very progressive churches and
the really mystical clergymen stimulate the
moral and spiritual elements of the individ
ual. They allow the parishioner to establish
his own pattern of ideas, his own images to
represent the spiritual motivations of his
own being.
Never try to define God for another! Give
him, however, a groundwork upon which
he can erect his own spiritual structure.
This structure he must construct from the
elements of his experiences, intuitive and
objective.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.

REMEMBER THE CONVENTIONJuly 6 to II, 1952

Page i 00

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Analyzing Events
Correspondence from many members in
cludes innumerable suggestions, numerous
of which are not directly related to the
Rosicrucian teachings. Therefore, we can
not always comment upon these various sug
gestions, and, of course, cannot answer questions specifically related to other fields of
study and endeavor. Many Rosicrucians,
however, ask for advice on how to fit them
selves into the circumstances of environ
ment, particularly when events surrounding
their lives, either in their immediate community or on a world-wide scale, are con
stantly being impressed upon them.
We are, as individuis, affected by the
trend of events. World-shaking events affect us directly in our habits. That is, our
habits are interrupted either through the
additional money that is taken from our liv
ing in taxes, or by the regulations that may
in some way interfere with the material
things which we have come to accept as
everyday necessities, or at least things that
we would prefer to have about us every day.
It is not always easy to answer an indi
vidual as to how he should react to existent
conditions, because conditions themselves are
only indirectly related to the individuals
reactions. A letter reached me at the beginning of the New Year that brings this
fact very directly to consciousness. It said,
in part:
Whenever I am discouraged about world
affairs, I think how my Grandparents might
have suffered had there been a dozen commentators and news reporters giving them
hourly reports on the Battle of Gettysburg.
Up-to-the-minute news can be discouraging
news. Today, you and I are swept along
from news report to news report without
time for reflection. Radio, telvisin, and
the airplane have given us front seats from
which to observe the events of the world.
They have put our potential enemies figuratively across the Street instead of around
the world, and with nearness one loses perspective.
How true it is that perspective depends
upon reflection and analysis; and reflection
and analysis, in turn, depend upon point
of view. During World War II, many wo
men whose husbands were in military serv
ice, as well as parents whose sons and daughters served in various branches o,f the Armed

Services, almost became nervous wrecks trying to follow news events and relating those
news events to their loved ones. A prominent
psychologist advised a wife of an Army
Oflicer to select one good news broadcast
each day at the same time, and listen to it
once every twenty-four hours. When this
advice was followed, much of the nervous
tensin left this individual. Obviously, when
an individual is personally concerned with
any series of events, he is anxious that those
events be known to him. It seemed a natural
thing for many who had members of their
families in military service to listen to the
radio all day, to read every news report.
The utter confusion that resulted in the
mind of these individuis was enough to
cause the most stoical person to have a ner
vous breakdown.
With all the advantages that have come
with the improvement of communication
and transportation, there has come the added
responsibility of the exercise of reason and
judgment. This does not mean that news is
always distorted or that the report of one
news service is right while another one is
wrong. It simply means that analysis and
judgment cannot be exercised while listening
constantly to a reiteration of actual reports
of events taking place, or someone elses
interpretation of the events actually in ex
istence at the moment. Commentators have
come into our system of news reporting and
analysis to the point where we can confirm
almost any fundamental political or philo
sophical belief that we wish by choosing the
commentator with whom we agree. Many of
these men are capable, but many are pos
sibly not better able to interpret current
events than you or I.
History has shown us that the true mean
ing of events is seldom known within the
lifetime of the individual who experiences
them. It is certain that no one living in
the late seventeenth and the early eighteenth
centuries could have grasped the fact that
democracy was replacing monarchy. The
democratic tendencies were radical and the
monarchists were the conservatives, but a
change was taking place. We can look back
now and see that in spite of the support of
monarchy, its day had passed and democ
racy was becoming prevalent. Nothing could
have changed it; that is, no human interpre
tation or effort could have changed this tendency. Generally speaking, the world has

APR1L, 1952

profited by the change, and no doubt a

change is going on also today. We hope it
will result in a better world, but what it will
be we can only glimpse in the interpretation
of current events. We cannot see ultimate
ends.
This interpretation of current events may
seem to make the situation more complicated
rather than to explain it. Someone may say
that if we cannot depend upon news reporting and commentariesand even if we could
we cannot interpret correctly the trend of
eventsthen what is the use of paying at
tention to any of it? There have always
been people who were escapists, who tired
of trying to interpret the situation about
them; One hundred or more years ago they
could simply migrate somewhere else and
get out of the confusion that gave them the
trouble. Today it is not as easy. Man can
not physically go to lands or places that will
release him from the responsibilities of worldwide conditions. The technological process
of this century has made man find himself
in an environment that has expanded even
more than his scope of thought, and here,
of course, is the fundamental problem. Man
has advanced, technologically speaking. He
has vastly increased his material horizon, he
has new means of transportaron and communication, but he has not realized that in
achieving these things he has also limited
the material horizon and has not cultivated
the growth of his mental horizons.
Man today can be a pioneer, just as were
those pioneers a hundred years ago who
moved from the Eastern Coast to the Middle West of the United States and then to
the yet undeveloped and unsettled Pacific
Coast. He cannot find a new land, he can
not move physically, but the frontiers of the
mind are relatively Unexplored. Regardless
of what may be the trend of events and
the ultimate outcome, whether man reaches
a more satisfactory life and happier one
depends upon how much he will use his
own innate qualities and abilities to fit him
self into the situation of the present.
The frontiers of the mind have hardly
been touched. Their potentialities have only
within the past ten or fifteen years been
seriously considered in academic circles. The
field of telepathy, clairvoyance, intuition,
consists of subjects still looked upon by
some as superstitions. Yet man has biologically and psychologically pretty well ex

Page 101

plorad himself. The development of hygiene,

medicine, and other forms of therapeutics is
beginning to show its effect in generally bet
ter health and a longer span of life. There
fore, there is left only the development of
those abilities which are not limited by the
biologic organism, but which fall into the
realm of thought, reason, and emotion, and
into the psychic qualities which are hitherto
practically unexplored. These offer the
chance for realizations that have not yet
been more than simple ideas occasionally
toyed with in scienc-fiction.
If the universe is purposeful, if man is
ordained by a Higher Forc to be the highest form of creationin other words, if it is
the purpose implied by all religions, by
teleological philosophythen man can grow
and he can meet the problems of an everchanging material, biological, and political
environment by his own inner strength and
potentialities. If we direct our consciousness
and effort in that direction, we are, as in
dividuis, taking some part in this process.
We are raising hope for our own individual
future, as well as the hope for a better civil
ization for the human race. The scope be
fore us is unlimited. Only man in his own
limitations, and when motivated by greed
and selfishness, is limiting the frontiers of
the future.A
Why Reincarnation Interests Us
It has been said before, and it may be
repeated again, that if articles about reincamation were written in answer to every
question that comes to us on the subject,
T he Rosicrucian Forum would be devoted
almost exclusively to this subject. It is in
teresting that similar questions occur at
various points in our teachings. Each week
as new members complete the study of cer
tain monographs where the subject of rein
carnation is mentioned, questions that were
asked by other members at the same point
last month, last year, or ten years ago, are
repeated. Our Correspondence Department
of course refers these members to available
issues of The Rosicrucian Forum where the
subjects have been discussed.
At the same time, contrary to the state
ment that there is nothing new under the
sun, there do seem to be new questions or
new points of view expressed by students
advancing through these studies. These comments on reincarnation are going to be dif-

Page 102

ferent. We are not going to discuss any

thing concerning the philosophy or the
function of reincarnation, but simply try to
analyze some of the reasons why reincarna
tion interests people. Many who inquire of
this organization concerning its work and
its membership privileges indicate interest
in reincarnation before they are familiar
with the fact that the subject is given con
sideration in the Rosicrucian teachings. Most
people are fascinated by the subject when
it is presented to them, even though they
have never heard of it before, or at least
they were completely unfamiliar with more
than a general definition of the word. To
attempt to state specifically why the sub
ject interests so many people is very difficult
because to answer that question would be
to give a solution to practically all the mysteries of life.
Almost all human beings, in the privacy
of their own thinking, are interested in the
phenomena of life as a whole. Birth and
death fascnate the human race. Speculation,
religious interpretations, and social taboos
have grown out of the phenomenon of birth
and the related physical functions of the
human being, and, as far as that is con
cerned, all the phases of life that are re
lated to the process of procreation. Founded
upon the phenomenon of birth and its mysteries are our customs, social practices, the
foundation of the family, the traditions relating to courtship, marriage, and in fact,
our whole social structure more or less.
Death has an almost equal fascination.
The most primitive tribes of people about
whom we know anything had interesting
practices, many of them highly superstitious,
related to the mysteries of birth and death.
Religin depends a great deal for its founda
tion upon the appeal of its mysteries to the
human being. Birth and death are more
emphasized in most great religions than are
the processes of growth, that are intermediary.
Whatever system, theory, or even superstition that attempts to explain these mys
teries may be advanced by man, will
create interest on the part of other men.
Reincarnation, in the complete concept of
its theory, is one of the explanations. It is
an explanation that finds certain satisfaction
in the emotional life of man, and, at the
same time, meets the criterion of logical
reasoning. Man believes in, or hopes for, a
personal immortality. He generally believes

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

that one life span on this earth is limited

in both scope and potentialities. The idea of
mans continued existence after this life and
the possibilities of other lives that can com
plete unfinished projects here, and possibly
provide greater opportunities for expression,
satisfactorily answer in his mind the ques
tion of immortality from the standpoint of
his reasoning.
The interest and fascination of the sub
ject of reincarnation is found primarily in
the reaction of the human being to the new
scope of living that opens before the indi
vidual: Each person who has ever lived has
realized more or less the physical and mental
limitations that have been contributory in
difficult and unsatisfactory periods of life.
There is little hope for an individual if he
cannot look forward to the possibilities of a
broader horizon, insofar as his mental and
physical possibilities may be concerned. It
is in the theory of reincarnation that this
broader horizon is found. In fact, the hori
zon of the individual is expanded innum
erable times; it becomes infinite. With this
wider visin of possibilities, new hope is
inspired and life becomes more steady and
serene, leading to peace of mind, which is
the result, not of final achievement at this
moment, but of the promise of achievements
that may be attained and possibilities that
may be developed.
This hope and increase of visin is an im
portant factor in the formulation of an in
dividala philosophy. It gives reason to
the support of the hope of another chance,
another life, and the ever-present awareness
that this life can be a better one. Such a
theory fortifies the feelings that accompany
hope and gives man the mpetus toward
new endeavor and better living. However,
not all that is found encouraging in the
subject matter of reincarnation applies it
self to the future. The acceptance of the
theory is a strong forc in the building of
character, because as we consider the pos
sibilities of the future, our character of the
present improves, and with the growth
of character, our habits and living stand
ards also are bettered. Those who ac
cept reincarnation never forget that they
are building for themselves a Karma that
can bring benefits through the process of
reacting with the favorable circumstances
for more growth, more understanding, and
a greater ability of adaptation to the de-

APR1L, 1952

mands of life.
There are probably many other reasons
why the subject may interest us, but these
sum up the reaction of the average individual
to the possibilities that lie ahead in the
future, not limited in time but limited only
in our ability, conscientious desire, and sin
cere effort to use our potentialities and Godgiven faculties to the best of our physical
limitations.A
Autocratic Rule of A.M .O.R.C.
About five years ago a soror asked our
Forum: What is the reason for the auto
cratic rule of A.M.O.R.C.? Since this ques
tion, worded in various ways, reappears
rather frequently, we think it appropriate
that we give the same answer that was given
originally because the same information still
applies.
In America and in the democracies today,
the word autocratic has acquired a certain
obnoxious characteristic. It is reminiscent
of absolute dictatorship, where all power is
centered in one individual. .Such an indi
vidual establishes, as well, his rules of guidance, his own ideas for them and an arbitrary procedure for the application of his
power. Frequently, such amounts to despotism.
The autocratic power of A.M.O.R.C. is
centered in the Imperator, as the Supreme
authority of the Order. We find, for exam
ple, in Article II, Section 6b, of the Constitution and Statutes of the Grand Lodge,
which, for the sake of brevity, we quote only
in part: Doctrinal-ritualistic matters of the
Order of AMORC in North and South Amer
ica (including the Hierarchal authority for
the Order and all Esoteric Power) rest in the
hands of the Imperator. . . . In the Consti
tution of the Supreme Grand Lodge, Article
IV, Section 1, it is stated: The DoctrinalRitualistic Department shall embrace all
powers in the entire field of lessons and instructions, and all research and editing in
connection therewith. Also the entire field
of rituals and doctrines. It shall be vested
in and exercised by the Imperator exclusively. His authority in this field shall be
limited only by the Ancient Landmarks of
this Order as recognized by the International
Council of this Order.
Why the Imperator is given such author
ity is set forth in Section 35, Article X III
of the Grand Lodge Constitution, from which

Page 103

we quote excerpts. The whole of these sections may, of course, be read by any member
who refers to his copy of the Constitution.
That the Imperator and the Supreme offi
cers and members of the Board of Directors
of the Supreme Grand Lodge constitute the
inner congregation of the AMORC of North
and South America in accordance with the
ancient landmarks of the Order in other
lands, and other periods of time . . . and shall
constitute a separate legal group directing,
controlling, conserving and maintaining the
perpetuity of the Rosicrucian traditions and
landmarks, teachings and principies in the
jurisdiction of North and South America . . .
and retaining its powers and authorities exclusively as an incorporated body having no
general membership, and responsible only to
the State in accordance with its articles of
incorporation and to the constitution, bylaws, rules and regulations which it has
adopted, proclaimed, made public, and holds
sacred as its exclusive guide and perpetual
obligation.
From the foregoing it must be apparent to
any intelligent person that the autocratic
authority of the Imperator has certain limi
tations. He may transmit authority, direct
and control functions of the Order, but
within established boundaries. Note that the
Imperator has a body, the Board of Directors
of the Supreme Grand Lodge, which func
tions with him in his deliberations. Further
note that the Imperator and this Board act
in accordance with Ancient Landmarks of
the Order. And further note that it is their
duty not only to direct and control, but also
there is incumbent upon them the duty of
conserving and maintaining the perpetuity
of the Rosicrucian teachings and landmarks.
It is also important to note that the Board,
which includes the Imperator as president, is
responsible to the State in accordance with
its articles of incorporation and its consti
tution, by-laws, rules and regulations which
it (AMORC) has adopted, proclaimed, etc.
. . . The Supreme Grand Lodge, as an in
corporated body under the laws of the State
of California, is bound by such law. It must,
for example, function as a nonprofit Corpora
tion, furthering the interests of the Order as
set out in its constitution and bylaws.
Thus we find that the Imperators proclamations must always come within the scope
of furthering the whole interests of the Order
and that there can be no arbitrary pro-

Page 104

nouncements contrary to the fundamental

traditions or which are detrimental to the
interests of AMORC as a whole. That such
directives of the Supreme Grand Lodge and
the Imperator must so serve the Order is
clearly set forth in Article III, Section 7c of
the Constitution and Statutes of the Grand
Lodge, which says in part: The adminis
trative matters of the Order of AMORC of
North and South America affecting this
Grand Lodge or the general membership,
shall be directed by the Board of Directors
of the Supreme Grand Lodge, in accordance
with such rules and regulations as the Legislative and Judicial branches may from time
to time adopt in keeping with the spirit and
purpose of the landmarks and ideis of the
Rosicrucian Fraternity.
Can there be a misuse of such authority?
To be frank, can the properties of the Order,
its monies, real estte, or chattels be utilized
by its Imperator and members of the Board
of Directors personally? Article VI, Section
2 of the Constitution of the Supreme Grand
Lodge provides: There shall be no capital
stock and its revenues, money and property,
real or personal, shall not inure to the bene
fit of any prvate individual. Section 3 of
the same Article proclaims: All its funds
and property shall be held and devoted to
ward, the extensin of its objects.
However, let us go a little farther. All
these conditions are sufficient, as rules and
regulations, but are they observed? Is there
any safeguard to determine if they are being
enforced? What prevents Supreme officers
from actually diverting funds to their per
sonal use? You will observe from the quotation above that the Supreme Grand Lodge is
a legally incorporated body under the laws
of the State of California. It declares itself
to be a nonprofit Corporation; as such, all
monies over and beyond its current operating expenses must be used exclusively for
the express purposes of the Order. Such
funds cannot inure to the personal gain of
any individual, either as dividends, gratuities, emoluments, or the like. As a non
profit Corporation, AMORC does not pay
income tax, federal or state. Consequently,
it is subject to rigid periodical audits of its
books and accounts by both federal and state
authorities. Such experts would immediately
ascertain if the officers of AMORC were in
violation of their stewardship and trust. Suffice it to say that the enemies of AMORC

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

who, at different times, have filed vicious

charges against the Order and its officers,
have really done it a favor. These charges
have compelled extra audits to be made by
government authorities. Such audits only
further substantiate the rigid observance by
the Supreme Grand Lodge of its responsibilities.
Additional safeguards have been estab
lished by requiring all employees, who prsonally handle funds of the Order, to be
under a fidelity bond to the credit of
AMORC. Sections 13, 28, 69, and 74 of the
Statutes of the Grand Lodge set forth such
bond requirements of both officers and em
ployees. The Supreme Secretary, for ex
ample, is under a $50,000 fidelity bond. All
checks in amounts over $3,000 must be countersigned by two officers.
The accounts of the Order, its books, and
so forth, are audited annually by a certified
public accountant who is not a member of
AMORC but is a member of a well-known
accounting concern. These audits are on
file at the Grand Lodge and may be inspected by any member at any time. At
ech Convention a voluntarily formed committee of members, not only from the United
States but foreign countries as well, makes
a thorough examination into the administra
tive affairs of the Order. Frequently, mem
bers of this committee are themselves accountants. They are neither directed or
instructed in their investigation by the Su
preme or Grand Lodge officers. They pre
pare a written report of their findings which
each signs, and then the report is notarized
and read to the entire Convention from the
assembly floor.
The final paragraph by the 1947 Conven
tion Administrative Committee reads:
Frater Newman of the sub-committee emphasizes the efficiency and businesslike management and honesty of the
staff administration in comparison to
other corporations. He establishes his
contention by observing that books are
audited regularly by a C.P.A. . . . and
also the regular inspection of nonprofit
corporations by the Bureau of Interna 1
Revenue.
Each member is thi^s assured that the
Order, though under autocratic direction in
accordance with tradition, must conform to
the purposes for which it exists. The Con
stitution of the Grand Lodge provides for all

APRIL, 1952

Page 105

members to vote upon resolutions at the annual Grand Lodge Conventions, such being
expressions of will of the membership and
constituting suggestions to the Supreme
Grand Lodge.
It is often asked why we do not publish
annually the same certified financial reports
which members are at liberty to inspect at
the Grand Lodge, not only at Convention
time, but at other times. We are not a
wealthy organization in comparison to many
intemational fraternal orders. Because our
progressive attitude, our fight against intol
erance and bigotry and the furtherance of
our principies, always has and, unfortunately, always will make enemies of those
who oppose our idealism, it is advisable to
take precautions to prevent information
about our financial resources to come into
possession of such individuis. However,
each member, I repeat, who wishes to know
these facts, if he cannot visit the Grand
Lodge in person, may delegate any other
member in good standing to peruse such
reports for him.
Though members of the Grand Lodge are
not affiliated with the Supreme Grand Lodge,
this latter body will gladly permit any active
member to have an audit made of its books,
the only provision being that the audit must
be made by a certified public accountant,
recognized by the State of California. Fur
ther, such an audit, to do justice to the
AMORC, must be thorough and not super
ficial iri any sense.X
The Best Time
In our book Self Mster y and Fate With
the Cycles of L ife, the late Imperator set
forth a system for the utilization of all peri
ods of mans existence. However, we were
forced to state in the preface of this book
that the information contained therein was
to be worked out by the individual reader.
In spite of that fact, many individuis write
us asking for further information about cer
tain points in the book, or for our interpreta
tion of their analysis. We cannot enter into
correspondence on this book, the first reason
being that it would be too expensive, unless
we charged an exhorbitant price for the
book itself, and the second, that any commentary in addition to the book would simply be an interpretation of an interpretation.
For example, if an individual interprets a

part of the book in a certain way and wishes

us to comment upon his interpretation, we
are merely adding another opinion, whereas
test and analysis of the books instructions
by the individual will prove the validity and
effectiveness of the use of the principies
presented.
Our comments here are to point out that
what may be in accordance with the various
cycles analyzed in this book as the best
time to do anything, must still be considered
as a relative matter by the individual reader.
This does not in any way question the va
lidity of the advice and the books instruc
tions, but it does make us realize that all
time is artificial and the most complete
knowledge possible on the part of man of
Cosmic influence can be only partially interpreted in terms of time.
The system outlined in Self M astery and
Fate With the Cycles of L ife is not arbitrary
and absolutely binding. The cycles in their
effectiveness do not rob man of his individuality or do they permit him to forsake
individual initiative and effort. A good illustration of this has probably been used
many times, but it is still the best to illustrate this point of view: One can row a boat
across the stream, against the stream, or
with the stream. We all know that rowing
with the stream would take the least physi
cal effort. In such a case, one is utilizing
forces already in existence; that is, the forc
of the stream is being used in addition to
the human forc. The same thing is true in
regard to the various daily periods in the
book, Self Mastery and Fate. If we can use
a period that is conducive to the success of
the thing which we plan, it is to our ad
vantage to do so.
In the reality of existence, there are times
when we cannot get to where we want to go
by rowing downstream. In other words,
there are circumstances in life that literally
forc us to cross the stream, or even to go
against the current. The same fact applies
to the cycles of life. There are occasions,
because of poor planning, mistakes or errors,
either intentional or through ignorance, that
we are faced with situations causing us to
have to do a thing at a time when it may
not be ideal. Such a circumstance does not
mean that we are doomed to failure from
the beginning. This is an important fact
which the student of Self M astery and Fate
must realize.

Page 106

Man is not doomed to any fate if he exerts proper intelligence and reason. It is
more difficult to row a boat upstream than
to row it downstream, but an objective can
be obtained in either case. If the place to
which we have to go is up a stream, we will
have to put forth the effort and go in that
direction. If we have to do something at
a time that is not ideally conducive to the
thing we have to do, it is going to be more
difficult, and we are going to find circumstances that are not going to be easy to surmount in order to accomplish our task. However, when an individual says that he cannot or will not do a necessary act simply
because it is the wrong period or the wrong
time for him to act, that individual is simply
lazy. No human effort is doomed to failure
because of the time the event is begun. On
the other hand, it is more sure of success if
the factors of experience, reason, and timing
ar or can be taken into consideration. This
whole argument summarizes itself in the
fact that time should be mans servant and
not his master.
As has frequently been repeated in these
pages and in our monographs, time is a
man-made thing. Time is no different, or
rather, the units of time are no different
than the units for measuring linear space.
Man has devised feet, yards, rods, inches,
meters, and other convenient methods of
measurement; and he has devised seconds,
minutes, hours, weeks, months, and years,
and so forth, in the same way as units of
the measurement of time. That none of
these systems are perfect is evidence that
they are man-made, and when they are
man-made they are subject to mans limitations. True vales lie within man and not
in his interpretation of events. Events go on
continuouslythey are concurrent. We become conscious of those that affect our lives,
but they all have their existence in time.
While we are trying to utilize the time of
our conscious existence to fit in most cooperatively and harmoniously with these
events, they are contemporary with our own
lives. If we fit into the events in our environment we are in a better position to work
harmoniously with them. If we do not, we
are misfits, and as a result, we will socially,
economically, and even spiritually, lack
something in our total being and growth.
However, if man can keep in sight the fact
that any valu which is limited by time is

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

transitory, he will be able to keep in mind,

at the same time, that all vales which en
dure regardless of time are infinite, and
therefore, exist independently of man and
his plans, and are a part of the eternal
vales of the Cosmic.
It is within this sphere that man should
attempt to find ultima te valu. His attention should be directed, at least part of the
time, toward the understanding of those
things which endure regardless of the transi
tory nature of the physical World. He will
then not be a slave of time because he will
realize that time is only incidentalthat
his real purpose and achievements lie outside the limitations of time. He will realize,
further, that the nature of the Cosmic is a
vibratory forc infusing all the universe,
and wherever he can, he will utilize these
forces in accordance, for example, with the
method outlined in Self M astery and Fate;
he will further realize that the potentialities
of his own being are not limited by the ex
istence of these cycles.
Emerson once said something to the effect that this time, like all times, is a good
time if we know what to do with it. In the
over-all history of man, there have not been
any bad times. True, there have been times
of difficulty, economically or otherwise, but
if we look back in retrospect to events in our
own lives we can see how we could have
used time more to our advantage. Therefore, if man will advance his thoughts and
his contemplations of true valu, make his
aim higher than anything limited by time or
any other material limitation, he will direct
himself toward greater achievements, greater
purposes, and te more free to utilize the
present moments to their best advantage
rather than having to live to regret the
past A
Are Men Born Good?
A frater in Caada arises to address our
Forum. H says: In one of our mono
graphs there is given an analysis of certain
mystical principies which are contained in
the Book of Genesis. In fact, there is reference to the divine crea tion of man. It
says: He created man good and pur, capable of choosing between good and evil. This
implies that God desired man to choose be
tween good and evil. But in the Christian
Bible, Chapter Two, Verse 17, of Genesis, it

APRIL, 1952

is also stated: But of the tree of knowledge

of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it:
for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou
shalt surely die. Herein lies an inconsistency.
Can we reconcile these two views in our
Forum?
A reconciliation of the divergent expressions in the Christian Bible is quite impossible. Often principies are diametrically opposed, as every authority of exegetics knows.
With respect to the last quotation by the
frater, this would have it appear that death
is a punishment to be feared. Conversely,
however, we find in Job 3:17: There the
wicked cease from troubling: and there the
weary be at rest. So, we shall confine ourselves only to a consideration of whether
man was born good and whether he shall
acquire knowledge by which he shall have
an awareness of evil.
In the Cosmic, in the whole of divine being, there is neither good or evil, as men
cali them. The conten of good as defined
in our man-made moral codes is a consequence of mans psychological adjustment to
his environment, his society, his religious
precepts, and his personal philosophy. There
are acts, the results of which are offensive
to our traditional tastes and conventions. We
are accustomed to designate these as evil.
There are other acts which are severely disturbing to our psychic selves, to our intuitive
sense of right vales. These, too, would be
designated as wrong and evil. Thus, the
self, the objective and subjective aspects of
it, determine the standards by which we conceive good. There is no innae universal
code of good which is had by all mankind.
This is most easily determined by an examination of the accepted codes of living
of peoples of different nations. What one
people will execrate, another will accept
without offense to their social or spiritual
dignity.
The fact that in every society there are
certain proscriptions, or taboos, which are
similar, is still no proof that man has actually been imbued with a standard of goodness in terms of dos and donts. By experience, born out of their social relationships, men have learned that certain conduct
is conducive to the welfare of self, and that
another is detrimental; that which is detrimental is taboo, the prohibitivethe evil.
That which is beneficial is the good. The

Page 107

more or less social ban on theft is an example of how our conscience is molded by
customs and necessities. If permitted, theft
would destroy society and the collective
good which comes from it. The effects of
theft are easily realized as detrimental to
the welfare of rthe individual. Instinctively
man has a possessive sense, that is, the attachment of things to self. Theft, therefore,
becomes a crime against his inner being. It
appears to him to oppose his spiritual mo
tives. To man it seems, then, to be a natural
evil. Those who steal are those individuis
who have as yet a limited sense of vales.
The immediate benefit which they derive
from the theft outweighs their realization of
the detrimental, accumulative effects of permitting such conduct to continu in society.
Does this mean that conscience is wholly
a tradition or a conditioned behavior? No,
not entirely. Conscience goes beyond this.
We may say that conscience is the moral
harmony of self. The goodness of our being
is that which brings it into harmony with
all that furthers its various attributes. Physical goodness is healtha harmony of the
body and mind. Intellectual goodness is that
which satisfies the reasoningan idealism.
Spiritual goodness is that which causes us
to extend compassion and the satisfaction of
our personal self to aid othersas in charity
and service. This spiritual goodness is the
moral nature of man. It is an exalted expression of self. It puts us more directly in
harmony with the impersonal, Cosmic
forces.
We adapt to our moral harmony or con
science the kind of conduct which we interpret as exemplifying it. Thus, men can be
motivated by conscience in distant lands,
and yet their codes of good be quite different.
Men are born with this basic motivation of
conscience but not its conten. This con
science arises from the self seeking to expand itself, to feel for others as it does for
its own immediate being. This expansin of
self is gradual. It begins with the physical
being of man, then advances to the abstract,
or intellectual interest, and finally, attains
to the impersonalto a feeling for mankind
as a whole and for the Cosmic. Man has
attained the highest good when he loves,
that is, finds pleasure in the profundity of
the Cosmic and his own oneness with it.
Obviously, this greater goodness, or love,

Page 108

qualifies all the other loves and forms of

goodness. The truly spiritually good person
is likewise a good neighbor, a good citizen a
good parent, and a good husband or a good
wife.
Though there is no standard of evil in the
Cosmic, as stated, yet there is a human con
duct which constitutes such. In other words,
we may select or develop a code which may
be more or less in accord with Cosmic motivation. When we deny this motiva tion
within ourselves to become in harmony with
the highest expression of self and the Cosmic,
we are then violating a universal drive. We
are, in fact, suppressing Cosmic impulses.
Men are bom with the ability of knowing
justice, as Scrates has told us. In other
words, we can comprehend when our be
havior causes suffering to others, when it is
of a kind we would not want to experience
personally. Thus, vicariously, we know the
pain that others' can have as a result of
certain of our deeds. To disregard such is
Cosmically a wrong. It is not wrong because
of any Cosmic declaration, but, rather, because We wilfully oppose the natural har
mony of the higher states of our conscious
ness of self.
From the foregoing, it may be understood
that man is actually capable pf choosing be
tween good and evil or the harmony and
inharmony of the higher aspect of self. Con
sciousness is sensation. Self-consciousness is
a realization of the willit is an awareness
of our faculty to choose sensations. By will
we can make self what we want it. We can
limit it, or expand it. By will we can enjoy
goodness by choosing those sensations which
gratify the moral self. Will makes a contrast possible; it permits us to select one set
of desires as against another. If we were
wholly autonomous beings, there would be
no self. There would be no ability to eval
ate the varying sensations and to prefer
the good of them. Let us not mistake the
fact that goodness is pleasure. If there were
not pleasure in goodness, whether physical,
intellectual or spiritual, men would not want
it. By being able to choose the good, we are
able to enjoy the rewards it brings.
Some may say that so-called evil brings
great pleasure to many men. That is true,
for such evil is usually sensual and consti
tutes physical pleasure, or a gratification of
the appetites. However, the greatest pleas

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ures are those which expand selfthe intel

lectual ideis and the virtues. Persons who
are wholly sensual do not know what they
have sacrificed. They cannot realize the
greater good and its pleasure. They are
like children, or aborigines, who pick up
bright pieces of glass or pebbles whose intrinsic valu is worthless, and ignore objects
of a greater valu near at hand whose valu
they cannot realize.X
Are All Fears Negative?
A past officer of the Order in London,
speaking before our Forum says: The doc
trine of the Order in regard to fear is that it
is wholly negative, that is to say, that it is
engendered by an absence of something,
usually knowledge. Can the Forum assist in
reconciling this tenet with the many instances of fear of the known factors of life?
Take, for example, the victim of the torture
chamber about to be bumed; he does not
lack knowledge of the effect of buming. Is
this not positive fear? Similarly, a patient
in the hospital may have regular inspections
without anesthetics for certain reasons; after
the first visit there is a full knowledge of
what is coming next time, plus a sinking
feeling in the solar plexusfearon each
subsequent occasion. He who feels no fear
can never be brave. Perhaps fear is positive
and has valu in a positive way.
Admittedly, fear may be positive, but all
fears are not positive. Fear is one of the
emotions and has an instinctive relationship
to caution. In fact, we may say that caution
is modified fear. Undoubtedly, caution
arises from perceiving circumstances which
confuse the observer and arouse his suspicion as to their possible effect upon his wel
fare. This caution gives the observer the
opportunity to adapt himself to the environ
ment. He may retreat, flee if he thinks there
is actual danger, or proceed to defend him
self if need bewhich would counteract the
danger. It is patent that without this in
stinctive factor of caution, advanced life
forms would destroy themselves more easily
than they do. This caution is probably like
the instincts-the result of a muta tion of the
protoplasm and the genes, over eons of time.
Reactions to certain conditions, hostile or
threatening to the organic being, have produced in a manner not clearly understood
that psychic response to possible danger

APR1L, 1952

which we now know as caution.

Fear, as said, is a development of caution;
it is alarm over what the reason or the instincts know, or the imagination presumes
as being potentially dangerous. Most animals instinctively fear fire, even though
they have never been bumed. This knowl
edge, this reaction, has been instilled in the
psychic consciousness, the intelligence of the
cells of the animal, and is born out of generations of experience with fire. With man,
fear is a combination of this innate intelli
gence or instinct and his reason and imagi
nation. Through hearsay, or by personal
experience, man has leamed that fire burns;
thus, when he observes it, or that which
suggests it, he reasons or imagines that herein lies danger. The positive quality of fear,
then, is the opportunity it provides to fend
off threatening danger to the preservation of
ones own being or interests.
The negative aspect of fear is much more
prevalent among human beings. By negative,
we mean fears that are ungrounded; they are
engendered by the unknown, by an anticipation of conditions that do not exist. An
unbridled imagination can often distort an
incident, that would otherwise provoke mere
caution, into a seemingly terrifying anxiety.
Knowiedge qualifies many of our observations by supplying the true facts of a situation, thus removing it from the realm of
speculation and superstition. We may use
the analogy of men who suddenly witness a
startling astronomical phenomenonas a
brilliant, unfamiliar light in the heavens.
These men we shall presume, have no knowl
edge of astronomical laws; likewise, they
have perhaps acquired a sense of guilt because of certain social violations, immoralities, in which they have participated. They
are thus apt to believe, as history has shown,
that the phenomenon they observe is a visitation of the Deity, a Divine punishment about
to be inflicted upon them. That arouses the
emotions of fear and anxiety. As a result of
ignorance exciting their imagination, they
come to dread a condition which is nonexistent. It is a negative fear because they
have no knowledge, no experience, to substantiate it.
The unknown, the mysterious, startles and
alarms most men, because it precipitates a
sense of helplessness, the realization of an
inability to cope with the problem. That,

Page 109

in tum, arouses the emotion of fear. Under

the mpetus of emotional stimulus, the im
agination distorts all the receptor impressions which are had, that is, that which is
seen and heard. It is natural then to com
pose an idea that is commensurate with the
fear which is felt. In other words, the emo
tion of fear is symbolized by those ideas,
those mental images, which by experience
are fearful to us. A child, for further analo
gy, who is afraid of the dark, when looking
into a darkened room, imagines that he sees
within it those things which by personal ex
perience, or by having been told to him, he
has come to fear. Such fears are most detri
mental; they dissipate nervous energy and
temporarily disorganize the personality.
When something appears to arouse fear,
we should, if possible, determine whether
the fear is a direct result of what we perceive, or the consequence of a suggestion enlarged to unreality by our imagination. At
such a time, will should be exerted through
training to apply the reason. We should analyze and decide whether the object is as we
think it is or whether it is merely a random
association of ideas caused by the emotional
influence of imagination. If reason and analysis determine that our experience justifies
fear in that there is harm therein, then the
fear has served its positive end. The fear can
thenin most instancesbe removed by retreat from the circumstances or by calling
on our other powers to combat the danger.
The strengthening of the will, a determined
resistance to the danger, excites the adrenal
glands. Our muscles become taut; we acquire added strength, and the secretion of
certain of the endocrino glands makes us
less conscious of pain in such an ordeal. In
other words, we display bravery.
Fear should not be sustained for any
length of timeeven when it is positive,
that is, in the sense that there is a logical
ground for the fear. A fearful or anxious
state if endured for a long time causes a permanent impairment to the health, as is well
known. Many fears are caused functionally.
They are the result of functional nervous
disorders, as neurosis. These latter are subjective emotional conflicts caused principally by repressions and frustrations which, in
tum, cause the emotion of fear, or anxiety,
to be dminant. The subjective cause of the
conflict is not realized readily by the objec-

Page 110

tive mind. If it were, we would flee the cause

or combat it, conquer it, as we do those realities that we perceive objectively and fear.
The sensations of this disturbed emotion are
translated into ideas which have no ground
in reality. The objective mind attaches to
the impulses of fear those ideas which seem
best to express it. Since such ideas are not
the true causes of the fear, the victim is thus
continually combatting shadows which he
will never conquer because they are unreal.
It becomes necessary for psychiatrists or
trained psychoanalysts, to interpret these
symbols, these vicarious ideas of the objec
tive, and by them reach into the subjective
mind to find the latent causes of the fear.
This is a most difficult process and requires
considerable time. At first the patient will
not fully confide his anxieties to another;
further, a complete review of the life of the
individual is necessary to gain a knowledge
of the circumstances out of which the sym
bols of the anxiety may have developed.
These functional fears, as we choose to
cali them, may occur at intervals without
being accompanied by any definite ideation.
The person contines to have a feeling of
tensin, depression, and a sense of apprehension as of a pending danger, but without any
perspicuous notion of just what it is that is
feared. Particularly does this occur after the
neurotic patient has been taking treatments
for some time. The treatment brings about
a cessation of the familiar objective pattern
of his fears. He leams that such are not the
true causes of his nervous State. For a time,
then, he is at a loss as to what to associate
with these sensations which he still experiences. The emotional state is real to him,
but the content he has given it is not. He
then knows that his fears are negative but
that there is a subjective condition which
must be remedied.
These functional nervous disorders causing aberrations of the emotions are not in
any way related to the intelligence of the
patient. He may be equally as intelligent
as a well person; he may be exceedingly
rational, but he finds it difficult to disassociate these dominant emotional impulses from
the ideas which attach themselves to them.
The more imaginative and sensitive an indi
vidual, the more readily is there an attachment of ideas to these uncontrolled sensa
tions of fear.X

THE ROSICRUCjAN FORUM

Tape Recorded Oiscourses

Twelve- and fifteen-minute oral addresses
by the Imperator and other officers of the
organization may be obtained from the
Grand Lodge. They are intmate, personal,
and have high-fidelity sound. Listen to these
messages by the officers. They are the next
best thing to attending a Convocation where
they speak in person.
If you have a tape recorder which has a
speed of 71/2 " per second, the Grand Lodge
can provide you with one of these tape
recordings. The average time of the recorded
discourse is fifteen minutes. You may rent
one, including postage to you, for a twoweek period (foreign countries one month)
for the sum of one dollar ($1.00). Rental
outside of North America is $1.25. The
renter must pay the retum postage, which
would be a very small amount. The renter
must also assume responsibility for any
damage to the tape recording while in his
possession.
It is suggested that you write the Technical Department requesting a list of tape
recordings that are available for rental at
the rates mentioned above. If you live in
the United States, please endose a stamped
envelope for reply.
Tape recordings are provided to lodges and
chapters without any charge.
It is understood that the only subjects
available are those appearing on the list, and
those additional subjects which will be added
from time to time. No recordings will be
made specially under any circumstances, except for the specific purposes of a Lodge or
Chapter.X
W hy Destruction In Nature?
A frater, a physician in Midwestem
United States, arises and speaks to our assembly: In a recent monograph there appears the statement, The Universe is governed by major and minor laws; in fact, the
minor laws are actually not separate laws
at all but variations of the major laws. Consequently, they do change and cease to be.
The major laws, however, are immutable.
The minor laws at times seem to be diametrically opposed to the major ones or exceptions to them, but an analysis of them always
proves that they have their existence only
in the major laws, and so, in fact, are in
harmony with them. It is the minor laws

APR1L, 1952

which bring about the conditions of violence

in nature, and which appear t man as chaotic states. This is because man cannot comprehend the part that these laws play in the
universal plan.
I will appreciate an explana tion of the
above, particularly the statement beginning:
It is the minor laws which bring about the
conditions of violence in nature . . . How is
this to be related to the severe Kansas floods
of last summer, the Italian floods of last
fall, the recent volcanic eruptins in the
Philippines, and the current disastrous
weather in California, to use some recent
examples of violence in nature which cause
hurt to man and cause him to wonder why
they happen?
By major laws are meant those which
to human experience seem to be etemal and
immutable. The recurrence of their phe
nomena can be predicted with assurance.
Thus man may arbitrarily ascribe to them
a purpose. From what follows from them,
as an apparent cause, he infers that there
is a reason for their existence. Unfortunately, man does not realize that their effects
may follow necessarily instead of intentionally. When men have come to accept as
laws of nature that which produces condiditions not anticipated, or contrary to the
purposes that have been ascribed to them
by men, confusion arises. Often it is not
realized that within the cycle of the recur
rence of a major law may exist minor causes
and effects. They are the threads that form
the pattern of the greater cycle. These minor
laws are often not discernible until there is
some outstanding manifestation of their par
ticular nature. At such times what follows
from them may seem to be contrary to the
larger pattern of which they are an integral
part.
Early man conceivedand the thought
still prevails in many circlesthat the hu
man was the object, the whole purpose of
the universe. Everything that was done,
created, changed, or brought forth was to
further the interests of mankind. When
man accepted himself as the most important
being of this earth and for centuries be
lieved the earth to be the central point of
the universe, everything in mans reasoning
became subordnate to himself. In fact,
most of the hagiographies, writings and expositions of the great religious leaders, sup

Page 111

port that view. There is nothing, however,

in nature, as yet revealed by the empirical
sciences, which bears out such an assumption. Man is an advanced being among
living things. His consciousness of self, his
intllect, gives him a greater scope of the
whole of reality than does any being which
is as yet known to exist. This scope of
knowledge and inner perception is, however,
very conditioned or limited in comparison
with the whole of reality. Man is yet quite
finite, quite insignificant, in the Cosmic
sense.
It is far more rational to say that man is
here because of the earth and natural forces
rather than as a fulfillment of them. For
analogy, a flower is no less beautiful or fragrant coming as a result of the combination
of the elements of the soil, moisture, life
forces from the energy of the sun, than if
such had been intended for it. Man is so
constituted that he thinks it necessary to give
every manifestation a specific intentional
cause. However, such thinking is most often
inconsistent with his own experience. For
example, there are things which man plans
and in the course of their unfoldment other
things or events occur which were quite
unexpected. Man chooses to cali these unexpected effects accidents. They are, in fact,
the result of causes behind which his in
tent did not lie. They carne about not as
purpose but as necessity. A so-called accident is not an exception to a cause but the
effect of one which was not conceived or
perceived by man. Every action must have
a reaction. Action does not need to plan its
reaction. The reaction, in fact, is a part of
the action. They are inseparable. They
must by necessity be related because they
are integrated, that is, constitute the whole
of the phenomenon.
Destruction in nature is mans way of
saying that nature has opposed his sense of
vales. Nature has given us no standard of
normalcy or perfection. It is man who prefers a sunny day to a rainy one, spring
weather to a wintry storm and tranquility
to violent earthquakes. His means of arriving at his standards are his own satisfac
tions, his likes and dislikes. In the over all,
transitions and expressions of nature, the
earthquakes, the volcanic eruptins, the tidal
waves and floods have an equal place with
the temperance which man prefers. Thus

Page 112

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

what man calis destruction is a departure

from a state or condi tion that he wishes to
be immutable.
In these destructions of nature man is
often hurt, physically, mentally, socially and
economically. Such a hurt is not intentional.
It is not the consequence of the purpose of
inflicting punishment on mortals, as theologians are wont to have us believe. These
destructions are natural changes to which
man must adjust himself. He is hurt only
when he cannot conform to natural phenomena, direct it, or escape its forces. When
we set up conditions as ideal and perfect,
expecting no change in them or ignoring the
possibility of one, where nature is concemed,
we will inevitably be hurt. Remember that
to natural phenomena there is, for further
analogy, no river bed or channel in which
the water should be confined. There is but
a varying flow of water caused by changing
natural conditions. If man wants to maintain a specific condition such as having a
river confined as a bed or a particular regin,
he must make the effort to bring this about.
A flood is not a destruction in nature. It is
only an interference with mans conception
of what nature should do or be.X
Subjective Knowledge
A frater living in Honduras, and affiliated
with the Spanish-American Divisin, writes
that although his wife has not indicated any
specific interest in the Rosicrucian Order or
the subjects which constitute its teachings,
he has frequendy been surprised by remarks
she has made that have been consistently in
accord with the Rosicrucian teachings. Furthermore, he states that what is more remarkable is that upon a number of occasions
she has told him certain facts, or incidents,
or has discussed subjects which he later found
in one of the monographs. This person, then,
could not possibly have secretly read the
monographs or had access to the Rosicrucian
teachings.
Actually this is not as unusual as it might
appear to be to this frater. Due to the fact
that his wife has never evidenced interest in
the teachings of this organization, or even
in the study of philosophy, mysticism, or
psychology, he has formed the opinin that
she has no knowledge whatsoever of these
subjects. Obviously, this is no doubt true,
but the experience he relates has proved

that subjectively, this knowledge is lying, as

it were, in the wifes subjective or subconscious mind. It is quite possible that from
sofre past experience, either in this life or
possibly another, the knowledge has been
implanted, and the association of ideas, as
a result of her husbands discussioi of cer
tain principies that he has studied and is
considering, has brought this information to
the surface of her consciousness.
It is, of course, theoretical to explain this
condition in such a simple form. There can
be no absoluto proof that it is the correct
explanation, but it seems consistent with our
basic teachings and philosophy that there
reside in the subjective consciousness of each
of us the potentialities, knowledge, and ex
perience upon which we may draw when and
if the circumstances make it right for us to
become conscious of them. In the February
1952 issue of T he Rosicrucian Forum, under
the title, Growth through Realization, some
of the psychological principies were discussed
relating to the functioning of the subjective
mind, and the relationship existing between
the subjective and objective minds. We will
not repeat here the same information, except
to say briefly that our conscious processes
are constantly existent in the objective mind.
In other words, we cannot know what is in
the subjective mind, except that such knowl
edge may exist and is transferred into the
objective mind, and, in tum, becomes a part
of our objective conscious awareness.
The processes of concentration and meditation are means or techniques in which we
are trained in the Rosicrucian teachings to
develop our ability to gain from the subjec
tive mind its experiences and knowledge.
This process is sirhfilar to increasing the efficiency of a sense faculty in that we are
improving our ability to draw upon the po
tentialities that lie within our own being.
Other circumstances that make us aware of
this subjective knowledge may be either
intentional or accidental. It is an oftenrepeated story by individuis that a place
where one had never been before may give,
the impression that one had been there. A
possible explanation has been given in support of a theory of reincamationthat the
surroundings, through association, have permitted an idea, concept, or memory, long
buried in the subconscious mind, to be brought
to the surface of objective consciousness.

APRIL, 952

Frequently, concerning anything that we

may hear or read, we may receive a sudden
impression that we have already heard about
this thing or fact, or that at some time we
have studied a similar subject. Such associations make it possible for us to realize that
which is already available within ourselves.
Most serious students have had such confirmation of this experience that they need
little encouragement to realize the fact that
has been stressed in many religions and
philosophiesthat the ultmate reality is
closely associated with the inner self of the
individual. This was expressed by Christ in
the words, The Kingdom of Heaven is with
in you. The potentialities of existence are
limited only by our objective conscious realization of them. If it were possible for us
to bring into our consciousness all knowl
edge, all facts or principies, there would be
no more questions, there would be no indecisions, no hesitancieswe would be in a
realm of perfection. This is impossible, at
least within a lifetime, because perfection,
like all other of natures processes, is a process of growth.
While we may not be at>le to reach per
fection in one life, we can reinforce our ex
perience and knowledge by being willing to
draw upon knowledge and experience that
already resides within us. The whole scope
of Rosicrucianism is a development of the
inner self.
The word development may
carry little meaning due to its frequent repetition, but if we think of it not so much in
terms of development as of knowledge or
realization, we will leam that by depending upon our intuitionthe knowledge that
comes from and through the subjective con
sciousnesswe will have a solid foundation
upon which to build further knowledge and
experience.
It is literally true that the Kingdom of
Heaven is within us; that is, the means to
reach the ultmate reality, the ultmate in
knowledge, and the ultmate in perfection,
must come through the channel of our own
soul, not through the words, ideas, and experiences of someone else. Do not be deceived, then, by the flowery words of an
itinerant lecturer, or the writer of a book
with a new-sounding phrase for its title. Remember that while these things may be of
interest, inspiration, or entertainment valu,

Page 113

the ultmate work of self-development is

closely related to self.A
Lave of Cruelty
A frater of Baltimore, addressing our Forum, says: What is the na ture of the joy
of so-called evil? It seems that there is a
genuine joy experienced in accomplishing a
known evil. For instance, children who are
good and innocent, deliberately play horrid
pranks on elders as I did when I was a
boyand experience the utmost joy, a
pleasurable sensation, that seems to come
from the inside. Grownups also deliberately
cheat on their mates and enjoy their actions,
not so much in a physical Sense but actually
as a mental satisfaction. Hundreds of other
examples can be cited. The so-called morbid
pleasure that seems to imply a purely atavistic animal pleasure, as sadistic murder or
torture, from what dark, ominous beginnings
does it come? Have the cells of our being
some perverted nature?
The evident cruelty among human beings
is particularly shocking when it is an established fact that the majority of the lower
animals do not display these sadistic tendencies. Most of the cruelty or rather apparent indifference to the hurts of others,
exhibited by children, disappears as they
mature. This is primarily due to personal
experience and social influences as the conventions of society and moral codes. The
very small child is commonly unable to sympathetically extend a personal hurt to a
playmate or to an animal. He knows or has
experienced a hurt from having his own ears
pulled, for example, but apparently does not
realize that his puppydog will experience the
same pain from like actions. The self of the
small child, in its expression, is quite im
mediate, that is, limited to his own being.
The normal child soon roalizes that other
beings beside himself are sentient. Parents
and teachers point out that his acts may
bring hurt to others. He will then, most usually, refrain from hurting that which has
a cise relationship to and affection for him
self.
Children, at times, however, will torment
both animals and humans even when aware
of the ill effects on their victims. As the frater
says, they seem to enjoy this cruelty. The
pleasure derived from such acts, the thrill, is
not in the inflicting of the hurt but rather

Page 114

arises from the excitement, the stimulus, of

the danger involved. The child knows that
such an act as tormenting an older person
or an animal is socially prohibited. He fur
ther realizes that to be detected means incurring wrath and punishment. These hazards then constitute an adventure which gratifies the emotional nature of the child.
The destructiveness of children and of
youth is often an act of defiance against restriction and to indicate masterfulness. The
child or youth has not yet acquired. a skill
or sufficient supremacy in any particular
talent from which the ego can derive great
satisfaction. As a result, it feels confined by
restriction and quite inferior. To vilate restriction and destroy an object is to liberate
the ego and to express a mastery of that in
which another has excelled. It reduces the
achievement of the creator to the level of
the power and influence of the one destroying it. It is the psychological equivalent of
saying: You are not so great but that I
can reduce to a shambles what you have
created.
The way to combat this destructive tendency in children is to inclcate in them a sense
of responsibility for their surroundings. This
constitutes teaching them the valu of the
things of their environment. This, in turn,
requires them to cultvate what talents they
have and to encourage them to make things
in which they will have a personal pride.
Once their energy, mental and physical, has
an outlet constructively, they acquire a new
kind of mastership from which they derive
a wholesome pleasure and, as well, a respect
for the achievements of others.
Cruelty also results from anger. This emotion of anger arises when a strong impulse
is suppressed. In other words, when one
has a strong desire to do something and is
prevented from realizing it, there is engendered the emotion of anger. The emotion
then blinds the reason and the usual sensitivity and sympathy of the personality. The
individual strikes out to combat the cause of
his anger. It is the intention to hurt that
which appears to hurt him. It is a retaliatory
act. Cruelty and the diabolical tortures of
religious persecution, as practiced during the
Spanish Inquisition, were motivated by hate.
The hate was prompted by the blind devo
tion to a religious faith. It was conceived
by such devotees that what opposed their

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

church in doctrine hurt it, and thus the

hurt became personal and resulted in a hateful retaliation. This explanation accounts for
the conduct of the Catholic layman and the
ordinary clergy during the Inquisition. The
higher ecclesiastics, however, who tolerated
the conditions, could not be excused on such
psychological grounds.
In some instances there is what we may
term the psychic disorganization of some personalities to the extent that there is enjoyment in intentionally hurting others. Such
is not caused by the emotion of anger or the
thrill of excitement. This sadistic conduct is
a maladjustment of sexual satisfaction. Sex
ual pleasure is had through the personal ex
perience of pain, or the inflicting of hurt
upon others. Such persons are abnormal and
need psychiatric treatment. This psychic disorganization occurs sometimes as a misplaced
or limited sympathy. The sympathy may be
confined just to animals and pets and there
will be no realization of a hurt inflicted upon
human beings. Youthful murderers who are
evidently quite callous and unconcerned over
the horrendous nature of their crime have
cried and been quite agitated over a sick pet
dog or cat.
,
Psychologically, these persons can be
helped if one can reach the depths of the
subconscious and influence the greater self.
Reprimanding and reasoning is of little avail
to these psychically disorganized individuis.
They cannot emotionally respond to the feel
ings which one may try to express to them.
They must be made to psychically extend
their sympathy, the responsivity of their
feeling, to others, that is, beyond themselves.
Such states as these are not due to any per
versin of the intelligence of the cells, as the
frater inquires; it is more a functional prob
lem than a structural one.X
The Eyes of a Mystic
A frater of Caada now asks a question
of our Forum. Quite often reference is
made to the fact that the eyes of a true
mystic are different from those of the
average person so that it is possible to recognize a mystic among other persons by look
ing at his eyes. I am certain that this subject
will be of interest to other fratres and sorores
as well as to myself, if it is discussed in the
Forum.
The eyes have often been poetically called

APR1L, 1952

the windows of the soul. This phrase

implies that, through the eyes, there are reflected the profouiid moods of the individual.
The eyes are exceedingly expressive because
of the sensitivity of these organs. They react
to very high frequencies of energy, as light,
and to delicate nerve impulses as well.
The muscles of the eye are very mobile
and responsive. * It requires considerable
forc of will to cause the eyes not to blink
or the lids not to partly cise over, or not
to open widely in response to various emo
tional changes. Psychological experiments in
universities and clinics have demonstrated
the reaction of facial muscles and the shape
of the eye to various stimuli. The tightening of the jaw muscles, the grating of the
teeth, the opening of the mouth, the slight
flaring of the nostrils, are all indicative of
emotional stimuli. We know, for example,
the hard expression that comes over the
face when one is angr}>\ This is an involuntary emotional response carried over from
early times when man, if angry, had to
prepare for personal combat. He tensed his
muscles so as to be ready to spring into
action, to repel attack. The facial muscles
likewise were tensed by being co-ordinated
with the body. Now such particular tensin
has come to follow a pattern which is fa
miliar to us and indicates that the individual
is angry.
The opening of the eyes in wonderment,
the contraction of the pupils in terror, the
welling up of tears, all of these depict emo
tional states of the individual. The intelligent person also usually manifests, if in good
health, a penetrating gaze. It is not objectionable, but it is a keenness that is easily
noticeable. It is primarily the result of the
habit of acute observation, the involuntary
focus of the visual consciousness of an intelligent mind. The intelligence causes the
individual to be alert and to have a pene
trating glance. The energy of the glance is
subtly felt as a radiation from the eyes of a
person. Many people have commented later
about a conversation they have had with
an especially intelligent person, saying that
his visin seemed to pierce their very being.
It is because the individual had the faculty
of excellent concentration when in conversa
tion or when observing something. The
whole power of his consciousness was
brought to focus upon the object of his inter

Page 115

est. This intense energy radiates its vibratory

forc and it can be detected by the aura of
others when they are in cise contact with it.
The human eyes, according to physiologists and neurologists, consume about twenty-five percent of the total amount of nerve
energy expended. The eyes, through the
sympathetic nervous system, are more re
sponsive to the psychic self and its forces.
Anxiety, fear, tranquility, and inspiration
are reflected not only in the forms which
the eyes assume and the facial muscles
about them, but in an intangible radiation
which is psychically detected by a sensitive
observer. Such an observer may think that
he sees, in the organ of the eye, changes
which, as a familiar pattern, he identifies
as the reaction to the individuals emotional
or psychological State. More often what he
experiences is the vibratory energy which is
involuntarily transmitted to him and which
his own psychic self interprets.
The question as to wh.ether the eye actually transmits an intangible psychic forc,
as the ancients claim, was investigated years
ago in the laboratories of our Rose-Croix
University. Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, in one
of the monographs, relates the nature of the
scientific experiment. Professors of ur fac
ulty, having recognized degrees in physics
and psychology, and who were Rosicrucians
as well, directed the experiments. Water
was placed in a small glass bowl so that it
was filled to the top. A small metal ring
about one inch in diameter was suspended
by a thread into the water. The lower edge
of the ring just barely penetrated the surface of the water. It was then very slowly
raised. As the ring was lifted, the viscosity
of the water, or its adhesive qualities, caused
it to adhere to the ring. In other words, the
water surface was raised along the lower
edge of the ring. You have often observed
how water seems to cling and lift with the
surface of objects which are suspended in it
as they are slowly raised from the water.
By means of a delicate instrument, the
tensile strength, to use a technical term, ofthe water was determined before it would
free itself from the ring and fall back into
the bowl.
Several persons standing cise to the glass
bowl were requested to concntrate upon the
surface of the water after the previous preliminary experiment had been conducted.

Page 116

It was then noted that the instrument for

testing the tensin of the fluid or water
showed varied changes in the latter. The
water had become charged as with a magnetic forc. The viscosity or stickiness of
the water was increased so that the ring
could be raised higher with the surface of
the water surrounding it still adhering.
Now, of course, as Dr. Lewis stated, the
changes were minute. The variations of the
lifting of the waters surface were really only
perceptible by means of the instrument.
However, they were positive enough to indicate that, whenever the concentration occurred, there were changes produced in the
phenomenon that were not an illusion.
Further, a sensitivo galvanometer was used
later to determine that there was a slight
electrical charge in the water over and beyond what it had before the period of con
centration. The experimenters were convinced that by these physical means they
had substantiated the traditional claims of
the mystics that the eye transmits a power
into space.
The will likewise radiates energy from
the eyes. Will consists of mental desires.
When we exercise will, it means that we
have singled out some end which we wish
to realize. This desire, then, supersedes all
of our natural desires or appetites. They are
made obedient to the will. The whole of
mental power and forc of concentration,
which means the sensitivity of our nervous
system and of our brain, at least our objective faculties, is made receptive to whatever
is the objective of the will. Since sight is
the most common and most important of our
objective receptor faculties, this concentratd
energy of will radiates through the eyes.
There is still another eye whose energy
radiates into space with greater efficacy. It
is known as the third eye. It is not visible
in the face. According to tradition it was at
one time an actual eye, as the other organs.
It is now but a vestigial eye, that is, a
remnant of the earlier one. It consists of
a small organ in the center of the head,
which is technically known as the pineal
gland. Before birth, it is quite large in proportion to the size of the head. After birth,
the rest of the body grows and the gland
remains about the same size. As known
among physicians, this gland or psychic or
gan gradually diminishes. By the time one

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

has attained the age of forty-five or fifty, it

is considerably smaller than at birth.
The function of this third eye is that,
shall we say, of psychic sight. It causes us
to have sensations or impressions which,
when realized, are like those of intuition.
They manifest as visual images in the consciousness, like sudderi intuitive impressions
which assume a visual forni. The ancients
called this psychic sight, because the third
eye could apparently perceive, as monitions,
things at a great distance far beyond the
range of physical sight. Actually, however,
this organ does not see in the sense that
our other eyes do. It is, of course, not exposed to light waves and does not detect
light impulses at all. What it does perceive
are ultrafrequencies, vibrations which fall
in the range of higher cosmic octaves. We
may best term them psychic forces. It is
apparently, as an organ, quite sensitive to
transmitted thought impulses. The impulses,
when received by it, are transformed in the
consciousness into visual images, thus the
term third eye.
It is doubtful if there is any characteristic
about the eyes of a mystic that makes them
different from those of any other spiritually
motivated, intelligent, or thoughtful person.
Because of the intensity of thought of the
mystic, one becomes conscious of the rdiated
power of his eyes. This draws ones attention to the eyes. Further, the radiation of
psychic forc through the third eye of the
real mystic, the pineal gland, may also affect the aura of those near him and cause
them to focus their attention upon the eyes
of this person. This suggests that their at
tention was aroused by a magnetic attraction from the eyes when at times it may not
have been so. However, thoughtfulness and
intelligence, and the calling forth of ones
latent psychic forces by the use of the mind,
do give the eyes a luster, or what is commonly called a sparkle, a vivacity or life.
Radiant health of both body and mind does
likewise. In conclusin, what we notice about
the eyes of a mystic is more the consequence
of our superconscious attraction than an ac
tual difference in their appearance.X
AMORC Council of Solace
Every member of AMORC should be well
acquainted with the Council of Solace, which
many years ago was instituted by our late

APRIL, 1952

Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis. In many

respects this Council is a unique service
given by the Order to every member. It is
not limited to members: it is also extended
to nonmembers who ask for this aid, and
who are sympathetic to its principies and
purposes.
Just what does the Council of Solace do?
It extends metaphysical aid in the form of
treatments to those who are ill, injured, or
who in any way need aidmentally and
physically. This Council endeavors to apply
the principies of the teachings of the Order
so that certain powers of the Cosmic may
benefit the one who is distressed. It does
something even more tangible than this.
When a letter is received setting forth the
difficulties of the individual, it is carefully
read.* A file is opened for the person. The
particular details of his case are recorded,
and a letter is written to the applicant.
With this letter goes a little book of instructions which, in part, requires the person
to do certain things, himself, for his own
relief. Obviously, the individual must cooperate with the Council or nothing can be
accomplished.
The Council of Solace is not a group of
miracle workers. They work in accordance
with natural and Cosmic laws. The person
who is to benefit must cooperate with the
instructions the Council gives. Its aid is not
limited to health problems, however. It assists with personal problems, affairs of business, domestic difficulties, social relations,
and the like. The booklet of instructions
which is sent to each applicant defines just
what help the Council of Solace can give
and what it cannot. This help is based upon
Cosmic principies. It points out that if the
conduct of the individual, his relations, his
activities, are of a nature that he is causing
his own difficulty, then the Council of Solace
can do nothing for him until he makes a
change in his conduct. For example, if an
individual desires to obtain something which
he should not have, and which is beyond his
means, or which would bring hurt to an
other, and then petitions the Council of
Solace to help him realize that, he is advised that the Council cannot do so. The
Cosmic principies involved in the matter are
pointed out to him.
The success of the Council of Solace is indicated by the thousands of letters which are

Page 117

received each year stating that persons have

been helped, and that benefits have been re
ceived which in a sense were almost miraculous. To be perfectly frank, there are other
cases which have been on our files for a great
length of time, and which report no startling
changes or benefits. One must realize that
the Law of Karma must be taken into con
sideration. Karma, or Cosmic compensation,
may not be put aside by the Council or by
anyone else. It may be that the individual
has quite a lesson to learn before he can
realize any relief from the condition.
A soror in New York recently wrote a
letter, asking: uTo what use is given the
money we contribute to the Council of Solace
for the woriderful metaphysical aid received?
I never see any mention of the use of these
funds in the Rosicrucian Digest or in the
Rosicrucian Forum It is true that we have
never, to our knowledge, made any reference
to the funds sent to the Council. In the
first place, most of you know that the serv
ices of the Council of Solace are without
charge. There are no fees of any kind. It is
stated, however, in the literature of the
Council that if you are benefited, if you are
helped, then, in accordance with the Cosmic
Law of Amra, you, in turn, must give some
thing of yourself, of your own resources, as
a material token of appreciation. All of the
money, which is received in varying
amounts, from a few pennies to a few dollars, from a few shillings to a few pounds,
is entered on the financial records of the
organization to the credit of the Council of
Solace. Against this sum of money are
charged the considerable operating expenses
of the Council.
What are these expenses? There are stenographers, typists, and persons who file
cards; there are specially dictated letters,
many personal letters as well as the multitude of printed literature such as the booklets of instruction which are sent. There are
the envelopes, postage, typewriters, and the
general office equipment, even the rooms
themselves, which are made available to the
Council of Solace, which constitute the ad
ministrative expenses of the Council. The
members of the staff of the .Council must be
paid salaries, as they give their entire time
each day to this work.
Those who perform the actual metaphysi
cal functions do so without compensation in

Page 118

addition to their regular duties. The Council of Solace consists of officers of the Supreme and Grand Lodge with the addition
of certain other staff members. Every day,
a list of the cases9 as we cali them, is given
to each of these officers. In a general way
this list indicates the circumstances of each
petitioner. If further details are required,
the respective member of the Council then
refers to some administrative assistant who
will give him the record card of the case
for examination. It must be remembered
that these record cards are kept absolutely
confidential and are available only to the
Council of Solace and its administrative
helpers.
Every day at 1:05 p.m., Pacific Standard
Time (or Daylight Saving Time in the
spring and summer months), the members
of the Council of Solace assemble in the
beautiful Supreme Temple. A brief prayer
is offered as an invocation by one of their
number, a different member so serving each
day. Then, in the beautiful surroundings
and the tranquil atmosphere of the Temple,
each Council-of-Solace member meditates
upon the cases that have been brought to his
attention. There is no particular formula
to which each is bound. Each uses his own
method, in accordance with the Rosicrucian
principies. In other words, he uses the Rosi
crucian principies during that period of
meditation in such a way that he feels he
can be a more effective instrument to direct
Cosmic aid to those who have petitioned the
Council.
Incoming reports from those who have
asked for assistance are carefully read daily,
to note whether progress has been made, or
whether help should be continued and
whether a special letter need be written to
them. Then, these reports are entered on
the records. If no special communication is
needed, the reports are not acknowledged
to save the expense of labor and postage.
If, after a certain length of time has elapsed
and no report' is forthcoming, a letter is
sent advising the petitioner that the Council
has not heard from him; the letter further
states that if he does not report, it will be
assumed that he needs no further help. If,
after a further period of time, there is still
no report, then the petitioners card is re
moved from the active file and placed in the
inactive file.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Not only are letters received by the Coun

cil of Solace, but telegrams and cables from
every part of the world. Long-distance telephone calis come in every week concerning
emergency cases.
In addition to personal participation with
the Council in their daily meditations in the
Supreme Temple, the Imperator takes many
of the letters and telegrams home with him
for his personal attention. There, during
his sanctum period, and in accordance with
our Rosicrucian principies, he endeavors to
assist. He may personally answer some of
these appeals or, they may be given to the
Council for answer. Of course, it is not pos
sible for the Imperator to take every case
for his home sanctum period, as there would
be too many and not enough time. It is
known, too, that the other officers and mem
bers of the Council carry some of this work
into their own home sanctums. Perhaps
there is no better manifestation of the Rosi
crucian principies than the functions of this
Council. You might cali it the applied Rosi
crucian teachings.
In closing, we would like to say that the
members of the Council of Solace use in
their healing most of the basic principies
that are set forth in the little booklet, The
Art of Absent Healing, which was written
by our late Imperator. It is vital for every
member to have a copy of this booklet, especially those who petition the Council of
Solace. It will give them some idea of what
their part is in the practice of absent heal
ing. In other words, we cannot be helped
in spite of ourselves, as so many occult and
esoteric students believ.X
Lodge or Chapter Membership
Quite often we receive letters from mem
bers asking, How may I join an AMORC
Lodge or Chapter? or What are the advantages of being a member of an AMORC
Lodge or Chapter? As we have answered
this question before in The Rosicrucian Fo
rum and other literature published by the
Order, let the question this time be answered
by a member who has recently affiliated
with a newly established Chapter. Here is
what this member writes:
I would like to write how glad I am
that a Chapter of AMORC has been formed
in Phoenix, Arizona. I havent been in the
Order too long myself, but since the organi-

APRIL, 1952

zation of the Phoenix Chapter, I can cer

tainly see what a help a local organization
can be. My understanding of the Rosicru
cian teachings has become much, much
clearer since affiliation with the Phoenix
Chapter, and in association with Rosicru
cians. It was in this Chapter that I first
met another Rosicrucian and since then, I
have come to a much fuller understanding
of the word Brotherhood
It would seem that this experience could
be repeated by everyone who is interested
in Lodge or Chapter affiliation.
Another new Chapter recently opened has
published the first issue of its bulletin. On
one page it has as a heading: The Open
Door to Happinss, and among other things,
it lists the following information concerning
Chapter membership:
Here are som e of the advantages your
Cleveland Chapter offers you:
1. To provide atmosphere, social conveniences, and suitable quarters for Grand
Lodge members to study together.
2. To worship the Divine Cause of all
things and to work in the service of
mankind.
3. To form bonds of fellowship and brother
hood; to study the unusual things of
life; to discuss, talk about, and analyze
their discoveries and experiences.
4. To gather in communion and harmony,
so that happinss may be experienced.
5. To relax, and enjoy social intercourse
with kindred souls. To gain Freedom
from Worry and Anxietyto laugh
and be merry.
6. To hear good music, good lectures, and
to benefit by the best Mystical literature.
7. To unfold from a Neophyte into a Master of mystical and occult laws to become a real and practical servant of
humanity.
8. To particpate in Physical and Psychic
Experiments.
9. To be a member of a college of learn
ing, dealing with the laws of the earth
and the Cosmic.
10. To observe and practice tolerance, forgiveness, patience and virtue, for herein lies the key to Mastership.
If you feel, after reading the above in
formation, that you would like to particpate
in activities of the nature which are described here, then refer to the directory in

Page 119

the back of the Rosicrucian Digest and see

if there is a Lodge or Chapter near you. If
one is not listed^ you can write to us to de
termine whether there is a Chapter or a
Lodge in a city near you to which you have
access, if there is not one in your own locality. Usually when members show this in
terest, they want to know how they can
have a Chapter within their own town or
city. Certain requirements must be met in
order to organize a new Chapter. We will
not deny a Chapter to any city, town, or
locality which can meet these requirements,
but, obviously, certain definite standards
must be established before the Chapter can
be made an official body of the organization.
The first Constitutional requirement for
a Chapter is that forty members must show
an interest in affiliating with it. This num
ber may seem arbitrary, but, actually, it is
the minimum number that can permit a
Chapter to function within reasonable satis
faction. After all the administrative and
ritualistic officers are selected, there must
be members left to attend the Chapter in
addition to these officers, and be prepared
to assume an official capacity at a future
year. In other words, we cannot start a
Chapter with fifteen or twenty members,
since every member would necessarily have
to be an officer, which would leave no in
terest in Chapter activity. If there are forty
members in a city, we will be glad to arrange meetings, at which time we will notify
all members within a locality to meet and
make their own decisin as to whether they
wish to proceed with Chapter organization.
One more thought that must be taken into
consideration in connection with an AMORC
Chapter is that with all advantages that
come in life, there are also responsibilities.
For a Chapter to function successfully, it
must be composed of members who are
willing to give a little of their time to attendance and to helping with the Chapter
work and supporting its functions. If all
members simply joined a Chapter for the
advantages they could obtain from it, with
the intention of giving nothing of their time,
service, or efforts, then a Chapter would not
be successful. A successful Chapter, on the
other hand, is one where the members are
desirous of working together for the welfare
of the organization, for the local group, and,
as a result, for themselves.A

The Romance of Roscrucanism

iI M f e i

INSPIRING PAGES FROM THE PAST

the world Iook dark? H ave increasing demands and regimentation
diminished your sense of individuality?
Take counsel from the past. There is no greater teacher^or example. Read
w hat King Solomon did to enlighten a brooding people Learn how a young
man inspired to great ideis almost overnight several million persons. Discover what still another man did to Iift an entire nation from the mire of ignorance and superstition during the Middle Ages.
Travel through the centuries with great Rosicrucians
men and women
like yourself who endured privation, war, and bigotry to bring peace of
mind, new visin, and the mastery of Iife to men and to nations. In the
revelation of their characters and the romance of their Iives, you will find
renew ed determination
and faith in yourself.

o es

E n la rg e d ,

lllu st r a t e d

H s t o r y ....

This large edition of the Rosicrucian Questions and Answers,

W ith Complete History of the O rder relates fascinating tales and
incidents about the Rosicrucians and mystics of yore, neuer before
disclosed in any work of its kind in the past. It also tells how the
mystery schools of ancient Egypt were formed^and of
the great truths hidden in the rites of the Osirian
Mysteries. Contains heretofore unpublished Rosicrucian
documents of authority. M any more
pages! BeautifuIIy bound in silk cloth
and stamped in god.

$2.50

Send your order to:

PER C O PY
PO STPAID

The ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU

Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California, U . S. A .
P R IN T E D I N U . S . A .

c^ j ^ s. T H E

R O S IC R U C IA N

PRESS,

LTD.

.A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A .

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM

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A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1 0 3 of the U . S. Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1 9 1 7 .

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Yol. XXII

JUNE. 1952

No. 6

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THE LIGHT OF ASIA

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Pray not! the Darkness will not brighten! Ask

Nought from the Silence, for it cannot speak!
Vex not your mournful minds with pious pains!
Ah! Brothers, Sisters! seek

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Nought from the helpless gods by gift and hymn,

or bribe with blood, or feed with fruit and cakes;
Within yourselves deliverance must be sought;
Each man his prison makes.

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From The Light of Asia, by Edwin Arnold

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCILOF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $2.25 ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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Page 122

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

A W ORLD CHALLENGE
Dear Fr aires and Sor ores:
A soror, greatly concerned with the prevailing world turmoil and its potential danger, asks: If there are so many persons
with a high idealism, why can a power,
such as the Communists are exerting, con
tinu to menace the whole world? Is it pos
sible for the power of good to overcome this
evil without war?
In deploring Communism, most of us think
of it in terms of the acts of a police-state
controlled by Communist authority and the
principies of its ideology. Such acts and
declarations are opposed to the ideis of democracy and what we like to think of as our
inalienable rights as individuis. All of these
factors which are so generally protested by
the peoples of the democracies are but effects.
Behind them lie the causes which make them
possible. There is great agitation over the
effects but too little inquiry into the nature of
the causes which make such theories and
practices possible.
A realistic survey of the political affiliations
and sympathies of the nations of the world
would indicate that, statistically, at least one
third of the worlds population are Communistic supporters. It is not sufficient to say
that a poli of the whole people in the Com
munist sphere would show that a large portion of them are not in sympathy with Communistic precepts. Actually, on the other
hand, if immunity could be guaranteed the
citizens reply to a poli conducted in the
democracies, we might be startled by the
number of Communist supporters that would
be found in them as well. The point of the
question, then, is, why has Communism the
actual or moral support that it has by millions of people?
Biologically and psychologically, it is often
proclaimedand not without factual support
that humans are basically alike. Why does
the average citizen in a Communist state,
who has not a gun to his back, show enthusiasm for Communist doctrines? Indoctrination by propaganda is not a wholly satisfac-

tory answer. These people, being human,

are motivated by the same fundamental desires as are the citizens of a democracy. They
need sustenance if they are to live. They
want longevity and with it happiness. Such
happiness, as pleasure, is in terms of their
standard of living. It merely beggars the
question to say that they are not aware of
the higher standards of living obtainable
under a democracy. There is no uniform
standard of living for the democracies. Some
of the alleged European and Latn-American
democracies have deplorable living condi
tions. Consequently, if we are realistic, we
must admit that a basic cause of the waves
of Communism and Socialism is a social revolution against class distinctions.
The economic, as well as the political, oppression of one people by another has al ways,
since the time of the Pharaohs, caused unrest and hatred. Tyranny and despotism
are not an innovation of the Soviets. The
church has used the same methods in dif
ferent dress to gain supremacy in nations
throughout historyand currently. People
have rebelled against the yoke of oppression
to win relative freedom and improvement
of their living conditions at numerous times
in the past. The Magna Charta was a declaration of the wishes of the people as against
the crown in England. The French Revolution was the overthrow of a corrupt royalty
which bled the people economically and otherwise. Even the Reformation of Luther was
a defiance of religious persecution and suppression of thought.
The democracies themselves have, unfortunately, not eliminated the conditions that
have caused the social tensions. In theory,
any citizen of a democracy has been held
to be equal to every other as a political unit
of the state. However, many such citizens
find themselves immured by racial prejudice
and economic monopolies. Trusts, mammoth
industrial corporations that dominated commodity prices, adverse labor relations, all
these tended to create friction among people

JUNE, 1952

who were theoretically entitled to equal advantages under the state. Those who had
power were able to amplify it; those who
had none were the victims of circumstances.
That relatively occasional individuis, by
their sheer initiative and exceptional ability,
became prominent, notwithstanding these
conditions, did not alter the fact of the evils
that often existed in the social structure.
The acrimonious relations that exist in the
United States between labor and industry
today are a consequence of these earlier so
cial inj ustices. Though to millions of people
in Europe a democratic form of govemment
would constitute an improvement over their
own plight, it seems not sufficiently representative of the ideal which they seek. It
became extremely difficult to explain the
disparity between classes of people who were
said to have equal opportunity and advantages and yet ostensibly did not have them.
Race riots, child labor, poverty wages for
the unskilled, mass lay-offs without concern
for the welfare of the unemployed, were
spotlighted as glaring examples of the pusillanimous na ture of the democracies.
A no less important factor in the tendency
toward world social revolution was the frequent exposs of the corruptness in the governments of the democracies. Corruptness
in govemment is as od as govemment itself. It is evidence of the moral lack in the
individuis who are employed by the goverament. Even in the Pyramid texts of
Egypt some 3500 years ago, there is to be
found a lament by the simple Egyptian
freeman about the malfeasance of office of
his public officials. Where such corruptness
exists on a prominent scale under a type of
govemment which represents itself to be most
enlightened and just, it is inevitable that
millions of not-profound-thinking persons
should become suspicious of its claims and
advantages to them. There is an inclination
for these peopleunder the impact of propa
gandato want to by-pass democracy. It
was made to appear to them that government in the democracies was not wholly
representative of the people themselves.
The psychological reaction to such conditions is to be suspicious of any dominant or
omnipotent element of society. The indi
vidual wants to believe that every group in
society, no matter what its functions, exists
and works not alone for its own interests

Page 123

but rather for the welfare of the whole of

society. This has manifested in Communist
countries in the custom of referring to every
branch of human endeavor as the peoples.
Even though the individual may not be particularly interested in the sphere of activity
of a group, he wants to have confidence
that what they do benefits a cross-section of
the whole of society. Among the democra
cies, this concept of the Communists is often
referred to as contributing to the annihilation of individual initiative and talent. It
is true that, in some instances, as among
some of the Communist leaders, this attitude
is used as a weapon to suppress intellectuals
who they think are particularly dangerous
to their rgime. Among the masses of the
supporters of Communism, however, there
is no objection to self-assertion and individual
progress if it is believed that such will not
produce a favored class.
The follower of the Communist ideology
is in favor of world revolution because he
thinks nationalism has proved its instability.
He points out how purportedly free peoples,
professing certain noble ideis, have time
and time again waged^ war against other
states with similar ideis. Behind the wars
were commercial and aggressive motives
which resulted in the suffering of the masses
of people of the defeated nation. The Com
munist reasons that a world govemment, in
which the people were supreme, would eliminate the competition among separate states
for political or economic power. The ruthlessness of his methods to gain such ends is
founded upon the principie of expediency.
In other words, the end justifies the means.
It is a sacrifice, he thinks, humanity must
make to enjoy an eventual nobler and more
transcendental way of life. That his own
leaders may be corrupt and abuse, for their
own ends, the power he has intrusted to
them, he often is not aware.
Perhaps the greatest resentment in the
Western world against Communism has been
caused by its publicly manifested attitude to
ward religin. The West must assume con
siderable responsibility for this menace to
the freedom of religin. The West has shown
many terrible examples of religious intolerance and persecution of untold numbers of
people whenever the govemment has become
a church-state. Some nations of the West,
professing to be democratic, have allowed

Page 124

their temporal powers to fall exclusively in

to the hands of the clergy. As a result free
dom of thought, of religin and self-expression, has actually or nearly disappeared in
such states. Blocs of people have suffered
loss of personal liberty and of life. Although
all religin is by no means a threat to one
rebelling against social discrimination, yet
because of these examples, he considers it
a danger to be dealt with. The added fact
that some of the leading democracies cise
their eyes to this religious persecution, so as
not to offend the guilty minority in their
own states, appears to the Communist as a
fallacy in their claims of righteousness.
Let us not mistake it. Communism is a
growing menace to what we herald as de
mocracy. Many more millions of persons will
want it or a rigid form of Socialism. These
millions are not all ignorant or are they barbarians. They are often grosslyand viciouslymisled. But the reason for their confu
sin, dissatisfaction, and outright rebellion is
our own fault. It points to a growing ill in our
human relations. It indicates that our often
smug complacency and our indifference and
intolerance toward peoples of our society has
provoked the causes of Communism. Under
the guise of democracy there has been much
imperialism in the ame of colonization.
There has been, and still is, an abuse of
capitals power which encourages an unwholesome resentment toward wealth. There
has been, and still is, that false sense of
racial supremacy that makes the oppressed
people susceptible to any political theory
which will claim to help them regain their
individuality and personal dignity.
Communism, in its worst form, is a stench
that arises from the decaying social relations
in many of our nations. A more conscien
tious attitude to actually adhere to the democratic principies of our respective constitutions wfll win back world confidence in our
form of government. Let us prove by prac
tice that the individual has as much right
under our government as any single pres
sure groupreligious or otherwise. If we do
this, we shall have struck a powerful blow
to the expansin of Communism. Such prac
tice will not result in the immediate dissolution of the Soviet regime, but it will prevent
its expansin by not gaining for it new converts.
If we hold that the Communist policies

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and practices are consistently perverso, at

least we must admit that they are consistent.
It is this consistency that is lacking in our
various democratic states. The world chal
lenge of Communism is to renovate our own
houses, to correct the faults of our own re
spective governments. Make your product
the best and you need not be disturbed about
your competitor. If your competitor grows,
do not condemn his methods. Rather, inquire
as to the declining merits of what you have
to offer.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
.
Imperator.
Department of Instruction
Members are familiar with the phrase at
the conclusin of the monographs which
reads: Your Class Master. In writing to
AMORC and asking questions about some
point in the teachings, they receive a reply
which is signed Department of Instruction
and then beneath that is the ame of a
staff member. At times they are confused
as to the relation between the individuis in
the Department of Instruction and the Class
Master. They are also of the opinion that
the Class Master is the one who writes the
monographs which they read, because they
are signed Your Class Master. Because of
this confusion, I think a further explanation
should be made.
The Rosicrucian teachings, taking the
whole body of the doctrines into considera
tion, are obviously not the product of any
single mind. The teachings are too allinclusive to make that possible. As members
know, the Rosicrucian teachings touch upon
all the known sciences, the arts, comparative
religions, the various philosophies and then,
in addition, distinctly unique Rosicrucian
doctrines as well. The Rosicrucian teachings,
as a body of doctrines, are partly eclectic
and partly the result of modern minds. In
other words, in each period of the past his
tory of the Order those who were members
of it and were renowned in certain fields
contributed their knowledge to some branch
of the teachings of the Order. We have inherited that knowledge. In addition, of course,
we make reference, by comparison, to the
great thoughts of other teachers, to philosophers, scientists, metaphysicians.

JUNE, 1952

Today, as well, we have our International

Research Council. This consists of men of
eminence in the various sciences and arts
psychologists, physicists, chemists, astronomers and the like. They are, of course, all
Rosicrucians. They prepare special articles
for us, the result of their studies and research. These articles deal with some advanced topic in their fields, which they feel
is related to our teachings. This material is
then analyzed by the Imperator and other
staff members to see if it has valu, that is,
if it can be used by AMORC. If it can be so
used, it is embodied in the monographs, thus
keeping our teachings abreast of the times
and often in advance of them. To our late
Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, must go
credit for the magnificent arrangement of
the entire presentation of our modem Rosi
crucian teachings. In other words, he incorporated the material, which carne into his
possession through his foreign affiliations,
into our present monographs. He rewrote
much of it, eliminating a lot of archaic
words and terms so as to make it comprehensible to the minds of modern persons and
to the Western world.
From all this, you can see that there is
no individual on our staff today, who has
written the whole series of monographs although our late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer
Lewis, added considerable new material.
Who, then, is the class master? The class
master is a Rosicrucian, a member of the
AMORC staff who is entirely conversant with
the teachings of the Order, and to whom
there has been assigned a given lot of students. For example, all students of the three
Neophyte degrees come within the jurisdiction of a certain instructor on our staff. He
is, figuratively and actually, their class mas
ter. It is his obligation, with the help of
several assistants, to see that the questions
of these students are answered and, so far
as it lies within his power, that they understand the teachings of these three degrees.
Then, there is another class master for the
first two or three Temple degrees, and still
others for the other degrees. The Grand
Master and the Imperator assume responsibility for correspondence with members of
certain of the higher degrees. These class
masters as a body, with the exception of
the officers of the Order, constitute the De
partment of Instruction. Another way to

Page 125

look at it is this: The Department of Instruction consists of a number of individuis, to

each of whom is assigned a certain group
of students. These instructors are the class
masters.
In the course of a month many thousands
of letters pass through the hands of each of
these class masters and their assistants. As
far as it is humanly possible, they personally
answer each question which is submitted to
them. By personal, we mean that they individually dictate letters which are individually typed, and which they individually sign.
This particularly pertains to unique ques
tions, questions that perhaps no one else
would ask. But very common questions, that
are asked over and over again, must be
mechanically answered by a form letter. It
would be a considerable waste of time and
of money to answer individually these commonly asked questions. It would take the
time of the class master away from those
questions which need individual attention.
Now, what do we mean by a commonly
asked question? For example, even though
we have explained this point in our mono
graphs, we frequently receive letters asking,
May I study more than one monograph a
week if I have an accumulation of two or
three? The natural answer to this is, Of
course, you are permitted to study as often
as you have time and privacy. We prefer
that you regularly set aside one night for
your mystical exercises and contact with
other members. At all other free times, you
may study in addition. Since this question
is frequently asked, we first give a full reply
in an especially dictated letter. Then copies
of that letter are mechanically reproduced
and are sent to all who inquire. There are
other questions which must be reduced to
forms like this, an_d so we balance our cor
respondence by personally dictated letters
and those which are not. These class masters,
these instructors and assistants, are busy all
week long, week in and week out, attending
to the correspondence, the questions, and the
needs of the students.
Visitors to Rosicrucian Park are made
aware of the attention to the members cor
respondence by our staff. They are taken
on a tour through the Department of Instruction, both the English and the Spanish.
There they see the batteries of typewriters,
dictaphone machines, stenographers, typists,

Page 126

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and the dictation offices. Obviously, the organization would not have all this investment in machinery and personnel if it were
not concerned with the welfare of the members and with answering personal questions.
There are some questions which we do
not answer and which w shouldnt. It
would be unfair to the organization to do
so. By that we mean it would be unfair to
the members who ask questions which deserve our answers. Members, for example,
who ask us to advise them on investments,
about their divorces, whether to sell their
business or not, bout legal matters, and an
opinion on some best-selling book of the
day, are really out of order. Information on
such topics is outside the sphere of activities
of AMORC. The member should consult his
attorney, his banker, his real estte broker
for such information. Let them advise on
these matters. That doesnt mean we do not
want to help our members in personal mat
ters. W e do help them and advise them
where there are no other authorities to con
sult. Our Council of Solace helps many hundreds of members each month. We ask only
that the members not request us to duplcate
a service which they can get elsewhere.X
Hypnosis
A frater states: Perhaps you would an
swer one question for me. Where does hyp
nosis leave off and the use of spiritual powers
begin? It seems to me that the same Cosmic
power is involved in either case, although
it is generally understood that hypnosis de
rives its power through the use of subtle
suggestions.
For a long period of time, the theory and
practice of hypnotism were held in bad re
pute. They were placed in the category of
superstition and charlatanism. From historical accounts, however, there is much evidence that the ancients were familiar with
the principies of hypnotism and actually
employed them. As to how much they knew
of this sbject, we have no knowledge, but
that they practiced it in some form we can
have little doubt. In relatively modera times,
the practice carne into prominence under
the title of Mesmerism. This ame was
derived from Franz Mesmer (1734-1815),
an Austrian physician. Mesmer was not
only a physician, but a sincere mystic as

well. He was convinced that the planets

exerted a forc which in some manner influenced the human organism. There is the
probability that Mesmers interest in this
theory was engendered by the study of astrology. However, he approached the subject
from the analytical and scientific point of
view. He speculated that the forc exerted
by these planets was comparable to electricity. In other words, he conceived it as
a radiant, vibratory energy.
These speculations of Mesmer led him to
ponder upon the possibility that all diseases
were of a vibratory nature, a kind of disturbing forc within the bodyan inharmony
with the natural energies of the body. He
theorized that disease could perhaps be
treated by subjecting the body, or diseased
part thereof, to a flow of magnetism. The
man was a thinker; he was a true experimenter, no matter how fantastic from our
standpoint his ideas may seem. As a part
of his expeiiments and treatment process,
he rubbed strong magnets over the afflicted
area. We may presume that he hoped that
the flow of magnetism would harmonize the
body by countering or expelling the intruding and unwanted forc of the disease. His
metaphysical outlook is indicated by his postulations that a Creative forc permeates the
entire universe as a vibratory energy of
some kind. This Creative forc is received
in some manner by the human nervous system as a super-electrical impulse. If properly directed, and not impeded, it results in
health. He further observed, and sought to
demnstrate that humans possess what he
called animal magnetism. This, he declared,
consists of a radiance, from the human, of
the universal energy received by the nervous
system. He sought to prove that this energy
can be transmitted from one human to an
other to accomplish curative work. He fur
ther believed that this energy, as a magnetic
field, could react upon material, inanimate
substances, and be observed in what it accomplished.
Mesmer was far in advance of his time.
Much of what he proclaimed in his period,
and which was then ridiculed, constitutes a
serious inquiry by various branches of modern
Science. Committees of physicians were
formed to investgate these claims. Of course,
they did not wholly agree with him, but
they did admit that they could not repudate

JUNE, 1952

some of his contentions and cures. One biographer has frankly said of him: Mesmer,
himself, was undoubtedly a mystic. . . he
was honest in his belief. Nevertheless, he
was compelled to le ave several European
cities, being stigmatized as a charlatan and
ordered out by the plice. In his practices,
he found that in trying to induce magnetism
into the human body by passing magnets
over it, he produced a passive and abnormal
sleep in the patient. Then, in speaking to
the patient while in that state, the latter
would react to his suggestions without being
conscious of doing so. Undoubtedly, Mesmer
himself was not fully aware of just what
occurred. He had rediscovered the practice
of the ancients, the method which we now
cali hypnotism. For decades it was not seriously investigated by medical science and
was used entirely for quackery or simulated
as entertainment.
Today, medical science and psychology
recognizes the hypnotic state, but they are
not really agreed on the details of the phe
nomenon which occurs. Hypnosis is used as
a therapeutic method in certain kinds of
nervous and mental disorders. It is also used
as a field of experimentation in psychology.
Hypnosis is the inducing of a passive and
sleeplike state in the subject. The sleep may
be deep or shallow. During this state, the
subject is quite submissive to suggestions
from the operator. The cooperation of the
subject is needed in the majority of instances if the hypnotic state is to be entered
into. In itself, this is a very significant fact.
Before hypnosis became a subject of scien
tific inquiry there were fantastic tales as
sociated with the theory. It was presumed
that an individual could be mesmerized,
that is, hypnotized against his will, and even
at a distance. People said to have a hypnotic
store were feared as being able to gain con
trol of the minds and personalities of others,
the latter being forced to do their bidding.
Fiction dealing with this theory became
popular and, of course, further spread the
misconceptions about hypnosis, and actually
served to prevent a serious investigation be
ing made into the natural laws involved.
There are several ways in which the hyp
notic state can be induced. The commonest
way is to arrest the attention of the subject.
This causes him to focus his attention upon
the operator and to subordnate his own will

Page 127

and thoughts to those of the operator. This

may be accomplished with some subjects
by having them concntrate upon a bright
light that shines directly into their eyes, and
which glitters, or vares slightly, in its intensity. The entire consciousness of the in
dividual is thus focused upon the visual impression of the bright light. It is sensitive
to just those impulses. The monotony of
those impressions, their sameness, results in
lessening the stimulation of the reason and
the imagination. Eventually they suggest no
idea at all. The other faculties, as whenever
we concntrate on the impressions of one
sense alone, become relatively dormant by
comparison. In other words, consciousness
is drawn away from them. Gradually, the
individual, by this suppression of the recep
tor senses, becomes more subconscious than
conscious. At this point, the operator begins
to suggest to him, begins to give him a com
plete idea which needs no analysis, as per
haps the simple commands: You are going
to sleep! You are going to sleep! You are in
a deep relaxing sleep!
The will of the subject becomes dormant.
He no longer formulates ideas of his own.
There is no expressed mental desire of which
will consists. As a result, the will of the
operator, through the suggestions given, is
substituted for his own.
Finally in the hypnotic state, especially
the deeper state, the subject acts upon the
suggestion given him as if it were a desire
of his own conscious mind. To use a homely
analogy, it is the equivalent of the operator
entering the subjects mind and speaking
there, in place of the subjects own reason
and will. Just as we do not question our
own desires and the commands of our own
will, so, too, the person in the hypnosis
does not question the commands, or the sug
gestions that are made to him. In this sub
conscious state, none of the impressions of
the subjects own receptor senses are as
strong as are the suggestions of the operator.
For further analogy, when you are in what
we cali a brown studythat is, in deep
contemplation upon somethingyour eyes
may be open, yet you will not see or even
hear what is going on around you. It is because your thoughts are more dominant than
other impressions coming to you objectively.
So it is with the hypnotized individual. In
deep hypnosis, a bottle of ammonia may be

Page 128

handed to the subject, and he can be told

that it is a beautiful and fragrant rose which
he should smell; he will take a deep whiff
of the ammonia with evident enjoyment.
The subject is not forming his own ideas.
They are given to him in a prepared form
in the suggestions from the operator.
Not everyone, even when he desires to be,
can be hypnotized. Some cannot easily sub
ordnate their will to another. Further, only
those who are thoroughly familiar with the
principies of hypnosis should undertake the
practice of it.
One of the interesting and seful effects
of hypnosis is what is known as the post
hypnotic reaction. A suggestion can be made
to the subject while in hypnotic sleep that
whenever he sees a certain act occur, he will
react to it in a specific way. Later, when
the patient is awake, he remembers nothing
of the suggestion. However, when the act
suggested to him is perceived by him he will
almost involuntarily respond to it. Further,
he may be confused as to why he does so.
For example, the subject while in hypnosis,
may be told that at three oclock in the afternoon he will become exceedingly hungry,
that he will need to have an additional meal
at that time. When that hour arrives, the
subject will do so, even though in a fully
conscious state. Of course, he will not understand why he reacted as he did. It was because of the suggestion planted in his mind.
When he, therefore, becomes conscious of
the hourthree oclockthen, by associa
tion of ideas, the original thought planted in
his mind comes forth and he is hungry.
Still another principie that has been proved
many times, is that the subject, when in a
hypnotic sleep, will not vilate his own
moral convictions and standards upon sug
gestion. Of course, these convictions must
be his own, ones that he has personally accepted, not merely a code to which he has
given lip service. Upon suggestion, while in
a hypnotic sleep, to abuse a dog or a cat, he
will not do so if ordinarily he has a compunction against such conduct. Likewise, he
will perhaps not strike a child upon such a
command, or shoot a revolver at another, or
take money out of a purse that is not his
own. There is no mystery to such reactions.
Our moral convictions are very definite.
They are conclusions of our own, based upon
our inner experiences, and our outer ones

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

as well. They become firmly fixed ideas in

our subconscious and subjective mind. We
would not oppose such ideas with our own
will, so consequently, no one else, as in hyp
nosis, can cause us to do likewise. At times,
a person may seem to oppose his moral con
victions while in a hypnotic state, but, if he
does, it is only because a suggestion has misled him. Thus, if one is told that a knife is
a feather, and that he should pierce someones hat with it, and he does so, that is a
deception of the subject, it is not an indication of the violation of his inner convictions.
This above example indicates that the
spiritual consciousness which we have attained, and the concepts which we have
engendered to represent it, cannot be violated
by hypnotic practice. If the moris we exhibit in our conscious state are a sham or a
hypocrisy, then, obviously, the real self will
be manifest in the hypnotic state. Such
persons will respond, then, to immoral sug
gestions only because inherently in their
own unexpressed thoughts they are immoral.
As we well know from our Rosicrucian
teachings, this use of the subconscious by
suggestion is most important. It consists of
the use of Cosmic principies and Cosmic laws.
There is no distinction between the laws
used in the practice of hypnosis and those
that deal with our spiritual consciousness.
After all, hypnosis is a method using the
consciousness and mental processes of man,
and they are likewise used for our spiritual
evolvement.X
Some Elements of Mastership
Frequently questions are received conceming the existence of masters and their place
in the scheme of things. Regardless of the
point of advancement in the studies or any
other occult or mystical study to which stu
dents may happen to be giving their atten
tion, the question of mastership is ever before
them. There is certain mystery in regard
to the ideal of mastership, as well as a natu
ral desire of the individual to attain a degree
of mastership. In the strictest sense of definition, mastership means the ability to con
trol, to perfect, and to reach a state of accomplishment in any specific field, whether
it be a manual skill, a technique of art, or
the ultmate psychic development into a state
of Cosmic consciousness. Mastership, there-

JUNE, 1952

fore, carries a heavy load of responsibility.

To become a master of anything is to assume the responsibility of executing the accomplishment that has been attained. The
techniques that go to make up perfection
in the individual are made for use. To misuse such gifts, even though they be attained
by personal effort, is to sin against self and
against humanity. We are given potential
abilities to develop in order that they can be
put into effective operation. The surgeon,
the artist, the craftsman who has developed
mastership in his particular field is in the
position of assuming the responsibility for
the product of his skill. He represents himself, rightly, to be able to accomplish certain
functions and purposes. On account of the
dependence of other individuis upon these
learned techniques, he must put into effect
in the practice of his skill these learned
abilities, which serve other individuis. These
facts are evident insofar as any manual skill
is concemed, and even more impressively so
in achievements and mastership in the scope
of the psychic and mental. The true master
is the individual who has gained the experiences of life and made intmate contact with
the absolute in a way so that he becomes a
living example of the expression of deity,
insofar as it is possible for the individual
soul-personality to accomplish.
The whole scope of psychic development,
and particularly of the Rosicrucian philosophy relating to such development, is based
upon the principie that man evolves. This
evolution of the individual is noted in all
phases of his life. Physically, the individual
evolves from a helpless infant to an independent adult. Various physical changes take
place during the period of infancy, childhood, youth, and into the adult years. This
evolvement is a series of gradual transition
from one phase to another, until the ultmate
of complete physical development is attained
in the adult.
Correspondingly, the individual develops
mentally from a package of reflexes, expressed by the infant, to the coordinated,
rational being that is the adult. In the single
human life, this evolvement is continuous.
Mentally, there are no limitations, except
possibly the element of time, as to what man
can leam, what he can experience. Using
this knowledge and experience as a basis,
he directs his Creative thoughts and powers

Page 129

toward further development and lifts himself above the level of the material world
to which he is attached, insofar as his body
is concemed, and thereby expands his soul
consciousness to relate it more closely with
its source.
Expanding consciousness is synonymous
with Cosmic consciousness, with psychic de
velopment, and with growth toward master
ship. Just as the growth of an individual
life consists of a series of cycles that blend
into each other, so the whole history of the
soul is a series of incamations that also blend
into each other, insofar as the ultimate composite is concemed in its eventual State of
perfection. Those individuis who have been
able to complete this cyclethat is, to have
learned the lessons of life and have the experiences necessary to relate themselves directly with the absoluteare those who have
become the true masters that constitute the
supreme hierarchy of the universe.
These individuis, then, have other accomplishments. Partly, their responsibility
is to direct to a certain degree the affairs of
living human beings who still are a part of
this evolutionary progress. These individuis
can become the guides of other individuis
or groups or nations. They can assist in
working out the destiny of humanity, if the
individual human is Creative and directs his
attention toward such accomplishment. A
master, in the fullest sense of the word, is
therefore one whose souls experience has
been completed-who looks back over all of
the lives that have been the parts of his
total existence, just as the individual today
can look back over one physical life. He has
solved the mysteries of life; that is, he has
related himself again to absolute being, to
the perfection of the Creator. He then goes
ahead into fields of endeavor that are beyond
the mental comprehension of any individual
not so experienced, and, at the present time,
limited by finite visin.
It is not surprising that many false ideas
should develop conceming the masters. The
individual student who learns and accepts
the facts here set forth becomes interested in
the possibility of contacting such a master.
Most of these masters do not live on a physi
cal plae of existence. However, they do
when it is through the physical mdium that
they are best able to contact other individ
uis and direct their lives, or at least offer

Page 130

the means by which that life may be perfected. The great religious leaders, known
as avatars, are examples of masters who have
incarnated into the physical limitations of a
human body. They have been teachers of
men, have been the inspiration of many,
and have established codes of living, systems
of ethics and religious practices, purposefully
planned for the uplift of the human race
to give man the encouragement and incentive
to help him lift his visin above the mere
recurring events that make up his environ
ment.
It has often been said to the individual
student that when he is ready, the master
will appear. This is very true, but the crux
of the situationin fact, the whole meaning
of the phraselies in the term ready. Readiness is a state that is brought about only by
the individual student. This phrase, as is
sometimes misinterpreted, does not mean
that the student should do nothingattempt
no ccumulation of knowledge on his own
part, or the translation of that knowledge
into experience. It does not mean that one
can sit with folded hands and do nothing
until a master appears to take over the indi
viduals responsibilities, problems, and solve
all the questions that may confront him.
Study and application of* knowledge are the
prerequisites toward being ready for the ap
pearance of the master. The masters are
always ready, but it is the individual who
must reach themnot they who reach the
individual.
It is ridiculous to believe that the masters,
in terms of the lofty concept which we have
given them, have nothing else to do but wait
to make themselves manifest to the idle curious, to the individual who hopes to find an
easier way to do what is his lot to do. If
you visit this organization, or any other or
ganization or business concern, you do not
find the executives of such an institution
waiting in the lobby or behind the shrubbery
simply for the purpose of jumping out and
greeting you. If executives had nothing else to
do but to wait for some individual who might
have an idle curiosity or interest in the par
ticular organization, such organization would
not exist long. Purposeful individuis have
certain responsibilities and work to do, and
if that is self-evident at the level of the finite
human existence, obviously it is even more

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

true at the level of the existence of these

masters.
A personal master is one that the overanxious student usually assumes or imagines.
This does not imply one cannot reach a state
where he may be directed by an individual
personal master, but usually the individual
who talks the most about it is the one least
likely to be in such a position. Often indi
viduis claim that they are guided by certain
masters. Also, it is not unusual to have popu
lar appeal based upon an individuals being
a master, but it is only necessary for our
ability to think rationally to know that no
true master is directing or guiding the life
of any individual who is subject to bragging
about his particular luck or accomplishment.
Neither is there any true master living today
who is going about the country lecturing
with the appeal that all who will subscribe
to his points of view, buy his books, and fol
low his example, will be guided by him as
a master.
For further proof of this fact we need
only to examine the lives of a few who were
truly masters. Jess is probably the bestknown example in the Western world, and
yet his teaching was by instruction and ex
ample, never by forc. He did not attract
a following merely because he was a master,
but because of what he offered to the indi
vidual. There was no compulsin that anyone should accept his teachings, his philoso
phy, or even his life; they were offered. He
was humble, he lived as did others with
whom he associated, and he made no claims
except valid ones which he would illustrate
to anyone who was desirous of learning.
Usually the false assumption of personal
masters is based merely upon the satisfaction
that such assumption may bring to the ego
of the individual who has an overworked or
overvivid imagination.
The attainment of mastership is based
upon a few fundamental principies other
than those referred to already. The first of
these is desire. It is clear that no one is
going to attain anything worth while that he
does not seek and eamestly want. ttainment is the reward of effort. It is the reward of having set ones goal and made a
consistent and conscientious effort to attain
that goal. Mastership is no exception. It is
within the realm of possibility that every
person living today may eventually become

JUNE, 1952

a master, in the sense that we have defined

it here. On this basis, it is presumed that
the evolution of the human race is toward
mastership and that it is the inherent right
and the potential possibility of every indi
vidual soul entity to attain that state of ex
istence. Exactly what this state of existence
will be, we can only conjecture. We know
that it will be the end of physical incarnations; it will be a breadth of knowledge that
will answer the questions that have to do
with mysteries of life that exist todaythat
is, in the physical worldbut what its aims
and purposes will be is beyond our comprehension, or actually beyond our concern of
the moment.
The future life can only be good, because
it will be, in a sense, a retum to Godto
the source where we originated. Since this
transition or evolution is from the finite to
the infinite, it can only be greater than anything that we have experienced in this life.
Probably the greatest of pleasures that come
in a lifes span are but small examples of
what will be the future life, once this state
is attained. It is not meant that the future
life, or the life of masters, is a continual
existence of sensations of physical pleasure,
but rather, a continual existence of the deep
satisfaction, peace of mind, and harmony
that comes to us infrequently, but profoundly, in various periods of life.
The desire to work toward this attainment
is therefore the first step and an important
step toward mastership. The individual who
has no desire to be any different from what
he is at the moment obviously has not taken
this first step. There is a problem which
faces even the individual who is seeking, or
making some effort. This we might cali resistance. There is a tendency upon the part
of the human being to resist anything that
is different or anything new. We can easily
be satisfied with situations which are to our
satisfaction as we find them. We hesitate
to explore other spheres, to enter into unknown projects or activities. Mastership outside the sphere of our material or physical
world is one of these unknowns.
Fear of the unknown is the fundamental
fear that besets mankind. Few of us fear
anything that is completely understood. If
any of us should step out of our home at
night and find absolutely no light, only the
depest of darknessso dark, in fact, that

Page 131

we could not even find the steps from our

porch or the walk upon which we expected
to standwe would experience an element
of fear. The fear would not be of the dark,
as it might be interpreted, but fear of the
unknown, fear that in this darkness a
change had occurred with which we would
not be familiar, and with which we would
not be ready to deal on such short notice.
Coping with a situation unknown to us,
or the possibility of such a situation developing, causes the emotional reaction of fear.
If we can therefore attain perfect and com
plete knowledge, fear will be banished.
Knowledge replaces the lack of knowledge.
The more knowledge we gain, the more we
push back the boundaries of the unknown.
What is unknown today, through knowledge,
becomes known tomorrow; and as the known
increases and the unknown shrinks, fear, as
a factor interfering with mans destiny, becomes less and less powerful.
Even more important than desire is the
continuation of what we might cali consent
or willingness. We may desire a thing and
yet not consent to have it; or we may want
a thing and may not consent to pay the price.
Many people live their entire lives refusing
to consent to the situation that is theirs. They
possibly put up a valiant but a losing battle
against the confines of the physical world.
They may do this uncorisciously. They resent every material thing that limits them;
they resent their own bodies and their limitations and their aches and pains, and the
problems that thy create. This constant resentment against situations that may seem
to impede and bind us is the very opposite
to the ability to give full consent within con
sciousness to the situation in which we exist.
No ones life is completely satisfactory. No
evolutionary process can be without its prob
lems and adjustments, but we cannot evolve
mentally or physically unless we consent to
the situation in which we find ourselves.
Problems are solved, victories are won
through consent. A man who went blind
when he was about to finish his education,
instead of using this tragedy as an excuse
for the rest of his life, leamed braille, took
instruction from other blind people, resumed
his education and became a leader in his
fieldeven more accomplished than he
might have been with all his senses. This
is an actual case. He consented to the sita-

Page 132

tion, he accepted a physical problem that

was unsolvable, but did not give up his other
potentialities. It is a difficult and a brave
step to take. Few of us could do it gracefuly, and many of us not at all. How
ever, in a smaller way, we all have limita
tions. To realize that these limitations exist
and that we still can evolve in spite of them,
is to give consent to growth and put ourselves
on the proper path toward mastership.
Scrates, in enjoining his fellow men and
his students toward mastership of themselves,
said that the first rule was to uknow thyself. Our first and foremost problem is the
problem of self. It is the ever-existing prob
lem, the thing to which all other adjustments
must be made. It will be with us etemally.
The sooner we arrive at some knowledge of
that self, the sooner we will have solved
some of the problems that relate themselves
to self.
The master whom we, as individuis, may
contact, is a part of this self or will manifest
through self. It is only within the inner
self-through the mdium of the soulthat
mastership can be found. Our soul and
the subjective consciousness through which
knowledge stored within it can become
known to us, is the only point of contact
with anything other than the material or
objective world. If we seek to know the
mysteries of the universe, if we seek to solve
the problems that constantly beset our ex
istence and our growth, we must not forget
the injunction to know thyself, because
in that knowledge we will find the channel
by which we are linked to the forces, to the
individual entities, and to the power that can
help us over those obstacles which otherwise
block our way.A
Immortality-The Maturity of the Soul
We have in the past discussed the idea
that the popular psychological presentation
of the maturity concept does not go far
enough. It is limited primarily to the ob
jective mind, insofar as the Rosicrucians consider the mental concept of the human being.
In the objective sense, maturity of course
signifies a rational, properly balanced and
developed adult. Mental maturity, therefore,
means growth of mind as corresponding with
growth of body. In AMORC terminology,
it is not enough to consider the concept only

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

in terms of the objective mind, because running through the conscious existence of man
is a thread that extends beyond the limita
tions of a physical life. We consider this
thread of existence to be continuous, to
have existed prior to the present state of each
individual, and to continu into the future.
Physical life is transient; it is an isolated
event in time. We know it begins and we
know it will end. Our concept of life recognizes it as a phenomenon linked with the
physical body and dependent upon the functioning of the physical, organic structure
that constitutes the human being, for its ex
istence. Injury, or any other incapacity of
the body, can immediately termnate life as
we know it in the human body. The soul is
therefore the continuous thread that connects
all existence. It exists prior to the manifestation of physical life, exists during life as
the point of contact with the Creator, with
the Absolute, and extends into the future
beyond the limitations of life, connecting
our existence as an entity with the Absolute
and with the causes of all physical, mental,
and psychic manifestation.
The maturing of the soul is therefore an
application of this continuation concept to
the soul, as the point of contact between us
as individuis and God. By soul maturity
we are referring to the fact that we grow in
terms of our realization of self. Since growth
is a continuous process whether in this life
or elsewhere, the consistent purpose of growth
is toward maturity, which, in terms of the
soul, should be a retum to its original cise
relationship with its source.
Immortality is another term for soul ma
turity. Immortality refers to the continued
existence of a phase of our being, the im
material phase, and soul is the word we
apply to that phase. Immortality is soraetimes mistakenly considered only as a future
con dition. On the contrary, immortality re
fers to the entire span of the souls existence.
It existed yesterday, it is today, and it will
still be tomorrow. It is in a State of continu
ous achievement, not evolving in its own per
fection but evolving toward a reunited state
with God, the forc that originally motivated it.
Just as the physical growth is the develop
ment of the body, immortality is the parallel
development of the soul. The mystic concept
teaches us to realize that the soul is a con-

JUNE, 1952

tinuous manifestation, that conscious life is

only a segment which we see or conceive
through objective perception. The beginning
and the end of life may be closed from the
view of the physical eye, but immortality
is the state of the soul which is ever-present
and ever-existentnot a future condition, but
one of the moment, the condition which gives
purpose and continuity to life and connects
it with something more stable than physical
existence.
To cause the growth of the development
of this concept of immortality, to break down
the barriers that may, at the moment, hide
from our view the facts, principies, and answers to many of our questions which now
seem to lie beyond our grasp, is a part of
the immortality. This truth we must, as in
dividuis, learn and experience to be qualified to broaden our understanding and extend
our conceptual horizons.A
Language and Telepathy
'['hese comments are based upon a ques
tion asked by a neophyte member wanting
to know how differences in language may affect transference of thought, or if there are
any language barriers to telepathic communication. It might seem on the surface that
language and telepathy would be very closely
related. This conclusin is based upon the
very obvious premise that human beings
communicate with each other by means of
language.
Language and the signs representing lan
guage were probably developed in prehistoric
times. We do not know exactly how such a
complicated system of human communication, as is commonly existent today, devel
oped. We can presume, however, that man
instinctively or unconsciously became aware
of the possibilities of the production of sound
in the human larynx. Man, being an intel
ligent mammal, was soon able to associate
things with certain sounds. Probably at some
time in the distant past, there gradually de
veloped numerous specific sounds which carne
to mean things with which man dealt, or as
sociated each day. It would seem, if this
explanation is true, that nouns were the first
parts of speech in language. Man associated
sounds with things about him, such as hav
ing one sound representing where he lived,
another representing food, another danger,

Page 133

and gradually, through modifica tions and

use, a vocabulary of many sounds constituting a language was built up among various
groups of individuis.
In addition to words which were the ames
of things or objects, other words carne to
represent abstract things, and also various
substitutes for the ames of things carne
into use; then carne words which connected
these other various words, and thus, gradu
ally, were added pronouns, verbs, adjectives,
and other parts of speech.
We can easily understand the fact that
language is a system of symbols. The symbology of language has frequently been discussed in these pages and elsewhere, but
basically, when we use anything to repre
sent another thing, we are dealing with sym
bols. The sound of the word no is negative,
or a denial, in a number of modern languages. It is a simple syllable, easily pronounced; and it is, therefore, a symbol in
the form of sound which has come to be as
sociated, by people speaking a number of
languages, as a basic concept of negation.
This rather involved explanation illustrates
how sound can become a symbol. The dif
ferent sounds which carne to have different
meanings explain the coming into existence
of many languages. Except in those cases
where groups of people had communication
and contact with each other, it is easily
understood how and why numerous lan
guages developed.
Basically, the language is a system of sym
bols used by human beings to express con
cepts when they are dealing with each other.
It is a form of symbolic communication
wherein the symbolsthat is, the words that
constitute the languageare known to at
least two individuis in communication with
each other. The thoughts of the individual
are translated into the symbols that make the
language and are conveyed through the use
of language, either orally or by being writ
ten, to the individual who is the recipient of
the idea.
As individuis, we are the original trans]ators. We think of something and put that
thought into the language which we speak
and the language of the person to whom we
speak. If we speak to an individual who
does not understand the language which we
speak, then we are dealing with the prob
lem of conveying an idea through the use

Page 134

of a set of symbols known by us, but un

known to the other individual. Translation
is necessary under these circumstances. An
individual who understands both symbols
acts as an intermediary, since he further
translates our ideas from the language or set
of symbols we use into the language or sym
bols which the recipient uses. We can there
fore understand that translation is an im
portant art. It is an art that constitutes a
technique of the modification of symbols. To
take my original idea expressed in English
and then transate those symbols that constitute the English language into another
language is difficult if the translator is desirous and sincere in his purpose of conveying the original idea.
This analysis shows us that insofar as the
use of language is concerned, the basic pur
pose is a tranference of ideas. Regardless of
what language we may speak, the idea is
the important factor, not the language. Normally, our thinking process is influenced by
our language. We constantly think in terms
of our own language as if we were talking
to ourselves. We have become so familiar
with the process of translating our thoughts
into the language with which we are familiar
that t h in k in g becomes almost a silent form
of talking to oneself. This is what causes
the member who asks the question, conceming language and telepathy, to wonder if it
is possible to convey an idea by telepathic
means when the two individuis concemed
think and speak in different languages, and
neither has knowledge of the others lan
guage.
This question must obviously be confined
to one important consideration. Is the pur
pose of telepathy to transfer words from the
mind of one person to another, or to trans
fer concepts? Experimentally, there have
been many tests made on the transference
of words and symbols. In the field of extrasensory perception, where the subject has
been investigated conscientiously and systematically, the purpose of the experiments has
been to transfer from one mind to another
one simple word, letter, figure, or design.
Experiments in this field have proved to the
satisfaction of many investigators that the
number of successful transfers made far exceed the limitation of probability or chance.
Telepathy, insofar as Rosicrucian students
are concerned, is not necessarily limited to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

experimental words wherein an attempt is

made to transfer such a simple concept. The
usual attempt upon the part of a person to
use telepathic communication is for the pur
pose of conveying an idea. It may be that
this idea is expressed in language, and if it
is expressed only in language and the person who is to receive the idea telepathically
does not know the language, then there may
be difficulty in telepathic communication. In
other words, if I hold in my mind the words,
It is cloudy, and I concntrate entirely
upon the words, it would probably be diffi
cult for me to convey that three-word phrase
to an individual who did not know a single
word of English. However, if I had a reason
to convey to an individual by a telepathic
process the fact that it is a cloudy day and
I visualized the sky, the general appearance
of the day, and concentrated upon that con
cept, that visualization of the actual existent condition, there is a reasonable possibili
ty that the idea would be conveyed to the
person regardless of what language he spoke.
This is one reason why in certain parts
of the Rosicrucian teachings so much emphasis is placed upon visualization. It is neces
sary to have and feel a concept, if it is to
be made sufficiently a part of our conscious
ness, so that it may be conveyed through the
subjective mind to other individuis. Obvi
ously, it is hard to realize how a condition
would exist where it would be of very much
importance for my conveying the idea of a
cloudy day to another person, particularly to
another person so removed from my sphere
of activity and habits that he would not even
speak my language. On the other hand, there
isnt a day that passes that problems do not
arise between me, as an individual, and in
dividuis who do not speak the English lan
guage and who speak a language with which
I am not familiar, or possibly only familiar
in a limited sort of way. These individuis
appeal to the Council of Solace of this organization for help.
The help of the Council of Solace is not
limited geographically. Requests come from
all parts of the world where communication
is possible, asking for guidance, inspiration,
absent healing treatments, and many other
things. In giving this help, those who par
ticpate in the Council of Solace do so in
terms of concepts that are under considera-

JUNE, 1952

tion and not within the limitations of any

language or any other set of symbols.
The individual who faces an important
problem, who seeks help on that problem,
can benefit from our Council of Solace because of the sincerity and the constructive
thought that is given to the problem. Lan
guage has no barrier between the individual
and those in the Council of Solace working
for his benefit or good. Every day members
of the Council of Solace give treatments and
help to people who speak languages other
than their own. Comments and letters that
tell of the help that has been received through
the work of this Council is evidence enough
of the effectiveness of the activities of this
group.
,
Any individual can therefore transfer concepts telepathically regardless of language
barriers. The important factor in any telepathic communication, forgetting all about
language, is sincerity and interest in what
is being done. An idea that has sufficient
importance to carry emotional overtones with
it, and to be of significance to the individu
is involved, will make an impression upon
the subjective consciousness without consideration of any kind given to the language
in which it might be expressed if one had
to write it down or otherwise preserve it as
a permanent record.
More specifically, telepathy is therefore
the transmission of ideas rather than the
transmission of words. Success or failure in
telepathic communication is based partly up
on technique and partly upon the attitude of
the individuis involved. The technique of
concentration for use in telepathy is explained in the Rosicrucian monographs and will
not be repeated here. The attitude is something that must be developed upon the part
of the individual. It must include conscientiousness, sincerity, true concern for the
conditions and problems of others, and a
tolerant, thoughtful attitude of the responsibilities that can be ours in using the potentialities that are resident within our mind
and soul.
The relationship that is established be
tween individuis who have telepathic com
munication is one difficult to describe. It is,
in fact, a condition that language does not
seem to be able to include in its symbols.
It is a relationship which closely binds the
thinking of two individuis. It is not neces-

Page 135

sarily related to the emotions of love and

respect, because those traits are not needed
in the personal sense; rather, it is a realization of the responsibility of the use of
a different faculty within us and the knowl
edge that the relationship between two indi
viduis can be for the benefit of both with
out being limited to an intmate or personal
series of factors.
The French refer to this condition as being
en rapport. In Spanish, there is a similar
word simptico. Whatever we may cali
it, it still is fundamentally a sincerity upon
the part of individuis to permit concepts to
take precedence over terminology to convey
constructive concepts unselfishly, such as in
the case of absent healing, and without con
sideraron of self, but with the hope of helping, or aiding in the improvement of another.
Absent healing, performed by any individu
al in accordance with the instructions which
we provide for its process, is one of the most
unselfish accomplishments that is possible
for the human being, and one of the most
constructive applications within the sphere
of spiritual and psychic knowledge.A
Laws of the Un ver se
A soror from the Midwestern States, addressing our Forum, says: May I have an
explanation of the terms: forces of nature
and laws of the universe? I think it would
give me greater confidence in my studies if
I have this more complete understanding of
the universe.5
From the view of physics, a forc is any
agency which when exerted on a body
will deform it or change its velocity. Consequently, anything, as an energy or as
a substance causing change in the mass or
motion of something else is a forc. When
you push a door you are one of the forces
that cause it to open. From an abstract point
of view, when one changes his way of liv
ing because of the customs of a community,
one does so because of the forc of public
opinion. In nature, there are innumerable
forcesthat is, agencies, as phenomena of
various kindswhich produce changes which
we observe. Wind, lightning, gravity, sunlight, all of these are forces because they act
in a way to produce observable changes in
other phenomena.
In physics there are many examples given
of forces balancing each other. These are

Page 136

more technically known as forces of equilibrium. When an automobile travels along

a highway, we have a combination of forces
at work: some aiding, and others countering
each other. Most certainly, the forc of
gravity is countered and overcome by the
forc of combustin in the automobile engine.
In physical science, inertiarelative or ap
parentconsists of two forces equalizing
each other. This may be observed when a
small launch or motorboat seems to stand
still while it is going against a strong tide.
In nature there are all kinds of agencies
at work: stresses, thrusts, and energies, con
cerning some of which we have knowledge;
indubitably, there are an infinite number of
which we know nothing. When we are able
to perceive one of these forces occurring with
a degree of regularity, or which will always
recur under uniform conditions, we have
then the scientific basis of a natural law.
A natural law, then, is a persistent phe
nomenon; it is persistent in that it is uni
versal in its application. It is universal because wherever the conditions exist by which
it comes to manifest, its occurrence is in
evitable. To man, the laws of nature appear
as immutable. This immutability of natural
law and its seeming constancy are, however,
relative. They are related to the entire span
of mans existence and experience. The peri
od of human experience, in comparison with
the existence of certain natural phenomena,
is exceedingly briefbut a tick of the Cos
mic clock. Long before human existence,
there might have been much variation in a
phenomenon that is known to us as law to
day. Its nature might have been quite dif
ferent from what we now realize. Further,
in the remte future, much that we now ac
cept as law may go through other changes
and thus would therefore prove itself as not
being constant. As one philosopher-physicist has pointed out, the laws we now relate
to the structure of matter may eventually
undergo such changes that we would not
perceive their relationship to our present con
ceptions.
The term laws of the universe may be
taken as referring to the function of uniform
phenomena, of our immediate solar system.
However, it may also be considered from an
even more infinite point of view. It may
have reference to the nature of the entire
Cosmic. When we speak of Cosmic laws,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

it is with the assumption that what we have

come to experience as mystical and spiritual
phenomena and which, to us, have a cer
tain constancy and universalitymust likewise have these same conditions throughout
the whole of being. However, we have no
way of empirically, that is, objectively, perceiving and proving whether what we ac
cept as Cosmic laws has such a unity and
constancy as to compose part of the very
fabric of pur being. When mystics refer
to phenomena as Cosmic laws, it is the re
sult of an intuitive judgment. There is that
innate self-evident truth latent in their ex
perience that convinces them of its ubiquitous nature. It is this intuitive conviction,
alone, that is the premise of our assumption
that there are Cosmic laws.
Since, in the Cosmic, there is no determ
nate quality such as time, it could well
be that what we designate as Cosmic laws
is also undergoing change in the course of
etemity. Let us presume, for the purpose of
analogy, that the entire interval of existence
of some conscious kind of being is one second.
Much that would recur in that second in
the sphere of existence of that being would
appear to him as having both unity and uni
versality. After that second, as we well
know, the quality and quantity of that phe
nomenon might change quite considerably.
In fact, the phenomenon would be under
going such a change even during the onesecond interval; however, such perhaps would
not be perceivable to the being whose life
span was so short. Consequently, such a
being would think of any phenomenon as
he experienced it as being an example of
the constancy of Cosmic law. Another being,
coming into existence after the first one, and
not knowing of the formers experience,
would think that the phenomenon which he
perceived, though different, was an example
of the immutability of Cosmic law. It is,
therefore, quite probable that Cosmic law
was not the same in eons pastthat is, the
time beyond the realm of human discernmentand would not be the same in the
future. From the pragmatic point of view,
if, in our second of existence, Cosmic phe
nomena have unity and universality, that is
sufficient for us. It is not what reality may
be that is vital to us, but, rather, how we
integrate our functions and comprehension
with what we do perceive.

Page 137

JUNE, 1952

I am often reminded of this principie by

the public use and common acceptance of
complex technical appliances, such as the
many electronic devices upon which our
well-being and pleasure depends. We use
these things efficiently but complacently.
Most of the users are absolutely devoid of
any knowledge of the engineering and scientific principies by which these things function. The public knowledge, with respect to
the devices, consists only of instruction in
the operation of the devices, leaming how to
adapt them to the needs of ones personal
life. It is likewise not necessary that we
know whether a Cosmic law is constant in
absolute reality. It is only sufficient that we
apprehend particular manifestations of the
Cosmic laws during our momentary exist
ence and adapt ourselves to them. The cycles
of change that might have once occurred in
Cosmic law, or that may occur in the future,
are beyond our span of consciousness and
are not contiguous to our existence. Our relationship to the Cosmic is always now.X
Do Infants Hate?
A soror was disturbed recently after reading an article by a psychiatrist in which
reference was made to hatred among infants
as young as a few months od. The soror
has propounded the following question:
How can an infant with a paucity of ex
perience be capable of the emotion of
hatred?
Religin, as well as some philosophies, has
long expounded the natural virtues of children. The sacred writings of many peoples,
such as the Bible, extol the virtue of innocence in the child. It, therefore, seems repugnant to many persons to substitute the
evil of hatred for the traditional innocence
of childhood.
Hatred is an emotion. It is a feeling engendered within us by sensations coming as
the result of certain stimuli or experiences.
Emotions themselves are really sensations.
They are changes produced in the harmony
of our being as the consequence of stimulus
received. There is a rhythmic balance between the Vital Life Forc of our being and
the spirit energy or molecular structure of
which our material substance consists. All
stimuli which act intensely upon this natu
ral harmony bring, as reaction, those inter-

nally aroused sensations which we know

as the emotions. As the human organism
reacts to the stimulation of the mind and
that to which the body is exposed, so, too,
the self, the deeper consciousness, responds
to the organisms reaction to such stimula
tion. The sensations of the organism become
the stimuli which engender the emotions.
Each sensation we experience does not
arouse an emotional reaction. It would appear that only certain types or qualities of
sensations become emotional stimuli. For
analogy, we respond only to those external
stimuli which can act upon the organs of
our receptor senses, our ears, eyes, nose, and
so on. All of these, as sensations, are reduced
to certain kinds of agitation. These, in tum,
become the keys that unlock the emotions,
the latter being feelings whose direct causes
are within us rather than without.
We soon become familiar with these intemally aroused agitations or emotions. We
know one as fear, another as anger, and still
another as hatred, and so forth. A careful
analysis of these feelings of mind indicates
that some of the emotions are but variations
of others. They are but different manifesta
tions of the same intense mental state. Hatred
and anger are related. We cannot hate with
out being angry. Likewise, when we feel
angry, hatred is associated with the cause of
the anger. However, when hatred dominates
as an emotion, it is because the feeling has
become more embodied in an intellectual
form. In other words, in hate there is an
idea which represents the cause of our anger,
which symbolizes it. Hate is the intense dislike of the specific thing or condition which
arouses the anger. One may display anger
with littie evidence of hate. If the cause of
the anger persists, the stimulus, or that which
causes it, becomes the symbol of the anger.
It is the object of the hatred. We leam to
identify our own emotionswe become con
scious of them. We soon desgnate certain
things of our experiences as contributing to
the causes of our emotions. The more ex
periences we have, the more probable are
our aversions to, or preferences for, things
and conditions. We find it almost impossible
not to love, hate, fear, and be angry.
An infant is subject to these reactions,
coming from stimuli to which it is exposed.
The sensations it has when it is in its
mothers arms, when nursing, when tempo-

Page 138

rarily neglected, when hungry, coid, or startled, are synthesized into feelings of pleasure
and pan. These latter feelings produce those
agitations of the self, of the subconscious,
which are expressed as the emotions. The
infant displays repulsin or hostility toward
whatever aggravates it. Conversely, it dis
plays happiness and affection toward what
pleases it. Affection or love is the idealizing
of the object that causes the pleasure. We
love something because it represents to us
the source of a highly pleasurable sensation.
If you take the infant away from its
mother while it is nursing, you interfere
with its enjoyment, a fundamental pleasure.
This is agitation. It is a form of pain. The
reaction on the ego is one of repulsin. There
is anger, the tendency to rebel against this
interven tion. There is in the actions of the
infant every evidence of anger. The kicking
and crying are expressions of hostility to
ward a feeling, the cause of which is not
known to the infant. There is, we may say,
an unconscious hatrecl upon the part of the
infant. It is unconscious because the infant
is as yet incapable of reasoning or analyzing
its experiences to determine what factors
have provoked its anger. When the child
is able to determine the cause of its provocation, then there is conscious hatred. His
feelings are synthesized in a person or thing
which he associates with them.
There is a false conception that hatred is
an arbitrary state of mind and that its elements are not inherent in man. Love and
hate are both potential in human nature.
Both are natural and necessary categories of
our being. They spring from states of har
mony and inharmony of the human organism and mind. Just as love causes the indi
vidual to seek those things in his environment that will bring him happiness or which
he identifies with it, so, too, hatred is repul
sin of all things that cause pain, mental, or
physical. Our emotional balance however,
can be abnormal. The individual can be
psychologically maladj usted to the extent
that he conceives certain experiences as irritating and yet these would not be so to
others. As a result, he manifests more dislike and hatred than another. The emotion
of hatred causes the individual to be combative. His physical and mental selves, his
nervous energy, are concentrated toward re
pulsin of the unwanted things or conditions.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

He is tensed to rebel. A sustaining of this

tensin is detrimental to the nervous system.
It keeps the individual in a state of conflict
to which is added frustration. If he is unable to dispel the cause of his hatred, the
psychologically maladjusted individual may
hate continuously, with obviously injurious
effects to his nervous system and personality.
You cannot teach a person not to hate by
affirmations or by analogy. You can, how
ever, make him less hateful by teaching him
to understand the circumstances to which he
is exposed in life. Through not having false
conceptions, of which the ideas might aggravate him, hate and anger become less
frequent. The ignorant and superstitious
person is more excited to hate. The emotion
of hatred is an effect, not a cause. Through
education, moral, social and academic, the
causes of hatred are minimized.
Teasing of children can cause inclinations
toward hostility in their social relations.
They become suspicious of the behavior of
all persons. They are psychologically conditioned to repel every gesture made toward
them as a hostile act. They are more easily
offended or hurt, arousing anger and subsequent hatred. The elements of hatred, as
said, are born in man. They have their
necessary place. We can, however, avoid
unduly cultivating this emotion.X
Entering the Cathedral of the Soul
The Master of the New York City Lodge
now states: During our last convocation we
had an open forum. Here one frater brought
up the question, How can I reach the Ca
thedral of the Soul? And one soror asked:
How do I know that I am in the Cathedral
of the Soul? We dwelt upon this subject
quite a while and had a very interesting
discussion. I have observed during conversations among members and in temple degree
meetings that the Cathedral of the Soul pops
up frequently. Therefore, I feel the urge
to approach you and ask that you speak to
us on this subject through the mdium of
The Rosicrucian Forum
The book Liber 777, or The Cathedral of
the Soul, Its Origin, Purposes, and Program
of Services, answers most of the fraters
questions. Of course, he is aware of this
fact and is asking for any further light
which we may cast upon the nature of the

JUNE, 1952

experience of entering the Cathedral of the

Soul. The Cathedral is, in fact, a concentra
tion of the spiritual selves of all those mem
bers who seek Cosmic attunement. The Ca
thedral is, abstractly, a plae of conscious
ness where there are assembled the many
minds who have similar impersonal ideis.
Each who truly enters the Cathedral is first
motivated by the desire to raise his conscious
ness above his physical self and his ma
terial surroundings. He wishes to attune his
larger self, the higher aspeet of his conscious
ness, with the great Cosmic Intelligence.
He further wishes to feel en rapport or in
harmony with the rhythmic pulsation of that
great forc of which the Cosmic consists.
We, each of us, are always in and of the
Cosmic; and since we are of the Cosmic, in
that our beings are directly the result of
Cosmic laws, we cannot ever be separated
from it. Though we are of the Cosmic, we
are not, however, always conscious of that
magnificent fact. We know our beings are
a manifestation of Cosmic law, but that is
not the equivalent of realizing the source
directly. Let us use a simple analogy to explain this difference. A boat, we shall say,
is dependent upon the sea. After all, if there
were no sea, there would be no need of a
boat to traverse it. The sea is greater than
any single boat that crosses it. However, if
we were on a boat and remained locked up
in our stateroom, the whole import of our
relation to the sea, the journey itself, could
not be fully realized by us. We would know
that we are on a boat. We could tell that
by the motion and other factors. We would
know, as well, that the boat must be on the
sea. Yet we would not be conscious of the
sea itself. Only when on deck and looking
across the vast expanse of water would we
gain a full appreciation of the magnitude of
the sea and derive the greatest enjoyment
from the journey. The boat may be likened
to our individual state of objective conscious
ness; while the sea may be likened to the
Cosmic.
In entering the Cathedral of the Soul, we
are conforming to the usual conditions of a
mystical state. There is, first, the need to elevate the consciousness, that is, to experience
reality which transcends our objective expe
riences. It consists of introverting our atten
tion, tuming consciousness inward and away
from the impressions of the receptor senses.

Page 139

It obliges us to suppress by will each of our

objective faculties. We should try not to
see (by closing our eyes), not to hear, not
to smell, or feel our body or surroundings.
It is an exclusin of externality. Immediately, then, certain other attributes of self become dominant in consciousness. We ex
perience emotional reactions to the exercise
we are performing, such as excitement. Then,
too, there is a recollection of memory im
pressions. Each of these in turn must be
eliminated, for, if not, we would remain in
a subjective or intermediary state of con
sciousness.
The next step in approaching the Ca
thedral of the Soul is to hold in mind the
wish to share momentarily the ecstasy of
oneness with the great Cosmic mind. One
should desire that his whole being be in
spired by becoming in concord with the
universal Creative forc and that his mind
be purged of any distracting thoughts. Fur
ther, one must desire to be of service, not
just to benefit personally by entering the
Cathedral. The mental attitude should be
that one wishes to enter into the assembly
of all the great minds that have projected
their consciousness into the Cosmic. One
should then wish to be used; that is, his con
sciousness to be so directed that, psychically
or otherwise, he becomes an instrument for
the fulfillment of some Cosmic expression.
Also he should think of projecting out of
himself as if he were trying, in conscious
ness, in thought, to depart from the body
and ascend into space. For the moment, he
should visualizo an ethereal substance, rep
resenting the self, as spiralling like a coiled
spring from the solar plexus.
When you are able to visualize this spiral
ling of self, combined with your nobility of
purpose, that is, to be of service, then cease
all thought. After all, as'long as you dwell
on the thought, you are using your mental
processes and, by doing that, self is confined
to the lower levels of consciousness. It could
not then enter those higher stages of con
sciousness which bring it directly in harmony
with the Cosmic. The transition, from holding these thoughts in mind to a conscious
ness that one has entered the Cathedral, is
not direct. There is an intermediary stage,
a period when there is really no conscious
ness of either the purpose we have in mind
or the Cathedral. There is no gradual change

Page 140

from one state of consciousness to another

which we are able to realize. It is difficult
to make comparison, but we can say it is
somewhat like entering sleep at night. At
first we feel drowsy, when we are going to
sleep, and then we lose consciousness. We
are never aware of the exact moment when
sleep descends upon us.
As for knowing when one is in the Cathedral of the Soul, this may be realized
in several ways. There are, however, two
principal examples which indicate that the
desired state has been attained. One is that
there is a sense of liberation, of freedom of
the person from all distress or aggravation.
There is also a feeling of exhilaration, an
exquisite sensation unlike any that has ever
been experienced by you. A very crude analogy of the latter is that momentary experiencing of peace profound which each of
us has had at some time. It is, to make a
rough comparison, a condition of our having
no physical or mental distraction, of enjoying both physical and mental relaxation, and
as if waves of soothing, almost caressing, sen
sations were passing through our being. Dur
ing this state of being in the Cathedral, there
is a consciousness of being surrounded by,
or in the presence of, a company of other
intelligences. They are minds, selves, in the
same state of consciousness as our own. There
is a realization of a presence, we say, but
usually no knowledge of any particular
personality.
The other sensation of knowing that we
have entered the Cathedral of the Soul is
to hear exquisite, unearthly music, or to
seem to smell a fragrance far exceeding that
of any flower whose scent we have ever
known. This means really that there is a
titillating of our various senses. Psychically,
each of the senses manifests the particular
excellence of its quality in harmony with
each other. We may hear, too, words of
great inspira tion, as though they were com
ing to us from out of the void. We seem to
understand them. In substance they are selfevidently true and convincingilluminating,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

in fact. Some of these impressions are retained when we retum from the Cathedral
of the Soul to our objective state. Later, up
on retuming, we have a sense of cleanliness
of mind and body. Our moral being seems
refreshed and we possess a consciousness of
inherent righteousness that strengthens our
determination to rise above the petty thoughts
and deeds of our daily lives. We are then
impervious for some time, to the annoyances
ordinarily experienced. This condition may
persist for hours or days after the Cathedral
contact.
There is an important preliminary procedure necessary for attempting to enter the
Cathedral of the Soul. It is symbolic but
psychologically vital as well. In the book,
Liber 777, Frater Charles Dana Dean, late
Grand Master, delineated these preparations.
Though each member has this truly spiritual
brochure, we quote from it because it is im
portant for you to refresh your mind on
these points:
At whatever hour we may wish to
attune ourselves with the Cathedral and
enjoy the contact and communion we
shall proceed as follows:
First, we shall wash our hands in
clean water and dry them wrell as a
symbol of the cleansing of our bodies
to enter the Cathedral. Then we shall
take a drink of coid water as a symbol
of the cleansing of our mouths that they
may be pur and free from any utterances that would be improper in the
presence of the Masters and the Spirit
ual Minds assembled in the Cathedral.
Then we shall sit in silence in some
place in the home where we may be
alone, whether in the dark or in the
light, and, closing our eyes, we shall say
this brief prayer in soundless words:
May the Divine Essence of the Cos
mic infuse my being and cleanse me
of all impurities of mind and body, that
I may enter the Cathedral of the Soul,
and Commune in pureness and woilhiness. So mote it be!X

JUNE. 1952________________________________________________________________________

Page 141

INDEX OF VOLUMEXXII (Comprising the entire Six Issues of the Twenty-second Year)
NOTEThe small letters after the page numbers refer to position on page: a, upper half of first column; b, lower
half of first column; c, upper half of second column; d, lower half of second column. Titles of articles are italicized.
A
Abnormality, 114c
Aborigines, 108c
Absent Healing, 13-14 (See also Healing)
Adventure and Entertainment, 35-37
Airplane, 53d
Alchemical Garden, 18d
Alexandria, 89b
AMORC: (See also Rosicrucian)
Administrative office, 70b
Advertising, 68d-69
Audits, 104b-105
Autocratic Rule of, 103-105
Board of Directors, 38c
Constitution and Statues, 103b-104
Council of Solace, 116-118, 126a, 134d-135
Credentials, 91c-92
Department of Instruction, 124-126
Experiments, 95b, 115d-l 16
Fidelity bond, 104c
Funds, 104a-105
Imperator, 103b-104, 118c
Internationalism, 68d-70
International Research Council, 125a
Literature, 68d-69, 98a
Lodges and Chapters, 70b, 91a, 118d-119
Members, 59b
Motion picture, 4d-5
Other jurisdictions, 91b
Passport, 91c-92
Regional offices, 70a
Supply Bureau, 90a
Supreme and Grand Lodges, 69c-70, 103b-104
Tape recorded discourses, 39c-40, 110c
Teachings, 62d, 69b-70
Technical Department, 40a
Analyzing Events, 100-101
Ancients? Why Imitate the, 74-75
Anger, 114b, 137d
Animals, 33b, 57b, 109a, 113d
Appetites, 36a
Apples, 33d-34
Application of Rosicrucianism, 28-29
Arabia, 88c
Are All Fears Negative? 108-110
Are Men Born Good? 106-108
Are Our Lives Decreed? 63-65
Aristotle, 66c
Asiatics, 52a
Atman, 65d-66
Attainment, 130d-131
Attainment is Not Equal, Why, 20-21
Attraction, 44d
Attunement, 12b
Autocratic Rule of A.M.O.R C., 103-105
Automatic writing, 21 d, 23c
Avatars, 23c, 130a
^
Awarif al Maarif, 67c

B
Balance, 30a
Balance, Emotional, 32-35
Behavior, 17b, 26c
Being, The Light of, 56-57
Beliefs, 83d-85
Bergson, Henri, 33d
Best Time, The, 105-106
Bigamy, 26c
Birth, 102a
Birth Control and Soul Development, 80-81
Blind, Dreams of the 85-87

Body, 13c, 35b

Body, Our Mind, 55-56
Book M, 88c
Books:
Art of Absent Healing, The, 80a, 118d
Bible, 106d, 137b
Communis et Generlis Reformatio, 88b
Dialogues (Plato), 40d
Enneads (Plotinus), 67a
Fama Fraternitatis, 87d-90
Genesis, 106d
Job, 107a
Liber 777, 138d, 140c
New Testament, 58d
Od Testament, 99a
Peace of Mind (Liebman), 34b
Principies of Psychology (James), 57c
Psalms, 90b
Rosicrucian Manual (Lewis), 82c, 83d
Self Mastery and Fate With the Cycles
of Life (Lewis), 105a-106
Story of Learning, The, 71a
panishads, 65d, 77a
Brahmanism, 65d
Buddha, 4d-5
Buddhism, 66b, 77b
Burroughs, John, 33d

c
Cncer, 37b-38
Can We Know Reality? 40-41
Cartoonists, 52a
Cathedral of the Soul, 85a
Cathedral of the Soul, Entering the, 138-140
Caution, 108d
Cells, 55c
Challenge, A World, 122-124
Changing Concept of God, A, 98-99
Character, 102d
Child, 33b
Children, 74a. 113d-l 14, 138c
Churches, 52d, 69d-70, 84b-85
Christ, 74c-75
Christmas, 61c-62
Citizenship, 59c-60
Clairvoyance, 101b
Class master, 124c, 125 c
Clergyman, 84d-85
Code of Ethics, 2a-4, 106d-108
Color, 12d, 86c
Comedy, 33d
Commentators, 52b, lOOd
Commercial Use of Ideis 61-62
Communism, 122a-124
Concentration, 20b, 75d-78, 112d
Conscience, 59b, 107c
Conscience Racial? Is, 8-10
Conscientious Objectors, 42-44
Consciousness, 108b, 112b-113, 129c, 139b-140
Consent, 131d
Contemplation, Meditation and, 75-78
Contraception, 80b-81
Corruptness, 123b
Cosmic, 139a
C>smic consciousness, 12b, 129c
Cosmic Help, Requesting, 10-13
Cosmic Keyboard, 65c
Cosmic Marriage, 44-46
Costumes, 74a-75
Council of Solace, 126a, 134d-135
Council of Solace, AMORC, 116-118

Page 142

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

C R. C 88b-89
Credentials, Membership Travel, 91-92
Creed, 3a
Criticism, The Psychology of, 46-47
Cruelty, Love of, 113-114
Cults, 74b-75
Curiosity, 51a
Cycle, 62a-63, 105b-106, 111b, 129c

D
Damascus, 88c
Dangers of Nationalism, 67-70
Dawn, Golden, 18c-19
Dean, Charles Dana, 140c
Death, 102a
Decalogue, 4c
Decreed? Are Our Lives 63-65
Deformity, 55d-56
Delphian Oracles, 5d
Democracies, 26d, 122a-124
Democracy, 8Id, lOOd
Demonstrations, 39b
Department of Instruction, 124-126
Depth psychology, 33c
Desire, lOd, 27b, 54c, 131b
Despotism, 122d
Destiny, 65 a
Destruction in Nature? Why, 110-112
Development, 94b, 113b
Development, Well-Rounded, 31-32
Did Egypt Preserve the Light? 87-90
Dionysius the Areopagite, 91a
Directory, Digest, 92b
Discourses, Tape Recorded, 110
Disease, 13c-14
Divorce, 45d-46
Doctrines, 83d-85
Dog, 33b
Dogmas, 83d-85
Do Infants Hate? 137-138
Do Prayers Help the Deceased? 90-91
Dreams of the Blind, 85-87

E
Education, 81b
Ego, 114a
Egypt Preserve the Light? Did, 87-90
Elements, 62d-63
Elevator, 21b. 64d-65
Emerson, 106d
Emotional Balance, 32-35
Emotions, 32b-37, 137b
Engineer, 53c
Entering the Cathedral of the Soul, 138-140
Entertainment, Adventure and, 35-37
Escapists, 101a
Ethics, Universal, 2-4
Events, Analyzing, 100-101
Evolvement, 129b
Experience, 3Id, 83a, 92d
Experiments, 57b, 134b
Extemality, 92d
Extramarital relations, 45c
Extroverts, 42b
Evil, 11b, 106d-107
'
Eyes of a Mystic, The, 114-116

F
Faith, 84d
^
Fama Fraternitatis, 87d-90
Fatalism, 63d-65
Fear, 131b
Fears Negative? Are All, 108-110
Fez, 88d-89
Fichte, 93b

Finding Personal Peace, 52-54

Floods, Illa
Forbearance, Intolerance and, 26-28
Forc, 126d, 135d-136
Freedom, 27d-28

G
Galvanometer, 116a
Garden, Alchemical, 18d
Genes, 55d
Gifts, 61c-62
God, 54b, 81d-83, 90c-91, 106d
God, A Changing Concept of, 98-99
Goddesses, 6a
God of My Heart, 99c
Gods, Men and, 4-5
Golden Dawn, 18c-19
Good, 11b
Go to School Again, 70-71
Grief, 34a
Growth Through Realization, 93-95

H
Habit, 31d-32, 34a, 35c, 95c
Hagiographies, 5d, 90c
Harmonium, 31a
Harmony, 30a
Hate, 114b
Hate? Do Infants, 137-138
Healing, 78c-80, 118c, 135c
Healing, Absent, 13-14
Health, lia, 14a, 35a
Help? Must We Request, 78-80
Help, Requesting Cosmic, 10-13
Help Your Lodge or Chapter, 39-40
Humor, 34a
Hypnosis, 126-128
Hypocrite, 17a

Idealism, 52d
Idelism, The Use of, 14-17
Ideis, Commercial Use of, 61-62
Ideas, 75d-76
Ideation, 85c
Ignorance, 26a
Illness, 65a
Illumination, 19a, 23b
Images, 86b
ImmortalityThe Maturity of the Soul, 132-133
Impulses, 87a
Incamations, 129c
Incarnations, Our, 62-63
Incentive, The Source of, 61
Individual and Group Karma, 59-60
Infants Hate? Do, 137-138
Infdelity, 44b, 45c
Initiation, 18d, 32b
Inner self, 23d
Instinct, 3d
Instruction, Department of, 124-126
Intelligence, Supreme, 16a
Intermarriage, Racial, 47
Intemationalism, 67d-70
Intimidation, 4b
Intolerance, 123d-124
Intolerance and Forbearance, 26-28
Intuition, 101b. 113b
Is Conscience Racial? 8-10
James, William, 57c
Jerusalem, 88c
Jess, 130d
Jijimuge Doctrine, 66b

JUNE, 1952

Page 143

Judaism, 54a
Judgment, 100c
Justice, 9b

Kant, 41a, 50b, 93a

Karma, 20d, 45a-46, 81c-83, 102d, 117c
Karma Individual and Group 59-60
Kegon School, 66b
Kingdom of Heaven, 113a
Knowledge, 19d, 31b, 84d, 93a, 95a, 131c
Knowledge Subjective 112-113

Language, 56b
Language and Telepathy, 133-135
Law, 44c
Law of Amra, 117d
Laws, 2a, 14a, 81 d, llOd
Laws, Mosaic 81a
Laws of the Universe 135-137

Lewis, Dr. H. Spencer, 37b-39, 46c, 63a, 115d, 116a,

117a, 125a
Life, 132c
Life, Future, 131a
Life on other planets, 37b
Light? Did Egypt Preserve the 87-90
Light of Being, The, 56-57
Lives Decreed? Are Our, 63-65
Locke, 40d
Lodge or Chapter, Help Y our, 39-40
Lodge or Chapter Membership, 118-119
Logos, 66d
Love, 45c, 138b
Love of Cruelty, 113-114
Love? What is Universal, 54-55
Lustration, 22b

Maarif, Awarif al, 67c

Magazines:
Rosicrucian Digest, 92b, 117c
The Rosicrucian Forum, lOld, 112c, 117c, 138d
Magic, Sympathetic, 74b, 75c
Maier, Michael, 88b
*
Man, 17d, 41d, 111b
Manetho, 89c
Man, Temptations of, 7-8
Marriage, 26c, 47a
Marriage, Cosmic, 44-46
Masters, 124r, 125c, 129d-131
Mastership, Sme Elements of, 128-132
Materialism, 15a
Maturity, 132b-133
Medication, 14b
Meditation, 23a, 53c, 112d
Meditation and Contemplation, 75-78
Membership, Lodge or Chapter, 118-119
Membership Travel Credentials, 91-92
Memory. 20a
Men and Gods, 4-5
Men Born Good? Are, 106-108
Mesmer, Franz, 126b-127
Metaphysics, 15a, 16c
Microorganisms, 13c
Mind, 12b, 17b, 19b-20, 35b-37, 101b
Mind Body, Our 55-56
Miscegenation, 47c
Misrepresentation, 51b
Mohammedanism; 67b
Mohammedans, 89c
Money, 11b
Monopolies, 122d-123
Moors, 89d
Moris, 2b-4

Moral standards, 16b

Mortality tables, 64c
Motion pictures, 36b-37
Motivation, 57c
Murder, 36d
Music, 32a
Must We Request Help? 78-80
Mystery schools, 18d
Mystic, Eyes of a, The, 114-116
Mysticism, 22a
Mystics, Rational, 21-23

Nationalism, Dangers of, 67-70

Neoplatonism, 67a
Nervous disorders, 35b
Neurosis, 109d
News, 52b, 100b
Night, Obscure, 18a-19
Nile delta, 47b

Objectors, Conscientious, 42-44

Obscure Night, 18a-19
Occidentals, 68b
Oneness, The, 65-67
Ontology, 65d
Ordeal of the Soul, The, 17-19
Orientis, 68b
Others, Sacrificing For, 41-42
Ouija board, 21 d
Our Incarnations, 62-63
Our Mind Body, 55-56

Pain, 82d-83, 114c

Pain, Pleasure and, 57-59
Papyri, 89c
Path of Illumination, 19a
Patriotism versus Propaganda, 50-52
Peace, 60b, 140a
Peace, Finding Personal, 52-54
Pendulum, 57d
Perception, 19c, 31c
Perfection, 31a
Persecution, 123d-124
Personality, 95d
Philalethes, Eugenius, 88c
Philosophy, 15a
Photograph, 91d-92
Pineal gland, 116b
Planes, 21c
Plato, 40d
Pleasure and Pain, 57-59
Pleasures, 36a
Plotinus, 67a
Pneuma, 66d
Poems:
A Message for you at Christmas (Chase), 49
Arise (Nipata), 25
Light of Asia, The (Arnold), 121
Silent Traveler, The (Starr), 1
Suring Song (Chilton), 97
There is no Death (North), 73
Poverty. 81b
Power, Supreme, 3c, 98a-99
Prayers Help the Deceased? Do, 90-91
Prejudice, 68b
Preparation, 22a
Probability, 65b
Projecting, 139d
Propaganda, Patriotism versus, 50-52
Psychiatry, 35b
Psychology of Criticism, The, 46-47
Ptolemy Philadelphus, 89c
Publications, 46b

Page 144

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Purgation, 22b
Purgatory, 90c
Pyramid texts, 123b

R
Races, 47a
Racial Intermarriage 47
Racial? Is Conscience 8-10
Rational Mystics 21-23
Readiness, 130a
Reality? Can We Know, 40-41
Reality of Thought, 92-93
Realization, Growth Through, 93-95
Reap, So Shall You, 81-83
Recorders, Tape, 39d-40, 110c
Reincarnation Interests Us, Why, 101-103
Reincarnation, Sex and, 5-7
Relaxation, 36a
Religin, 68b, 102b
Religionists, 26b, 90c
Religious Beliefs? Should Rosicrucians Have, 83-85
Requesting Cosmic Help, 10-13
Resentment, 131d
Resistance, 131b
Responsibility, 114a, 129a
Retirement, 30c
Rituals, 39b, 75b
Romn Church, 89d
Rose-Croix Institute Dissolved, 37-39
Rose-Croix University, 70d-71, 115d
Rosicrucian: (See also AMORC)
Healing, 13a-14
Literature, 56c
Metaphysics, 16c
Monographs, 94c, 135b
Mysticism, 66a
Philosophy, 13b, 16d, 17b, 66b, 94a, 129b
Rituals, 77d
Teachings, 21c, 43d, 56a, 65d, 77d-78, 98a, 112d,
124d-125
Temples, 56d-57
Treatments, 78c~80
Rosicrucianism, 113b
Rosicrucianism, Application of, 28-29
Rosicrucian Order, 59b, 63a, 67d-70, 84c, 87d-90, 99b
Rosicrucians, 20c-21, 60c, 65b, 71a, 83d-85, 100a
Routine, 30b

,
, ,

Sacrificing For Others, 41-42

Sanctum, 53a
School Again, Go to, 70-71
Schools, Mystery, 18d
Science, 65c
Securitv, 3d-4
Self, 107d-108. 139d
Self-consciousness, 108b
Self-preservation, 33c 43b
Sensations, 86a, 108b, 137c
Senses, 40b, 92d
Sex and Reincarnation, 5-7
Should Rosicrucians Have Religious Beliefs? 83-85
Sleep, 140a
Socialism, 122c, 124a
Society, 50c-51, 107b, 123b
Society, Primitive, 3b
Scrates, 16c, 52d, 108a, 132a
Some Elements of Mastership, 128-132
So Shall You Reap, 81-83
Soul, 66a, 67b, 90c, 129c, 132b
Soul Development, Birth Control and, 80-81
Soul, Entering the Cathedral of, 138-140
Soul, ImmortalityThe Maturity of, 132-133
Soul mates, 45b
Soul-personality, 6d, 21a, 90c
Soul, The Ordeal of the, 17-19

Sounds, 133b
Source of Incentive, The 61
Space, 29b, 86b
Spain, 88d, 89c
Spanish Inquisition, 9c, 114b
Statistics, 64c
Stimuli, 137c
Stoics, 66d
Subjective Knowledge, 112-113
Subjective mind, 95b
Subjectivity, 19-20
Sufis, 67b
Superstitions, 21 d
Suppression, 33c
Supreme Intelligence, 16a
Symbols, 133c
Synthesis, 41a

T
Taboos, 102a, 107b
Tape Recorded Discourses, 110
Tape recorders, 39d-40, 110c
Teasing, 138c
Telepathy, 101b
Telepathy, Language and, 133-135
Teletype, 87a
Temptations of Man, 7-8
Tensin, Time and, 29-31
Theft, 107c
Theocracy, 84a
Thinking, 134a
Third eye, 116b
Thought, Reality of, 92-93
Time, 86b, 95b
Time and Tensin, 29-31
Time, The Best, 105-106
Torture, 8d, 9c, 114b
Translators, 133d-134
Travel Credentials, Membership, 91-92
Tyranny, 122d

Universal Ethics, 2-4

Universal Love? What is, 54-55
Universe, Laws of the, 135-137
Unmoved movaiit, 66c
Untruth, 4b
Upanishads, 65d, 77a
Use of Idealism, The, 14-17
Utopia, 94b

v
Vaughan, Thomas, 88c, 89d
Visualization, 134d

w
Wages, 61a
War, 42d-44, 59a-60, 100b, 123c
Wave bands, 12d
Wealth, 30a
Weapons, 59a
Well-Rounded Development, 31-32
What is Universal Love? 54-55
Why Attainment is Not Equal, 20-21
Why Destruction in Nature? 110-112
Why Imitate the Ancients? 74-75
Why Reincarnation Interests Us, 101-103
Will, 8a, 109c, 116b
Women, 6a-7
Wonder, 15d
Words, 133c
Work, 36a
World, 40b, 67d
World Challenge, A, 122-124
World War II, 52a, 100b

. A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A *

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under Section 1 1 0 3 of the U .S . Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1 9 1 7 .

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Vol. XXIII

AUGUST, 1952

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Page 2

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

V V

PRIDE, T R U E AND FALSE

Dear Fratres and Sorores:
The satisfactory estimation of ourselves
constitutes pride. Experience makes it clearly evident whether we personally possess
any qualifications which are prominent or
which exceed the average. It gratifies the
ego to realize that we have individual distinction. There is nothing so demoralizing
to human dignity as to have the self com
pletely submerged. The self has entity only
in its expression. The self must motivate the
activities of the body and mind in a manner
as is somehow representative of it. We have
realization of self by the exercise of volition
and will. In willing or choosing, we know
that we are, but such is not sufficient for
personal satisfaction. The self must be objectified to the extent that it is recognizable
by its achievements as are the other realities
of its environment. No normal human being
is content to be merely conscious of self. In
fact, if self realizes only itself, it is immured
within its own organism. A thing has ex
istence, insofar as the human mind is con
cerned, not just in the fact that it is but
that it can be known. Consequently, every
human being strives to make self known.
Since self constitutes principally the psy
chic and intellectual aspects of our being,
our judgments, our emotional states, our
Creative inclinations, and moral idealism, it
is only through these channels that it can
win recognition from others. Every man
cannot be a genius or can he exceed all
other men in some achievement. He can
win distinction among his associates by
transcending them in some mental or physi
cal characteristic. A boy need not be a
champion swimmer to have pride of self.
If he is able to swim better than his immediate friends he has asserted self, made
it a reality beyond his own consciousness. A
man who is a better cabinet-maker, gardener,
or all-round mechanic will acquire this sense
of pride in the manifestation of self.
Pride of self can also be expressed in the
negation of temptations or in the display of
what is accepted to be good character. Thus,

if society has established certain ethical or

moral ideis and the individual knows that
he has the public respect because of his
conformity to them, it results in his having
pride in his self-discipline. Society is composed of numerous minor groups. There are:
first, the family; then ones circle of immediate friends; then the business associates and
neighbors; and finally the whole community,
the latter being part of a still larger com
munity, the state. Pride, as esteem of self,
begins in the smallest circle of society and
may expand from one into another. Thus,
the childs first awareness of pride is the dis
tinction it has in the praise extended to it
by its parents. The childs next circle of
environment constitutes his playmates, then
his fellow students in school. The self must
grow progressively, move from one circle of
human relations to another. In such spheres
of human activity, the self must find pride
if the individual is to experience happiness
and have confidence in himself.
There may gradually develop a hierarchy
of prides for the individual. As one extends
the self in various accomplishments, though
others may exceed him in one circle of ac
tivities, he realizes that he excels others in
some different circle. In this way pride,
with the confidence it instils, is never entirely lost to the individual. One, for ex
ample, may be an accountant. In his profession he may not be the most renowned.
However, he may have pride in the fact
that in his conscientious thoroughness and
comprehension of accounting principies, he
is superior to many others in his line of
work. Moreover, he always has pride in the
fact that he has knowledge of a technical
subject, which transcends that of persons in
nonaccounting circles.
Pride is principally hurt by an overestimation of the achievements of self. There
is the unfortunate tendency not to subject
our own acts to a critical analysis. We know
that self diminishes in proportion to the lessening recognition and distinction of its efforts. This is a deprossing experience to self.

AUGUST, 1952

It engenders emotional states which self

seeks to avoid. This lessening recognition is
an admission we hesitate to make even to
ourselves. As a consequence, there is the
propensity to justify our own errors and
weaknesses so as not to lose, to ourselves at
least, the objectivity of self. The individual
finds excuses in circumstances which otherwise reveal his inferior and erroneous acts.
This blinds him to those faults which need
correction. They likewise give him a false
confidence in himself. To convince himself
of the excellence of some personal function
he may become boastful. As a result, he
precipitates himself into conflict with those
who do exceed him in his qualifications. His
deficiencies are then prominently exposed to
those who otherwise might not have observed
them. Their remarks may so deprecate his
self-esteem that he becomes unable to do as
well those things in which he is truly well
qualified.
False pride is developed most frequently
from reliance upon the laudatory, but insincere, remarks of others. The wise man
or woman knows whether or not what he
or she has done has merit. Self is intangible,
but what follows from it can be subjected
to fixed standards of evaluation. One does
not have to rely upon the flattery of others
to know that his deeds have distinguished
him. We can find the means of determining
whether or not what we have created or
effected with hand or mind is as outstanding
as others may claim it to be. Descartes,
French philosopher, declared that his first
rule in the search for knowledge was
44never to receive anything as a truth
which I did not clearly know to be such;
that is, to avoid haste and prejudice and
not to comprehend anything more in my
judgment than that which should present
itself so clearly and so distinctly to my mind
that I should have no occasion to entertain
a doubt of it. How dangerous it would
be for a man to be told that he could swim
well when, in fact, he could not. Reliance
upon the flattery of others is to jeopardize
ones self-esteem by causing it to be ex
posed to conditions for which one is not yet
prepared.
The greater distinction of self is found in
the voluntary direction of ones mental and
physical powers. The pride is had in that
self has asserted itself to bring about its own

Page 3

recognition. Congenital beauty of face and

form, for example, may confer distinction
upon self and instil a sense of pride but it
is both false and dangerous, for such does
not cali forth the latent qualities of self.
Therein is no awakening of the talent and
no pride of achievement which encourages
one to transcend his present status. Since
such a distinctionwhile it lastsis at
tained without effort, it obstructs the other
wise natural assertion of the self to be.
One who boasts of his achievement, even
if it is factual, likewise displays a false pride.
It most often indicates that a certain ex
cellence has come to him without great ef
fort and that he is satisfied not to further
probe his being for other potential but per
haps arduous distinctions. Autobiographies
of many eminent men relate that their great
est pride was had in the awakening and
developing of a talent that had lain dormant,
rather than in the eminence that carne to
them from some native ability which was
facile for them.
A man with true pride has found self. A
man with false pride is lost to his own self.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
Are W e Tested?
A soror in Caada now addresses our Fo
rum and says: In the monographs there
are references to the students having tests
which are related to their progress, sincerity,
etc. There is also the statement that the
Order is apprised of the progress of the stu
dent in ways we have of knowing. Further,
with respect to the student, it says: There
have been tests by which it implies that the
Order knows what the member has accomplished. Does the Order have specific mas
ters or technicians to test us as to our reac
tion? When I inquired of a more advanced
student of the monographs with reference to
the tests, he said that, as far as he had any
knowledge of it that he had never had any
tests. I am of the opinion, however, that I
have had many.
The Rosicrucian student is judged in vari
ous ways. This judgment is founded upon
the results of tests to which the member is
exposed in his progress through the degrees.
Insofar as the Orders testing the member,

Page 4

these tests are of two kinds. First, and xnost

common, are the mental tests, or written
examinations which are given at the conclu
sin of several of the degrees. Specific ques
tions are asked which are based upon the
subject matter of the monographs of the degree through which the student has presumably just passed. If the student answers the
questions and submits the completed exami
nations to the Department of Instruction, it
is quite a simple matter to determine whether
he has studied, and whether he has understood wht he has studied. Accompanying
the acknowledgment of such examinations,
the student receives a set of correct answers.
The student can then learn how correct he
was in his replies to the questions.
Suppose a member does not take the examinationas some do notis he avoiding
the test? Further, if the monographs con
tinu to him, are the tests really sincere?
When a member defaults in such a matter,
he is only affecting himself, not the Grand
Lodge. After all, such tests are really not
for the purpose of letting the AMORC Staff
know what the member may understand of
the teachings, but, rather, to cause the mem
ber himself to realize what he knows or
what he has not learned. Every examination
received is entered upon the membership
records of the Grand Lodge, on the personal
record of the member. If one does not send
his examinations in, that fact also appears
on the card. It is not as though the Grand
Lodge is only concerned with those who
comply, but it knows, as well, those who do
not. The very fact that a member does not
take the examinations and does not offer to
explain, indica tes that he has been tested
within, and in such a test has failed. His
inner self, his moral being, knows that he
has shirked a responsibility. No one else has
to tell him such a fact. There will be a time
when he has to compnsate for this negligence, this indifference which has been a demerit against him in his personal progress.
There are written tests in the higher de
grees which cannot be evaded. A member
is written to, when he does not comply. He
is given a reasonable time in which to make
the effort to do so. If he does not, certain of
his membership privileges are discontinued,
including his studies.
The second kind of test is psychic. It con
sists of meeting our mystical obligations to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

our own spiritual selves. It is a Cosmic

duty, a response to Cosmic law, that we employ our intelligence for the awakening of
self, the realization of the greater part of our
beingswhich is the higher self. We demean
ourselves when we refuse or subsequently
fail to perform such exercises as will awaken
our divine faculties. Certainly, none are so
blind as those who will not see. The member
is given numerous exercises to perform by
which he can demnstrate Cosmic laws to
himself, and, at the same time, develop that
self-consciousness w hich con stitu tes the
higher attributes of his being. We can be
illumined. We can exercise powers that
transcend our physical selves. We can become a mdium for the enlightenment and
advancement of mankind. We are offered
opportunities to make little sacrifices in time
and study by which to attain these ends. If
we choose not to so prepare ourselves, we
then have failed, in the Cosmic sense, im
portant personal tests. We may assume that
no one else is aware that we have not carried on with our exercises as w should.
However, in the Akashic records, that is, the
Cosmic scheme of things, we have not re
sponded to a cycle of opportunity. In taking
such a course, we have karmically repulsed
such a cycle of opportunity. The effect of
such a deed is a greater lapse of time before
the opportunity is again extended to us.
Is all of this abstract? Suppose we have
let the opportunity go by, from a mystical
point of view, just how does that in any way
come to bear upon our life and our affairs
of every day? From the pragmatic standpoint, how are we detrimentally affected by
not advancing ourselves mystically and psychically through our exercises? Perhaps these
requirements are purely romantic and allegorical. I can assure you that they have
a practical valu and that they touch our
lives very deeply. In each persons life there
comes a time when his own powers, his own
capabilities, and his own experiences are
deficient, when he is not able to meet the
demands which are made upon him by some
circumstances in which he finds himself. He
then turns to the Divine source for intervention and aid. He desires God, or the spirit
ual being in which he has faith, to give him
strength and understanding for the problem
with which he is confronted. Lo and behold!
he finds no response to his appeal. There is

AUGUST, 1952

a paucity of assurance, a sort of sickening

void that causes him to feel isolated from
the Cosmic, standing alone, helpless and in
doubt. Then, either of two things occur. He
may become acrimonious, resentful, believing that he has been forsaken; or, he may
then realize that what has happenedhis
inability to find the help that he needed
is really a consequence of his own callousness in the past, his own indifference. Such
is a test that every Rosicrucian and nonmember, as well, will experience at some time in
his life.
The Rosicrucian is faced with tests much
more frequently than those who are not
members. It is because the Order puts keys
in his hands with each experiment and ex
ercise which he is requested to perform. He
is afforded the opportunity of a more rapid
personal growth, if he uses these keys properly, than does the nonmember. He is also
given the opportunity of becoming indifferent and thereby creating much adverse karma
for himself. Each initiation is a special key
for unlocking a personal Peace Profound.
The member who perfunctorily conducs the
sanctum initiations has been tested and
found wanting. Ry such actions, he has
placed an obstacle in his own way. He may
not think so at the time. He may enjoy his
usual pleasures. In fact, he may think that
by not performing the initiations, he has
saved himself the effort of such activities.
When his ordeal finally arrives, then he will
realize his spiritual inability and weakness.
Remorse then is too late.
Psychologically, insofar as our personalities and character are concemed, our response
and reaction to every circumstance and de
mand which is made upon us in life is a
lest. To evade these, to flee from ordeals
instead of conquering or endeavoring to surmount them, weakens our will and inhibits
our psychic and mental powers. We may
fail at times in the ordeals of life, but if we
have met them fairly, we have gained, otherwise. Obstacles are challenges. They compel
the utilization of the plenitude of our being.
We are strengthened with the use of those
elements of which we are composed. We
then become dominant personalities with the
self-confidence that will carry us through
almost every situation. To avoid these tests
makes us weaklings. Sooner or later, we are
confronted with this fact, at least within the

Page 5

seclusion of our own minds, and the ex

perience is far from gratifying.
Prepare for your teststhen, you will
master them. With such mastery comes the
full enjoyment of life. It is not sufficient to
say: I do not have the privacy I need; I do
not have the facilities to conduct the initia
tions and experiments. The od adage:
uWhere there is a will there is a way still
applies to these mystical principies. Even
if you have to modify the exercises or initia
tions to some extent so as to adapt them to
your circumstances, you have, by this sincere
endeavor, displayed the proper motive. You
have done all that is within your power. In
this respect, you have met the test. There
are a number of our mystical exercises that
may be performed out in the open, away
from home, in a park, in a sheltered nook,
or along the beach. There are some exercises
that may even be performed in the quiet of
a public library without anyone knowing
what one is doing; it may seem that you are
just reading a book. X
The Akashic Records
Once again we feel it advisable to con
sider this mystical subject. As I recall, we
have not discussed it in our Forum for approximately two and a half years. The
Akashic records refer to records maintained
by the Universal or Cosmic intelligence. We
may say that the Akashic records are the
indelible, eternal records of the Cosmic. As
such, they constitute all knowledge of the
past, of the present, and of the future which
is contained within the Cosmic or Divine
mind.
Now, such records must not be construed
to mean actual inscribed words or expressions in any form in the Cosmic. The
Akashic records are not books, manuscripts,
or physical writings of any kind. In the
Cosmic there are underlying lawslaws by
which all that is, is; and by which all that
will be, will come to be. In other words,
these Cosmic laws are the cause, or the
essence, of all reality of the past, of the
present, and which may happen in the future. In this sense, then, the Akashic or
Cosmic intelligence is potential of the whole
futurefor logically, nothing can be truly
new. Whatever may come about, whether
tomorrow (in the sense of twenty-four-hour

Page 6

time) or eons into the future, must arise

from the existing Cosmic intelligence. Nothing can occur independent of the one state
of being, that is, the Cosmic laws and the
intelligence of which they consist. The future, then, in essence, is already indelibly
recorded in the Akashic records. The causes
of whatever m ay be, already are.
Further, we must not construe this explanation to mean that the forms of our
modern inventionsradio, televisin, jet
planes, and the likeexisted in some man
ner previously in the Akashic records, to
manifest themselves at just this time or in
this era. There are no forms or pattems of
man-made developments which have ever
existed in the Cosmic, or which now exist,
to be revealed in some future moment.
There is recorded, however, from the point
of view of Cosmic law, that man shall leam
certain universal principies, and as a result
of such wisdom shall advance himself and
bring forth many manifestations in his own
world. It is part of this Cosmic nature that
man shall learn and then, as a result of
his leaming, shall bring forth wonders which
may seem new to him, but which are really
linked to the Akashic records, that is, the
Cosmic laws.
Through mystical principies, through the
esoteric studies of the Rosicrucian Order, as
an example, man can leam those methods
by which he can attune with the Cosmic and
become a recipient of the knowledge which
it now possesses. In other words, he can
understand the laws of which the Cosmic
consists. When man has accomplished this,
the wisdom of the Akashic records is then
his to use. All being, the roots of all reality,
are in the Cosmic. It is only necessary that
man experience the essence of that being,
attune with it, to be able to cause it to express itself in various forms. Each of us
by our thoughts, by our deeds, our behavior,
is, in fact, making an entry in these Akashic
records. Each day we put into effect certain
karmic laws; by the Law of Causality we
are setting up causes which shall eventually
become effects in our life, now or in another.
Eventually, these effects, the result of the
causes which we have established, redound
to our benefit or to our detriment. What
we say, or what we do, sets into motion
certain Cosmic laws which follow their
course. At the end of their course is their

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

effect. The effect is what we experience. So,

there are many records which we each have
entered in the Cosmic. The records are
causes set into motion.
Certain Oriental peoples have often used
the phrase in their sacred literature: It has
been written . . . In doing so, they were
not alluding to an actual legible record, but,
rather, they were making a reference to
Cosmic laws which man had set into mo
tion. These writers meant that, in the Cos
mic scheme of things, it was well established
that certain effects would eventually come
about, when their causes have been invoked.
X
Nature of Cosmic Consciousness
Perhaps enough may never be said about
the infinite nature of Cosmic consciousness.
It seems without doubt that no man can
ever embrace consciousness in its entirety
and that any human intellect can ever fully
describe the experience it is so fortnate as
to have. It is for this reason that we frequently discourse upon the subject. We
hope each time to add a little more light or
clarify some aspect of the subject.
In an approach to understand the Cosmic
consciousness, it is necessary for one to first
realize that consciousness is not a substance.
Consciousness is not a reality in itself. It is
not a thing or an object. Rather, it is a
function of a reality. We cannot have con
sciousness apart from that which is conscious. This perhaps makes us realize that
it has no reality in itself. To better under
stand this, we may say that consciousness
is a condition which arises out of something
else. Its being an attribute of that condition
makes it impossible to have an independent
existence.
There are certain common functions
which are always associated with conscious
ness. One of these is the response that a
living thing exhibits toward its environment
or surroundings. Further, there is that func
tion or response which the animate thing
has to its own innate actions or being. Now
both of these responses of consciousness may
be characterized by the single word awareness. In the simplest of living things, the
single cell, there is consciousness. In other
words, there is that sensitivity to all vibrations or impressions which may act upon it.

AUGUST, 1952

We observe, in common experience, that

the result of the conscious act is always to
further the nature of the living thing itself.
The animate thing attracts that which is in
harmony with it, that which appears to
further and be conducive to its welfare;
conversely, it repels all that is disturbing or
aggravating to it. In this particular function, the living thing exhibits what we may
rightly cali intelligence. The animate object consequently displays an inherent de
sire; that is, it has an impulse with a motive.
In this respect we can then further say that
the simplest living thing exhibits intelligence
and consciousness alike. Whatever has in
telligence we say has mind. Again, we
cannot separate mind from intelligence.
Therefore, wherever there is consciousness,
no matter how simple the living form, we
know there must be mind; the former, or
consciousness, being an attribute of the latter or mind. Cosmic consciousness, then, is
also mind.
Just as there is life in animate things, so,
too, there is a universal vibratory forc
which pervades all being, whatever its form
or expression. This universal vibratory forc
has a sympathetic relationship to all things.
In fact, all realities everywhere are of this
universal vibratory forc. This forc is the
Creative impulse that pervades all existence.
You may prefer to cali this universal Crea
tive impulse God, the Supreme Being, or
some other term that seems more intimate
to you, such as Cosmic. Nevertheless, it is
the primary and continuous cause of all ex
istence. To the particular mechanics of its
operation, the way in which it manifests,
Rosicrucians have applied the ame Nous.
This universal impulse or forc is active
because it is a pulsating reality. Its activities are in the fact that it is everywhere
striving to be, that is, to manifest itself
through its ceaseless change and oscillation.
Since it exhibits this impulse or desire to
be, it therefore manifests intelligence. In
telligence and mind are synonymous. As
we have heretofore said, that which has
mind has consciousness so the great uni
versal or Cosmic forc has a Cosmic con
sciousness. This Cosmic consciousness is the
inherent sensitivity of this universal Creative
forc by which it at all times opposes, even
within itself, any possible depreciation of
its own nature. Consequently, it extends its

Page 7

great primary or Cosmic consciousness into

all things which it f orms or which are f ormed
of it.
The Cosmic consciousness accompanies
this universal or Cosmic energy, as an at
tribute, into every living cell. In each living
cell it manifests with the pulsating vibratory
forc. Consciousness is more than intelli
gence in the sense of knowing or perceiving.
It is, as we have said, also a sympathetic
response or feeling toward the source of its
own nature and to all else which acts upon
that source. As a result, man cannot know
the Divine or Cosmic consciousness alone
through any method of perceiving or through
rationalization. He must also attune with
it, be in accord with it. He must be in
sympathy with its oneness. He must feel
or be sensitive to the universal impulse
within him, or he has not experienced Cos
mic consciousness.
The intelligence in each cell of man has
its specific function to perform. It has a
job to do. Nevertheless all of the cells conform to what Leibnitz, the Germn philosopher, referred to as pre-determined har
m ony. There is a common objective or goal
which these cells, in the collective sense,
are serving, even though individually they
are seemingly functioning separately. The
organism of man, as a unit, serves the great
er harmony of the Cosmic. To use a homely
analogy, it is like the separate wheels of a
wagn. Each has its separate place and its
particular function. Together, however, they
serve the pre-determined purpose of moving
the whole wagn forward. This harmony
of the consciousness and intelligence of the
cells is the psychic counterpart of man. The
consciousness of the cells, in the aggregate,
we may say constitutes the body of the con
sciousness, the form that the whole conscious
ness assumes and is comparable to the body
composed of flesh and bones. The Cosmic
consciousness of the universe in man is
known as the psychic consciousness. It is
the reaching down into the very substance
of man of this universal forc with its intel
ligence and consciousness.
There are three principal planes of con
sciousness. Briefly, they are: the objective,
the one by which we are aware of the extemal world or what we consider such to be;
the subconscious, with its attribute, the sub
jective, and our mental processes; and, final-

Page 8

ly, above them all, the psychic or Cosmic

consciousness in its purest state, latent within
each cell of ones being. Really all three of
these planes of consciousness are but one.
In experience they appear to be different
because of their manifestations.
To better understand this, let us think of
a dot in space. W e shall say that this dot
is the universal forc and mind in its abso
lute state. Around that dot let us conceive
a circle some little distance from it. That,
we shall say, depicts the highest plae of
Cosmic consciousness, the consciousness of
the great universal mind. Now we shall, in
our minds, draw still another circle some
distance from the first one. This we shall
cali the subconscious. It is that conscious
ness within us that is usually alluded to as
the psychic process of the mind and the
like. Reyond that, then, we shall draw still
another circle. It is the lowest of all the
planes of consciousness, lower in its vibratory
nature. This is the objective consciousness.
It is attuned to the grosser octaves of vibrations. Through it we realize the material
world. It is the consciousness of what is
generally said to be the mortal mind.
Now, each of these circles of conscious
ness, which we have drawn in our minds,
is a projection from one to the next. There
is first a projection from the dot, that is, an
emanation from the great universal forc
to the subconscious, and thence downward
to the lower plae, the objective or mortal
consciousness of man. Now, just as there
can be an emanation downward in the vi
bratory scale from the Cosmic, so man can
project his objective consciousness, or rather
transform it so that it is in attunement with
the highest level of consciousness which we
have called Cosmic consciousness. Another
way of stating this is to say that we can
move the self, the realization of our own
being, upward in the scale to become con
scious of the Cosmic. This is what is known
as the elevation of the consciousness. It is
like changing the pitch of a sound so that
it increases octave by octave. If we reverse
the order of the two words, Cosmic and con
sciousness, so that we have instead con
sciousness of the Cosmic, we then have that
state or condition which every mystic strives
forthat is to be conscious of the Cosmic
within ourselves. It is the realization of the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

greater consciousness of the whole absolute

of which man is a part.
There is a rhythmic periodicity to human
life just as there are rhythmic periods in
the forces of nature. There are times when
attunement with this high plae of con
sciousness, the Cosmic consciousness, is more
likely to be possible with each of us. Cosmic
consciousness is best attained at the ages of
21, 35, 49, 56, 63 and the like. It is at
thirty-five generally that the psychic or
Cosmic illumination is attained by the aver
age person. It sometimes occurs later in
life but at thirty-five it is more common.
Unfortunately, however, most persons re
main on the fringe consciousness; that is,
they remain in the circles of the objective
and subjective minds. They are always on
the border of the subconscious, only partially
responsive to the impressions that come
through from the higher planes of self. They
never cross over this border, never reach
deeply enough into the subconscious to re
ceive that illumination which constitutes
Cosmic consciousness. X
Conflict of Interests
Most persons have never given thought to
the basic causes of strife among men. Wheth
er strife exists as among individuis, groups,
or nations, the invariable cause is a conflict
of interests. It is natural that man should
exert himself. All of absolute being, the
whole reality of the universe, is continually
striving to be; that is its inherent nature. It
is not to be expected that man should do less.
The ego seeks to preserve itself just as the
physical body does. These inherent drives
or interests, however, if not directed, if not
brought into harmony with each other,
eventually cause strife. The resultant friction causes man to torture his own kind
an effect which is commonly evident in war.
The lower animals are not in a position to
analyze their own behavior and note the
causes. Rut mans personal mastery lies in
his accomplishment of this particular feat.
All conflicting interests, no matter how
manifested, may be reduced to three funda
mental kinds:
The first is where A and B both want to
possess C. Now, A and B may be individuis,
groups, nations, or states. C is that which
A and B want to possess. It may be a sub-

AUGUST, 1952

stance, an object, or it may be a distinction.

By a substance or object we mean some ma
terial thing which A and B each want to
claim for themselves. If C is a distinction,
it consists of a title, honor or fame, or a
position over which the conflict occurs.
Now, the second fundamental conflict of
interests results when A and B disagree on
the nature of C. Here, C is the quality of
a thing, or the valu of a condition. Thus,
A and B cannot agree as to what a thing
may consist of, as to whether it is of one
kind, size, age, ownership, or as to those
qualities which may be associated with it.
As said, this disagreement may also concern
the valu of a condition. There may be some
circumstance which exists, and its importancethat is, whether it is good, evil, unworthymay appear differently to A than
to B.
Then, there is a third kind of conflict of
interests, as when A and B want to create
a separate C. In this case, the C element
alludes to the different concepts or opinions
which are had by A and B. For analogy, A
may believe in and want a single world
govemment. B, conversely, may advcate a
federa tion of autonomous nations. We see
in this that C, as an opinion or concept, may
actually have no reality; it may be nothing
more than the ideas that A and B each have
separately. Each, however, wants his par
ticular concept to become a fact. The attempt may result in eventual conflict.
There are, therefore, three major causes
of the conflict of interests. Summarized, they
are: possession, appraisal, and conception.
Is there any way in which to reconcile
or bring about an adjustment of these divergent interests? Is there any way in which
they can be prevented from hurting other
individuis or bringing hurt to society collectively? Let us consider the first example,
where A and B wish to possess C. At first,
we should not be concemed with the indi
vidual character or inherent rights (if they
have such) of A or B. It is natural that
each should be moved by the impulse of
possession, and in this regard, they are
equal. The only philosophical factor to con
sider is the consummation of the act, the
effect of the possession on others. Will the
possession by either A or B be to the benefit
or to the detriment of others?

Page 9

Let us assume that B is a thief. His theft,

then of C, whatever it may be, disrupts
human relations and is a menace to society.
Therefore, it is not sufficient to consider
whether A and B have a right to possess C,
in the matter of strife or the conflict of
interests, but D, also, must be considered.
In this case, D is the common good o f society.
The teaching efforts of schools, religious or
ganiza tions, and of mystical and philosoph
ical societies must concern themselves, then,
with the common good, the result of the ac
tions of A and B or the actual possession
of C.
It is also not sufficient that an individual
be told that he should not possess this or
that because of moral reasons alone. It is
necessary that his social consciousness be
first developed. With such development, he
will not be so inclined to possess wrongly
that which might be detrimental to D, the
general welfare of society. Through an
evolving social consciousness, then, A and B
come to realize that by wrongly possessing
C they injure society, from which they individually can obtain greater if not more
immediate benefits than from that which
they had desired to possess. Men will not
knowingly act against their own best inter
ests. With the growth of social consciousness
what constitutes their best interests is ex
tended to include the interests of society.
Today there are too many prohibitions
expounded by society which are left unrelated and unexplained insofar as their importance to the individuals welfare is
concerned. Such prohibitions, to many in
dividuis, seem to be nothing more than a
meaningless obstruction of their personal
rights. It is essential to inclcate more
strongly not the principie of man and society,
putting them into opposition to each other,
but, rather, that man is society. To a great
extent throughout the world today the state
has become a machine of domination instead
of an extensin of the personal interests of
the individual. Consequently, it has resulted
in the individuals hostility to the state or
his indifference to its demands, resulting in
conflicts.
Now we consider the second example of
these conflicts, or the different appraisals of
things and conditions which A and B may
have. Where a thing or condition exists, as

Page 10

we know, an objective test may be made of

it. From a careful examination it can be
usually determined what is its quality or
valu. In this way we can often bring to a
rational conclusin any issue concerning the
object or thing. If, however, the appraisal
concerns something that is not material,
then the standard of judgment must be its
contribution to the welfare of the majority.
Again, then, the common good of all of
society becomes the test and the rule: it is
one which the disagreeing parties abide by
or else disclose themselves as being anti
social.
As for the final example of conflict of interests, or the difference in conceptions of
men, it must be realized that men can never
think alike upon all things. Principally, this
is because the experiences of men from
which their sense of vales is drawn are
different. It is also because mens mental
powers and psychic development vary. The
test of a conception is not whether it is in
conflict with the ideas of others. Concep
tions must be judged by whether they con
flict with reality. Will what the individual
wants, or what he thinks, or what he hopes
to crea te, oppose Cosmic or natural law?
Ideas that oppose natural or Cosmic law are
in reality in opposition to ourselves because
we are part of the whole Cosmic order. It
should be apparent, then, that such con
ceptions should be abandoned whether they
conflict with the ideas of another or not.
There are also other realities which must
be taken into consideration; these are the
basic and proved economic and social laws.
If what the individual wants, or what he
believes, tends to destroy the good of such
realities without replacing them with those
of equal valu, obviously his thoughts and
desires are fundamentally wrong. Conse
quently, our concepts to be right must extend at all times beyond the immediate self,
beyond the relationship to our immediate
physical and mental well-being. Our con
cepts must be in harmony with the greater
Self, and the latter is related to the common
good of mankind. There is need, then, for
society to teach its members this essence of
good societya good society always being
free from sectarian and political discrimination. This is a practical study which requires that our idealism be subject to critical
examination.X

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Growth of Perception
Rosicrucian literature is full of many discussions of methods by which the individual
gains his psychic abilities. Psychic develop
ment means the quickening of our psychic
factors within the body, the awakening of
those potentialities of which we may be unconscious due to their dormancy. Everything that we learn is through the process
of perceiving. Analysis and reason, contemplation and meditation upon things
which we know, or are attempting to know,
might be in some ways compared with the
digestive process of the physical body. How
ever, prior to digestin, a thing must enter
the physical body. So, also, it is mentally
and psychically. Prior to the utilization of
any form of knowledge, there must precede
the steps by which that knowledge or ex*
perience is made available to us.
Perception on the objective level is taken
so naturally and without question that until
an individual studies the physiology of the
sense organs and the psychology of their
functioning, one seldom stops to be aware
of how complicated and involved are these
processes. Think of the involvement of one
sense alonethat of seeing. The eye is an
organ that almost defes human explanation,
and yet we accept its functioning as a mat
ter of course. We do the same with the other
sense organs of the body. The average in
dividual has accepted these things by ex
perience. We were not taught to see, to feel,
hear, taste, or smell. These faculties seem
to be a spontaneous development before the
span of our present memory began. All we
have done was to gain certain likes and
dislikes in regard to the use of our sense
organs. We like certain sights or certain
tastes, or enjoy certain sounds. We have
found that as we assumed responsibility as
individuis we had to forc ourselves to
use our sense organs in a certain way. Probably our first experiences of this carne when
our parents or our teachers in the first years
of school requested, and then insisted, that
we look at something or listen for some
thing. In other words, to learn the first
elementary principies that we would need
later in life, we were taught to watch a
certain point; and, in so doing and without
knowing it, we were taking the first steps
in the exercising of will power.

AUGUST, 1952

The directing of our sense organs toward

a certain pointlooking at a book, for ex
ampleis the process known as attention.
Interest will hold attention, or will-power
will control it, but we have learned by ex
perience that the use of attention makes it
possible for our sense organs to function
to our benefit. Since normal adults have
gained a certain degree of efficiency in the
use of directing their sense organs and perceiving those things which they need to
learn, early in the Rosicrucian studies parallels with the physical sense organs are
presented in order to help us quicken and
expand our perceptive abilities. If we are
to learn anything beyond the realm of the
physical or material world about us, our
sense faculties have to be so sharpened that
we will be able to grasp and perceive more
subtle things than those impressions that
immediately cause our attention to be di
rected to them. In the very first lessons we
were asked to practice simple exercises that
would begin to sharpen our psychic perception, that would put us in tune with the
rest of the living universe of which we are
a part.
As each individual is desirous of directing
his own life insofar as possible, and also,
when possible, to alter the course of his life
in a way that will be to his satisfaction,
mental creating is one of the first things
that the student wishes to learn. Early in
our teachings, the process of visualization is
given much emphasis, and we are taught
that if things are to develop in actuality
they first must develop clearly and distinctly
in the reality of our mind and of our think
ing. To help the concept of reality take
form within our consciousness, we are taught
(through a series of exercises in our mono
graphs) how to visualize. Visualization is
taken as the first step in the development,
or, we might say, the improvement of our
perceptive abilities because most people find
it the easiest to develop. This does not mean
that visualization, through building up a
mental picture of a thing, limits the use of
the other sense faculties. The emphasis upon
visualization can, in fact, be overdone, as
the other sense faculties and their poten
tialities are frequently overlooked. Some
times the student fails to understand that
the process of visualization is used as a beginning or as a basis because it is the most

Page 11

easily understood and the simplest for the

beginner with which to begin to experiment.
In the higher degrees, reference is made
to the other sense faculties. The develop
ment of a sense of hearing is particularly
emphasized, because if we cannot learn to
direct the attention of our auditory senses,
we may miss the impressions that may otherwise not be available to us. Concepts are
known to us primarily through the use of
words, and proper concentration, meditation,
and the developing of our auditory sense
make it possible for us to receive impres
sions as if they were the spoken words of
someone else.
Each student is therefore advised that
growthmentally, psychically, and spirit
uallyis accomplished through the develop
ment of all perceptive abilities; none should
be overemphasized and none should be over
looked. The members in the higher degrees
would do well to review the references to
the development of the psychic ear, and
those who have not yet reached that point
should look forward in anticipation to a
phase of the practical work of the Order
that can become of valu in their individual
development.A
Candles and the Mystic Fame
Some Rosicrucians, especially neophytes,
who have not been students of mystical
philosophy, resent at first the use of candles
in the early mystical exercises of our Order.
To them such practices seem to be of a
religious nature or sectarian. These indi
viduis are perhaps seeking something be
yond their early religious affiliations, and
they believe the use of candles may be
leading them back into that which they
hope to transcend. To them, therefore, the
use of candles seems to have little or no
significance at first. They think of the
practice as being but a traditional church
decoration having no modern significance
whatsoever.
In every true religin the candle and the
candle fame have a profound spiritual and
metaphysical connotation. Unfortunately,
most times the symbolism and mystical sig
nificance of the candle and the fame in
religious rituals is not fully explained to
the church-goers. That is the reason why
to them it becomes merely a superficial form

Page 12

of decora tion. Candles or tapers and the

fame had a mystical meaning long before
church rituals existed. Many of the elements
of the liturgies of the different religious
sects are borrowed from earlier experiences
of the individual. They are the result of
psychic discoveries made by man before
he organized for his concepts such a vehicle
as religious sects.
Fire is one of the four great principies or
manifestations of nature. It, therefore, impressed itself upon the mind of man at an
early time. Perhaps the very first fire that
man saw was caused by lightningthe
crackling sound in the sky, the flashing of
intense light which kindled the dry leaves
and brush, and then the fame sharply defined against the dark sky was an unforgettable experience. Perhaps another form
of introducing fire to primitive man was volcanic eruptionthe terrible rumbling sound,
the midnight sky suddenly lighted by the
eerie fame, the searing heat all of these
must have struck terror into the heart of
primitive man.
Fire seemed to consume everything it
touched. The nature of all exposed to it
appeared to be transmuted by its forc. This
suggested to the primitive mind the idea of
its all-consuming and universal nature. The
heat and light of fire likewise taught prehistoric man other lessons. These lessons
were for mans mystical development. The
great orb in the heavens, or the sun, gave
off light. So did fire. It seemed then that
fire was also revealing. It dispelled darkness; it brought things out in their true
reality, disclosed what had not been seen
before. Fire radiated heat. Mans body and
those of animals also gave off heat, so it
could be conceived, and probably was, that
some of the cosmic forc of the sun and
fire might have entered into mans body
as well.
With mans discovery that, by various
means, he was able to generate fire, he carne
to realize perhaps his first mastery of the
forces of nature. He believed he had at his
disposal some of the great powers of the
universe. The importance which early man
must have felt in his ability to direct fire
could be no less than that which the modera
scientist experiences as a result of the fission
of the atom. Fire changed mans whole mode
of existence. It provided comfort against the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

rigors of the weather of the glacial period.

It made his food much more palatable. It
provided protection against predatory ani
mals to which he was continually exposed.
But, more important, the light of the fire,
which he was now able to produce, increased mans waking hours. No longer was
he left in the absolute darkness of his
shelter, crouching against a stone wall, looking out at the gleaming eyes of the animals
which surrounded him on all sides. Secure
and comfortable in the heat and light of the
fire, he was for the first time able to meditate. As* he focused his attention upon the
hearth or later upon the fame of his crude
oil lamp, he began to realize himself, the
world within.
Gradually fire, as a symbol of mystical
truths, found its way into the literature of
the ancients. In the Hermetic teachings of
centuries ago we find this phrase: All
things descend from heaven to earth, to
water, to air. Tis fire alone, in that it is
borne upwards, giveth life. Thus we see
that fire became the symbol of mans spirit
ual zeal. It represented the buraing desire
of his spiritual self to reach upward and find
unin with the powers which transcended
it. Again, Hippolytus, Greek Christian and
theologian, quotes a Gnostic manuscript
wherein it says that fire is the symbol of
boundless power and universal root. Fire
was conceived as twofold, that is, as Being
concealed and as Being manifested. The
manifested side of being has all things within
which man could perceive, the concealed
part has all that which man can conceive
or should. In other words, as we interpret
this, fire is the agent for bringing into ex
istence almost all things, so thought the
ancients. However, it also depicted to them
the light and that power of mans mind by
which he can conceive those things which
have as yet no reality.
In earlier and cruder religious concepts,
fire became an object of worship. However,
in the more advanced religions, as Zoroastrianism, fire was but symbolic, as we have
said, of spiritual light and the zeal for virtuous living. Today in almost all mystical
ceremonies, the candle and fame are sym
bolic of transmuta tion. Actually, the com
bustin of fire is the change of the vibratory
nature of the chemicals in the air, so fire
is truly representative of transmutaran. Its

AUGUST, 1952

light depicts the greater light of the Cosmic

mind for which all mystics strive.
There has always been a considerable fascination for candles in the home as a means
of il-lumination. It is for this reason that
candles are so often used as a means of
decoration, to create a certain atmosphere,
by persons who are not even mystically inclined. It is because within the memory of
the soul the fame arouses mans early meditations which were centered upon fire. The
memory is revived perhaps from mans
primitive being. Another reason for the
fascination is that a fame seems alive in its
constant weaving and changing of its form
and colors. No artificial light can produce
the same emotional and psychic effect as
that of the candle fame.
When meditating while looking into the
candle fame, it becomes the focal point of
our thoughts. The fame so holds our visual
attention that nothing else of a visual nature
is easily discerned by us. As a result of its
becoming the focal point of our concentration, we can enter the subconscious state
much more easily. It is suggested, in exer
cises of a mystical nature using the lighted
candle or taper, that it should be placed a
little distance from the wall, far enough
so that an area of dark shadows can be
formed behind it. Of course, the candle
must then be the only illumination in the
room. This dark area behind the candle
becomes a kind of screen. On it, as we con
cntrate on the fame of the candle, a
number of forms seem to gather. Actually these forms are not realities in the
sense that they exist in the dark shadows.
They are the result of the vibrations of our
own thoughts. As we concntrate upon the
fame and enter into a subconscious state
of mind, these visual images begin their
formation in our consciousness; they seem
to be transferred to the dark area behind
the candle. However, they are at all times
on the screen of our own consciousness. In
other words, what we seem to see in the
dark area behind the candle is but a projection or reflection of the intuitive impressions
coming to us from the Cosmic and from
the depths of our own conscious being.
It is for these reasons that for centuries
Rosicrucians have used and still use candles
in some of their rituals and ceremonies. It
is for these reasons as well that candles are

Page 13

used on the altars of our home sanctums and

on the Shekinah of our temples. Even the
Colombe, the young girl who participates in
some of the ceremonies in our temples, is a
perpetuation of ancient traditions related to
the mystical concepts of fire. During the
time of the ancient Egyptians and later in
the era of the Greeks and Romans, the
priests and sages selected chaste intelligent
girls to attend the sacred and symbolic fire
in their temples. These young maidens became beautiful symbolic figures of Cosmic
principies, such as Divine light and virtue.
They, like the rose and cross, depict in
tangible principies that transcend anything
physical or material.X
Study and Psychic Development
Since study and learning are primary
functions of the objective mind, the question
is asked, how does the study contribute to
psychic development? This question can be
asked from two different points of view.
The first is based upon the popular misconception that individual effort is not necessary
for psychic development. This misunderstanding has been prevalent for a long period
of time. There have always been those who
hold to the idea that psychic development
will come by simply waiting for it. In its
most exaggerated form, this concept is illustrated by the actions and the philosophy
of those aesthetics who isolated themselves
from all worldly things, and, in theory, devoted themselves entirely to prayer and contemplation.
Early in Christian history, this movement
gained much support. It is said that in every
town, village, and city of early medieval
times, there were certain individuis who
were pointed out as holy men, because
they sat in what was supposed to be contemplation of the mysteries of life and the
universe. Sometimes these individuis iso
lated themselves in caves or away from hu
man populations. Other times they sat on
the top of towers or columns, something like
modern pole-sitters, but with the idea that
their performance in view of other people,
would not only illustrate their intentions, but
be a model to others.
We must not lose sight of the fact that
many of these individuis were very sincere
and actually believed this was the true way

Page 14

to the understanding of God and all mys

teries of life. Many others were exhibitionists. They simply were tr}dng to make
themselves appear holy by doing some
thing different from any one else. They be
lieved, either sincerely or mistakenly, that
by depriving themselves of the usual com
forts and demands of the physical body, it
should in some way alleviate their spiritual
life and make it easier for them to attain
the psychic and spiritual development which
they sought. Those who conscientiously ap
plied their time to true contemplation and
prayer accomplished, to some extent, what
they hoped to, but those who just sat and
did nothing accomplished nothing, because,
to quote from the words of a Rosicrucian
ritual, Nothing cannot give rise to some
thing. This same tendency in the modern
world is illustrated by those who even scoff
at the idea of studying. They claim that
illumination will come when one is ready
to be illuminated, but they do not attempt
to prepare for that illumination.
The second point of view from which the
question concerning the relation of objective
study and psychic development is asked is
due to a sincere desire to learn how objec
tive knowledge can influence the subjective
self. Upon the principie taught in the Rosi
crucian monographs that the psychic and
objective selves are different, we base our
conclusin that some individuis fail to grasp
the idea that the psychic self unfolds in
terms of objective development. This does
not mean that psychic development is com
pletely dependent upon objective perception
and human reasoning, but it becomes obvious, if we analyze carefully, that if man
exists for a period of time in a physical
body, in a physical world, then those physi
cal things are mdiums by which certain
more profound development is aided and
assisted.
The experience of life is a part of our
over-all growth, evolvement, and develop
ment. The selfthat essence of the soul
that is incamated in the human bodyis
placed there to gain experience, knowledge,
and understanding. What is gained that is
worth while and of true valu becomes the
composite forc, the memory of the soul and
the basis of individual character. In other
words, everything contributes to our overall evolvement. There have been many cases

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of individuis who have not had complicated

and continued opportunities for learning
and study. Many humble men and women
have become saints and mystics because of
their sincerity and because of their utiliza
tion of all the knowledge and experience
to which they had access.
We must be careful to strike a balance
in this analysis because neither complete
aestheticism or complete giving of ourselves
to objective listening is the ideal. Balance,
as we have repeated many times in these
pages, is the key to understanding. Most
of those who are considered great have been
humble. Many of the saints did not isolate
themselves from humanity, but as St. Francis
and the mystic, Jacob Roehme, and many
others, they mixed freely with their fellow
men and gave aid and help insofar as they
were able. They did not become ascetics.
They were, in many cases, men of humble
origin and self-made in the sense that the
opportunities of education and learning had
been limited for them. Nevertheless, they
are looked upon in many circles today as
those who have inspired the human race
to greater things.
If one does no studying whatsoever, psy
chic development can nevertheless take place,
but all study, all learning, is a challenge to
greater mental activity and accomplishment.
Mans process of reasoning is the inner inter
pretation of what he learns, and his ex
perience is based upon the application of
that learning to the events of his life. It is
conceivable that men can live today without
any objective learning to speak of, at least
any of the formal phases of learning. There
are people who cannot read or write, and,
nevertheless, probably have attained a de
gree of happinss, but they have limited
themselves. Their experience in this life has
been enclosed in a circle whose outer boundaries are the limits of what we can perceive
without the use of these most important
tools.
When one begins to study specifically for
self-improvement, for the attainment of
knowledge, or mysticism, he or she is simply
utilizing available materials. If one lived
in the woods, probably a fire could be built
and one would be kept warm and food
cooked even if no thought were given to storing fuel for that purpose. In other words, a
god woodsman could get up in the morning,

AUGUST, 1952

get out and find, with some effort and inconvenience, suitable materials with which to
build a fire. How much better off he would
be, however, if, like more prudent people,
he had cut and stored wood for fuel that
would be dry and protected from the weather. His life would be better, fuller, more
comfortable; and, thereby, it would also
contribute more completely to peace of mind
and happiness.
The same is true in regard to the study
which helps us to develop our psychic abili
ties. The experience of others, the inspiration of their writings, the analysis of their
methods, help us to better fit our own lives
to our most important growth. As we are
told in one of the higher Rosicrucian degrees, psychic development will continu
after one ceases to study. It does not stop
completely, for man is physically and psychically a growing creature. Even though
one has had the incentive to begin a study
which contributes to development and has
pursued it part way, when such study is
stopped ones development becomes static.
There is no mpetus to carry it on.
Mental training in metaphysical principies
does not alone assure psychic development,
but mental training sharpens the individuals
mental powers and causes him to develop
those habits that make him alert to changes
and opportunities which, in turn, have a
great deal of bearing upon psychic develop
ment. The Rosicrucian philosophy presented
in the form of great teachings is designed
to help create the proper balance. In the
Rosicrucian teachings we find the basic
philosophy, the examples of others, the inspiration that helps us, and the exercises
which we can apply. This balance is de
signed to produce balance and harmony
within the individual; and, if properly applied, it will assist in attaining that goal
toward which we have directed ourselves.A
Understanding Intuitive Impressions
How can I determine whether or not an
impression is valid? This question is asked
by every Rosicrucian student, either in correspondence or of himself. Every one who
begins to study our teachings or to study
occult and mystical principies cannot escape
the question as to whether or not he has
received an impression that is true, or

Page 15

whether he has imagined an idea or concept.

The criterion of knowledge is one which
has interested philosophers for centuries. It
is not easy to prove the validity of even
objective knowledge. Furthermore, everyone knows by experience^that reasoning is
not infallible. Ones reasoning can logically
lead to false or erroneous conclusions. Undoubtedly, every reader of this publication
has had the experience of hearing or reading a very logical presentation or argument
the ultmate conclusin of which turned out
to be false. Such reasoning is, of course,
based upon some error in the process or in
the selection of premises upon which to
base the conclusin. In any field in which
there is the element of individual human
thought, this reasoning error could easily
find a place. An exponent of any system
of thought or any concept, such as might
occur in the fields of religin, economics,
or politics, can always bring forth very
logical and clear-cut explanations to support
his point of view. The actual events, how
ever, may prove this reasoning to be false.
Human reasoning is a tool which man
uses, and, as with all other tools, it can be
used in a method that is not accurate or
always correct. Reasoning itself is not at
fault, because the same processes that bring
about a false or erroneous conclusin can
also result in a correct conclusin.
Knowledge and experience are the basis
by which ones reasoning faculty is used
correctly or to arrive at truthful conclusions.
Even aside from the reasoning element, it
is dificult to prove any type of knowledge.
There is no method outside the field of ex
perience that can prove the simple fact that
two and two is four. We accept this fact
because it has been taught us, brought to
our consciousness by repeated experiences,
but to become involved in the proof of the
concept itself involves a very difficult anal
ysis that even an expert mathematician will
find it difficult to present the necessary
proof. If it is difficult for man to always
rely upon his reason, or even to substantiate
accepted facts in a purely objective category,
then we can easily appreciate how difficult
it is to arrive at a full reliance upon an
impression received in consciousness.
Our basic philosophy maintains that intuition is a source of knowledge. We believe in a purposeful universe, in the ex-

Page 16

istence of a Cosmic scheme which has been

established and which is continued by an
Absolute Intelligence. We therefore believe
that man, as a segment of that Intelligence,
is potentially able to draw upon it as a
source of knowl^glge. The intuitive knowl
edge which man attains, therefore, is the
means by which he uses his psychic perception. In this sense, psychic perception,
through intuition, is parallel to sense per
ception through the physical organisms and
sensory system that are a part of the human
body. If any part of our body is restricted,
such as the movement of a leg, an arm, or
even a finger, it becomes difficult to again
establish the motion and rhythm that constituted the habit system that had to do
with that particular part of the body.
I recently had this experience brought
very clearly to me when, as the result of a
leg injury ^ I found as the injury corrected
itself or healing took place, that in the
short space of a few weeks I had forgotten
or lost the habit of walking normally. A
competent physician had to actually instruct
me and forc me to practice how to walk
normally again under his supervisin. It
was almost incredible to me as I would
never have believed that a person would
lose in the space of a few weeks a habit
which had existed almost all his life. Our
entire system, that is, our physical system
including our nervous system, is functioning
beneath the level of consciousness as an integrated whole. There is a certain conscious
ness in all the cells, because there is a life
forc evidenced in each. If one or a group
of these cells has had their usual functioning
interfered with, whether they be in a musele, in a nerve fiber, or in any other part
of our body, this functioning has to be restored. After the leg injury, for example,
will power had to be exerted in order to
again properly coordinate the various parts
of the legits muscles, tendons, and moving
parts so that they would function again
as a coordinated whole, or as they did before the injury interrupted their normal
functioning.
By the time the human being has reached
adult age, his whole body is functioning as
a unit through a system of habits; and as
such falls into a pattern, it constitutes a part
of our total individuality. Therefore, when
we study or attempt to learn something that

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

is new in our experience, there are no estab

lished habit systems to take over and to
carry on the process or technique we wish
to gain. There was a time when it was be
lieved that adults, or at least middle-aged
people, could not learn new things. It was
believed, for example, that a middle-aged
person could not become a pianist, a watchmaker, or gain proficiency in any other
similar skill. This has been proved to be a
false idea, but it is based on the fact that
the leaming of such skill is difficult for the
simple reason that entirely new habit sys
tems have to replace, in part, a habit structure that has been built up through many
years of conscious and unconscious manifestation.
It is, therefore, not in the least strange
that to gain abilities of the mind and of our
psychic potentialities should prove difficult.
We can only judge new things on the basis
of past knowledge and experience. We can
build techniques only upon the basis of those
already built. The cultivation of mental and
psychic abilitiesto the average person of
thirty-five years of age or over who has not
given serious consideration to these fields
requires a complete revamping of habits,
point of view, and techniques. It is little
wonder that those who enter seriously and
conscientiously into the study of Rosicrucianism, or other idealistic philosophies, fre
quently find that they have changed perspectively and that even their friends and
acquaintances recognize those changes.
It is the process of change that is difficult
and which concems us here. To develop the
ability to listen and depend upon intuitive
knowledge is to reverse our usual habit sys
tems insofar as they relate to perception
and thought. We have been taught to look
without for all thingsnow we are taught
to listen within. Since we have depended
upon confirmation of our concepts or ideas,
and in our reasoning, upon objective proofs
in the outside world, it is little wonder that
we hesitate to give credence and full con
fidence to those first impressions to which
we listen coming from our inner selves directly into consciousness. Our first attempts
in this line naturally lead to doubt and
question, and it is only by consistent practice
and application of ourselves to this new
point of view that we are able to develop
and gradually gain confidence in our inner

AUGUST, 1952

abilities. Once we have determined to give

our best efforts and application to the prac
tice of these techniques and have been able
to gain knowledge and insight through our
intuitive abilities, confidence is developed.
Then, as in any other form of learning, success comes more rapidly. The first step,
that of gaining this confidence, is the longest and the hardest regardless of what may
be the type of learning or the nature of
the technique which we are trying to acquire.
We have been taught, furthermore, to
exert our reason in regard to the objective
world which we observe. By seeing things
that we dont understand, we have developed
the habit of not being too trustful of our
first impressions. If you saw a white sheet
over some form or figure on a dark night,
your first impression might be that it was
a ghost. Your immediate second impression
would tell you that your conclusin was
ridiculous. In other words, reason almost
instantaneously follows perception. This is
the result of objective training. You have
in your life probably been led to believe
that ghosts do not walk around in sheets at
night, regardless of myths, stories, or con
cepts to the contrary. Fundamentally, with
in your objective consciousness, you do not
believe in the existence of ghosts. The first
sight of something that might remind you
of a ghost makes you react as if it were
one, but reason tells you .that this thing is
not what your first perception made you
think it was.
We all have, at least in the Western
world, trained ourselves to be analytical of
our impressions. This is illustrated in what
most people accept as the basis for reason
ing that seeing is believing. In other
words, study, analysis, and reasoning are
thought to be the basis by which intelligent
men and women arrive at their conclusions.
Obviously, analysis is a good thing. With
out it, we would constantly be the victims of
our first impressions, and these first impres-'
sions are more often influenced by emotion,
such as fear, rather than by a pur analysis
of an objective thing.
There can be danger in becoming overly
analytical. One may try to exert his will
power to remember something that has pos
sibly for the moment slipped his mind, but
often the more will power is exerted, the
less success one has in bringing to conscious

Page 17

ness the memory. The use of will power to

analyze or to bring up things in memory to
conscious level is a process of analysis. Anal
ysis can sometimes become a block in the
stream of thought. We can become so analyt
ical that our entire attention and conscious
ness is given to analysis rather than to the
thing we seek. We can be so mentally in
volved in trying to remember, that the proc
ess becomes the focal point of attention, and
the memory we seek is pushed out because
of the direction of our consciousness toward
the analytical process itself.
Insofar as our psychic impressions are con
cerned, this fact is even more true. Through
too much analysis, psychic impressions can
lose their importance or even their intended
meaning. To analyze that which we believe
may have been a psychic impression, and
to go over and over it in our minds, can so
distort it that it loses its true meaning. It
can be lost altogether, or, as a result of
analysis, come to our consciousness in a defective or an incorrect form that has little
meaning. I have heard individuis tell of
what they have believed to be psychic ex
periences that were the result of such a
process as I have just described. They were
not intentionally fabricating an experience.
They had become so analytical in the proc
ess of the experience that they had failed
to grasp what it was all about.
Sometimes in life the least way is the
best way. Psychic impressions to the aver
age adult, as I have already pointed out,
are somewhat of a new experience. We
must cultvate the ability to relax, to let
the impression developnot attempt to add
our own embellishments or our interpreta
tion, or to ask others for their interpretations. If we can be patient, if we can allow
these bits of knowledge, information, or
ideas that come into consciousness (through
intuitive channels) to find their proper
place therein and grow as we grow in un
derstanding and knowledge, they will come
to have meaning and not be isolated con
scious events, incomplete or not understandable in terms of our own experience.
The subject of the validity of intuitive
impressions is so involved that no clear-cut
conclusin can be reached. We have deviated in these comments from our question
through many related channels, and we
might summarize by saying that psychic

Page 18

impressions are something we have to learn

to interpret. No one can teach us to interpret these impressions any more than an
other person could have learned our spelling
lesson for us when we were in grade school.
We must also learn that to become too
analytical is to replace the important thing
we are seeking, by the process with which
we attempt to interpret it. Finally, we must
realize that the Supreme Intelligence is not
a thing to be tested or trifled with. Ideas
that come to us which we cannot interpret
are due to our finite abilities, not to any
fault of the idea. We will also come to
know through experience (as all who have
gained a degree of psychic development well
know) that psychic concepts, when once we
are able to recognize them, are complete,
clear-cut, and leave no doubt as to their
existence or their validity.A
Does Injuty Reduce Consciousness?
An officer of the Southern Cross Chapter
of AMORC, in Johannesburg, South Africa,
now addresses our Forum. He asks: If as
many members of the human body as pos
sible were severed from it, would the mass
consciousness of that person be inferior to
that of another?
The question apparently alludes to the
consciousness of the Cosmic which accompanies the Vital Life Forc in every cell.
The aggregate of this divine, or Cosmic con
sciousness in the cells of the body of man
constitutes the psychic body of man. This
psychic consciousness or intelligence, collectively, is therefore the body of the divine
element of our being, just as much as the
bones, blood, tissue, etc., compose our physi
cal body. To use an analogy, a shadow is
not a substance, yet, to an extent, it con
stitutes a kind of form of the object from
which it is cast. At first, it would appear
that the loss of members of the bodyour
limbs with their millions of cellswould
severely diminish the content of the psychic
consciousness and divine intelligence within
the victims body. If this were so, obviously
such an unfortunate person would be in
ferior to another in his psychic being.
The psychic status or development of the
individual is determined, not by quantity of
the Cosmic intelligence resident in his cells,
but, rather, it is the consequence of his at-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tunement with the whole Cosmic through

the mdium of this divine spark that is in
the cells of his being. The intelligence
within each cell of the limb, or within a
neuron (nerve cell) constitutes an open
door, a channel to the all-pervading con
sciousness of the Cosmic. Each vibratory
impulse of this Cosmic intelligence immured
within the cell, is like an ember by which
one can ignite his mortal consciousness,
that is, raise it to attune with the Infinite.
Each cell, with its psychic consciousness, is
a point of contact, through the psychic centers and through the sympathetic nervous
system, for the objective consciousness to be
raised to a higher plae of awareness. If,
for example, it were possible for a being
to exist that was but a single cell, and still
have an organism by which it could will as
man does, it would nevertheless be possible
for it to elevate its consciousness to that of
the Cosmic plae.
The psychic centers, as certain of the
plexi and the endocrine glands, are transformers by which we can bring about a
transition of consciousness so as to be sympathetically attuned with the psychic intel
ligence in our being. A removal or atrophy
of certain of these psychic centers would
obstruct our psych ic developm ent even
though we desired to evolve our conscious
ness of the divine mind within us. In such
an instance, the psychic consciousness would
still pervade the cells, of course. These cells
would remain a channel for harmony with
the Cosmic, but the mechanism by which
such was to be accomplished would have
been destroyed.
Basically, the Cosmic intelligence in each
cell is alike. The intelligence in each cell
is a pleroma, that is, a fullness of all of the
qualities of the Cosmic intelligence. Consequently, the plurality of millions of such
cells actually adds nothing more to the
psychic consciousness of the organism. If
that were not so, then such mammoth be
ings as whales and elephants would possess
a greater quantity of Cosmic or psychic con
sciousness than does man, by the mere fact
of their greater number of cells. Again, we
repeat, the psychic development is attained
by a harmony with the inherent Cosmic
consciousness within us, not by the aggregate
of cells.
Each cell is impregnated with Cosmic

AUSUST, 1952

intelligence because each has a duty to per

form. It is an agent of the Cosmic intelli
gence within the organism of which it is a
part. As an agent, none is in closer relationship to its principal, or the Cosmic Mind,
than any other. Any of these agents can
serve as the mdium by which our mortal
mind is attuned with the Cosmic. Each
cell is impregnated with this Cosmic prin
cipal, not for the purpose of adding to the
mass consciousness of our being, but, rather,
so that the cell may be guided in the per
formance of its functions in serving the
whole organism.
Though this Cosmic intelligence exists
in every living thing, no matter what its
mass or size, it can be self-realized only by
the human, insofar as we know. The intel
ligence must develop an organism such as
the brain and the psychic centers by which
the greater ego is realized. Until that de
velopment is reached there is no self-consciousness; there is no mdium by which
the Cosmic consciousness in the animate be
ing can be reflected so as to know itself.
What we ordinarily cali self is the conferring of identity on our discriminatory
powers and standing them apart as against
all other experience, making of them an independent reality. In other words, we ex
perience, on the one hand, what appears
as other realities, the particulars of the world
and the sensations of our being; as against
that, we are aware of our volition, our
ability to choose and to compare one set of
experiences with another, from which arises
the conception of duality. It is this intan
gible faculty as apparently distinct from all
else that we identify as the self. This con
sciousness of the basic impulses and har
mony of our being, as apart from that
which acts upon it, requires a complex mechanism for its functions and that is what
man has. This awareness can be quickened
so that the self becomes all-inclusive, that
is, draws to itself the whole outpouring of
the Divine Creative power, or the Cosmic.
At first, a simple organism has no knowl
edge of other realities. The simple being responds to its environment, but it lacks the
judgment by which it can compare the
qualities of one experience with those of
another. It cannot realize any relationship
between its own nature and that which acts
upon it. With further development, the

Page 19

animate being is able to evalate its ex

periences in relation to itself. As with
human beings, it divides experiences into
self, and that which is external. The cycle
is eventually completed but on a higher
level when man, the mystic, again loses
his sense of separateness and becomes aware
of harmony with all of being; but this latter
part of the cycle, as we have said, transcends
the beginning in that the simple thing was
unconscious of its unity with all reality
and the mystic, on the other hand, is aware
of the oneness.X
Questions on Healing
A frater in Eastern United States arises
to address our Forum: In many of our
monographs, in the Rosicrucian Digest, and
in the special discourse I have received on
healing, it is stated that, once the idea has
been visualized and created and then released to the Cosmic, further concentration
will not help one iota.5 Now, according to
procedure, once a ame is placed on the
healing list, it may be on it for months or
weeks depending upon the progress achieved.
My question is specifically this, Why devote
further time to concentration for that person, if it will not help one iota? Perhaps
I am to understand that further concentra
tion, that is, visualization and the Creative
part, is unnecessary but that further releas
ing of the idea at a later time helps.
The fraters question does make it neces
sary to explain what, at first, may seem
an incongruity or error. The subject concerns absent healing, that is, the method
whereby a patient is treated at a distance
and through the mdium of the Cosmic.
Consequently, it is necessary to quote a few
important principies which appear in the
treatise by our late Imperator, Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis, entitled The Art of Absent
Healing. In that booklet we find that the
one to give the treatment is advised:
You must not have faith in y our ability
as an individual, for you are not the one
who is doing the healing. God does all the
healing that is done at any time, by any
system, whether medicine is used, electricity,
surgery, prayer, massage or anything else.
Another paragraph includes the following
remarks: You are merely an instrument
between the Cosmic forces here on earth

Page 20

and the patient, after having offered yourself to God and the Cosmic to be such an
instrument or channel. If you are not sure
that what you are going to do for a patient
will help him, then do not give the treat
m en t
Still farther on in the brochure, we find
this phrase:
. . . try to think of only two
factorsthe patient who needs help and the
Cosmic powers about you who will use
your mind as a channel for treatment.
From the foregoing it may be asked, Just
what part does the individual perform in
giving absent treatment? In his prayer and
his meditation, the one giving the treatment
places himself en rapport or in attunement
with the Cosmic. Consequently, to accomplish this, the prayer must be sincere. The
individual must believe that the method
he is to employ is efficacious. He may rightly doubt that he is going to heal for, as
quoted above, we do not do the healing. The
Cosmic does. He must, however, believe
that, through his petition to the Cosmic, he
is to set into motion forces that will have
curative valu.
When at-one-ness has been established be
tween the petitioner and the Cosmic, the
image which he has in his mind is more
easily transferred through his subconscious
to the Infinite Intelligence or Cosmic Mind.
This image consists of the mental picture
which is had of the one who needs the
help or at least of his ame and the facts
of his malady. This image released into the
Cosmic during the meditative period becomes a part of the attractive influence estab
lished, that is, it creates a nexus or bond be
tween the patient and the Cosmic. The
Cosmic power is then transmitted directly
by means of the bond to the patient, aiding
in the rejuvenation of his natural curative
powers. There is nothing miraculous or
mysterious in this process.
Let us use a homely analogy to better
understand the method. The one giving the
treatment may be likened to a person dialing his prvate telephone t establish com
munication with a distant friend. When he
diais the frends number, he establishes a
seres of electrical impulses which are trans
mitted to the central telephone station in
his community or nearby city. This enormous central automatic switchboard we may

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

cali the Cosmic. The impulses there are

automatically converted to signis which,
in turn, are conveyed along a trunk line
to still lesser lines and finally ring the bell
of the individual instrument of the friend.
The latter, the friend, is the patient. The
central switchboard, with its elabrate sys
tem of electronic Controls, actually does the
principal work. The original party in his
dialing has merely activated the mechanism.
In our analogy of the telephone, however,
eventually both parties are brought into
direct contact with each other, the central
switchboard acting only as an intermediary.
With the method of absent healing, the difference is that the one seeking to give the
treatment only brings the Cosmic into har
mony with the patient. From then on his
work is completed.
Though we may visualize minutely the
patient in our meditations, the latter may
not be brought into harmony with the Cos
mic unless he desires it. That is why it is
essential in absent healing that the patient
agree to such treatment. It is, to refer back
to our telephone analogy again, no use to
dial someone on the phone through the
central switchboard, unless we are certain
he is going to answer the phone when it
rings. If the patient agrees to participate
in the treatments, he thus removes from
his subconscious mind any barrier to his
attunement with the Cosmic.
Frequent visualization, that is, periods
every few minutes or half hour, is ineffectual for any greater results. That is the
reason why, in our monographs, as the
frater has said, we are told that such fre
quent contacts will not help one iota.
Remember, the Cosmic power, when once
it is directed through our meditation to the
patient, is a stimulating curative forc only.
It vitalizes the positive Creative forces in the
cell structure of the blood. The existing
inharmony in the patient then begins to
diminish. To use still another analogy, it
is like charging a battery to which many
different devices are connected and which,
in turn, perform many functions. If the
battery has lost considerable charge and the
devices have not been functioning properly
for some time, a number of such charges
may need to be given before it is functioning
normally again. However, with the Cosmic,

AUGUST, 1952

a certain period must elapse between such

treatments so as to allow natures rehabilitation processes to begin. The frequency of
treatments, obviously, must be determined
by the results which are obtained in the
patient. In emergencies, as severe accidents
and critical post-surgical states, a single daily
treatment for three or four days should suffice. This is to be followed by other treat
ments twice or three times weekly. There
are, as many Rosicrucians know, times
when a single absent treatment has been
sufficient, the patient improving almost immediately. Such cases depend, of course,
upon the severity of the patients disability
and the ability of the one giving the treat
ment to successfully release his thought into
the Cosmic.
The operator, the one attempting the
treatment, if successful in establishing the
unin between the Cosmic and the patient,
is usually aware that he has done so. His
mental image or visualization has that perspicuity, that distinctiveness, about it which
is emphatic. The moment of meditation is
likewise unwavering. He feels the presence
of another personality as though someone
were near him. Further, there is an inex
plicable elation like that which follows an
arduous task well done. To summarize, the
one giving the treatment likewise experiences
a psychic stimulation, the result of his
mental at-one-ness with the Cosmic.
The fact that some cases remain on the
files and lists of the Council of Solace for a
considerable time, without appreciable bene
fit to the patient, is due to a number of
factors. Some patients have not known the
nature of their malady. They have at first
sought to treat themselves without a competent diagnosis by a physician. As a result,
they have perpetuated th causes of the con
dition, aggravating the illness. By the time
they are compelled to seek the aid of a
physician, have a correct diagnosis, and notify the Council of Solace, the malady has
reached considerable proportions. Organs
may have deteriorated by that time, the red
corpuscles may be depleted, and other
equally bad effects may exist. These cannot be remedied immediately. Although
what the Council of Solace has accomplished
in some cases by the improvement of the
patient may appear miraculous, what it does
is at all times in conformity with Cosmic

Page 21

and natural law. A violation of a health

lawa natural functioncannot be rem
edied by exception, by a miracle, but only
by conformity with the law.

A V A

Still another member, speaking of health

to the Forum, says: I am told by some
that I must not recognize an illness as such.
They say I must tell myself that I do not
have rheumatism at all; that I must not
admit having any such affliction. They imply
that, by admitting I am in this type of dis
comfort, I am submitting to it and encouraging the disharmony. While I know
that the mind has great influence over the
health and in some extreme cases a person
may interfere with a healing process by
constantly dwelling on his symptoms, yet, I
do not understand the necessity for this
pretense. Admitting the Rosicrucian view
on visualization and the power of thought,
just what is the right view on illness?
The member has concisely answered his
own question when he refers to ones denying an illness as being a pretense. There are
certain mental and healing systems extant
(one in particular) which propound the
theory that illness is nothing more than a
wrong construct of thought. They state that
the inharmony or distress experienced is not
a reality but an erroneous concept, the
supposition being that the supplanting of
the error of thought by a more harmonious
idoa will dispense with the discomfiture. Our
late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, often
speaking on the public platform on this sub
ject, related that, if a condition does not
exist with us we are not obliged to affirm
its nonexistence. One who has no toothache is not obliged to assure himself or others
that he has none. The first essential to a
remedial measure is to admit an abnormal
or subnormal condition. Closing our eyes
or mindto reality does not prevent its ef
fect upon us.
Psychosomatic relations, the effect of
mind on body or body on mind, have long
been taught by the Rosicrucians. They were
taught in lodges of the Order in Europe be
fore psychology was accepted as a Science
and centuries before psychiatry, as such,
was known. It was related that an idea
which dominated the consciousness might
become a subjective reality to such an ex-

Page 22

tent that it would subordnate the facts of

experience. The idea becomes so real that
it supplants the realities of the senses.
Through the nervous system and the mental
processes, it affects the emotions and organic
functions so that actual symptoms of the
imagined condition may occur. This is
called in psychiatry a psychosis. There is,
however, no parallel between such a condi
tion and one where actual pain exists and
which has been diagnosed as the symptom
of a certain malady. Admitting that one
has such affiiction by whatever the technical
ame is, constitutes a recognition of an inharmony that must be overcome. It is not
a negative attitude to admit an imperfection.
A negative state is where one would, for
example, negate any thought of recovery.
The person who is really holding the wrong
thought, to use a trite expression, is one
who constantly laments the futility of treatment and bemoans his fate.
One fact is apparent to every intelligent
person. The very existence of systems of
therapeutics, physicians, and practitioners,
is an admission of that inharmony which
men cali illness. The healthy person, mentally and physically, never talks about per
sonal ill-health. When one does then it ex
ists in fact? whether physical or as a mental
abnormality. Such then is a signal for treatment and for a rational approach to underlying causes.X
Problem of Space and Place
A frater asks a challenging question of
our Forum: The monograph states that
there is no such thing as space. We are
told -fat it is a condition of the mind. Then
the n.riograph states that objects can be in
two ylaces at once or at least suggests that
we can seem to see them in two places. Can
these objects be in two places at once or
can ol.jects have two places if there is no
such Jhing as space?
The subject of space may be divided into
three major classifications: perceptual, con
ceptual. and abslute. From the first or per
ceptual space there arises the notion of
space which we all have. The sense faculties
of sight and touch are the only two from
which we derive those sensations that engender this notion of space. By means of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

these senses, we perceive such conditions

which, because of their characteristics, are
alluded to by us as space. Consequently,
the perceptual content of space is a natural
category, dependent upon the aforementioned receptor senses.
The visual perception of space constitutes
experiencing a void, a hiatus, of visual reali
ty. The eye sees no mass or substance. This
absence of visual reality has a negative kind
of existence for us. The state of nothing or
space becomes as actual to the mind as the
objects which are seen. Consequently, we
speak of seeing space, as though it were
an actuality. A more truthful statement
would be I do not see anything. The same
circumstances apply to the tactile sense or
that of touch. Where the sensations of
touch end, where we are no longer able to
perceive the qualities of touch, that to the
mind is space. We, for example, run our
hands across a smooth surface in a dark
room. When we are no longer able to feel
any substance beyond the surface, we refer
to the area as being space.
From the perceptual point of view, space
is the limit of the range of perception of
the faculties of sight and touch. We might,
for analogy, say that silence is a kind of
space, too, for it constitutes a limit of our
auditory powers or hearing. The problem,
psychologically, is to convince persons that
the limit of a quality, the absence of the
sensations of a sense, has no positive exist
ence in itself. We must think of space as be
ing only the absence of discemible reality
and not being reality in itself. For analogy, to
the blind, theoretically, there is only visual
space, since they cannot see any reality. If
a blind man were also deprived of the sense
of touch, how difficult it would be to con
vince him that there is anything at all but
space. You know differently, of course, because you can discern what the blind, or
the one who has lost his sense of touch,
cannot. It must be realized, then, that what
you perceive as space is but an illusion. Space
is actually filled with radiations of an electromagnetic nature and with air; these to
the unaided eye re invisible.
The second classification of space, the
conceptual, concerns the particular theories
which men may have of space. Philosophers,
metaphysicians, and scientists may use the
terms cosmic space, stellar space? and the

AUGUST, 1952

like. These terms, however, are related to

certain observable conditions to which they
have arbitrarily assigned the word space9 to
distinguish it from other factors. They speak
of space as existing, for example, between
the earth and the sun. This is not meant
in the perceptual sense because they know,
and can observe that there are substances
and celestial conditions between the two
bodies. Rather, it is intended to distinguish
the regin between the bodies from a solid
continuous mass. Obviously, then, there can
be as many kinds of conceptual space as
there are human minds to speculate on it.
The third classification, absolute space, in
a sense, is also conceptual. It is a notion
that there is a condition of nothingness in
which particles or masses are suspended
without any unifying elements between
them. Some of the ancient astronomers expounded a theory of absolute space. They
had insufficient knowledge of the nature of
light at the time to realize that the fact that
they were able to perceive other planets was
an indication of a more or less continuous
transmission of light to them from the regions which they called space. It is patent
that both conceptual and absolute space are
dependent upon the perceptual one. If man
did not appear to perceive space through the
visual and tactile senses, he would have no
notion of it to expand into the various con
cepts which he has, or would he be able
to declare as to its absolute nature.
Since space does not exist, we have only
that which we can perceive on the one hand;
and on the other, that which we cannot.
That which we cali space is actually a plethora of energies of various kinds which the
unaided faculties cannot see or feel. There
is often an alternating between mass or sub
stance that has such qualities as dimensin,
smoothness and hardness, and perceptual
space. To put it simply, experience reveis
that we may see an object, then apparently
beyond it or on this side of it we observe
space, and then farther on, another object.
The objects are then said to occupy space
or to have different places or positions in it.
This is the assumption, based upon percep
tion, that there is such a condition as space
that can be filled with mass or objects. There
is actually no place but rather a change.
We perceive the change in vibratory condi
tions from an object to so-called space and

Page 23

thence from space to another object. The

objects are those having such a vibratory
nature that their impulses are able to create
visual or tactile sensations and give us an
image of them. Between those vibratory
conditions of mass exist other octaves of
different rates of vibrations which we can
not discern with our unaided faculties. These
states we desgnate as space.
Space and mass are both vibratory in na
ture. They are part of a continuum or endless sea of energy. Some of it the human
can discern without instruments because it
is of a vibratory rate that lies within the
range of his faculties. Other octaves of it
he cannot perceive so he refers to it as space.
To the observer it appears that there is no
unity in reality, that objects are wholly detached from each other and space again
from them. It is this illusion that gives rise
to the paradox of things being in two differ
ent places and yet there being no such ab
solute condition as space between them.
To further understand this integra tion of
all energy, we shall use the analogy of the
checkerboard with blue and red squares.
The blue squares on the board look quite
detached or separate from the red ones.
Physics has proved to us, through the law
of optics, that colors are wave bands of dif
ferent frequencies or rates of vibration of
light. The blue and red squares are fundamentally related in the energy of light. The
eye separates these colors of the spectrum
and makes them appear to have no rela
tionship to each other. Actually, we repeat,
they are connected in the visible spectrum
of light. So, too, with objects in space. They
are not in different places but in different
relation to that which we can discern and
that which we cannot.
Since perceptual space arises out of cer
tain of our mental and physical categories,
it appears quite natural to us and has a
realism which causes it to be accepted as
truth until^ further inquiry. There is much
of the phenomenal world about which the
philosophers have wamed us as having no
actual parallel in the noumenal world or
that which exists in itself. We are conditioned to have certain kinds of experience
only because we are that kind of being. It
is folly, therefore, for us to try to have or
believe that the universe must conform to
our limitations.X

Was This Man

GOD-TAUGHT?
The Doctrines of
JACOB BOEHME

JACOB BOEHME-Scholastic Philosopher

and A True Mystic
a r l y in l i f e , Jacob Boehme had strange occult

E experiences.

As an adult, he demonstrated remarkable mystic powers. Though engaged in the

lowly profession of shoemaking, he produced writ'
ings that bafiled the theologians of his time. These
writings gave new meaning to existing religious and
philosophical postulations. He stressed the importance of practice and experience in religin and vig'
orously attacked empty formalism. Though his parish pastor was infuriated by his work and vainly
sought to have it nullified, the more learned theologians stood in awe of him and refused to condemn
him. He has come to be known as the God'taughi
philosopher.

READERS RESEARCH ACADEMY

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A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A *

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A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AM O RC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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GOD AND I

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God carne nto my room last night.

I offered him a chair;
And then I poured from out my soul
The things I had hdden there.

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He told me ust what caused each one
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OCTOBER, 1952

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Vol. XXIII

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Then He smiled, and I smiled back.

He took the load away
And left instead a wondrous Peace
Forever with me to stay.

!
Raymond E. Binder
=

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OFTHE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $2.25 (16/1 sterllng) ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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Page 26

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V V V
COURAGE OF Y O U R CO NVICTIO NS
Dear Fratres and Sor ores:
Everything req u ires its compensation.
There is a price to be paid for all things.
This price is not necessarily money or any
material thing. It can be service, effort,
thought, or defense of the right. If we want
something, the desire can only be satisfied
by action on our part. W e must go to where
it is to be had. Then we must give some
thing of ourselves in exchange for it. The
lover of music must strive in some way to
attend a concert or to listen to a recording
or a broadcast. If he wishes to play an instrument, he must expend time and mental
effort in study, which is in exchange for
cultivating the art.
There are parasites. They are the ones
who seek to avoid compensation for what
they take unto themselves. Actually they are
placing the burden of payment upon others.
Then, they seek to particpate in what the
other has gained. There are many people
in life who are parasitic. They enjoy the
fruits of society, its culture, its idealism, its
gradual progression in many arts and sciences. Actually they give nothing voluntar ily for the welfare of society. Their whole
effort is for their immediate benefit. They
demand the larger rewards and benefits of
society as members, but they refuse to con
tribute of their time or effort in its behalf.
It must be apparent that if the majority of
the members of society were to act in like
manner, that is, so as not to extend selfinterest to the larger whole, we would revert to savagery.
It is necessary to determine whether our
interests are worthy of compensation by us.
Will they improve us spiritually, mentally,
physically, as well as materially and socially? Have we pride in our interests? Do
they correspond to our code of moris and
ethics? If what we think or believe brings
us a sense of guilt or shame when we speak
of it to others, it indicates a conflict within
our own mind. It is indicative of the uncertainty of the rectitude of our interest or
cause. It is essential that our interests give
rise to personal convictions. We must feel

confidence in them. That which we sincerely believe becomes an intmate part of

our personality. It draws to it an emotional
mpetus, arouses enthusiasm, and has the
support of our whole being. It eventually
becomes a love. Every love is a desire for
what is construed as pleasurable, whether
in the physical sense or as an ideal to be
attained.
If an interest or cause with which you
are aligned does not elicit such conviction
and emotional response, then it is but nomi
nal. Such nominal interests should be periodically subjected to our critical analysis.
We must determine whether they are imposing upon our time, interfering with ef
fort that should be expended for our true
inclinations. Especially is this true of m em
bership affiliation. Do not affiliate with an
organization unless its objectives, its practices or ideis, can truly become a part of
your being. You must be more than curious
or sympathetic. Either be fully responsive
to what the organization represents or, in
honesty to yourself and justice to the organi
zation, termnate your membership in it.
An organization can only grow and attain
its ends through the individual support of
its members. This support or compensation
goes beyond a payment of any dues or fees.
It requires the tempo of enthusiastic partici
pation in the affairs of the organization. You
cannot hire persons on the outside to do what
only those on the inside know and understand. Organizations depend on the spirit of
loyalty of their members, bom out of intense
personal interest, to carry their projects forward. The best army in the world is not
made up entirely of mercenaries but of soldiers who fight for a cause in which they
believe.
The real member is one who will not tol
rate an injustice against his fraternal af
filiation. It is part of his life. He is in
agreement with its ideis and program. If
something is done that he cannot understand, he inquires of its officials and assures
himself of its rightness. If he is ashamed of
what is being done, even after receiving a

OCTOBER, 1952

proper explanation, he should resign. There

is nothing so despicable as the memberof
any fratemitywho remains silent when he
hears it being slurred. He is one of two
things: a moral coward or ignorant of the
meaning of his membership and thus unable
to defend it.
Even in the AMORC we know of some
members who are reluctant to speak of the
Order, to distribute literature occasionally,
or to conduct any propaganda for the Order.
Psychologically, they have a sense of guilt
about their affiliation. If, when speaking or
proffering literature, a defamatory remark is
made about the AMORC, they feel ashamed
of their affiliation. In other words, they have
no real conviction that what they are studying is worthy or that their membership is
proper. Their whole affiliation is a dubious
one to them. This attitude indicates their
lack of understanding of the purposes of the
Order. As a consequence, they are so uncertain themselves that they are fearful of
risking a criticism, no matter how unjust
this criticism might be.
Think of the detriment of such members
to the AMORC or any other fraternal order.
If the Order is attacked by a nonmember,
who is actually not conversant with the
teachings of the AMORC, and a member,
who should know about the Order, will not
speak in its defense, this is a tacit implication to the critic that what he says must, in
substance, be true. If the Order is really
part of your lifeand it should be if it is to
be of any benefit to youcome forward in
its defense as you would for a friend or a
member of your family. Enemies of light
and truth are quick to withdraw false statements or retire when faced with courageous
defense. When a member challenges their
statements, they soon retire or evade the
question. They know that the courageous
member knows whereof he speaks. It is nec
essary to fight for right. It is the proper
price to pay for inner satisfaction. Rosicru
cians worthy of that title have, throughout
the centuries, been militant in their support
of the Order whenever circumstances demanded it. Silence is golden but not when
thoughts need to be put into words and deeds.
In proffering a leaflet or a book to one
you think might be interested, proudly say,
Yes, I am a Rosicrucianif you are asked
whether you are a member. Your very posi
tive assertion and the ring of pride in your

Page 27

voice will cause respect for your affiliation.

You cannot expect others to respect that for
which you do not reveal the same respect.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
Does God Cause Sufering?
A frater addressing our Forum says: My
mother died of cncer a week or so ago. . .
suffered terribly. My religin would say
that it was the will of God. Forgive me for
saying so, but if this is true (that is, if it
was the will of God) then I say, not even
political tyrants have made people suffer
that way. Is this the merciful God I have
been told exists? In other words, why is
there so much suffering from disease? And,
please do not say it was the will of God!
That is no answer. How is it that some
people who are striving to be good cant
perform miracles? I am not looking for so
cial recognition or material gain. All I want
are facts, logical explanationsno platitudes
and appeasement.
These questions are obviously the result
of the shock following a clash of reality with
religious dogma. The frater had nominally
accepted for years the religious teaching that
human fortune and misfortune were predestined, that is, the result of the will of God.
Until a serious event in his own life occurred,
he perhaps did not question the dogma of
the will of God in such happenings. The
apparent incongruity of the religious teach
ingsits injusticethen shocked his sensibilities. Such experiences as this one have
often turned persons not only from their
respective church but also from all spiritual
aspirations.
We quite agree with the frater that for us
to say that the event he experienced was the
will of God would, in fact, be no satisfactory answer. We are not inclined to discuss
the doctrines of the various religious sects.
AMORC is not a religious organization. Its
members are of numerous religious groups.
Each religious sect has merit for certain
minds or levels of understanding. However,
some doctrines which are expounded are ob
viously so detrimental that in defence of hu
man peace of mind it is necessary to point
out their illogical content. Most conceptions
of theism have as their nucleus the doctrine
of determinism. In its most restrictive form

Page 28

this doctrine purports that many of the affairs of man are the immediate will of God.
This conception is, of course, a kind of fatalism. It implies that man cannot escape
the eventualities ordained for him by God,
regardless of human virtue. The human
thus is left to seem to exercise a choice or
expression of personal will on the one hand,
but actually, on the other hand, such inclinations are said to conform to what God has
determined for him. From this point of
view, there would be no escape for man
from what has been prearranged for him.
The premise behind this view of theism
is the anthropomorphic concept of God. The
deity parallels in many of his functions cer
tain human characteristics. In other words,
the god has ends in view as plans; he like
wise displays certain emotions as hate, love,
compassion, etc. All things, therefore, are
said to be bent to the will of the deity. The
immediate welfare of mankind, such as its
happiness or freedom from suffering, or torment, is subordinated to the ultmate objec
tive of the deity. When man has protested
that such will-of-God acts are often not reconcilable with human justice, then it is related by theologians that man is incapable
of comprehending the final end of Gods
judgment. The immediate experience, it is
further said, may seem to be unjust as
viewed in itself, but not in relation to the
infinite wisdom of God.
The consequence of such reasoning is that
man is expected to endure all calamities with
no other explanation; he must believe that
they stem from a plan that some time will
redound to the benefit of humanity. To the
one who inquires into this doctrine, a glaring inconsistency appears with certain other
precepts fathered by theism. The sacred
works of many theistic sectsincluding the
Bibleexpound that God is as a devoted
father to his children. It is related that men
when in turmoil may appeal through prayer
to the mercy of the deity. They may expect,
if their motive is proper, that their petition
will be heard and compassion shown them.
It is patent, however, that if all things, in
sofar as human affairs are concerned, are
the arrangement of God, a manifestation of
His will in every particular, then man can
not expect intervention in his behalf. If the
deity in his infinite judgment, as theism
proclaims, has instituted the suffering of an
individual to serve some transcendental pur

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

pose, then is it to be expected that prayer

will cause a reversal of the deitys judgment?
Should there be a reversal, such would imply that the original divine concept or plan
was imperfect and had not taken into consideration the very results about which the
individual petitioned.
As Rosicrucians, we cannot accept the
rigid determinism of a theistic deity. We
cannot hold that disease and suffering are
the will of God imposed upon mortals. It
is a far more just conception to view the
whole of nature and the Cosmic as a vast
framework into which we, as individuis,
must fit ourselves harmoniously. Human
suffering is not an imposition by any blind
will upon mortals. It is the consequence of
two fundamental conditions.
One cause is the cycle of evolution and
development, or development and disintegration. Forms or developments must disintegrate
and eventually return to their original sub
stance or element in order that creation may
continu as a Cosmic process. We must ex
pect this and be prepared for it the best we
can in our mortal way and with the understanding we have in this life. There is no in
finite intelligence exercising His will against
us as individuis. If it seems unjust that we
must suffer for the cause of creation to fulfil
a cycle, let us realize that after all we were
born out of sufferingeach of us. Further,
much of our suffering is due to our excessive
cherishing of life. In our insatiable desire
to live we suffer when any condition opposes this desire. If we oppose death, that
is, do not want to face the reality of inevi
table transition, we are inviting greater periods of sufferingmental and emotional.
The other contributing cause of suffering
is our ignorance of the Cosmic fabric into
which we are woven in our relations to our
human brothers. Our violation of our psy
chic and emotional selves, our disregard for
Cosmic principies as revealed to us in traditional sources, causes us to be victims of our
own folly. The more we learn of our psychosomatic relationships and of our place in
the Cosmic order, the fewer the conditions
by which we bring about our own suffering.
Sanitation, hygienic laws, as well as the advances made in the sciences of physiology
and psychology, have, for example, made
plain the causes of many diseases from which
our ancestors suffered. This knowledge has
provided remedial measures. We know, for

OCTOBER, 1952

example, in the civilized lands of the world

what may contribute to the scourge of yel
low fever and of tuberculosis. We can ex
ercise our human wills to prevent this suffering as a result of this knowledge. If we
neglect the precautions, then the ill effects
which follow are not the will of God, but
natural causes which w e have engendered.
In time, cncer, poliomyelitis, and other unchecked maladies of today will fall under
the control of human intelligence. By his
own will and intellect, man will come to
spare many millions of persons this kind of
suffering.
It has been contended that a God, who is
said to be loving and kind and displays compassion, should dispose of all causes of hu
man suffering. This postulation is but an
other way of suggesting theistic determinism.
If we conceive that a deity will intercede in
all conditions which might cause humanity
distress, then we recognize that that same
will might impose them, and by such reason
ing we retum to our original belief.
We have been given the way to grow
within the great Cosmic cycles and to les sen
the suffering which we experience. It is part
of our being to learn through experience.
There are chains of action and reaction
which we mortals cali cause and effect. We
must adapt ourselves to them. We cannot
do this in one generation; it may take many
of them. We cannot escape suffering in any
one life. Some of it man will never escape,
especially when he thinks of death as suffer
ing. Rather, it should be thought of as be
ing as inevitable as night and day. Our
principal fault lies in believing that our
pain and tribulations are God-induced.
The od mystical principie of karma is
also taught by the Rosicrucians and gives
adequate explanation of the reasons for hu
man fortune and misfortune. We are the
makers of our own destinies though we are
often unconscious of that. Frequently, our
maladies are not of immediate cause, but are
inherited. Then again, causes may be group
causes, that is, collective, as well as personal.
For example, mass starvation, bloodshed in
riots and warfare, are the result of social
causes which are not instituted by many of
the individuis who suffer from them. We
are a part of society. If its political, eco
nomic and health functions are contrary to
natural and Cosmic laws, then we, as indi
viduis, experience the effect of such adverse

Page 29

causes. We shall find in the future, with

the progression of the therapeutic sciences,
that many of the great scourges of disease
now afflicting innocent victims are the result
of the mass ignorance of our times. Posterity will point out that if we had taken this
or that precaution, avoided this or that kind
of living, much suffering now endured would
not have come into existence.X
Directing Concentration
Questions on the technique of concentra
tion will always be asked, but what has been
written on the subject is mostly information
supplementary to the methods which are
first presented in our Neophyte degrees, and
later augmented in the Temple degrees. To
attempt to further amplify this technique
or to provide information that has proved
useful to other individuis is not as impor
tant as for the individual student himself to
attempt to apply these techniques consistently and systematically.
It is not difficult for the student to grasp
the importance of concentration. While no
one process is the key to the attainment of
what a student seeks, concentration is one of
its most important and fundamental factors;
upon its use depends the fundamental disci
pline of the mind. If an individual did not
potentially have the power of concentration,
imagine in what a confusion his mental state
would be at all times. This confusion would
also be evidenced in his behavior, because
our behavior is an outward expression of our
inward mental state.
Since visualization helps us to create mentally, it can also help us gain the concept
of concentration. If we visualize a light that
is focused to a pointsuch as a spotlight or
the ordinary flashlight that has a long beam
focusing device built in itwe understand
that the concentration of light that is contained in the beam and the point where the
beam. reaches the object which we wish to
reveal is an example of taking the light
(which would otherwise be diffused over a
wide area) and bringing it all to a point of
usefulness. Insofar as our mental faculties
are concerned, concentration means the use
of our conscious state to direct it so that it
will apply, instead of a scattered area, to a
limited point of focus, as the light. When
we concntrate we are directing our mental
energy toward a point. In so doing, it should

Page 30

be revealed in its completeness; it should

stand out as an isolated thing in our environment, at least momentarily. As a result of
the process, our mental state and the things
concentrated upon take on a different aspect,
and we are able to accomplish ends that
might not otherwise be possible.
The direction of concentration is one of
the most important steps that we must learn
in our mystical studies. It is not enough to
leam the technique of concentration, or even
to develop this technique into a practical
art. To do this is our first step, and it has
to be learned gradually and through the application of the steps of the process which
our monographs so specifically point out to
us. The purpose of concentration is not
merely to1 accomplish the act, but after becoming reasonably proficient in it, to be able
to use that proficiency for constructive ends.
From the mystical viewpoint, the most con
structive end is to help create in ourselves
the whole mystical conceptthat is, that
man is able to relate himself to God.
Concentration being a volitional act, it
must under most circumstances be developed
and controlled by will. We are taught in
one of our Rosicrucian degrees of study that
there is a positive and a negative manifestation of all things in the universe. Concentra
tion might be considered as one of the
positive manifestations of our mental world
whereas meditation is a negative manifesta
ron. Concentration is activemeditation is
passive. Each is important. Inspiration is
received through both direction and the expanded view possible, but a growing con
sciousness is still further expanded by the
proper use of each of these techniques. We
concntrate in order to clarify, to bring into
focus, as illustrated by the light. We medi
tate in order to absorb. If through concentra
tion a new interpretation of an idea, a solution to a problem, or a certain idea is made
conscious within our thinking, it is through
meditation that we are able to dwell upon
it to allow this new principie (insofar as our
experience is concerned) to become a part of
our thinking. The meditative process is one
of absorption. This means that it becomes
a part of our individuality and our character.
There would be no valu in becoming perfect in the art of concentration if we did
not utilize the results of concentration and of
meditation as the means by which to benefit
from what we have gained.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

In the modern world today, a great deal

of our living is devoted to the eaming of
money; however, the intelligent person realizes that money is a means to an end, that
it will purchase certain things we need, or
that we feel will add to our physical environment. Simply to direct ourselves to the accumulation of money is of little valu unless we can intelligently use that money.
Concentration is similar to money. It is the
attainment of a means to an end; it is the
process through which the idea, the impulse,
or the inspiration is received. Its utilization,
however, is through meditation, causing anything of valu that is comprehensible to us
to grow and flower within our being. One
thought meditated upon can be equivalent
to a whole lesson or a discourse.
We sometimes hide from our sight some of
the most important principies that we should
leam, by clothing them in too many complications or attempting to describe them in too
many words. The use of too many words is
a reflection of the mechanistic society in
which we live, because words are man-made
things while ideas are made within the mind.
The mind of man is limited in its concept
and origination of ideas. The mind of God
is infinite and unlimited because all ideas are
contained in it. Through concentration man
can direct his consciousness toward that in
finite world of ideas, and by meditation he
can bring these ideas more fully into his
consciousness, into his behavior, and, as a
result, make a fuller, happier, and more
successful life for himself.A
Extramarital Relations
Now we have a question from a frater
in the Netherlands West Indies. He says:
This question concerns a moral problem.
I would like a Rosicrucian explanation of
the proper course to pursue. I am sure the
Order will tak into consideration not only
the moral obligation but the physical aspects,
for the latter are as much of Cosmic origin
as the moral principies involved.
If a man is away from home eaming his
livelihood for a long period, say two or three
years, in circumstances where it is not advisable to send for his wife, is he expected
to abstain from extramarital relations the
same as his wife is expected to? If he does
not, does that constitute immorality?
Codes of moris are principally man-made.
They are not Divine. The moral impulse,

OCTOBER, 1952

however, is latent in all of us; free from

sensual inclinations it is that which we conceive to be the right. In other words, all
men, even those who are barbarie, have an
inherent urge to conform to the ideal which
they think is to represent right. The crimi
nal is one who places no valu upon societys
moral or ethical ideis. He has, however,
those of his own. In his acts, no matter how
society may consider them, the criminal believes he is conforming to right. The indi
viduals moris may be said to suffer when
the code of society does not conform to his
impulse to do right.
Religious instruction and social education
try to cultvate conscience or a moral inclination upon the part of the individual which
will correspond to their views. As a result,
the average individual, in expressing con
science, does so in the conventional terms or
conduct of the society or the training in
which he has been reared. No individual is
moral if his acts do not correspond to his
innermost feelings, regardless of whether
they conform to the ediets of society or not.
In other words, we have many moral hypocrites. There are also many persons who
conform to the moral dictates of society by
compulsin rather than by conviction.
Modern society, the church and state, have
frowned upon promiscuity or sexual licentiousness. To indulge freely in sexual relations outside the limits of the state of matrimony strikes at the sanctity of the family.
What undermines the family destroys the
larger social unit, the state. The individual,
in entering the state of matrimony, is ex
pected to subscribe to its ediets and princi
pies. These are equally imposed upon husband and wife. Man is physically an animal,
no matter how lofty his moral ideis. A
healthy normal human animal has sensual
desires, one of which is the sex appetite.
No moral code should be entered into which
would bring these natural appetites into a
continual conflict with it. A code, for ex
ample, that requires one to be a celibate and
completely abstain from sexual relations is
unnatural, no matter what ecclesiastical lit
erature or authority is quoted to support it.
There is nothing Cosmically immoral in sex
ual relations. To continually oppose any
natural desire results in frustration from
which may follow serious aberration of the
personality.
Where morality and the appetites are

Page 31

concerned, the former is intended to cause

man only to reglate the latter for his own
and societys welfare, not to repress or suppress them. Long separations of man and
wife will, most certainly, test the moral circumvention of the appetites. Such separa
tions constitute a form of celibacy which,
as said, is unnatural. They certainly require
the imposing of will upon the appetites. The
will cannot continu the suppression for a
long period of time without a lessening of
the moral impulse which lies behind it and
also taking toll of the nervous system of the
individual. The logical thing is for the in
dividual to avoid, if at all possible, subjecting himself to such an ordeal of separation.
In the particular instance cited, a period of
two years abstinence would undoubtedly
in no way impair the health or the person
ality. In many cases, the abstinence would,
however, test the moral restraint and the
temptation to submit would grow stronger.
In circumstances where man and wife
must be separated for an indeterminate number of years, the marriage, in effect, spiritually and physically, does not exist. It is a
hypocrisy to continu it. Both parties should
be freed to enter the relation which would
bring about normal living. Where, however,
a great period of separation is enforced upon
the parties, extramarital relations could be
entered into without being interpreted as
immorality. To conform to the inner sense
of right, however, both parties, man and
wife, should mutually agree to such an arrangement or legally divorce. The only other
alternative is to experience whatever ill ef
fects may come from the conflict of emotions
with the moral will.
In all these relations, mutual honesty
constitutes equality and, therefore, justice.
Neither party should expect the other to
make a sacrifice which he himself is not
inclined or capable of making. From the
moral sense the greater wrong would be to
indulge in something which you prohibit
an equal partner from sharing.
The frater is confronted with the necessity
of explaining his circumstances and inclina
tions to his wife, in which event he must
imply equal freedom to her or else continu
his suppression. In this instance, the period
of separation being not too great, the sup
pression is preferable to invoking societys
stigma of immorality. Sexual relations can
never be wrong in the moral sense. How-

Page 32

ever, the circumstances arising out of them,

as violation of obligations of trust or the
consequent responsibility, may be morally
wrong. In other words, the sexual act must
not be indulged in under circumstances that
will redound to the great detriment of an
other. To shatter homes, to leave children
destitute, to spread disease, these are the
things which, if they come as the result of
the sexual act, are wrong, not the relation
itself.X
Are You a Crusader?
You may never have stopped to think
about whether or not you are a crusader,
or even exactly what constitutes a crusader.
Usually the idea of being a crusader will
revive pictures in our minds of robed and
armored men riding horses off to battle.
Most of us will remember that in the early
ages the Christian church in Europe tried
to free certain holy places in the near East
from control of the Moslems. The concept
of the forming of armies from all the existent European countries then considered to
be Christian and inspired by the leaders of
the church of those days, was one of the
earliest examples of how men of various
countries worked more or less together for
a common purpose. At least, these are the
ideis that explain the crusades in most of
our history books.
Actually, they did not work quite that
well. Countries soon became embroiled in
differences of opinion as to both purpose and
procedure. Men and women being exposed
to the luxury of the Moslem world, in comparison with their own standards of living,
became more interested in trade and commerce than they were in holy places. Never
theless, the ideal was worthy, even though
in some cases rather poorly planned and executed. The crusades changed the worlds
history; they brought new ideas and concepts
into Europe and the Western world. Sci
ences that had been forgotten since early
Greece were revived. The influence of many
philosophers gradually became a part of the
thinking of the Western world. The desire
for the fine things that led to luxurious liv
ing spurred exploration and led indirectly
to the colonization of North, Central, and
South America. In fact, the whole world
changed because of the crusades.
Originally, the term crusade was derived
from the Latin word for cross. The Christian

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

cross was the symbol of the crusades. It

was in order to control certain holy places
in Christian history that the crusades began
to function; and to make the Christian re
ligin supreme in the world, crusades by
various church leaders and zealots were
spurred on throughout the world. However,
just as many words have lost the meaning
originally implied in their derivation, so the
word crusade has come, in modern English,
to carry implications and meanings far be
yond original intent. Websters dictionary
says, in effect, that a crusade is a remedial
enterprise undertaken with zeal and enthusiasm. The original crusades of course, in
the eyes of those who supported them, met
this criterion. It was an enterprise entered
into with much zeal and enthusiasm to remedy a fault, the fault being, according to the
supporters of the crusades, the possession of
holy places by those who were supposed not
to xave respected their holiness. .
To dwell upon this definition is to gradu
ally cause us, or as far as that is concerned,
any thinking individual, to realize what a
dogmatic concept that is. To the people who
livedand some of them peacefully and constructivelyin the areas where the holy
places existed, the crusade was anything but
a remedial enterprise. No doubt that when
the armies making up some of the early
crusades entered the Holy Land, their zeal
and enthusiasm was not doubted, but the
constructive function of their purpose was
certainly looked upon from the exact oppo
site point of view by those whose homes,
lands, and properties were disturbed. There
fore, it is simple to see that in 'the modern
world one who conducs a crusade for any
purpose is carrying on what he believes to
be a remedial enterprise with zeal and en
thusiasm, and he is sure to meet opposition
with equal zeal and enthusiasm for the sim
ple reason that the opposition will not be
lieve that the enterprise is remedial.
Many things that come under the classification of a crusade today need careful analy
sis in the terms of this observation. This is
particularly true of the one who sets him
self up to crusade against something. The
individual who wants to prohibit the use of
alcoholic beverages, or claims that no one
should be permitted to smoke, to eat meat or
drink milk, or do any of the number of things
that many people do, is certainly a crusader,
and usually has an overabundance of zeal and

OCTOBER, 1952

enthusiasm. In his mind, his enterprise is

constructive and, if carried out, would eliminate a great evil. But how the average person hates to mix with such an individual.
We all know that such people are almost
always typed, because they never fail to
bring a conversation around to their particu
lar interests and opinions; and they take
special pains to emphasize how you and
everyone else with whom they talk is in
violation of their fundamental beliefs.
There have been times in mans history
when without such crusades many wrongs
would not have been corrected. However,
before venturing into the support of a crusade that is in opposition to anything, it is
well to study carefully the procedures and
policies that will be followed, the methods
that will be used, and the true situation in
regard to the thing that is opposed. No one
will denythat is, no one who is sane and rationalthat drugs in the form of alcohol and
tobacco can cause a great deal of harm and
that their overuse is a menace to decent
people, but to crusade against the moderate
use of those drugs is effort not always constructively and prudently applied. Many hu
man beings use these things in moderation,
and the harm that they may do will be to
themselves as individuis; and it is a prob
lem which they, as individuis, must decide
for themselves. I have a tendency to resent
a crusader who tells me that I cannot eat
this or that I cannot wear some certain
thing simply because he is against it. I know
that this is a controversial subject and that
many people will disagree with my point of
view. The emphasis I am trying to make is
not upon the merits of these individual habits
but upon the procedures by which awareness
of personal responsibility should be created
in the minds of human beings.
There is nothing wrong in being a cru
sader if the enterprise to be followed will
truly remedy a situation. If you feel that
you must crusade, do not crusade against
isolated things that have not been proved to
be a menace to humanity as a whole; instead, crusade in favor of greater things and
more generalities. If those who crusade ardently against the use of any one type of
food or sleeping with ones window open
or any other human foible which has been
selected for the enterprisewould combine
their zeal and enthusiasm to crusade for
good, for honesty, for integrity, tolerance and

Page 33

the brotherhood of man, the human race

would be much better off and would be
directing its efforts toward forces that would
lead the entire race, as well as each member
of society, into a condition of better living.
It would seem, therefore, that a rational
analysis would indicate that crusaders are
needed, but they are needed for ideis
not against individual opinions or practices.
To crusade for the respect of God to develop
in the minds of all people in a material
world, and for the respect of the rights of
others, necessitated by the worlds populations
having come cise together through modem
forms of transportation and communication;
to strive for the compassion of people, not only
among nations but among members of families and communities; to work for the ideis
which the Order represents and to help put
them into practicethese endeavors all require worthy and useful application of ef
fort that might otherwise only be dissipated
in thoughtlessly interfering with more or
less individual practices of isolated men and
women.A
Degrees of Attainment
frater in New Jersey, an excellent student of mysticism and a noted physicist, now
rises to address our Forum. He says, Our
Rosicrucian philosophy is an optimistic one,
offering to all the promise of ultmate salvation. So does the Bible in certain parts. The
Christmas story, for example, offers peace to
men of good will. In a similar vein, the
Bhagavad-Gita says: None, O Friend, who
acts honestly, will perish . . . On the other
hand, some Christians, such as the Calvinists,
take a more sombre attitude. They believe
that man is predestined for either Heaven
or Hell even before his birth. Jess also
said, Many are called but few are chosen.
Now, the great goal of our efforts, as
mystics, is the conscious unin with God,
with the Oversoul, with the Cosmicwhichever way we express it. As Rosicrucians, we
are a small spiritually blessed and favored
minority. Yet, even of this minority of less
than one in a thousand, how many attain
that goal? I myself, a student for nearly
twenty years, and probably more serious
than the average member, confess that I am
still far from it, even though I may have
had a few glimpses of Peace Profound.
Let us assume that one in ten thousand
now living attains the full Cosmic Conscious-

Page 34

ness, or Samadhi in Hind parlance. Does

that mean that on the average we have to
live through ten thousand incamations before reaching the highest plaeor, and this
is my question, Are there different degrees
of salvation? Is it possible that only a few
achieve this conscious unin which, in a way,
preserves and eternizes their personality
while seeming to lose and merge it in the
Cosmic ocean? Will the bulk of us others
also be ultimately reabsorbed in the Cosmic,
but without recollection of our personality
and of our personal strivings?
Salvation means many things to various
religious, mystical, and philosophical groups.
Generally speaking, all of the concepts of
salvation may be reduced to two general
classes:
AThere is the conception that man
that is, the spiritual essence of the human
being as the souloriginally enjoyed a sub
lime state, such being in unin with the
Divine. Due to ignorance, or more often
wilful violation of Divine edict, man fell
from his lofty state. As a consequence, it is
held to be necessary for him to resort to
various practices to attain salvation, that is,
to return to the status from which he has
descended.
BThis is the conception that intrinsically
the Divine element of man is always one
with its Creator. However, the ego, the self
of man, must evolve to a realization of its
inherent Divine nature. The earthly exist
ence is, therefore, a kind of preparing ground
for the refinement of the consciousness of
self. To experience salvation, the individual
must strive to rise beyond the limitations of
mortal consciousness imposed upon him.
Insofar as the Rosicrucians are concemed,
their doctrines have long accepted the latter
concept of salvation. Man has not really
fallen, but he must learn of his Divine na
ture and enjoy it during this mortal ex
istence. To the Rosicrucian, then, salvation
is not so much an escape from materialism
and mundane existence as it is a personal
attainment. This attainment is not the regaining of lost powers or virtues but the
awakening and evolving of qualities which
are at all times resident within us. This
attainment is a matter of personal discovery
of the nature of the whole self, and an effort
toward its unfoldment. The primary difficulties in accomplishing this must be apparent. This attainment is a relatively com-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

manding and arduous process. What we seek

to awaken is intangible. It is not perceivable
by the faculties we commonly use. The
qualities of the deeper consciousness of the
upper spectrum of our being are so abstract
that it is even difficult to describe them.
Obviously, it becomes difficult for the average
person to properly evalate his psychic or
spiritual qualities. It is likewise difficult to
make one comprehend the positive advantages to be gained by such attainment. The
ecstasy of Cosmic Consciousness, even if it
be but momentary, is impossible to frame
in words so as to convey to another a realiza
tion of that state. Such attainments are al
most ineffable. To explain them in terms
of physical or intellectual pleasures is also
quite unsatisfactory because they far transcend such pleasures. However, sensual
pleasures are more easily acquired. So why,
think many, should they follow mystical
pursuits, if they are similar to experiences
they may now have with less effort? Actual
ly, many begin the pursuit of mystical at
tainment or unin with the Divine element
within them from a wholly negative motive.
They believe that there is a world of hap
piness or attainment which does transcend
the known one. They are, in fact, dissatisfied with what objective experience provides
and they wish to leave it behind, even if
but momentarily. That is why they begin
their mystical or spiritual awakening.
From the Rosicrucian conception, the ideal
salvation or mystical attainment is the abili
ty to contact the Cosmic, that is, realize atone-ness with it, at will. The Rosicrucians
teach that, when the soul-personality has
fully evolved, it is constantly conscious of its
unin with the Cosmic. Rebirth into the
physical body is thus no longer required.
The self has completed its cycle of all phases
of existence. However, until that time the
ideal state is to be able to experience the
Cosmic momentarily and voluntarily, and to
use the consequent illumination for greater
happiness here and now. How many have
attained that state of capability? Our own
frater says possibly one in ten thousand.
His estmate is probably far too generous.
In the recorded history of man, such mys
tical attainment can perhaps be limited to
the renowned enlightened, the great mystics and avatars whose number is few. This
need not discourage us, however, for there
are degrees of attainment. There are many,

OCTOBER, 1952

relatively speaking, who once or even thiice

in their lifetime have had that salvation
that constitutes unin with the Cosmic. The
experience is an unforgettable one. The
confidence it instils, the understanding that
follows from it, the personal calm or Peace
Profound it engenders, aids tremendously in
the mastery of objective reality. It stimulates
powers within the individual which were
more or less dormant. These powers may be
referred to as psychological processes and not
necessarily wholly Divine as we think of
that word. They are, therefore, available
to everyone. The mystical experience, how
ever, makes these processes more accessible
or more easily directed. As a result, such
person rounds out the fulness of life not in
an ethereal world but in this everyday one.
We all occasionally meet one who has at
tained spiritually to quite a high degree. He
is a mystic in practice, attitude and behavior,
whether he concedes it or not. He may never
have studied formal mysticism. He may explain his experiences in strictly religious
orthodox terms. In the pursuit of his re
ligious practices he may have employed,
without realizing it, the true technique of
mysticism and had the mystical experience.
Subsequently, the results of it are manifest
in his personality. The soul-personality
thereafter reflects the light it has received
as a result of the experience. The individual
displays tolerance with contrary views. He
is aware of the foibles of human nature,
particularly his own. He exhibits remarkable
fortitude and forbearance in all tribulations.
There is, as well, a simplicity about his way
of living and his thinking that emanates from
him and inspires all whom he chances to
meet.
The mystical experience does not, neces
sarily, bring about a revolution in the ma
terial affairs of the individual. He does not
immediately retire from his employment or
affairs to a more affluent or important posi
tion in society. Such things as fame and
wealth, as objectives in life, may become
immaterial to him. However, he may never
theless attain them indirectly. If so, it is
because his spiritual enlightenment has
heightened his Creative ability. He may excel in painting, music, mechanics, handicrafts, or whatever the activities of his daily
living. Many great mystics, though exhibiting tremendous versatility as a result of the
acceleration of their faculties, continued

Page 35

nevertheless their humble occupations as

shoemakers, carpenters, and cabinetmakers.
As to how long before the sincere student
of personal attainment acquires the ability
to contact the Cosmic at will, it is impossible
to state. It is wholly individualistic. We
move from one level of consciousness or comprehension to another. Self expands with
the technique for its evolution in man.
What matters it how many lives it takes, if
we realize some advancement in each one?
Time and impatience are not characteristics
of mystical attainment. Their importance in
spiritual evolvement must be dismissed from
the mind as one of the first prerequisites.
Therefore, when one is greatly concemed
with time or is impatient of his personal
attainment, he is interfering with his own
evolution. It is true that in our Rosicrucian
teachings the instructions may convey the
idea that ultimate attainment, not absorption
into the Cosmic but voluntary contact with
it, is possible in our lifetime. So, too, it may
be with some persons. AMORC cannot tell
what degree of attainment one has reached
upon Crossing the Threshold of the Order.
This incarnation may be the triumphant one
for some. It may be but the beginning for
others insofar as spiritual awakening is con
cerned. There are many different fruits of
attainment to be had in reaching our goal.
None of these separate fruits is to be depreciated for in each are to be found joys of
living.X
Can Good Eliminate Karma?
It is conceivable that a time will come
when the soul-personality will become exempt from Karma, or rather, will have no
need for the experiences resulting from
Karma. Such consideration must apply exclusively to the soul. As long as we are
human beings in the sense that we under
stand the term now, each human being will
be subject to Karma. It is a mis take, how
ever, to think of Karma purely in a negative
manner. Often individuis are heard to
refer to conditions in life which they have
had to undergo (particularly unpleasant
ones) as being the result of Karma. This
may or may not be true. It is not always
possible for us in our finite limitations of
intelligence to know when we are having
the effect of Karma manifest in our bodies
or in our environment.

Page 36

Karma is a manifestation that has many

sides. As a rather exaggerated analogy, we
might compare it with fire. Fire is one of
the most important tools used by man. The
most elementary forms of science began
with the use of fire because heat from fire
is the means of transmuting one thing into
another. The process of making bread and
having the completed dough brought into
the form of a wholesome loaf of bread is
the result of the transmutation that took
place from the application of heat. There
fore, fire is beneficial. Fire is an almost
absolute necessity to human existence, at
least outside the tropics, but it also has disagreeable manifestations. These can be
summed up by saying that fire will burn,
and that the resultant burn will be painful.
It is inconceivable that the burn can be
eliminated from fire and the useful functions
of fire still be maintained. This means that
the attributes of fire are both good and evil,
depending upon how they are used. To express it in another way, fire is neither good
or evil; it is neutral, but the way man
uses it or comes in contact with it or deais
with it in his environment may produce
for him either good or evil, benefits or disadvantages.
Karma also works both ways. Insofar as
the philosophy of Karma is concerned, we
are the makers of our own destiny. We reap
what we sow. We create many of our own
problems, but we also create the opportunities and advantages for happy and successful
living. We cannot do something good and
fail to reap the result of it any more than
we can avoid fire and yet get burned. The
opposite, of course, is true. Evil will produce
evil. Fire will produce a burn if we hold
our fingers in it, whether intentionally or
unintentionally. Lifes entire expression is
the manifestation of Karma. Life has its
ups and downs, its happiness and its grief.
This experience is the means by which character is created and added to the sum total
of our individualices. This is the means by
which the experience changes our process of
living, becomes a part of the composite
whole that makes up the personality of the
soul, the further evolvement of the soul entity, so that it may fit into its proper chan
nel and place at the proper future time and
place.
Those who mightif it were theoretically
possibledevote their whole life to the do-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ing of good, to the thinking of constructive

thoughts, and to the holding of the highest
ideis possible by a human being, are, we
hope, compensating for Karma that might
not be agreeable and preparing for better
service and happiness in the future. Karma,
however, will continu to function. It is a
continuous law of operation that could not
under Divine justice be interrupted un til it
has served its complete purpose.
Probably the biggest problem of the hu
man being in comprehending this philosophy
is to realize that the emphasis upon individ
ual and isolated events is overdone. If, for
example, I tumed over my cup of hot coffee
for breakfast and burned my fingers, it would
not seem good judgment to say that in the
broadest sense of the word the ensuing pain
of the scalding liquid upon my flesh resulted
from Karma. Instead, it would be the result
of either my clumsiness or my failure to
take time and consideration to avoid such
an accident. This is, nevertheless, an iso
lated illustration of the law of compensation.
We cannot hope to have that which we do
not prepare for; or, to state it in a positive
form, we are going to suffer for our failure
to act properly and correctly.
In the scope of human evolution and de
velopment of conscious realization of the
souls full potentialities, we will continu
through this lifeand possibly othersto
learn the experiences that will eventually be
put together in a form of continuity and an
understandable whole. Each of us will remember an error that may have been made
in childhood, either at home or in school,
and the embarrassment and pain that was
caused us through the realization of that
error, particularly if it were known to others
and we had social pressure brought upon
us to keep us conscious of it. This may have
been a very disagreeable experience at the
time. We felt hurt, we did not wish to face
other people who knew of our shame, and it
caused us considerable remorse and not a
little worry and pain. As we look back today we smile; we smile at the exaggeration
of the importance we had placed upon it.
When we come to full soul maturity we
will look back upon some of the most dis
agreeable circumstances of our present life,
and, with the same humorous tolerance, be
able to put aside those things which at the
time seemed most painful and most trying.
A

OCTOBER, 1952

Have You Progressed?

So many Rosicrucian students are prone
lo feel that they will never realize personal
success and development as long as they have
had little or no success with the monograph
experiments and exercises. Progress in the
Rosicrucian Order, to a great extent, depends upon what the individual member expects to derive from his membership. The
members anticipation must correspond to
what the Order has as its ideal, what it hopes
to bring out or realize in the members. The
literature of the organization, read by the
member before he affiliates, outlines in a
general way the history of the organization,
its foreign connections, the general teachings
without giving any particulars, and then
concludes with the statement as to what the
Order can do for the member.
In the Rosicrucian Order we are studying
certain universal laws as they are related
to our own beings, our physical, our mental,
and our spiritual selves. We are also study
ing these universal or Cosmic laws in relation to all other manifestations of existence.
When we know these laws they become pow
ers, forces that we can employ for our own
benefit. Now these benefits are numerous.
The benefits are material in one sense; by
understanding something of the functioning
of our bodies and our minds, we can improve our health or at least we can avoid
making many mistakes which result in phys
ical suffering. Another of the benefits is that
we may remove ignorance that instils fear,
and hatred that results in social and psy
chological maladjustments. Fear prevents us
from having confidence in ourselves and in
other people. As a result of this lack of
confidence, we are often afraid to take ad
vantage of opportunities that come our way,
and so we lose the chance to improve our
selves materially.
Psychologically, the teachings help in this
way: they reveal to us that we have many
powers and faculties which are almost dormant, that we are often using but ten per
cent of our potentialities. By stimulating
these other faculties and bringing them to
the fore of our consciousness, we are fortified. These are not advantages that others
do not have but which many persons do not
use. Then, again, the Rosicrucian teachings
benefit us in a spiritual way. They teach
us that we do not have to approach God

Page 37

through an intermediary, but that, through

mystical contact, there is a direct unin had
with God. It is made directly through self.
We are also told that good and evil are not
positive conditions but are purely relative
to our understanding and to working in
harmony with Cosmic laws. Thus we are
not damned at birth, as many of the od
theologies have taught, but we may damn
ourselves through ignorance and through
suppression of knowledge.
The Rosicrucian monographs set forth postulations: that this is this and that is that.
They explain certain Cosmic laws. To instil
confidence within the individual, particular
exercises are given to the member by which
he can or should be able to demnstrate the
existence of these laws to himself. In this
way, he removes the teachings from the
realm of speculation to that of personal ex
perience and consequent reality. Some of
the exercises are given to the member not
merely to demnstrate a principie but for
strictly utilitarian purposes. They are intended as instruments by which the member
can invoke, awaken, or evolve^ certain of his
own faculties. We have often stated that we
are not all alike. In fact, we come into this
existence quite unlike. We are on different
levels of consciousness, of inner understand
ing. Though we may study alike, we add
only to that stage of unfoldment which we
have previously attained. As a result, those
who may have attained a higher level of
consciousness than we have, before entering
the Order, may have greater success with
some of the experiments than we do. This
should not discourage us; it should not cause
us to retreat or resign from the Order. If
anything, it is an indication that we need
more practice and more study.
We may never, as a result of our Rosi
crucian studies and our exercises, be able
to achieve what some other member is able
to do. That is again evidence of the fact
that we are not equal. However, application
to the Rosicrucian teachings will improve us.
We must not, after studying in the Order
for some time, compare ourselves with other
individuis. That is why we at times become discouraged. The proper thing is to
compare ourselves as of today with ourselves
at the time when we entered the AMORC.
Most assuredly, each member can honestly
say to himself, if he has conscientiously
studied and tried to apply the teachings: I

Page 38

know many more things about myself and

about my existence and about my relation
ship to my fellows than I did before I became
a member of the Order. There are many
fears that no longer pursue me; there is a
deeper understanding of other people. I have
been able to take advantage of opportunities
that I might never have known before.
These things, then, constitute progress.
Unfortunately, many fratres and sorores
look for some highly dramatic or sensational
manifestation of psychic phenomenon. The
projection of ones consciousness to a distant
place or the receiving of a projection of the
consciousness of another may be very dra
matic and very sensational, but they are
immaterial unless they can be used in some
practical way. We are not looking for things
that surprise us, shock us or thrill us, but
we are looking for knowledge. Suppose that,
by the use of a certain word, some strange
phenomenon would happen in your presence,
a phenomenon that was most unusual but
which you would not understand. Of what
valu would it be to you? How could you
say you particularly benefited or that you
made progress just because you were able
to invoke something sensational?
As we have had occasion to say numerous
times before, we give the student many,
many exercises throughout the degrees but
we do not expect him to have complete success with all of them. Frankly, I do not
know of any member who has said that he
has had absolute success with every exer
cise and every experiment contained in the
monographs. If such a statement were made,
I would doubt its veracity. Why then do
we give the student so many of these exer
cises? It is because we realize, to come back
to the same point, that members are not
equal. Even in our psychic unfoldment, some
of us are more responsive to an impression
of one kind than to another. For example,
those of you fratres and sorores, who have
had success in contacting the Cosmic and
receiving impressions, know that these im
pressions may result in different kinds of
mental images. In other words, your psychic
impression may take the form of a visual
image, something that you seem to see upon
the screen of your consciousness, or it may
be auditory, as music or a voice speaking.
Then, again, it may be olfactory, as the
scent of incense or the fragrance of a rose.
Suppose that we were to presume that

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the psychic impression which each member

would have would always take a visual
form in the consciousness and suppose all
our exercises were arranged for reception of
visual impressions only. As a result those
members whose interpretations or whose
transforma tion of Cosmic impressions were
auditory ones would perhaps have little suc
cess. They would be trying to receive visual
impressions to which they would not be
responsive. Knowing this, we have a vuriety
of exercises so that members may try them
and respond to one of the three of any group
of exercises.
We have stated that there are many bene
fits to be derived from the Order and these
fall into different classifications: material or
physical, intellectual, and spiritual. The in
dividual must not concntrate upon any one
theatre or avenue of progress. He must not
expect all of his progress to be just along
one line. We are integrated human beings.
There are several parts to our nature. We
cannot neglect any of these parts. We must
not hurry through the monographs, merely
looking for those phases of the teachings
which we can employ to better us in a ma
terial way. We must not look just for sug
gestions to improve our employment, to ad
vance socially or to gain more possessions.
Until we have concerned ourselves with an
understanding of the intellectual aspect of
the teachings and have used them to awaken
our own talents and powers, and, further,
until we have used them to attune ourselves
with the Cosmic, we must not expect to have
material benefit.
There is still another point which must not
be overlooked. This is an od explanation
but it is ever true. Success in the Rosicru
cian teachings is a mutual effort. It is some
thing which proceeds alike on the part of
the Order and on the part of the member.
The Order, we may say, is the teacher; the
member, of course, is the student. The most
the Order can do is to convey to you the
laws, the principies, the facts, which you
must employ. You must rely upon them,
prove them and use them. If you look upon
all that is presented to you in a wholly
speculative sense as theory, as an intellectual
pastime, and do nothing more, you are
bound to fail. At least you will have no
other benefits than intellectual ones.
It is surprising and regrettable that there
are a number of members who do not take

OCTOBER, 1952

their Rosicrucian teachings and principies

into everyday life. They may work in a
factory, a machine shop, in a laboratory or
in an accountants office. Their everyday
world seems so unrelated to their sanctum
and to the contents of their monographs
that they think they cannot bridge the gap.
As a result, what they read, what they study,
the experiences they have in their sanctum,
become isolated from their daily life. Frankly, the Order and their membership does
them little good. They may tell us that they
enjoy their membership and find it inspira tional, relaxing, and so different from their
daily world. But they may also say: I can
not see how it can possibly help me otherwise. In most of these cases the members
are afraid to bring the mystical and metaphysical principies down to earth and apply
them to daily events.
There is no job, in which a member is
employed, to which he cannot apply some
or almost all of the Rosicrucian teachings.
Remember, we repeat, that the teachings are
concemed with Cosmic and natural laws. Is
there any human endeavor, no matter how
mundane it may be, that does not concern
some principies of science, the psychological
actions and reactions of the human being
and our relations with one another? If there
is, we do not know of it. Since all jobs con
cern these things, there are Cosmic and
natural laws involved. Simply put, the Rosi
crucian teachings can be m ade to work for
you. Try them and you will find that you
have progressed, but make your ideal of
progression consistent with what the teach
ings and the Order hold out for you.X
The Function of Pain
To every condition that is disagreeable to
man, the natural response of the human
being has always been Why? It is quite
probable that the first individual who ever
experienced anything in his life that he did
not like, that proved inconvenient, painful,
disagreeable or annoying to him, immediately began an elementary formulation of a
philosophy to explain why such condition
should be existent in consciousness. Out of
the attempts of primitive man to answer
such questions has evolved the basis of superstition, magic, religin, and philosophy.
In the form in which these four items have

Page 39

been listed, we see an evidence of evolution

to a degree.
Superstition was the first response. The
individual who experienced pain or annoyance decided that something extemal to him
had brought this series of sensations to his
consciousness. At first his analysis was com
pletely objective. He decided that the rock
which may have skinned his leg was in some
way opposed to him. This led immediately
to the elaboration of superstitions into cer
tain beliefs of magic that made man think
that the object which had been the immedi
ate cause of his pain was animate, that it,
too, could purposely plan and produce this
sensation which to man was disagreeable.
This does not necessarily mean that the
primitive individual assigned life to otherwise lifeless things, but he did assign mind.
Early man did not necessarily relate life
and mind. Mind to him was only within
his own thinking, but intent seemed to exist
everywhere about him. Many external
things, he found, impeded him. When he
planned to hunt, there may have been a
storm; the forest where he planned to hunt
may have been destroyed by fire or by a
flood. In this way, man found repeated
illustrations of something other than him
self which thwarted him.
To ask in exact words as to why it happened may not have occurred to the primi
tive man, but his early analysis did cause
him to avoid repetition of such occurrences.
As a result, he believed that since a certain
object had caused him pain at one time, the
object might be avoided and no more pain
would result. However, when another ob
ject equally as inanimate as the first one
caused him pain, and this was repeated a
number of times, he may have decided that
he would have to do something to keep
certain things out of his way or to prevent
them from inflicting punishment upon him.
Superstitions grew rapidly in such a fertile
field of thought. Man decided that objects
had to be treated in certain ways in order
that they would not again cause him pain
or trouble.
This concept gradually led to the idea of
propitiation, the idea behind the conclusin
being that if the objects were treated properly they would not cause trouble. Various
forms of this activity resulted. Prize possessions and food may have been offered as a
form of bxbery to the objects themselves, so

Page 40

as to keep them from harming man. Obviously this type of thinking next led to the
early concepts of idolatry. The objects them
selves were conceived as having mental intent, and therefore, a thought process; and
by being given physical things of valu and,
in addition, adoration, praise, and homage
by the individual, they might function bet
ter. Magic ceremonies, rites, and rituals
gradually carne into existence. By means
of these, man made every attempt possible
to take care of things before they decided to
harm him. Out of the concepts, myths, and
practices arse the first forms of religin in
assigning superhuman forc and strength to
things, such as carved rocks or other objects
that became gods or representations of divine
individualities or forces.
The time, of course, carne when man was
more analytical. His analysis, his experience
that had accumulated through time and tradition finally brought to his consciousness
the fact that the fault could be histhat if
he were careful and did not stumble over a
rock in his path or expose himself unnecessarily to elements that caused him harm, he
would not suffer the inconvenience and pain
that had previously been his experience.
This line of thought was the beginning of
philosophy, and those who went far enough
put aside their superstitions and magic prac
tices and those phases of religin that as
signed deity to inanimate things, and evolved
an elementary philosophy, an ethical relig
in, and an elementary science.
The phase of mans evolution and history
probably occurred over periods of time that
would be difficult for us to conceive of in
terms of figures. Although man has now
come a long ways from his primitive state
to a highly developed rational being in a
degree of civilization never previously known,
he finds that in his life there still are times
of annoj^ance, inconvenience, and pain, and
he returns to the same elementary question,
Why do these things exist?
Many questions arise in the course of
human existence and there seems to be no
immediate answer in explanation of the
why behind certain manifestations. We
have developed much better explanations in
our modern concepts of religin, philosophy,
and science, but they are yet incomplete. To
state that a brief, concise, inclusive answer
to the question of why pain exists can be
given is to be ridiculous, as it is one of the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

yet unsolved mysteries of life insofar as all

of its ramifications are concerned. It pays
us in our philosophy of life to adopt a cer
tain degree of realism. We look about us
and we see evidences of those things which
impede our progress; we see evidences of
both good and evil; we see and experience
pain and pleasure; and further we feel that
life would be better if only good existed and
evil was banished and if within our experi
ence there were only pleasure and never
pain.
When evil is witnessed and pain experi
enced, the natural conclusin of a rational
being is that they serve no purpose, they
have no valu and had best be eliminated.
Some forms of religin have taken this basis
as a foundation for their doctrine and belief.
If they could not eliminate pain and evil
from mans world they would do the next
best thing in their thinkingtry to ignore
them. This strict attitude is commendable
to a certain degree, but it does not solve
the problem and sometimes exaggerates it.
From a scientific point of view we do know
that pain serves one definite purpose that is
constructive and good: It serves as a danger
signal. Pain indicates that something is
wrong with the function or structure of the
human body. If it were not for pain, it is
conceivable that we might suffer more when
the consequences of the thing that caused
the pain were discovered. A headache may
be the danger signal of poor eyesight, indi
gestin, or numerous other complications in
various parts of the body. The danger signal
is the warning that causes the prudent man
to seek professional advice to help him over
eme the condition in his eyes or in any
other part of the body. It moves him toward
accepting therapeutic treatment.
At the same time that science has helped
us to gain this realization, it has also refined
drugs and other produets that relieve pain.
The problem of the control of pain is one
that has come under much discussion in religions and some metaphysical schools of
thinking. Some believe that no pain killers,
as they are called, should ever be taken
that aspirin for a headache, for example, is
an evil. Here, again, man must indicate a
reasonable and tolerant attitude. It is true
that no drug will normally correct a condi
tion causing a pain, but frequently it is
more desirable to temporarily lessen the
pain than to hope for its immediate cure or

OCTOBER, 1952

the cure of the condition causing it.

The danger of the use of pain killers
is to numb ones self to the point where no
attempt is made to rectify the underlying
condition. The control of pain, therefore,
under proper therapeutic direction, may
have, with reason, temporary relief of vari
ous measures. However, the fact that pain,
like a fire alarm, is a danger signal must
not be forgotten, and effort must be made
to maintain good health and correct those
conditions that contribute to the cause of
pain.
Pain, as it is discussed in these comments,
is physical pain. It is structural or chemical,
insofar as the body is concemed. It manifests itself in feelings that the body has
throughout its nervous system. The question
as to whether or not pain can be of psychic
origin occurs to any serious-minded student.
It is doubtful that such exists, except that
certain psychic functionsthat is, the con
cepts within our own mind and subjective
mindscan cause functional disturbances in
other parts of the body that may be evidenced
in pain. Mental health is therefore as im
portant as physical health in maintaining
equilibrium, balance, and harmony within
the entire body.
It was at one time conceived that pain
was something to be endured because it
taught us a lesson. It was believed that
pain was suffered for wrong-doing, and, that
as a result of tolerating it, we would learn
patience, self-control, and strength of char
acter. A certain degree of truth exists in
this theory, but it is not alone the explana
tion of pain. Let us be realists at all times
insofar as our objective world is concemed.
It is futile to build concepts that cannot ex
ist in actuality. We all have suffered pain,
and we will suffer pain again if we con
tinu to live. Our challenge is to so live
that we conform as best we know how to the
laws of nature and the laws of God; and that
we tolerate those inconveniences which will
be a part of our experience to the extent that
it is within our ability to do so, and, at the
same time, recognize them as negative con
ditions over which we have some control,
or at least have brought upon ourselves by
wrong-living, wrong-thinking, and wrongdoing.
Unfortunately, no one has been able to
prove the detailed steps necessary for perfect
physical and mental health, and even if they

Page 41

should, probably most of us would not fol

low the instructions in detail. A proper and
healthy mental outlook evidencing tolerance
of all men, charitable considerations of oth
ers, and love that is a small replica of the
love assigned to the Divine, are the three
prerequisites to mental health. Proper eating, proper resting, and reasonable care that
the body demands are the basis of physical
health. These seem simple to say, but we
all err in trying to live them. Our intent,
however, is important, and conscientious ap
plication of such ideis will assist us not
only in overcoming the inconveniences of
life, but also in preparing us mentally for
the advancement and gain which we hope
to achieve in this and in a future life.A
Posture for Relaxation and Meditation
A frater of New York rises to speak in
our Forum: For quite a number of years I
have had something on my mind that only
now I have decided to let you know, and it
has to do with posture. Of course, I realize
that the subject has been well treated in
many authoritative works, but I really feel
that it is particularly important to the Rosi
crucian. I have noticed through my years
as a member of one of our Lodges, that
many members seem to attach little impor
tance, if any, to their posture. When in
meditation or when doing breathing exer
cises, with or without intoning the vowels,
they disregard posture. As a matter of fact,
it seems that many have adopted the mental
attitude that to be seated at ease in a relaxed position should mean the right to be
slumped in a chair. Of course, I realize that
we cannot request our members that they
should master the Oriental method known
as the Lotus position, as this would not be
feasible for most of us in the West. I really
wonder if it was not the same problem that
may have influenced the ancient mystics,
adepts and masters of the East, eventually
to adopt a very demanding attitude when it
carne to the matter of posture.
There is no doubt in my mind that many
of us may have had in our youth, or may
still have, a more or less slight deviation of
the spine, which deviation may or may not
accentuate itself with age. This may not
exert any abnormal pressure on the ganglia
or on the nerves when the breathing is nor
mal and when the person is exercising. It
is my contention, however, that it is an en-

Page 42

tirely different matter if and when the body

is sagging and when the spine is in such a
position that the deviation is necessarily accentuated. The breathing exercises tend to
increase the energy flowing through the body
and the nervous system. The sagging pos
ture would inhibit this flow.
I have discovered that it is just as easy
to sit in an erect posture as it is to sag in a
chair. After a while all the muscles and
nerves concerned are trained by habit and it
has become more relaxing and comfortable,
and what is more, it is not dangerous. The
sagging body may also be wrong from a
mental point of view. It is certainly not a
proper attitude to be taken by the student
during a mystical exercise. It may reveal a
weakness of intention and a great lack of
determination in the personal effort to be
expressed.
The advantages of good posture should be
apparent to every intelligent person. Ones
physical appearance is enhanced by an erect
posture. Round shoulders, sunken chest, or
an arched back are not complimentary. If
one has suffered an injury that makes good
posture not possible, that, of course, is an
understandable exception. To idulge in poor
posture is inexcusable. When proper posture
has been cultivated through training, as for
example, in the military, it is not difficult
to retain it. The muscles required to keep
a proper alignment of the body become conditioned to the stress which is put upon
them. They compnsate for the stress and
become strengthened, and the individual is
able to retain the proper posture without
conscious effort.
Most persons avoid proper posture because
it constitutes an effort and tensin which is
fatiguing to them. This is an indication that
they have become accustomed to improper
posture almost constantly. Its correction con
stitutes an effort for them. Patently, relaxation is the opposite of tensin or strain.
When we try to relax, we endeavor to re
lieve every strain or tensin of which we
are aware. As a result, most of us do as
the frater saysjust sag. Sitting humped in
a chair, or letting ones legs dangle over the
arm of the chair, seems to provide that titillating sensation that we cali pleasurable ease.
Actually, the posture adopted to acquire it
may be harmful. It may impair circulation
at times or put a strain on the vertebrae of
which we are not aware. By proper posture

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

training we learn to ease the tensin, relax

the muscles, without allowing ourselves to
become contorted in any way. The muscles
after having been trained to hold the spine
and the frame properly come to do so with
out effort on our part.
Many persons are learning today that
heavily cushioned chairs into which one
sinks with ease are actually harmful, causing distortion of the alignment of the spine.
The same can be said of billowy, feathered
mattresses. A more rigid mattress, which
at first may seem not as comfortable, has
proved in many cases to be the most healthful. Persons have experienced distress in
the lumbar regin of the spine and in the
legs, which, after diagnosis, has been found
to be caused by the excessive curving of the
spine in a soft bed. On such a bed the feet
may be as high as the head, but the torso
sinks, causing the body to form a modified
v-shape.
When one wants to relax completely, it
is best to lie in a recumbent position on a
couch or bed. Do not try to lie in a lounge
chair. With the exception of a few types
of chairs which are especially designed bv
therapeutic experts or physicians, most of
these chairs are not satisfactory for true
lounging. They may be soft and billowy, but
they do not provide the proper spinal support unless one is in a true sitting posture.
Posture has long been used in the Orient
for the purposes of meditation and occult
practices. It is one of the yoga techniques.
The word Yoga is a derivation from the
Sanskrit yoking, which means to divert
the senses from the extemal world. Yoga is
a branch of the Hind philosophy known as
Sankhya. Certain rigidity of attitudes of pos
ture combined with breathing, are proclaimed by it to induce a subconscious state.
The breathing and posture assist in introverting the consciousness away from the
impressions of the receptor senses and from
all kinesthetic sensations as well. Thus,
when the consciousness is withdrawn from
extemality, states of meditation not ordinarily possible are attained. As the frater
says, such a rigid posture is torturous un
less one can relatively quickly, by means of
it, enter into the subconscious state. When
one has done so, he becomes impervious to
the discomfture. The practice is one that
would not be popular with most Westemers.
In entering a state of meditation as in-

OCTOBER, 1952

structed in our Rosicrucian teachings, no ex

treme measures are required. The simple
principies, if consistently practiced, are equally as effective as the more austere ones of
the East. Many Oriental philosophies teach
asceticism, which encourages self-mortification in connection with meditation. In other
words, such teachings include abuse and disregard of the body; they have a contempt
for the mortal and finite side of man. Thus,
torturous postures are in accordance with
such a view. In the Rosicrucian philosophy,
this is a violation of Cosmic law, and accordingly, a wrong doctrine. However, we
do advise a comfortable posture so that one
is not conscious of cutaneous or kinesthetic
sensations which might detract from the
meditative state. These latter sensations consist of the feeling of tightness in our clothes,
the cramping of our legs or arms, the excessive weight of limbs whose circulation
may be impaired by careless posture.
It is suggested that a proper chair is a
comfortable one which is not too soft, one
that supports the back in a semi-vertical position. The neck should be supported, as
well, by tilting the head back slightly and
resting it on the upper back of the chair.
Avoid having the neck muscles tensed. The
legs should be stretched comfortably out in
front of the chairnot draped over the edge
of it. The muscles should not be taut and
the feet should be placed fat upon the floor.
The arms shouJd be resting upon the arms
of the chair if this does not cause uncomfortable pressure upon them. Otherwise, the
arms should lie in the lap. The hands should
be unclasped; they may be held with palms
up or down, whichever is most comfortable.
The open palm turned upward has been
symbolic in Oriental meditation of the devotees passivity and receptivity to impressions.
Actually, it is no more important than just
being an act of symbolism.
If no breathing exercises accompany the
period of meditation, or if no intonation of
vowels is indulged in, then, at least, the
breathing should be rhythmic and deeper
than usual. After deciding upon the type of
breathing, one then should no longer remain
conscious of it; otherwise, the focus of at
tention upon that function would interfere
with meditation.
The frater is right when he says that if
we come before the Cosmic, or if we wish
to, we should prepare ourselves properly.

Page 43

Your posture and your behavior should be

indicative of the sincerity of your purpose.
You should indicate the sacredness of the occasion, your humility and the reverence of
your attitude. For analogy, you could not
appear before an august worldly power or
before an ecclesiast of importance without
properly dignified deportment. Why should
you show less respect in seeking unin with
the Divine?X
Abstraction and Reality
A Canadian frater rises and says: I am
exceedingly interested in the following prob
lems, the answers to which I cannot find
anywhere. First, all through Rosicrucian
literature, analogies are successfully used to
clarify abstract ideas. Now, why can an
analogy, a concrete subject, be used to explain an abstract idea? Are both concrete
and abstract subjects govemed by the same
laws? Can scientifie use be made of analo
gies to discover as yet unknown faets about
the material world? How do you detect the
right analogy? Why are not all analogies
perfect in all details, or do you know
whether a detail of an analogy is true or not?
Second, I know that it is possible to remember concrete ideas by merely visualizing them. How can you memorize abstract
ideas? Is it better to memorize the sound of
the words expressing the idea, or make a
concrete example of the abstract idea and
remember it in this way? Or, is there an
other method?
Perhaps it is best that we first have an
understanding of what we mean by an ab
stract idea. The substance of all ideas is
basically the same. Ideas are born of perceptions and conceptions. They arise out of
the impulses which act upon us and the sen
sations which follow from them. Reasoning
is the arrangement of the ideas of experience.
In fact, we may say that experience is the
substance which reason employs in its proc
ess of evalating ideas. There is no new
idea in the sense that it is entirely devoid of
the elements of experience. Most new ideas
are really complex ones consisting of the
rearrangement of simple ideas of experience.
A strictly original idea would be meaningless to us, for it would have no qualities of
the senses; it would be devoid of such characteristics as form, color, taste, time, and
space. Something that cannot fall into the
categories of our senses and experience, gen-

Page 44

erally, would be incomprehensible.

Most of our ideas are immediately related
to reality. In other words, they are interpretations of our experience, of the vibrations of being which act upon our senses.
Thus, most ideas are directly associated in
consciousness with things heard, seen, felt,
or otherwise perceived. The majority of our
ideas consequently have a kind of concreteness. They seem, though they are actually
not so in fact, to be a reflection of the particulars in the world outside of us. By contrast, an abstract idea is one whose content
is not possible of an immediate association
with reality. It is a notion distinct from any
single idea directly arising out of perception.
God is an abstract idea. The concept of God
may be convincing to us, but there is no
reality, as a thing or substance, that can be
objectively perceived, that corresponds to the
idea which we have of God.
Still other abstract ideas are those of ab
solute being, good and evil. No matter how
commonplace they may be in our thinking,
they are abstract because they have no con
tent that is objective. Things may be said
to be good; but Good, in itself. does not exist.
We can only describe Good in terms of
things to which we relate it. If we say,
There is Goodone will be likely to reply:
W hat is Good? An abstract idea, however,
must use as its elements, ideas of reality,
that which is related to objective experience.
Taken in its entirety, however, there is no
thing which corresponds to it, or it would
not be an abstract idea. Mathematics is an
excellent example of an abstract science.
Numbers do not exist in nature; they are
concepts and principies to which we have
adapted certain physical forms as symbols.
The figures are real in the objective sense,
but their vales or meaning are wholly
abstract.
The frater asks: Why can an analogy be
used to explain an abstract idea? Every
experience in judgment, the result of reason,
is construed in terms of its contribution to
self. What we perceive, what we think
about, results in the formation of conclusions
related to ourselves even though indirectly.
These are variations of that which we cali
knowledge. In brief, our experience which
revolves about self, is transposed into varia
tions of understanding. Understanding is the
meaning we derive from experience. Reason
or analysis discloses that from certain ele

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ments of experience there may be inferred

parallel meanings. Observation makes plain
that the establishment of certain similar
conditions as causes will produce other con
ditions which, as effects, are also similar. In
fact, we are so constituted that we cannot
fail to draw the same meaning at all times
from certain particulars of our experience.
It follows, for example, that 2 when added
to 2 have the sum of 4. We cannot conceive
any other result from this addition. The
persistence of such inferences becomes as
law to the mind. They have a reality that,
to the mind, is as definite as any substance
perceived.
We may also draw inferences as conclu
sions from abstract ideas. They are as posi
tive to us (or we would not retain them) as
the meanings we derive from something we
may have objectively perceived. When the
inferences drawn from an abstract idea are
held in mind, they attract to themselves any
conclusin of experience that may parallel
them. When a conclusin of experience is
recalled, there is associated with it the par
ticular elements that contributed to it. These
elements, these realities, then comprise the
analogy, or they aid us in forming one. For
example, let us suppose that we are discoursing upon the psychological process whereby
the brain records impressions and how these
are assembled to form ideas, etc. We might,
as have some of the renowned philosophers,
use the analogy of the tabula rasa, or blank
sheet of paper. Why would we do this? Ob
servation has shown us how impressions may
be recorded or written upon a paper. They
are then retained on the sheet of paper for
analysis and for future reference. Conse
quently, in referring to the recording analyses and recollecting processes of the mind,
the blank sheet of paper and the wiiting
upon it appear as a plausible parallel. We
know that they are not identical processes;
however, the general effect, the conclusin
which the mind draws from the association
of the two sets of ideas is similar enough to
cause us to use it as an analogy. From the
above, it must be apparent that both abstract
ideas and those of reality (perception) are
governed by the same analytical laws of
reason.
The frater also wants to know whether
we can use analogies to discover realities or
facts about the immaterial world which, as
yet, remain unknown. Science employs this

OCTOBER, 1952

method continually in its hypotheses. It begins with the inductive process, that is, an
observation of the particular, the empirical
facts, to arrive at a conclusin about the
general. In an analysis of the particulars
of a phenomenon, science seeks to gain an
understanding of the underlying laws which
give it existence. Having arrived at a conception of certain laws, the deductive method,
as a hypothesis, is employed to anticipate
realities not yet experienced. For example,
the science of spectroscopy has revealed that
planets, and those stars which have been
subject to its analysis, have chemical elements which correspond to those existing on
earth. Thereupon, it is deduced from this,
and from numerous other sources of inquiry,
as an analogy, that there are universal laws
which apply to celestial bodies as yet not
analyzed or which are even unknown.
All analogies are most certainly not perfect in their detail. It is simply because our
inferences, the conclusions we draw from
our experience, may often be wrong. If our
reasoning is faulty, our logic in error, then
the analogy will be erroneous as well. We
may never know that our inferences are
wrong if they are not subjected subsequently
to tests of a purely objective nature. Suppose that we believed that every translucent
object is made of glasssimply because our
experience with objects that permit light to
pass through them showed them to be made
of glass. If this inference were applied to a
plstic substance that was also translucent
we would be in error. We would eventually
discover that it was not the sam e as glass,
even though it had one characteristic, or
quality, in common with it. In one of our
Rosicrucian rituals, we actually show the
fallacy of general inferences which have not
been subject to test. Ordinarily, we think of
water extinguishing fire. In this particular
ritual, a simple chemical experiment demonstrates that water added to other elements
actually can cause an instantaneous fame!
It is always advisable, therefore, to test our
inferences. We should apply them to what
may seem as parallel circumstances before
accepting them as conclusive truth.
In answer to still another of the fraters
questions, we can remember abstract ideas
quite as well as concrete ones. Since an ab
stract idea must basically be composed of the
elements of experience, no matter how subtle
those elements, the recollection of any one

Page 45

of the elements of which it consists will cause

the abstract idea to be recalled. For example,
no matter what we conceive God to be, the
abstract idea of Him can be recalled. The
notion of God arse from experience had
intuitively and objectively; therefore, it is an
idea, in itself, even though there is no con
crete thing which represents it.
Any function of consciousness that institutes ideation or thought, can be recalled if
it is intense enough to become well-registered
in memory. Most of our abstract ideas create
for themselves, upon the screen of conscious
ness, certain objective symbolssymbols
taken from experience. Thus, in thinking of
these symbols or analogies, the abstract idea
is recalled. For further example, let us think
of powermechanical, electrical, atomic.
Then, let us think of trying to transcend
such powersomething that goes beyond all
the physical manifestation of power. We ar
rive at once at the abstract idea of our per
sonal philosophical or mystical conception of
the primary cause behind allnamely, the
Supreme Power. Thus we can see that cer
tain of our objective experiences which may
compose our abstract idea will, whenever
we encounter them, lead us to recall the
abstract idea.X
Has the Universe a Personality?
A soror rises to speak: I wonder whether
it would be possible and interesting to other
members, as well, to discuss some of the
wider aspects of personality of the universe
in our Forum? The book Christian Mysticism, by Dean Inge, cites Origen as definitely
teaching that the universe is to be thought
of as an immense living being . .
Is this
not similar to the Rosicrucian teachings
that the universe is a cell? Inge also states
that the sun and stars are spiritual beings
similar views, writes Dean Inge, were held
by St. Augustine, Giordano Bruno, and by
Fechner. Inge further declares that without
personality the universe falls to pieces. Per
sonality is . . . the strictest unity of which
we have any experience. And, again, in
complete accord with our Rosicrucian teach
ings: distinction, not separation, is the mark
of personality, but it is separation, not dis
tinction that forbids unin. It is especially
the concept of the sun and stars as spiritual
beings that I should like to know about.
The concept that the universe or world is
an animate or living being is by no means a

Page 46

recent idea. Over five thousand years ago,

during the Memphite Period of Egypt, the
priests of Ptah, a god conceived as the architect of the universe, proclaimed the doctrine
of the spoken word. The utterances of the
mind of Ptah, his spoken words went forth
to anima te the world. The efficacy of these
words became the Creative element in the
universe by which reality carne into exist
ence. This ontological idea was held many
centuries before the Greek doctrine of the
Logos, a similar concept.
The concept of hylozoism, that the world
or matter is alive, has had a favorable re
sponse with some group of thinkers in every
era. Among the early Greek philosophers
a single substance was conceived to be the
primary element of the universe. To Thales,
this was water; to others, it was air, earth,
or fire. These single substances were thought
to be akin to lifethat they not only
brought into creation all else, but energized
all reality, as well. Anaximander, 6th century B.C., thought that the soul is air, and
is the means of holding the body together.
Likewise, he conceived the world as a living
organism inhaling air from the space in
which it existed, and that it was this breathing of the world which caused it to survive
as a living thing.
One of the greatest of the early Greeks
was Anaxagoras. He proclaimed mind, or
nous, as the moving cause in the universe.
He was the first thinker since the time of
Memphis to conceive a teleologicalor mind
cause behind all existence. With Anaxag
oras, the universe was basically pur intel
ligencea living, thinking, Creative forc.
Stoicism, founded by Zeno in the 3rd century B.C., held that a rational principie as a
guiding soul permeated all of reality. This
rational principie, or universal soul, he
called the Logos. In matter, the Logos
manifested as the natural laws underlying
its forces and structure. In man this uni
versal soul or Logos was called pneuma,
meaning spirit, or breath. In other words,
pneuma was a higher manifestation of the
same Logos which constituted the physical
laws and forces of matter.
The Soror refers to Giordano Bruno of
the 16th century A.D. Bruno was embued
with the spirit of rationalism and of the discovery of the great astronomer, Copemicus.
To Bruno, all matter was very much alive.
A W orld Soul permeated all reality every-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

where. The stars and the planets were

governed by this intelligence of the World
Soul, and there was no dead matter anywhere. The whole universe was like a great
organism, a living cell suspended in space.
Bruno said: It is not reasonable to believe
that any part of the world is without a soul,
life, sensation, and organic structure . . . the
stars have intellectual and sense life . . .
those sons of God who shouted for joy at
the creation, the flaming heralds, his ministers and the ambassadors of his glory, a
living mirror of the infinite Deity. In his
rapture in being part of a great monistic
living cell, Bruno further proclaimed: from
this spirit, which is one, all being flows; there
is one truth and one goodness penetrating
and governing all things. In nature are the
thoughts of God. He (God) is in the blade
of grass, in the grain of sand, in the atom
that floats in the sunbeam, as well as in the
boundless All.
The doctrine of hylozoism has a modern
representaron; it is material monism, or, as
it is also known, energism. This doctrine
contends that there is a single energy which
permeates all reality. In fact, reality, all
particulars, are said to be fundamentally of
this energy. The variations of the energy
account for all the forms or expressions of
material existence. The mental and even
the so-called spiritual powers of man are
proclaimed to be but aspects of this one uni
verse of energy. The energy accounts for
life and is likewise the order or process of
development in the atomic structure of in
animate matter. This energy is held to be
more than mind alone, for it is life forc
and all the other expressions of energy that
exist.
Among the more modern proponents of
the idea of a latent intelligence, or the spirit
moving through the universe and composing
its primary essence, was the noted French
metaphysician, Henri Bergson.
Now, what is meant by Personality of the
Universe? The majority who make this reference are not thinking merely in terms of
a cellular cosmos or a primary energy hav
ing certain qualities similar to life. They
contend, as well, that there is a correspondence between the universe and the human
personality. They take the position that the
universe is sentientthat is, it has feeling,
a responsivity to all other reality of which
it is composed. It is sympathetic to the

OCTOBER, 1952

functions, the requirements of all lesser

manifestations, whether animate or so-called
inanimate matter. The cosmos, they consider
to be like a vast organism; all things are
but the configurations and the processes of
this one living organism. The cosmos, to
them, has not only a consciousness of its
own existence, but it is also purposeful. It
is aware of its dominant objective and is
ever striving to manifest this end. This per
sonality of the universe is Good, they say
from the point of view that it is Creative,
or ever evolving toward a constructive end.
Figuratively speaking, it moves in one direction. All of its multitudinous phenomena,
no matter how such may appear to the finite
understanding of man, are contributing to
the Greatness of the Universal Personality.
Consequently, from these contentions,
stated in numerous ways, the personality of
the universe is thought to be exhibited in
Creative evolution, self-consciousness, and in
determinism, or purpose. More briefly put,
this personality of the universe is a conscious,
intelligent, vast Self. The human stands in
relation to this personality of the universe
so these persons believeas the fingers do to
the entire human body. The fingers appear
to have a separateness, if they are viewed
in their individual functions, from their
particular activity. The very activity, how
ever, of the fingers, is in itself, quite dependent upon the body, upon the latters physi
cal and mental processes. The finger is more
than a mass of flesh. It is a finger only to
the extent that it remains a part of the whole
body and is able to do those things by which
it is known as a finger. It is absurd to
think of a finger having a separate independence, a personality of its own, acting
contrary to the greater personality of the
whole human organism. Likewise, then,
man has no personality except as an ex
tensin of the greater personality of the uni
verse! As man thinks and does, he is in
some way being motivated by that greater
personality of which he is a part.
As for the stars and planets actually be
ing separate personalities and having an in
telligence and a consciousness of self, that
conception goes back to ancient Babylonian
theories and superstitions. To the ancient
Babylonians, the planets were outer mani
festations of a hierarchy or progressive
scale of gods. These gods ruled outer space,
the earth and the seas. They expressed their

Page 47

wills through the planets, which in turn

exerted an influence upon the particular
realms over which the gods had authority.
As a result, the thinking, the emotions and
the passions of these gods were symbolized
by the positions of the planets to one an
other and to the earth. As the sun and the
moon were observed definitely to affect the
earth by their phenomena, and man accordingly, it was taken as an indication of
the exertion of the W ill and the Personalities
of these bodies. With the passing of time,
astrology (which grew out of these conceptions) dropped the teleological ideathat is,
that the stars and planets were a mind-cause
directing, or at least influencing, human
affairs. From then on, the influence has been
held to be a combination of occult forces
exerted in a mechanistic order like a magnet
moving in and out of an orbit rhythmically,
attracting and repelling in accordance with
its relations to other objects.
Only in the most romantic poetry and
in the most imaginative way can it be conceived that the stars are personalitiesif
the word personality is used with the same
significance as we use it in relation to human
beings. If the word, however, is assigned
an entirely different connotation than that
of the human personality, then, of course,
there is obviously no agreement on the
meaning. If one means that a stellar body,
as a planet, exhibits certain distinct characteristics, as for example, size, color, movement, and temperature, and that these constitute its personality, then every object
of reality which has distinctions from all
else, could also be said to have personality.
However, when we refer to personalities
in our usual conversa tion, we mean not only
physical appearance or behavior, but also
such motivations as intelligence, imagina tion, aspiration, and moral idealism. Cer
tainly, earth does not exhibit intelligence as
a global body unless you cali the natural
processes of matter intelligent. Even if you
take this position, then earth becomes a
member of a greater organismthe universe
because we know that the natural phenomenon of earth is not an exhibition of its
Will, but rather a conformity to a Cosmic
order which it cannot escape. Therefore, no
matter what functions the earth exhibits,
such relationship is merely like the fingers
of a hand, which are dependent upon powers
that lie beyond them.X

She Learned
The Secrets
Of the Great Physician

The Art of Absent Healing

She had a family, a number of dufiesin other words, a very full life. She could not
be aware of every little pitfall in the way of health, so inevitably would come the result,
serious illness. Competent professional care, lengthy treatment, and the admonition to
"LET NATURE DO THE REST" would finally restore health. Once, after recovery, the
truth dawned on her in a flash. This mysterious something of nature was THE CREATIVE
LIFE FORCE that pulsated in every cell of her being. It was truly THE GREAT PHYSICIAN. But why was it always shrouded in mystery? What was its true secret? She now
knew why physidans had never explained it to her. It was outside the realm of the
laboratory or the test tube. Its curative power carne from the depths of the inner being.
Each person could direct this subtle forc himselfif he only knew how.
Her nterest brought her to the portis of the Rosicrucians. There she learned the se
crets of the Great Physician, the rational principies of self-healing.
You, too, may know something of these Rosicrucian principies of absent healing. The
secret healing principies of the Rosicrucians are given to members in proper sequence in
their studies. However, so that you may have the advantage of a summary of this knowl
edge in advance, there has been prepared for you a brochure entitled, The Art of Absent
Healing. It is extremely helpful. It will be mailed to you for only 25 cents (I/ 10 sterling),
postage paid. It is a golden gem for Rosicrucian students, no matter what degree of the
studies they are in. Order a copy today.

THE

Rosicrucian Supply Bureau

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.
This book will be sent only to Rosicrucians.
Single copies mailed any where,
~_ .
o n l y ................................................................. 2 5 ^
(1/10 sterling)

P R IN T E D IN U . S . A .

T H E R O S IC R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D ., SA N J O S E , C A L IF .

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM

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A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER
Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1 1 0 3 of the U .S . Postal Act of Oct. 3 , 1 9 1 7 .

Vol. XXIII

DECEMBER, 1952

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No. 3

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ABYSS AND FLAME

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1 went inward till space was not

Yet 1 was, and the light was.
Within the light was darkness.
1, wrapped in light, knew
The abyss.

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1 went inward till time was not

Yet 1 was, and darkness was.
Within the abyss was fame,
And born in fame were cross
And rose.

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Born from abyss and fame

Is man.
Ruth Phelps

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BYTHE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OFTHE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $2.25 (16/1 sterling) ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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Page 50

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V V V

CIVILIZATION IN THE MAKING

Dear Fratres and Soror es:
It seems appropriate that the average in
dividual determine for himself what civiliza
ron really is. In the minds of many persons
the structure of society is confused with civilization. In this sense, a civilized society is
generally conceived as one having an extensive industrial structure, a well-planned economy, a stable and popular government,
liberal expression of the individual will, and
Progressive education. Are these the ends,
the goals of civilization, or are they but im
portant by-products of it?
There can be no true civilization without
society, that is, collective living. But an efficient society may fall far short of civiliza
tion in the broadest scope of that word.
From a wholly pragmatic point of view, the
fundamental basis of society is the result
of a negative attitude on the part of the in
dividuis composing it. Men carne together
and forfeited certain of their individual
rights and powers in order to achieve as a
group what they could not do singly. In
effect, such was principally to secure their
physical well-being through mutual cooperation. What one man would not be able to
lift, two or three might do so. The skill one
has, another may employ in society. An
enemy that men may not be able to defeat
individually, may be vanquished by united
effort.
Insofar as the masses of men are con
cerned, then, society was not constituted as
an instrument by which they were to attain
some general ideal. For the most part, it
consisted of the borrowing of each others
personal powers and resources to supplant
their individual weaknesses and deficiencies.
Only here and there in the course of history,
notably during the Periclean Age of Greece
and the Hellenic Period, did the minds of
men glimpse a higher purpose for the func
tion of society. Only at such times have
society and civilization rightly been thought
to be synonymous.
To be representative of the philosophical
conception of civilization, a society must not

only assure the individual a way of life, but

it must also cause him to evolve his evaluation of life, to aspire to a more lofty concept
of personal living. The truly civilized in
dividual is one who has moved upward from
mere basic needs to impersonal ideis. Liv
ing should not be just a state of survival
spent as agreeably as possible, but it should
also be a mdium for the full expression of
the personality. If this seems to be abstract
idealism, then let us look upon the subject
realistically.
Assume that economically you are securely
sitated; you are by no means wealthy, but
able to provide common needs and comforts,
and you have several hours each week free
from the demands of necessity. What do
you do with that period of free time? Is it
only devoted to a further refinement of your
particular way of living, such as easier accessibility to your physical and economic
requirements, the acquiring of possessions
and the pleasure that follows from them?
In other words, do you consider the improvement of society, that is, your way of
living, always from the point of view of a
further reducing of environmental opposition
to your requirements and desires? To you,
is advanced living to be construed just in
terms of reduced labor, further increase in
personal ownership, and hours of leisure?
Unfortunately, there are millions of per
sons today who would answer these latter
questions in the affirmative. Their kind of so
ciety would leave unrefined and unchanged
the moral will and idealism of the individ
ual. It is like tilling the soil about the
weed; the noxious plant itself remains untouched. Through industrial and technological developments, society may greatly alter
mans environment. Many of these environ
mental changes, however, have had little ef
fect upon the deeper aspects of the human
personality. They do not expand the selfconsciousness. They leave it constricted to
the concems of the immediate welfare of the
individual. He may continu to think in
terms of the limited person instead of the

PECEMBER, 1952

unlimited human cause. It is this kind of

advanced yet uncivilized society that is capable of war. The self is left crude, primitive,
undeveloped, often incoherentbeing itself
swept along in a rapid stream of its intellec
tual by-products.
There is a need for reorientation. The in
dividual must determine whether there is a
purpose for life, in fact or in idealism, which
transcends the mere titillation of the senses
provided by the innumerable producs of
industry and science. It has now reached
the point in almost one generation where
our technical advances can impose upon us
as great if not greater suffering through war
and the calamities which follow from it,
than the pleasures, luxuries, and material
benefits which stem from such advances.
By not changing our idealism, we have created a society that takes away with one hand
what it gives with another. Ultimately, such
living is as elementary, as uncontrolled, as
unmasterful as that experienced by the
primitive person who had little or no so
ciety. If continued, it will be the termination of a cycle, a retum to that point where
man began. With all of his great technical
achievements, his personal stature will not
have grown. He will be as fearful, as helpless, as when he emerged from primordial
swamps and forests. About him to mock
him will be the very producs of his inventive genius, which but lead him in a circle
of grand illusionment.
Recently, in the course of my travels for
AMORC, I had occasion to visit some of
the foremost museums in America, and, in
fact, the foremost in the world. The objects
in these museums are representative of those
admired and cherished in each century by
many cultured persons. They are those
things which appeal to mans finer sensibilities. They disclose his fine sense of harmony
of color and of symmetry. They depict his
attempt to objectify and to express latent
feelings which emerge from the deeper parts
of the stream of self. They disclose the unfoldment and enlargement of the personalities of their creators. Much of this is done
in symbols of glimpses of beauty that man
has found within his own psychic and spir
itual being. By means of them, man has
sought to build a world to portray his inex
plicable feelings; the things are the elements
of that world of his conception. It was a

Page 51

new environment which these men wanted

to create; it was not merely the refinement
of the one in which they found themselves.
Such objects are not just things by which
man intended to bring pleasure to his life.
They were also the steps to what he con
ceived to be a higher order of living. Though
these statues, ornaments, sculptures, paintings, musical and literary compositions, have
often been acquired by persons of wealth as
mere badges of their social distinction, the
men who dreamed of them and executed
their designs, had for the most part, no such
purpose in mind. Theirs was the true spirit
of civilization. They envisioned the greater,
inner heights to which men may climb.
Revisit your great art and historical mu
seums. Look upon the cultural achievements
which men have brought forth. Not just for
mutual security did they create these things,
but for the evolvement of their soul-personalities. Therein lies the mark of civilization,
the refinement of the individual. Then, ask
yourself what we our modern civilization
are doing to advance the civilization which
they have left us. Is the Machine Age providing personal peace and an individual
satisfaction with life? Further, is the advent of the Atomic Age a true furthering of
civilization?
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
Can W e Project Soul?
A soror now addresses our Forum. She
says: It is my understanding that the soul
is an extensin and undivided part of the
Cosmic. Assuming this to be true, then my
soul, as a part of the Cosmic, is everywhere
and no place. Then, in a projection of
personality on this earth plae or from the
Cosmic plae, why would the soul be left
anywhere?
Actually we do not project soul but rather
our consciousness of it or the self-consciousness. It is this self-consciousness that consti
tutes our personality. From the Rosicrucian
point of view we are incapable of affecting in
any manner the content of soul within us. It
is for that reason that we use the hyphenated
word, soul-personality. It is only the effect
of soul on our exalted or inner consciousness
that we can control or influence.

Page 52

Pur soul or absolute soul, whichever

term we prefer, is the Cosmic. It is the
Universal Intelligence which enters our be
ing at birth and which is resident in every
cell of our being. This Intelligence is closely
related to the Vital L ife Forc. It is not life
itself, but rather life forc, as a Cosmic
energy, that is the mdium by which this
higher Intelligence, which we cali soul9 en
ters our being. This Intelligence co-ordinates
our whole being. It regulates, if we permit
it, the physical functions, the intelligence of
mind and, of course, those more subtle at
tributes which we cali psychic. The harmony
of this Universal Intelligence and its per
sistent urges and impulses must be distinguished from those emotional and mental
functions which men usually cali their in
dividual soul or spiritual psychic self.
The higher octaves or ranges of our sensitivity as a living being are what we cali
the upper levels of consciousness. It is
in these upper levels of consciousness that we
realize the Universal Intelligence or the pur
soul of our being. We then begin to adjust
to this transcendental state of consciousness.
We develop moral concepts, as a result of it,
which we cali conscience, or we adopt that
behavior which is referred to as spiritual.
The sum total of our eventual expressions
or manifestations of these higher impulses of
our being, the way we act and think in rela
tion to them, is what is commonly known as
personality. Personality, then, is a reflection
of the motivating forc of the pur, the uni
versal, soul within us. As we intentionally
try to attune with the Universal Soul, to be
in harmony with its inclinations, we evolve
or advance the personality. This means that
gradually our thinking and our living become more in accord with the Cosmic spir
itual quality that permeates every cell of our
being as an Intelligence. It is often said,
and rightly so, that man is, to a great extent,
a product of his environment. Likewise, man
is a product of the Universal Soul Forc with
in him. The spiritual person is one who has
caused himself to conform to the dictates of
this inner influence, this Universal Soul,
within him.
Man, therefore, does not have an individ
ual soul as a segment deposited within his
being, separated from the Universal Soul.
The Universal Soul, as the Cosmic Intelligence, perm eates all beings. It is no less or

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

is it any more in quality or quantity in any

mortal. The savage and even the animal
and the exalted mystic have the same soul
essence within them. Again we say, the dis
tinction is only in the reflection by con
sciousness, by the awareness of self, of this
high attribute and a conformity to it. From
this point of view, it must be apparent that
we cannot project soul. The soul is ubiquitous. It exists everywhere. Along this in
finite stream of soul forc, however, we can
project or, for better understanding, we can
transmit the personality, our consciousness
of self. For analogy, let us think of a direct
current of electricity flowing from a huge
battery to an electrical device. The battery
is the Absolute, the Divine. The flow of
current shall denote the emanations of the
Universal Intelligence, the Cosmic Soul. The
electrical device corresponds to the human
being. This electrical device, we shall fur
ther assume, creates a pulsating beat of high
vibratory rate. This pulsation moves out and
back along the line of direct current which
is flowing from the device to its source. This
pulsation will travel as far as the flow of
the direct current exists. Consequently, the
pulsation will eventually reach the battery,
the source of the current. The pulsation we
shall cali the personality. Thus the higher
consciousness, the inner self, by which we
realize the soul, may be carried along the
soul forc out into the Cosmic. We do not
alter the soul forc. We have merely used
it as a mdium for the projection of the
higher consciousness along it.
Here is still another interesting analogy
to help us understand this principie. There
is a plstic substance known by the trade
ame of lucite. It has a high quality of
transmission of light or lucidity. A tube of
this translucent material may be bent into
a number of curves and sharp angles, and if
an electric lamp is placed cise to one end of
it, the light will follow the tube, bending
to conform to the many curves. Actually in
appearance it would look as though the tube
of lucite is illuminated from within, which of
course it is not. Now, let us think of the
tube of lucite as being the Universal Soul
Forc. The lamp at one end we shall refer
to as the being of man. The light coming
from the lamp shall be that consciousness,
that higher realization of self, which we
cali the soul-personality. It is, then, this
soul-personality, this light if you will, which

DECEMBER, 1952

is transmitted along the tube, the Universal

Soul Forc.
Just as light is of such infinitely high
speed or high frequency that it may reach
out into space almost without any lapse
of time, so far as we are ordinarily aware
except for most remte distances, so, too, the
projection of personality along the flow of
the Universal Soul Forc is also almost instantaneous. Neither time or distance are
important to this projection. If the soulpersonality, as a projection, is perceived by
a mind only a few miles away, that is not
an indication of the limitation of the potentialities of projection. The limitation is
more probably the particular circumstances
surrounding the one projecting or the one
receiving the effects.X
Should We Seek Ideis?
A frater rises to address our Forum. He
says: The fallacy of resorting to self-idealization, creation of an idealized image and
self-glorification, and the dire consequences
which follow are often stressed. It is stated
by some psychologists and psychiatrists that
this can only lead to alienation from the real
self and the creation of emotional conflicts.
What is your opinion of this subject?
The unqualified statement that self-idealization or the creation of an idealized image
leads to mental aberration is not proper upon
its face. It is inconsistent with actual experi
ence. All ambition is the visualization or
conception of the egos being placed in an
improved or exalted circumstance. It is the
projection of self into what an individual
conceives as a preferable or a more ideal
state than his current one. After all, why
does one undertake to prepare for a profession? Is it not that he imagines in some
way his ego could be enhanced by that
change in his life? He conceives himself as
having greater prestige, knowledge, wealth
or as a respected benefactor of humanity.
He cannot know these things by experience.
They are not objective realities to him. The
aspirant has not yet attained the professional
state that he idealizes. Even the fact that
others are successful in such enterprises is
no assurance that he could realize the same
satisfaction from such activities. Consequent
ly, the whole goal of his ambition is, in fact,
an idealized image. For aspiration and am

Page 53

bition, the individual must conceive a state

or some situation in which he will play a
part that transcends his present one.
To deny such idealization wherein, for
analogy, the boy dreams of himself as a
cowboy hero, or the youth visualizes him
self as a renowned scientist, is to stifle the
motivation behind all human progress and
to inhibit imagination. Rather, the problem
is to avoid excessive idealization so that the
self is not alienated from its real environment.
For an analogy, ones thinking of himself
at all times as being a prominent attorney,
if his actual world of associations were quite
different, would admittedly inhibit his approach to objective realities. He would be
living in a world of the subjective and quite
apart from the one in which the self ac
tually exists. The consciousness would be
focused upon the fantasies surrounding the
ideal. As a consequence, it could not prop
erly perceive or judge the impressions of
the objective state. Factors of the everyday
world, in which the individual lives, would
be neglected. Adjustments to his surroundings
would also be neglected. This, obviously,
would contribute to the physical and mental
ill-health of the victim.
Self-idealization or the creation of exalted
images of self is inimical only when there
is a permanent loss of distinction between
the realities of the objective and subjective
worlds. Day dreams and fantasies are not
harmfulin fact they are beneficialwhen
they are under the control of the will. It is
necessary that the individual be able to distinguish between self projected into an imagined state and self being in that state
which we cali objective experience. As long
as one knows that one state of self is an
image and ideal and the other is a product
of his active personality and its environment,
he is perfectly normal and safe.
It is the dissatisfaction with self, insofar
as its commitments and relations to the world
are concemed, which prompts the imagina
tion to devise an improved state or ideal for
its aspiration. For the ideal to ever become
more than just a fantasy, reason must endeavor to establish a course of activity by
which the individual may advance progressively from realities, from his objective state,
to that higher state or ideal which he envisions. Obviously, then, the ideal must be
related to the potentialities of the individual.

Page 54

To aspire to that for which the individual

is not suited physically, intellectually, or
temperamentally, means only the inviting
of failure and frustration. One may establish an ideal that far transcends the circum
stances to which self is, at the present, re
lated. However, the aspirant should also set
for himself a hierarchy or an ascending scale
of lesser states of attainment that will pro
vide for him a series of progressive gratifications in the interim. To use a simple anal
ogy; in our aspiration and ambition, we
should not try to leap from the bottom to
the top step. W e should set for ourselves an
intermediary goal easier of attainment. From
there we should move upward to another
goal equally as possible of attainment. Each
success in tum fortifies the ego with confidence. Further, the experience, the knowl
edge gained from each realization of success
or each ideal had, prepares the individual
to reach that point which previously would
have been beyond his capabilities.
Focusing our consciousness and thoughts
upon an idealized ambition provides certain
satisfaction. It is a world of our own creation. Therefore, we always make it as free
from distractions as the imagination permits. The world of reality, on the other
hand, is not so directly under our control.
We all know that we are, in our daily life,
subject to environmental factors such as conditions that arise which we cannot anticipate
or avoid and that, as a result, they may often
be very distracting. If the world of objectivity, the world of reality, becomes particularly distressing or depressing to a person
and if he cannot readily adjust to its demands, there is an inclination many times
for him to retreat from it. He finds solace,
then, in his subjective world, in fantasies,
or in the idealized self. The will is gradually, through such indulgence, subordinated
to the pleasurable sensations of the unreal
world of ones own creation. The individual
is reluctant to return to reality, and eventu
ally loses all conscious relation to it.
In the early stages of such behavior, the
individual knows that he is in fact fleeing
reality when he resorts just to his idealized
ambition. He knows that he is tuming to
self-glorification and fantasies as a substitute
for the less satisfying experiences of life. The
intelligent or well-informed person likewise
knows that such a course can only lead to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

dire consequences if pursued for any great

length of time. It is, for another analogy,
like the intelligent person who takes narcotics. He is quite aware of their potential
dangers. If reality is harsh and one does
find it difficult to adjust to it, he should seek
professional assistance. The guidance and
counsel need not always be from psychiatrists but from those who might throw light
upon his problems, who may help him remove the desire to escape into fantasies, to
retreat from those things which may seem
insurmountable.
Sometimes a neurosis is so gradually developed that we are no longer aware of the
cause of the original conflict in our subjective
consciousness. We habitually resort to some
escape mechanism to an increasing degree
over a long period of time. Eventually, the
conflicts brought about by such efforts to
escape result in extreme tensin and nervousness and the victim is unable, without therapeutic aid, to overcome his difficulties.
As children and sometimes even as adults,
we acquire a desire which we cannot possibly satisfy. In other words, we look for a
satisfaction which is extreme or impossible
of realization. We then are compelled to
make what we think are substitutions in the
form of other pleasures which fall short of
the false exalted ideal. As a result, the dissatisfaction becomes deeply seated in the sub
jective consciousness. Thereafter, all other
pleasures, no matter how satisfying they
should be, only bring a conflict with the orig
inal desireand a neurosis is established.
By psychoanalysis the individual must be
shown that the latent desire, the ideal, is
not the greatest satisfaction in life. He must
leam that by not realizing it he has not
forfeited what he imagined to be a great
experience. If this is accomplished, the con
flict is removed and happiness will then be
sought in the normal functions and experi
ences which the individual indulges.
All of this is not so easily accomplished as
it may sound. The psychoanalytical methods
of the practitioners are, unfortunately, not
uniform. The classical authorities upon
which their methods are based are usually
Freud, Adler, Jung, Prince, and others of
equal eminence. The modern practitioner discloses, however, a preference for the theory
of one or another of these classic instructora.
The difficulty arises in that the classical au-

PECEMBER, 1952

thorities are by no means in agreement with

the immediate theories. Therefore, one mod
ern practitioners methods will conflict with
or oppose those of another. He will follow
his preferred school of thought regardless of
what advantage another may have and how
directly beneficial the other system might be
to his patient. The patient is, therefore,
often denied the benefits of that one school
whose methods might be much more applicable to him simply because his physician
thinks differently. It is for this reason that
we say that any all-inclusive statement, by
any psychologist or psychiatrist, that selfidealization or idealized images are detrimental to personality is erroneous if without con
siderable further qualification. It is hard to
believe that a physician would make such a
statement unless he did so carelessly.X
Self-Evaluation
The Holiday Season, beginning with
Thanksgiving, causes many people to ask
for what should they be thankful. This
question was put to me the other day by one
who was extremely pessimistic about the
future. This individual felt that politically,
economically, and socially, the conditions in
which he lived were becming worse instead
of better. It was typical of points of view
that we have heard before, telling us that
the world is worse than it really seems, and
that there is no opportunity for improvement. A very logical and concrete analysis
of the many phases of existing conditions
was made by this individual. The analysis
was honest, it was consistent, it was well
done from a logical viewpoint. In other
words, the person was thinking carefully but
yet ended with the question: What is there
for which I can be thankful?
I did not have an immediate answer, although I tried to point out that possibly the
individual could be wrong in some of his
interpreta tions. So frequently we base long,
logical arguments upon a false premise. Some
people thought the world would come to an
end should a war begin in the twentieth
century. The greatest of all wars have taken
place, and while for many people the world
did seem to come to an end, yet it contines
to exist and the problems of humanity go
on. In other words, the conclusin was based
upon a false premise.

Page 55

I have thought considerably about many

individuis who are asking, as this Holiday
Season approaches, for what they might be
thankful, and I have given particular thought
to those who do so pessimistically, but at
least honestly. They analyze the problems
of their lives to the best of their ability and
within the light of their understanding and
reason, and in accordance with the social
pressures of the times, and they conclude with
the pessimistic point of view. It makes all
of us stop to wonder if there is anything for
which we can be thankful. There is an ex
treme optimistic attitude to counteract the
pessimistic. We can be thankful for the
possessions we share and the degree of health
that we may happen to enjoy at the moment.
We may be thankful that we are not in the
position of some who are worse off physi
cally, mentally, or spiritually than we are.
We can always find circumstances that are
worse than the circumstances which we our
selves have to face.
This type of answer to the individual who
finds nothing for which to give thanks is
a stock answer in the sense that we have
heard it many times. Further analysis, how
ever, caused another answer to come to me.
We can be thankful for the ability of selfevaluation. The individual who arrived at
a pessimistic outlook concerning present and
future times was exercising the God-given
right to evalate his own thinking in rela
tion to others. He was comparing himself
with his environment. It was true that my
friend was reaching a pessimistic conclusin.
He was not finding his analysis comfortable
or encouraging, but he still was exercising
the free right of man to think for himself, to
express that opinion, and to evalate his own
mental capacities and future possibilities.
If I could approach him again with the
answer to his question of what he might
possibly find for which to be thankful, I
could repeat that he can be thankful that
he has the ability of self-evaluation. We can
criticise ourselves, and sometimes we do so
more than is necessary. Evaluation, on the
other hand, is our taking into consideration
all our attributes, good and bad, and trying
to refit ourselves in the proper place.
Self is the expression of the entity that is
our inner being. It is the manifestation of
consciousness of which we are individually
aware. It is the composite of the sensation

Page 56

items, memory, and all that go to make up

that self that we cali /. Our whole life is
more or less dedicated to making that I
self to be self-sufficient, to be happy, to fit
properly into the universal scheme of which
our whole being is a part. To be able to
evalate how far we have succeeded in this
process or to what extent we have failed,
and to do so in the light of reason and calm
judgment, is to better fit ourselves for the
future regardless of what our conclusions
may be, if our process of reasoning is honest.
I have often written conceming the subject
of mysticism, stating that mysticism is the
most sound philosophy of life that man can
devise for the simple reason that it enhances
the dignity of the individual. It raises the
individual, the self of man to a level of great
valu because it shows the relation of self to
the Absolute and makes man a partner with
God in all creation. Mysticism, then, is conducive toward mans analysis of himself, and
we can improve our lot, we can better our
selves and our fellow men by honest appraisal and evalation of our abilities.
In the United States we base much of our
tradition and folklore upon the stories connected with that group of individualists who
left their home country and settled upon the
shores of Massachusetts in the early seventeenth century. These Pilgrims, as they are
so well known, were those who set out to
establish a new life. They had many triis
and tribulations. They tried many experi
ments so that they might live more successfully to their mutual advantage and happi
ness than they had in the Od World. To
the best of my knowledge, the early months
of their life constituted the first communal
form of govemment to be established by
white men in the Western world. They
tried to share work and property, and they
had much difficulty as a result. Finally,
they reached a point where food was almost
gone, where, according to a statement writ
ten by one of their leaders, only a quarter
of a pound of bread was available per person
per day. Someone then exercised his own
right of self-evaluation and realized that men
and women would shirk responsibility unless
that responsibility was placed upon them.
The communal life was discontinued. Each
man was given a plot of ground proportionate to the size of his family, which it was
his choice to work or starve, and that was

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the tuming point in the history of this colony.

The laws of God are the laws of system
and order. Mans life cannot evade being
ruled by the same immutable laws that cause
the universe to function, the sun to rise,
and the seasons to take their turn. When we
do not exercise order over ourselves, then
someone else will do it for us. If man will
not discipline his own being and fit himself
into a constructive scheme of living, then
tyrants will arise and they will issue the
orders and the individual man will become
subservient. This may be done in the ame
of democracy, autocracy, or communal liv
ing, but the end is the same. If man will
not honestly look at himself and his individ
ual relationship to his Creator, he leaves the
regulating of his life to someone else. It is,
therefore, possible for every intelligent and
rational human being to find that more than
money, or physical pleasures and possessions,
the right and privilege of self-evaluation, the
judging of our position in terms of the in
finite, is something for which all men should
and can be thankful.A

Psychology of Insanity
The title of this discussion is borrowed.
Around the turn of the century, a book was
written by a Dr. Hart; its title was The
Psychology o f Insanity. This book became a
classic, and while much of it is no longer
accepted in modern psychology and psychiatry, there is still fundamental truth in its
dealing with human behavior in such a way
as to show deviations from that which is
considered in society as normal trends of
human activity.
This title, then, has to do with abnormal
behavior. Psychology is primarily the study
of behavior. When the behavior of an in
dividual conforms to certain pattems and
standards acceptable to the society in which
he lives, that individual is recognized as be
ing sane and intelligent as well as fitting
into the proper social customs and practices
of the people with whom he or she lives.
When in any way the behavior of an indi
vidual deviates from this normal standard,
the individual is recognized as behaving abnormally, or differently from normal. Should
that behavior become so exaggerated as to
cause the individual to be distinctly different
in his behavior pattems from the recognized

DECEMBER, 1952

Page 57

standards of the society of which he is a

part, such an individual is believed or designated to be insane.
In this discussion an attempt will be made,
in the light of Rosicrucian terminology, to
discuss a number of questions. These ques
tions will be listed later and individually
analyzed, but first, we should direct our
attention toward the general concept of insanity. We have already used a broad definitionthat is, behavior and thinking which
deviate from the normal standard. The trou
ble with this definition is that who is going
to determine what is the normal standard?
The words normal, average, and general can
be interpreted in many ways. We speak of
the average man, but no one knows who or
what he is; we speak of normal behavior,
but if everyone conformed to the general
concept of normal behavior, we would all
be a mediocre lot. In analysis, the average
man or the normal man becomes a very
commonplace man. Leaders, inventors, and
the genius, certainly cannot be numbered
among the average normal, and we also
would hesitate to proclaim the genius and
the greatest leaders of humanity as belonging
among the abnormal, in the sense of their
being insane. Possibly we can restrict the
definition of insanity somewhat by saying
that insanity is a state of unsoundness or a
derangement of the mind, especially when
the individual so affected is unaware of his
own illness.
I llness

Here, for the first time, we have introduced the word illness. Insanity is therefore,
in this sense, a state of inharmony within
the human being. Inharmony means lack
of balance, lack of efficient functioning of all
the parts that constitute the whole of the
individual, physically, mentally, and spiritually speaking. Any deviation from that
delicate balance which maintains the state of
harmoniumthat is, the perfect manifesta
tion of the human beingconstitutes a degree of unsoundness of health and inhar
mony existing within the human body or
mind. A degree of illness then results, and
should that illness primarily affect the mind
the individual will become unsound in judgment or confused in reason or unable to
control emotions while thinking, at the same
time, that he is perfectly normal and that
no one else understands him. Considering

insanity as illness gives one immediately a

more tolerant and broader view of this unfortunate malady.
There was a time when insanity was considered purely as something which entered
man differently from the ordinary sense of
an illness. Insane people were treated with
out the consideration that would have been
given the individual with a physical illness.
Out of this treatment there originated such
slang terms of description as queer, or
many other less complimentary colloquialisms that have been applied to such indi
viduis. It is unfortunate that such an
attitude should exist in modem society to
ward those who have a mental illness.
We are all subject to the various vicissitudes of life regardless of whether they
concern our body, our mind, or our whole
being. Any of us may at any time contract
a disease or an illness. Millions of people
during the coming months will suffer with
the common coid, and most of them will
recover. During the time that they have this
nuisance disease they will not be looked upon
by their families, friends or acquaintances,
from any different point of view than at any
other time, except that they may receive
a word of sympathetic understanding now
and then. However, if the same individual
would become insane in the same length of
time that the common coid develops, the
attitude about him would be different. Some
people would be amused, the cise relatives
of the individual would be embarrassed, and
probably it would be fortnate for the in
dividual if he became mentally deranged
sufficiently so that he could not be aware
of the attitude manifested by those who
knew him.
Actually, you or I could contract a disease
tomorrow. It might be physical, it might be
mental, but a possibility exists. In any case,
physical or mental, we would want competent therapeutic care, and we would hope
for sympathetic understanding of the prob
lem that had developed due to the inhar
mony of our being. Can not we at least
extend the same sympathetic understanding
to all others who may be ill physically or
mentally?
Insanity, as an illness, should therefore be
considered in the light of any other illness,
and every attempt should be made to deal
with it as intelligently as possible. Actually,

Page 58

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

insanity is more a social or legal term than

a medical or therapeutic term. In the strictest sense, insanity implies a mental disorder
resulting in the inability of the individual to
manage his affairs and perform his social
duties. In this way the mental disease becomes more noticeable than the physical
disease, and as the average individual within
himself is a conformist, he tends to make
fun or laugh at anything that does not con
form, which is the reason why the individual
suffering mental illness will be laughed at
or treated differently from the one suffering
from any other physical illness. From a
purely legal point of view, insanity applies
to such unsoundness of mental condition,
regarding any matter under consideration,
that modifies or does away with individual
legal responsibility or capacity. This concept
shows that the law recognizes that mental
changes release certain responsibility and
function of capacity of the individual.
T he Sel f

and

Society

Hundreds of textbooks have been written

upon this subject. There are many theories,
as in all psychological studies. Another book
which is almost a classic in this field is: The
Essentials of Psychology, by Dr. George
Henry, written over twenty-five years ago
and used as a text in those days. This book
points out that life is a constant period of
adjustment of the individual to the complexities that compose his environment. In
the actual process of living, there is, upon
the part of the individual, an unevenness of
capacities, varying opportunities for develop
ment; and as a result there arise frequent
disharmonies in the mind of the individual
between the instincts that are purely selfish
and the instincts that are social. In other
words, there are conflicts between self-interests and social interests. The extent to which
any individual can survive the struggles that
take place between these fundamental in
stincts, until a solution or compromise which
is sufficiently acceptable to the individual is
reached, constitutes a means of determining
the stability or the maturity of the partic
ular personalities.
It sometimes happens that these struggles
or compromises are such as to lead to be
havior distinctly different from that which
is usually regarded as characteristic of a
healthy, well-balanced individual. A person
in whom such behavior is evidenced is re

garded as suffering from a personality disor

der or from what is technically classified as
a psychosis or a psychoneurosis. The gen
eral idea here presented is that these dis
orders represent either an inadequate or
immature adjustment of the individual to
the environment. Such a disorder permits
the expression of many desires which in the
normal life of the individual had failed to
find sufficient expression. The psychosis or
psychoneurosis is therefore a compromise of
which the individual is not objectively con
scious and which is not amenable to change
through the process of reason.
It will be of no advantage to us to attempt
here to further classify in technical terminology the various manifestations and forms of
abnormal behavior, or to attempt to apply
more forms of terminology to specific types
of abnormal behavior. We are only con
cerned in general with the fact that the be
havior may exist whether its cause be functional, as has been described, or toxic as
a result of poison in the system, or traumatic,
or due to an accidental injury, such as a
blow on the head. We are concemed, as
Rosicrucians, with the more deep-seated
questions in the aspect of psychology, the
treatment and diagnosis of mental conditions
is a problem for the physician and the psychiatrist. In regard to this problem, we will,
therefore, consider four questions in general,
which have been asked by various readers
of this Forum.
F our Questions

1.
To what degree is insanity an attribute
of the soul?
The soul, from the standpoint of the Rosi
crucian, is the inner self, the life-carrying
entity which survives the physical life of the
individual, which proceeds through incamations. The soul is therefore the real self.
Everything else that is us and which is not
soul is something transitory and temporary.
The body, the mind, and all of its functions
and attributes are the temporary, the transi
tory part of the individual. The soul is,
therefore, the only reality that constitutes
the connecting link between the individual
and God, or the Cosmic that ordains and
maintains the universe. According to the
principies of Karma that we study, the soulpersonality develops through experience. The
personality is a part of the soul. We might
say that the soul, as a whole, is a mani-

PECEMBER, 1952

festation of God or the Divine, which is

individualized in each personality that makes
up a segment of it. This personality which
God has implanted within the essence of the
soul, as an individual, has to become com
plete through the experience which is life
in the physical form. This is one of the
mysteries of life, but it is accepted in our
basic beliefs that the experience of living
adds to the personality of the soul and is
carried with the soul from one incamation
to another. Individuality, which is transitory,
changes with our physical being, but soul
and its personality is the underlying, continuous thread that goes on until it is com
pletely reunited with God.
Into the storehouse of memory are accumulated the experiences of each individuality,
as events take place in each incamation. In
such individuality is a degree of free will
and freedom of choice by which the indi
vidual may choose, to a certain extent, his
path, his action, and his character. He there
fore creates his own future, and the present
is that future created in previous lives. As
we sow, so shall we reap, is the concept of
Karma, and if the body in which we reside
today is in any way inadequateif we suf
fer pain, ill-health, or other irritating factors
it is a part of the Karma which is ours,
a part of the experience we have to leam.
Inadequacy of the body, either physically or
mentally, is one of these processes.
Insanity is purely a physical and mental
condition. It has no more effect upon the
soul than does the experience of any other
disease. The individual who has tuberculosis,
or some other chronic illness, suffers, and
that suffering has something to do with the
creation of the mental conten of his
personality. The same is true of insanity.
A soul does not become tubercular; a soul
does not have a cncer. A soul, by the same
analogy, cannot become insane.
2.
If it is true that prolonged or intense
thought along fixed lines may affect a future
life, what effect will insanity in one life
have upon the next incamation?
This question is based upon the premise of
the first part of the question itself. It may
be tme that intense, emotional experiences
mold the future of the personality. The in
dividual who gives much thought and consideration to anything which he selects as
being the most important part of life natural-

Page 59

ly establishes in his character a reflection of

such thinking. We become what we think.
We build up our character on the basis of the
things to which we give the most attention,
or, to quote from a Biblical source: As a
man thinketh in his heart, so is he. It is
therefore reasonable to believe that future incaraations will be influenced by those factors
represented in the innermost part of our
thoughts and thinking. Whether insanity
will affect the future depends upon how
much of the thinking becomes ingrained in
our inner consciousness.
It is tme that in some forms of insanity
obsessions develop so that an individual devotes his whole thinking exclusively to one
or a few channels of thought. No doubt,
there will be some effects in future incarnations resulting from incoherent and unstable
thinking caused by a mental illness. The
same is tme of any other illness. The indi
vidual who is racked with pain from any
disease will be affected, insofar as the future
incamations are concerned. Insanity will
not bring any particular tolerance or cause
deterioration in the next incamation in any
physical or mental condition, any more than
would any other disease. If we suffer because of Karmic debt, whether it be from
disease or any other form, then this suffer
ing is an experience of the present life which
may be compensated for in this life. We
may not be conscious of it at the time it
takes place, but we may be able to look back
and see how it all fitted together.
A good many years ago a little boy suddenly stood up from the table where he had
been eating breakfast and had the sensation
of falling. In his next conscious moment he
was lying in bed, stiff and sore as if he had
undergone extreme exercise and had been
bruised and had muscles strained. He also
felt weak and listless, but otherwise was con
scious and, to a degree, alert. He learned
later that he had accidentally taken poison
strychnine, in factbefore he fell to the
floor unconscious. In a period of about four
hours he suffered convulsions, extreme twisting of the body as it was racked by these
convulsions. Luckily, however, proper therapeutic care and the quick response of the
doctor to the cali of the parents resulted in
the correcting of the condition; the poison
was eliminated from his system, and after

Page 60

consciousness was restored, health and har

mony retumed.
One parent remarked that nature was kind
to bring to the child the unconscious state.
I know this experience because it was I who
had it. It was a complete blackout, but I can
look back now and see the mistake I made
prior to the experience that caused itthe
taking of something from a bottle which had
been prohibited to me. During the period of
convalescence I was able to reflect upon my
errors. If in an incarnation insanity should
overtake one of us, it may be that in some
future life we will see that reason and con
sciousness were temporarily blotted out in
order that a lesson might be learned.
3.
How much of the thinking of the confused insane mind becomes a part of the
storehouse of memory?
We cannot be sure of just how much
enters the storehouse of memory. We know
that experiences of those things which go to
create the total of our personality are re
corded in this repository for memory. We
believe that at some future time and place
the storehouse of memory will become a
continuous chain by which we can see the
whole panorama of our entire evolution
from the first realization of our consciousness
to our state of Divinity. Each link will represent certain experiences or certain lives. The
chain will be strengthened by those con
structive thoughts that have put us in
harmony with God and which tended to
speed up or facilitate our evolutionary progress. We will find links that are less strong;
or, let us say, they are crude in that their
building was due to error in judgment and
error in decisin, or because of arbitrary
wrongdoing. We will see where we compensated for error, and by perseverence and
proper direction of our mental efforts, we
will rebuild those qualities that were unable
to stand by themselves; finally, we will com
pnsate for the incorrect by establishing the
correct attitude toward life.
In other words, we know that one life
here on earth consists of a passage of many
ideas, concepts, and conclusions. Many more
experiences will enter into our permanent
memory in looking back over our entire
series of incamations. Those things to which
we have given most valu will be the ones
which will be the underlying factors in our
eventually completed personality. We will

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

be at fault where we have chosen to ignore

or have failed to do that which we should
have done. As a whole, our memory will
look back toward this total experience, just
as our memory looks over our life today. We
will see imperfections, but we will see more
clearly the ultimate ends that have been or
are to be accomplished, and the errors will
become less important because of our under
standing of them and the fact that we had
overcome them.
Most of the thinking that goes on in the
mind of the mentally deranged individual
lacks continuity. It lacks purpose because
purpose is only found in the confusion of the
mind itself. Therefore, little of such confused thinking will go into the storehouse
of memory. Regardless of how long the
period of mental derangement may be, the
soul lies more or less dormant as the con
fusion is in the surface of objectivity. True
it is that, as any other illness, it will leave
its scar on our total experience, but we need
have no fear of what will be found eventual
ly when the storehouse of memory becomes
opened to us. The continuity that will be
viewed, the purposes that we have been un
able previously to understand, will make the
individual parts of these memories seem
secondary to the whole that is achievement.
4.
What can others do for an insane
person?
This, of course, is more important than
any of the other three questions of our discussion. Early in these comments it was re
marked that if a person suffers inharmony
of body or mind in any way, he hopes for
sympathetic understanding. If we are ill,
we usually tell somebody about it. We do
this to express ourselves, and frankly, also,
because we want someone else to feel bad
too. No normal individual refuses a reasonable degree of sympathy. This sympathy can
of course be overdone on either side, but the
ill person, regardless of what may be the ill
ness, finds certain solace and help in sym
pathy. I have personally seen cases of indi
viduis in mental institutions being forcibly
constrained, to keep them from doing harm
to themselves and others, who became quiet
when a sympathetic doctor or nurse simply
sat and talked soothingly to them. This
type of work has been very much aided by
the help of priests, clergymen, and social
workers. The therapeutic effect of music to

DECEMBER, 1952

establish calnmess has been experimentally

studied in various psychiatric institutions.
Therefore, the first thing that we can do for
the insane person is to give him that sympathetic understanding. Let him know, as
best as his mentality is able to grasp it, that
we truly realize his need and are ready
to do what we can to help. This can be
intelligently conveyed, particularly to those
who have periods in which they are nor
mally and fully conscious.
Anything else we can do should be the
same as in the case of any other illness.
First, obtain the best professional help we
can, and, second, give absent healing treat
ments consistently. Any deep-seated disease
or illness has its causes going back far be
yond the mere manifestation or occurrence
of the illness. Therefore, it cannot be rectified in a moment. No pill, no adjustment, no
change, is going to restore a body instantaneously to a harmonious condition when
it has gradually been developing into an inharmonious condition over a period of time.
We must therefore be patient when treating
any chronic illness by absent healing. The
mental patient should have our thoughts,
and we should faithfully adhere to the prin
cipies of absent healing by providing daily
treatments for a long time. We must not
give up and must always maintain confi
dence in establishing to the best of our
ability that help for the patient who may
not be reached through any other treatment.
In addition to our own sympathetic un
derstanding of the mentally l, our attempts
to secure proper professional help for them,
and our giving of absent treatments, let us
never forget to see that no one in our hearing ever refers to any form of mental illness
as being something peculiar to be laughed at,
or to be considered different from any other
disease, illness, or bodily problem, that may
be the lot of any human being. The ways
of nature or of God are not completely
known to us. We are still evolving, and we
can indicate some degree of evolvement by
showing the same tolerance and love that is
thought to be expressed by God Himself.A
Why Are Women Negative?
A soror from Caada, addressing our
Forum, says: In one of the Weekly Appli
cations of our monographs the illustration

Page 61

shows negative qualities, as avarice, sensuality, desire for power and intolerance. The
text accompanying it says: Each woman,
though predominantly negative, has also to
a minor degree the positive consciousness in
her nature. W ill you please explain this?
Does it really mean that women have not
at least as large a proportion as men of the
qualities shown as positive, viz., impersonal
love, moral sense, compassion, intuition, and
idealism? I can take no other meaning from
the text.
Mystical tradition relates that at one time
human beings were androgynous, that is,
bisexual. In fact, many simple organisms,
even today, have the functions of both sexes,
just as the living cell is both negative and
positive in its polarity, the nucleus being
positive in contrast to the peripheral or outer
body of cell structure. In each human be
ing, therefore, there are manifest the two
polarities which are termed negative and
positive, the positive being the more active
attribute. Another way of saying it is that
in each man are to be found certain of the
feminine qualities and in each normal wom
an are manifest certain of the masculine
qualities.
The difficulty lies in the fact that perhaps
this monograph reference did not make clear
that the negative qualities, where sex is con
cemed, do not necessarily have the same
relation to moral or spiritual vales except
in the broadest sense. In matters of sex, the
term negative refers to the receptivity and
passivity of the personality which are gen
erally characteristics of the female. Positive
polarity alludes to the masculine tendencies
or, in general, the greater physical aggressiveness or masculine dominance in the sphere
of bodily activity. Thus a woman can be
quite feminine or negative in characteristics
of her sex and yet display all the nobler
qualities we attribute to the spiritual side
of the human being.
Again, it is necessary, in an understanding
of this subject, to thoroughly grasp the phil
osophical connotation of the words, negative
and positive, in themselves. The positive of
anything is the fullness of its attributes or
qualities. Positive alludes to the active state
or pleroma of a thing or condition. The
negative refers to the opposite, that is, that
which is less than the complete function or
condition of a thing. Let us use a homely

Page 62

analogy which we have used previously elsewhere. We shall say that a pail has a
capacity, when filled to its brim, of twelve
liquid quarts. This, then, constitutes its full
function. The filled pail is one that has at
tained a positive state. It is performing the
most active use of its nature, that is, has
attained its capacity to carry another sub
stance. By contrast, any less quantity would
be negative. It would be short of the full
capacity of the pail.
Now, let us apply that to sex. In physical
activity, feats of strength, and bodily aggressiveness, the male normally has a greater
capacity than the female. Logically, there
fore, it is proper to refer to the male as
positive in that sense. The female, not being
so physically aggressive, is, by contrast,
negative. The conventions and ethics of al
most all societies have emphasized this dis
tinction of aggressiveness. Convention holds
that certain advances in human relations, if
made by the female, are morally or ethically
improper. Female propriety requires more
passivity, a less forward or active behavior
in social relations.
Aside from these social, physical, and
psychological negative attitudes, each woman, as each man, of course, does have a
positive spiritual side and a negative sensual
or animal side to her nature. Now, why do
we cali the spiritual side of ones nature
positive and the appetites and passions the
negative qualities of the human being? The
spiritual element of mans personality is
truly related to the Universal Soul or Divine
Mind which permeates each human being.
The Divine Mind is infinite by contrast to
the physical nature of man and its functions.
The Divine Mind is the cause of all things,
both known and unknown. It is that which
is created and that which is potential of
creation. The Divine Mind is, therefore, unlimited by any kind of substance, form or
function. Conversely, the body, in order to
be a body, must conform to certain laws
underlying the structure of living and inanimate matter. The body has a single purpose
in contrast to the infinite manifestations of
the Universal Soul. The Universal Soul and
its attributes, therefore, are positive. They
are representative of the fullness, or the
more complete nature of the Divine.
The particular monograph to which the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

soror refers alludes to some of these positive

qualities as impersonal love, moral sense
and intuition, spiritual idealism, and the like.
In comparison, such desires as avarice,
aggrandizement, sensuality, and the desire
for power spring wholly from the sensual
interests of the body; they are limiting and
therefore negative. The negative qualities
of our personality, as the passions, appetites,
and love of material possessions, are not necessarily corrupt or evil as some metaphysicians and' theologians would have us believe.
They are very definitely essential to the
physical self and its survival. Consequently,
they have a Cosmic purpose also. The
wrong, however, exists in letting such de
sires or negative drives dominate our con
sciousness and our will to the exclusin of
the psychic or nobler impulses of our being.
The physical drives should be indulged but
disciplined and relegated to their proper
place. The moral will should be in the
saddle. The lower aspects of our nature
should be made to serve the more infinite
and positive aspects. Thus woman can be
negative in the sense of being less aggressive
and active physically, and yet be exceedingly
positive in the display of her moral or spirit
ual qualities.
We often speak of positive and negative
thoughts. These refer to the Creative activity
of thought, its power of constructive develop
ment or the opposite of i t If one says, Let
us do thus and thus, he has, we may say,
expressed a positive thought. It denotes action in contrast to the one who is opposed
to such a course. The one is promoting; the
other arrests, holds back, checks, inhibits.
It must be understood that n e g a tiv e
thought can have a kind of positive activity
within itself. For example, the one who
plans a crime is, to an extent, active in his
thought because he seeks to bring into being
a series of events resulting in the crime.
However, considering the all-inclusive effect
of his thought, the crime, such is restricted
and negative because it will arrest the moral
development and the security of society.
Thus negative thoughts in part may be posi
tive in function but, judged from the con
clusin of their results, they are psychologically, morally, or socially inhibiting and
restricting.X

DECEMBER, 1952

Our Foreign Contacts

A soror asks our Forum: Is the Order in
regular contact with its sacred sanctums and
monasteries in India and other lands in the
Orient?
In one way our foreign contacts have
greatly increased since the conclusin of
World War II, due to the expansin of this
jurisdiction. On the other hand, several im
portant and usual contacts, which we had
previous to that time, are either lost or irregularly made. For example, at one time
there was a large Rosicrucian lodge in Manchuria. After the revolution in Russia following World War I, many of the White
Russian Rosicrucians fled to Harbin, China,
taking with them important documents from
their archives. This lodge flourished in
Harbin, maintaining exchange of important
Communications with the AMORC in Amer
ica and other lands. Subsequently, the political transition in China disrupted the Harbin
lodge. The members migrated to other cities
and other lands. One of the former officers
of the Harbin lodge is now in Australia.
The late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis,
was in past years in cise touch with Andhra
University in India. This university is
known particularly for its philosophical and
metaphysical studies. He was also associated
with the India Academy of Sciences. The
late Imperator was further in direct com
munication with several of the Buddhist
societies of that land, in one of which he
was a member. This was the Maha Bodhi
Society which maintains viharas (schools
and monasteries) in India and on the Tibetan
frontier. Rosicrucian members residing in
these monasteries have contributed literature
which has been incorporated in our degree
instruction. One such soror, known as Sister
Va jira, resided in one of the secluded areas
in India and was associated with a large
Buddhist organization. She prepared a manuscript on the real life of Buddha. This manusciipt was trans ated from the ancient Pali
language, that being the original tongue of
Buddha. This work was put into brochure
form by the present Imperator and is now
extended, as enlightening and inspiring sub
ject matter, to members of one of the higher
degrees.
The incumbent Imperator, in his travels
in India and Tibetan frontier lands, has vis-

Page 63

ited monasteries and lamaseries as well as

many great temples. He has conferred with
scholars, abbots, chief lamas, bhikkhus and
learned Brahmins. The results of his conferences have found their way into his writings which have been shared by the
members.
The Amenhotep Lodge of Cairo, Egypt,
has been re-established in recent years, its
activities having been disrupted by World
War II. The late Imperator was active in
reinstituting it in modem times. A few years
ago Frater Saad was appointed its Grand
Master. The conferring of authority on
Frater Saad was performed in a simple ceremony conducted between the paws of the
Great Sphinx before the ancient altar which
stands between its paws. The photograph of
this ceremony appeared in the March, 1949
issue of the Rosicrucian Digest. However,
due to the vicissitudes of the times, not much
instruction material has come from Egypt to
AMORC; this, of course, is no reflection on
the Grand Lodge of Egypt. Several ceremonies of importance have been conducted in
Egypt by Supreme Grand Lodge officers
within the last seven or eight years.
Properties of the Order and its beautiful
temple in what was Java were destroyed by
the Japanese invasin and the subsequent
civil war. A new temple has been recently
erected by that jurisdiction of AMORC. The
photographs of this splendid structure ap
peared in the August, 1952 issue of the
Rosicrucian Digest. The AMORC of this ju
risdiction was obliged to grant aid to our
Indonesian fratres and sorores after World
War II. It provided books, copies of the
teachings in the Dutch language, rituals and
other membership materials to replace what
was destroyed during the holocaust of the
war. The Indonesian Grand Lodge, as it is
now known, reciprocated by presenting the
Supreme Grand Lodge of this jurisdiction
with a large temple gong for the new tem
ple here. This bronze gong with a magnificent
tone is over two centuries od and carne
from an od temple in that land. When it is
struck, its tones bring a further touch of
the Far East to the atmosphere of our Su
preme Temple.
The fratres and sorores of Indonesia are
conducting experiments in mystical research
along the lines of our teachings. These mem
bers correspond with the Imperator about

Page 64

their work. If they develop or discover

something of valu to the teachings, it will
be incorporated in our future monographs.
At the moment, fratres in different lands
are working on a project to bring to the
AMORC in America certain temple ritual
chants in their native tongue and with native music. These will then be presented in
an unique way to members throughout the
whol jurisdiction, including England, Aus
tralia, South Africa, South America and
elsewhere.
Our late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis,
had conferred upon him all the degrees of
several esoteric orders in Europe. Part of this
material we are permitted to extend to qualified members of the higher degrees of the
Rosicrucian Order and it has been incor
porated in our teachings. Further, at each
of our International Conventions some of
these rituals are re-enacted as a special privilege to members of the higher degrees of
the Order. Dr. Lewis also re-introduced into
America the Martinist Order, a very mys
tical body. The incumbent Imperator has
made it possible for all Rosicrucians at a
certain stage of their membership to participate in the inspiring rituals and to share
the Martinist teachings.
The journeys which the Imperator and
one or two other officers make occasionally
to foreign lands is for the purpose of these
very contacts. On such journeys the Imperator, of course, first speaks to Rosicru
cian members in lodges and chapters of the
Order in those countries he visits. He confers with the respective officers of these
bodies on the affairs of the Order and enters
into their initiations and rituals. He then
visits the shrines and ancient edifices of mys
tics, philosophers, and scientists in those
lands. He visits cities of past races and lost
peoples. Although these lie in ruins, they
have a great message to deliver as a kind
of silent testimony to the peoples of today.
His experiences and the knowledge he gleans
are passed on to members through this Forum,
through the Rosicrucian Digest, or in special
monographs. Photographs are made of
places, peoples, and subjects difficult to ob
tain elsewhere. These provide the member
with materials and interesting subject mat
ter he might otherwise not see or obtain.
Further, the explanations which accompany

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

these photographs present the Rosicrucian

viewpoint.
These journeys also bring prestige to the
Order, for periodic contacts at such times
are made with celebrated persons in each
land. Some are scientists; others are prominent government officials or scholars. The
work of the Order is made known to these
persons and many times as a result they
collaborate in providing the Order with serv
ices or articles of valu to it. It was in this
way that some of our unique motion-picture
films were produced. Further, through such
contacts with members and others, impor
tant manuscripts or rare books in Greek,
Latin, and Sanskrit eventually find their
way into the archives and the library of the
Rosicrucian Order. Such works have great
valu to many members in assisting them
with their studies and to other members from
a classical literary point of view.
Recently the Imperator completed a tour
of Rosicrucian lodges and chapters in the
Midwestern section of the United States.
Some of these Rosicrucian bodies had not
been visited by the Imperator for seven
years, though other officers have visited them
more recently. In each of the cities visited
not only did the Imperator address large assemblies of Rosicrucians or take part in open
forums and rituals, but he had appointments
with eminent scholars. Some of these were
leading archaeologists, ethnologists, and
Egyptologists connected with the staffs of
leading museums in the United States. By
this means the Rosicrucian Egyptian Orien
tal Museum collection has been furthered.
It has been given eminence in the world of
culture. The Rosicrucian Museum, with its
unique collection, has attracted the attention
of learned, thinking and progressive persons.
It has gradually commanded the respect of
people who shouldand many dobecome
members of the Rosicrucian Order. All these
contacts within the Order and outside by
the official staff of the AMORC are to the
advantage of the members of AMORC as a
wiiole.
We do not want to be boastful of our attainments as an organization but, frankly,
we can say that there is no other mystical,
metaphysical, or esoteric order in existence
today that is actually doing what AMORC
is doing along these lines. Remember that
the Rosicrucian Digest, its articles, and pho-

DECEMBER, 1952

tographs are proof of the world-wide contacts

we have mentioned. No other body of similar
nature has conducted ceremonies in the
Great Pyramid of Egypt, in the temples
along the Nile, or penetrated into monasteries
and temples in India and other Oriental
lands, and been able to establish by fact
that it has done so. The results of these
experiences are made available to every
member and this is done by the Order
to further develop your sense of pride
in it and to give you confidence in its
accomplishments.X
Yielding to Cosmic Direction
A frater in the Eastern part and a frater
in the Northern part of the United States
ask similar questions of our Forum, so we
shall synthesize them as follows: How may
the expression of our personal desires,
through affirmations or otherwise, interfere
with the ordained experiences laid out for
us in accordance with the laws of Karma?
Some say that, if we make positive statements, we have then and there begun to create a future for ourselves cin the Cosmic,
and that such expressions on our part may
well be in conflict with the Cosmic Will. It
is recommended by some that we be as a
father in a stream, or as an inert cup into
which the Cosmic pours our present and
future experience. Such persons arge that
such an attitude is allowing the Cosmic to
guide us; others explain that such views constitute a stagnating complacency. To what
degree should we express our personal de
sires? For example, one wishes fervently to
be a healer some day, perhaps in ones next
incamation; is it wrong to read, to study
toward such an end, or would such be forcing our Will on and against what the Cosmic
might want us to do? No one wishes to
jeopardize his future, his tuming upon the
Great Wheel, either by suicide or by any
other expression of intemal desire. How
would we best explain and solve this?
The very question begins with the presumption that the Cosmic has ordained ex
periences laid out for us. It is the usual
fallacious assumption that there is purpose
in the Cosmic as applied to the life of the
individual. Such a conception constitutes
fatalism , which idea is quite inconsistent

Page 65

with Rosicrucian doctrines. As to why, from

the Rosicrucian point of view and, as well,
from pur metaphysics, the idea of a preordained life for each of us is not consistent,
we refer you to another discussion in this
FORUM, entitled Why Man?
There is an od axiom: Man proposes
and God disposes. Man has the inalienable
right to reason, to imagine, to will, and to
formlate desires as personal ends which he
wishes to attain. We say that he has this
inalienable right because he has been given
the natural and psychic faculties to accomplish these things. Certainly if one is given
a training to use certain tools or instruments
and, in addition, provided with an assortment of such tools, it is rational to presume
that he is to use both. Consequently, he may
do so, so long as he does not go counter to
the training provided him or make misuse
of the tools. There is also the well-known
principie of the economy of nature. She is
not extravagant in anything, though she may
often seem to man to be so. Since the human
being is provided with these exceptional fac
ulties, they are not to be cast aside. H e is
to use them in accordance with his inclinations and his relationship to nature generally.
By no means should man fail to plan, to
desire, and to express his desire in the form
of affirmations.
This presentation is not contrary to the
fundamental doctrine of karma. It does not
mean that one will escape beneficial or
detrimental karma merely because he has
affirmed something contrary to it. If the
affirmation is related to natural causes and
Cosmic principies and results in a corresponding series of deeds, then any previous
karma may be counter-balanced, if tiie same
is adverse. It must be remembered that
karma consists of a series of impersonal
causes and effects which follow from them.
There is no intent in a karmic cause either
to punish or reward an individual. Once a
cause, as a natural or Cosmic law, has been
put into action, there follows a concatenation of lesser causes which stand in relation
to the initial one as a series of effects. These
have an impact upon our individual lives
unless we can assuage their efficacy in some
way.
We do not escape karma or the law of
compensation by merely wanting to do so,
but rather by putting into effect counter-

Page 66

causes to stem the tide of those we originally

induced. Let us presume that our deeds
have created animosity toward us such as
social dislike and distrust. The effects are
the conditions of hostility and unfriendliness
which we experience. We can counter these
effects by pursuing a course of deliberate
friendliness and contriteness, co-operation,
and impersonal service for others. Eventual
ly, the effects that follow from our later
behavior displace the original karma. The
mere desire made vocative in the form of an
affirmation did not suffice to accomplish this.
It would be quite ineffectual for us, for ex
ample, to repeat: I have made friends. All
people like and trust me. Let us remember
that an affirmation is only an expressed de
sire. Its principal help is to aid us in formulating rationally what we feel emotionally
or psychically. There is little power other
than this in an affirmation. The affirmation
should be the incentive, the stimulus to fol
low through, to encourage us to begin a
course of action by which we may materialize our desires. If we do no more than to
affirm, that constitutes wishful thinking.
The individual who is afraid to affirm or
express an intimate wish thinks he may be
conflicting with his predetermined course of
life. Again, we repeat that what we are is
not by destiny, Cosmic intention or plan. It
is the result of our thought and our adjustment to society and life generally. We cre
ate our punishments, our obstacles and most
of our failures, as well as we bring about
our rewards. Within our own power lies
joy, success, personal achievement, and
happiness.
Some of us enter this life terribly handicapped. Such is the effect of Cosmic and
natural law. There were causes which we
may never fully know that brought about
such conditions. If we become bitter and
vengeful, we only engender other suffering
and intolerable conditions for ourselves.
These conditions are not intended to punish
us but rather we punish ourselves, figuratively speaking, by continually placing our fin
gers in the fire if we become vindicative.
Conversely, if we seek to compnsate for our
inadequacy and handicaps and make the
most of our circumstances and try to find
what happiness we can in our human rela
tions, we enter to our credit much beneficial
karma. That is the reason that many handi-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

capped persons actually derive more happi

ness from life through simpler things and
events than many fully normal persons.
They are compelled to make the adjustment
and to bring about new karma to their
advantage.
In having desires, we must determine
whether they are inordinate. We should
leam whether they are possible of satisfac
tion and in just what manner they are to
be visualized or idealized. Further, we must
inquire as to the consequences if we realize
these desires. In other words, if what we de
sire will be contrary to natural law, to the
welfare of others, or harmful to society in
general, then we should not affirm it. It is
not, as said, that to desire or to affirm is in
itself wrong, but we must be certain that the
content of either one is not in violation of our
innate moral sense of righteousness or in opposition to natural law. If, so far as you can
determine, your desire is proper, then by all
means affirmassert yourself. Life is action.
It is positive. We are conscious, thinking,
willing beings. We are possessed of positive
faculties. Not to affirm or not to act upon
proper affirmations is to pursue a negative
course in life.X
T h e Afterlife
A frater, speaking before our Forum, says:
If we are conscious or if we have selfawareness after so-called death, or transition,
and you say that we are and do have, then
why arent we aware of something when in
a state of deep sleep or in a coma? In these
states, why is it that our mind is completely
blacked out? Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, in his
book, Mansions of the Soul, says, on page
32, The only difference between the state
called death and the deep sleep or trance
condition is the separation of soul and body.
I find many people who are nonbelievers in
an afterlife because of this one question.
Consciousness or awareness of the after
life may be defined in several different ways
depending upon the conception of the indi
vidual. Among the religions generally since
antiquity, this consciousness after death was
made to correspond to the realization of
ones mortal existence. In other words, after
death one was expected to perceive or have
the same sense qualities of his surroundings
as he had during life. Now, in addition to

DECEMBER, 1952

their particular qualities, several of our sense

experiences have time or spatial factors as
well. When we see something, regardless of
its form and color, it likewise has spatial
characteristics, viz., size and dimensions. The
elements of our experiences also fall into the
category of present, past or future, or are
related in consciousness to what we cali time.
If, therefore, one presumes that the awareness of the immortal state parallels our pres
ent consciousness, that implies that such finite factors as time and space also exist in a
realm we have been traditionally told is
infinite. To tie fast time and space to life
beyond death robs this after-state of some of
the magnitude we like to associate with it.
Still further, what do we mean by selfawareness after death? Are we to under
stand this term in the restricted sense of
our physical being? Ask the average man
or woman to define for you what they designate as self. The answers would be quite
varied. To many of these individuis, the
afterlife would necessarily mean whatever
qualities or categories they commonly asso
ciate with this conception of self. Suppose,
as many would, that self is defined in terms
of substance, that is, physical form, weight,
height, or a photographic likeness of ones
appearance. Are we then to think of the
afterlife as a state wherein we appear just
as we are now? Certainly, it would seem
that the believer in immortality should conceive the existence after death as being free
of the very evident deficiencies of his present
physical beingfor none f us are perfect.
For further supposition, one may think of
self in terms of his intellection. This then
would make self consist of the judgments
of the individual, his conclusions the result
of his experiences, his opinions, or, in fact,
the result of whatever constitutes his phi
losophy of life. Is his existence in the Cos
mic to be construed, then, as consisting of
the notions and the consequence of his hu
man reason? Neither does it seem befitting
that consciousness of self after death should
be restricted to matters of our earthly feel
ings, moods or sentiments, or even of our
ideis.
To the less profound individual, particu
larly the orthodox religionist, life after death
is a sentient state of one or the other ex
tremes. The self is believed to have the same
physical and intellectual characteristics which

Page 67

it had in mortal existence, but perhaps experiencing ecstatic pleasures which it did
not know in this life, or, on the other hand,
extreme pain, anguish, or suffering. As to
which of these conditions self may experience
is dependent upon whether the individual
believes he is to be eternally blessed or punished in the next existence. Psychologically,
therefore, we see that the average believer
in immortality wants life to be a continuation
of this one. Regardless of the influence of re
ligin, his belief in immortality is prompted
by, or added to and abetted principally by
the instinctive urge for survival. The next
life is more often thought to exist in a kind
of different land, or regin. Immortal life is
conceived as a transference of the existing
personality and ones objective awareness of it
to different but more idealistic surroundings.
From the exalted metaphysical point of
view, from the higher precepts of mysticism,
such beliefs in immortality are false. First
and foremost, they do not take into considera
tion the magnitude of the stream of human
consciousness. They underestimate the full
nature of self. The material psychologist,
who is by no means a mystic, nevertheless
readily proclaims and seeks to prove that
self is far more extensive than awareness of
objectivity or the usual subjective functions
of memory, reason, will, and the emotions.
Jung, for example, has long tried to show
that there is a deeper latent self, constituting
a part of the stream of consciousness which
we do not ordinarily realize. At least, this
deeper aspect of self has assumed no image
or direct character which we realize objec
tively. It influences us but its impressions
become enmeshed in our perceptions and
emotional states so that we are not aware of
the pristine origin of these deeper impres
sions. It is these impressions, these influ
ences from deep within our own subjective
consciousness that the mystics refer to as the
subliminal, or more commonly, the higher
self.
This higher self is not disassociated from
the common self of which we are aware.
It is really a manifestation of a higher oc
tave of the whole stream of consciousness of
which the self consists. This higher self has
its own awareness and its own images and
its own appraisals which we cannot evalate
in terms of our sense experiences. That this
kind of higher self can have survival and

Page 68

awareness, few realize or understand. Fur

ther, we know of those who would disclaim
such a kind of immortal state. It is because
after death they want to be the same John
Jones or Mary Smith as they are here,
with all those sentient categories related to
their usual physical environment. By such
wishes they prove their primitive state of
mind and their lack of personal unfoldment.
As we have discussed in this Forum, there
are various states of the unconscious from
the technical point of view of the psychologist. These we shall not consider again. Suffice it to say that one in a state of deep
sleep, or in a coma is actually only in one
phase of the unconscious. There still exists
the consciousness or intelligence of the cells
by which they continu their functioning.
There is also the purposeful function by
which organs perform their dutiesor the
individual would die. The coma or deep
sleep may cause a temporary separation of
certain phases of consciousness by which objectivity is made completely dormant. Only
as the objective state of consciousness is
gradully revived is it possible for the impressions from the other aspects of conscious
ness to become sufficiently registered so that
the individual may partially realize them.
However, at all times the other phases of the
stream of consciousness are active even though
we are unconscious in the objective sense.
Let us use a homely analogy: when you
hang up a telephone receiver, this action disconnects your instrument from the main
line, cutting off all communication to yourself. Nevertheless, by that act you have not
disrupted all the transmission of messages
along the trunk line. Various Communica
tions are still passing along the trunk to all
the interrupted telephone circuits which are
still intact. By hanging up the receiver you
have only cut off the outside world from
yourself; that vaster, extemal world still ex
ists whether you hear it by means of your
instrument or not. So, too, when you are
objectively unconscious, as we say, in a deep
sleep or trance, there is a deeper conscious
ness, a deeper and more profound self that
is very active. You, of course, do not realize
it objectively.
We must evolve our conception of the
manner in which the self survives death
and the way in which it has awareness. If
one does not do so, he soon finds himself

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

conflicting with empirical knowledge, with

scientific fact. This latter will prove to him
that for the self after death to exist in its
usual objective expression is not possible. As
the frater says, this is the very reason that
there are an increasing number of nonbelievers of life after death. The od, erroneous belief of self after death, a self compared
with objective existence, is shattered for
them by the advanced knowledge of our
times and they are disillusioned. Had these
individuis advanced philosophically and
mystically to keep pace with the advances
of science, the principie of self after death
would still remain true because they would
have a more profound significance of the
kind of self that survives.
The matter of blind faith and loyalty to
obsolete traditions enters into this problem.
There are those who are reluctant to advance
their conception or their comprehension of
self because of a misplaced loyalty to a traditional belief. They believe they are duty
bound to hold fast to what has descended to
them regardless of the ever-evolving truth.
The fact that leamed men and devout ones
believed certain things in the past imposes
no obligation upon us to blind our own vi
sin when faced with an expanding truth.
These persons of the past believed in accord
ance with their understanding and experi
ence. Understanding and unfoldment come
from experience, and experience ever goes
on. To deny the results of years of further
experience, which have increased our knowl
edge of the nature of self, is to mock leaming. It would be useless to study, to experi
ment, if we are to be slaves to traditional
ideas. So, again, when we speak of the survival of self after death and of self-awareness, let us realize that self is more than
what we objectively perceive it to be. The
self that survives death is not the one that
we think of ordinarily in the material,
physical sense, or even in the intellectual,
emotional sense.X
W hy Man?
Several Fratres and sorores rise to ask our
Forum similar questions. One says: Why
did God create man to attain mastery? Fur
ther, why did He need man in the first place?
This is not a question of the purpose of life
merely, but rather why did not God just
exist for Himself? Why was life created?

PECEMBER, 1952

Another Rosicrucian says: I ask the ques

tion, Why are we here? I am not looking
for the answer: because of a mission in
life. What I am nterested in knowing is
why life was started to begin with? If there
wasnt any life to begin with, there would
not be any necessity for a mission in life.
Why did the Cosmic see fit to start life as
far as man is concerned? Why must man
go through a period to perfect himself since,
if he comes from the Cosmic mind, he would
be perfect to start with?
Still another frater from South Africa asks
our Forum: What is the purpose behind the
whole creation? Man on the earth finds him
self knocked about. He lives and learns. He
must compnsate for his wrongs and is rewarded for his good works. He must reach
the highest plae. Until then he must be born
again and again. But why and what for?
These fratres and sorores have uttered
questions which have perplexed the human
mind since it first began to inquire into the
nature of self and the universe in which it
exists. It must be readily admitted by any
metaphysician, philosopher, or mystic that
these questions have not been satisfactorily answered for all men. The answers that
have been given and will be given, even in
the Rosicrucian teachings, will always be
related to the understanding of those who
give the answers and those who receive them.
All others will reject such and seek other
answers more commensurate with their comprehension.
As we analyze these questions, however,
certain ideas immediately become apparent.
They are obviously common to the minds of
those asking these questions. The first idea
is that God, the Cosmic, or the Supreme
Mindwhichever term the inquirer prefers
is thought to be self-sufficient, complete in
itself. Second, this being so, what purpose
is or was served by this self-sufficient cause
in creating an imperfect universe and placing within it living things, including man.
This concept of purpose is the second com
mon idea of those who ask these questions.
Let us begin with the first idea, namely,
self-sufficiency. From the ontological point
of view, we cannot help considering the Di
vine or the Cosmic as a pleroma of all being,
that is, the all-inclusive reality. To conceive
of the Cosmic as incomplete would necessitate the idea that there is an existence which

Page 69

is extemal or apart from it. We are thus

obliged to think of the Cosmic as a monad,
that is, having unity within itself. If we do
not hold to this conception, then we have a
duality, not just of function but of primary
being itself. Simply put, we would have
something, whatever we wish to cali it, that
is equal to or subordnate to the Cosmic. If
there is that which is equal to the Cosmic,
then patently the latter or the Cosmic is not
the supreme power. Further, if there is
something which is separate and subordnate
to the Cosmic, then it is also apparent that
the Cosmic is not complete, that something
has escaped the oneness of its nature.
The crux of the whole matter is found in
the fact that many persons are wont to detach the physical universe and its multitudinos forms (even man) from the Cosmic.
This immediately causes conflict. If the Cos
mic is the one, then the universe and all the
manifestations it includes cannot be separated from it. All of the things in the uni
verse are not creations in the sense of a
potter making a vase. They are, instead, developments or manifestations of the whole
nature of the Cosmic. The universe and its
forms, even man, are extensions or attributes, if you will, of the complete nature of
the Cosmic. The things we experience as the
expressions of nature are not conceived to be
such in the Cosmic, but follow from the very
necessity of it. They are of the conten or substance of which God or the Cosmic consists.
If the Cosmic is all-inclusive, then what
ever has reality and is experienced by the
mind of man is of the essence of the Cosmic.
Such things are of the infinite ways in which
the Cosmic expresses its being. The distinc
tion between being and its contrary, not be
ing, is that the former is an active and real
state. This state can never be static; it must
ever be becoming, as Heraclitus said centuries ago. The substance of the Universal Be
ing (God or the Cosmic) consists of all the
forces and energies of which we have knowl
edge and, of course, an infinitely greater
number which we do not realize. They undoubtedly compose a vast Cosmic keyboard,
as our monographs teach. We know of some
of the octaves of these energies through the
researches of physical science. They have
a mathematical relationship which corresponds to our Rosicrucian postulations of a
Cosmic keyboard.

Page 70

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

There is a kind of development of the

manifestations of this keyboard, that is, to
the human understanding the energies seem
to acquire a complexity. Life is one of these
complexities. It is unitary in that it is composed of several of the different energies.
The physical structure of the human organ
ism conforms to the laws of atomic struc
ture. Nerve energy also has properties simi
lar to electricity. The cells exhibit qualities
resembling magnetic properties. The forc
of life is one of the higher mysterious ener
gies which, under ideal circumstances, unites
with what we cali the properties of matter
to animate it. Then, within this sphere of
unity or life, there develops a series of organic forms, the numerous kinds of living
things. Step by step, the progression goes on
until the status of man is attained. In man
there is reflected the intelligence, the mind
cause of the whole Cosmic. This mind cause
is in all things but there is not that self-consciousness that exists in man. In man, in
fact, the Cosmic acquires its self-consciousness. It is in man the Cosmic becomes
aware of itself because of the fact of mans
realizing that there is a cause which transcends his own will and power.
The Cosmic is Creative but not in the purposeful sense that most persons believe or
want to believe it to be. This, then, brings
us to the second commonly held idea, that
is, teleology or purposeful cause in the Cos
mic. There may be Creative development in
a process without there being an expression
of individual intent behind each thing cre
ated. To help make this point clear, let us
use a simple analogy. We shall say that we
have a mechanical device which rapidly
stamps out, uniform in every detail, a great
number of metal containers. When set in mo
tion there is no individual design or purpose
behind the production of each individual
container. They are all subject, collectively
to the same function of the machine. Now
it might be said that the difference is that
behind the machine was the original Crea
tive thought, the purpose which it followed
in producing all the containers. This we
readily admit so far as the machine is con
cemed. However, there is no thought or
purpose behind Cosmic function. There is
even no purpose inherent in the Cosmic.
By that we mean that there are no ends
established for all of the individual things

which have existence. The intelligence of

the Cosmic directs the whole of existence
as an organic unit. This provides that the
forces and energies of which the Cosmic con
sists progressively move through a scale of
development. Manifestations occur, not by
purpose but in conformity with necessity,
the laws and the essence of the Cosmic.
There are, of course, changes by which
forms once attained cease to be and others
take their place.
Man is, so far as we are aware, the most
highly developed organism of this Cosmic
Creative process. He fulfills the function of
Cosmic activity. His organism, his intelli
gence, is an expression of the nature of the
Cosmic, but it is not conceived to be just as
it is. In other words, man is not a spontaneous creation, as the od theologians would
have us believe. God, therefore, has no spe
cific purpose, no design, for human beings.
They are a part of His own being. God or
the Cosmic is. There are manifestations of
God or the Cosmic and man is one of these.
The Cosmic could not be without being
something. Humanity is part of the continuing process of the development of the Di
vine. Those who say, Why didnt God
just exist for Himself? are detaching God
from those realities which are part of His
nature. God exists within Himself and we
are all a conscious part of that self.
As for the question, Why must man per
fect himself if he is part of God? in God
or the Cosmic, as we have said, there is a
progressive development. To oppose that
development is to place ourselves in opposi
tion to the Divine essence of which we are
a part. Man is a being that is capable of
self-consciousness, of being aware, as we
have said, of his exalted origin. To fail to
use our consciousness, that is, not to cult
vate the consciousness by which we realize
the Divine essence, is to fall Out of harmony,
in part, with our Divine origin and to oppose
the process of our inner development.X
W hat Are Sunshine Circles?
What otherwise might be the gloom of life,
despair, failure, mental or physical suffering,
is often dispelled by simple things. These
simple things are like little rays of sunshine
which enter, even though temporarily, the
dark hours of our lives and bring radiant
happinss. It is a mistaken conception, which

PECEMBER, 1952

only experience will remove for some, that

money is the only solace for unhappiness
and misfortune. There are times, as we can
all testify, when a word of sympathy, a
handclasp of friendship, or a letter of encouragement becomes the priceless ingredient of happiness. When we lose a loved
one, can money or any material thing fill
the void? Perhaps words of condolence may
not be adequate. However, sincere sympathy
and compassion at such a time are the greatest gifts from one mortal to another.
It is, therefore, not merely a romantic or
platitudinous saying that such human kindness comes as sunshie into the lives of
those who are desperately in need of it.
There are innumerable charitable institutions devised for the material welfare of
those in physical distress. These institutions
provide clothes, medical care, support of children, and even funds. There are some chari
table bodies that even provide counsel and
adviceunfortunately, many of them cloak
their counsel in religious terminology or use
it as a mdium for propaganda for their
particular sect. Counsel or help, metaphysical as well as material, without obligation or
propaganda, is a service to mankind that is
still quite conspicuous by its uncommonness.
The late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis,
many years ago, saw the need for this charity
of spirit as well as of substance. Psychologically, his premise was that there should be
something to cheer and stimulate the Cre
ative-powers of the individual. It should be
something that would give him confidence:
first, in himself; and, second, in the constructive possibilities of life. The individual,
he contended, who is in need, is alive;
therefore, he has life, but he also needs light
in the way of practical advice. Further, he
is in need of love in the way of true under
standing and compassion. If this triad can
be retainedLife, Light, and Lovewithin
the individual, his chances of attaining a
fairly happy normal existence are assured.
There must be some nucleus, thought Dr.
Lewis, for the radiance of such sunshine,
metaphorically speaking. What would be
better than that our Rosicrucian members
become Sunshine Circles? According to his
plan, it would consist of those who desire to
give an hour a weekor even lessand
that they be formed into circles to render
this unique human assistance. It was not

Page 71

to be a service of financial aid but of dif

ferent kinds of assistance. Such need not
be limited strictly to Rosicrucians. All lib
eral or charitably minded persons who
wished to serve in some small way or be
benefactors of humanity could participate in
this humanitarian enterprise. As a result,
Sunshine Circles, as they were to be known,
were formed in various countries of the
world. In an unostentatious way, they have
accomplished tremendous good. For example:
They have helped people re-locate lost
members of their families.
They have aided handicapped persons to
find a way to eam a living.
They have seen to it that infants and children have received warm clothing.
They have made it possible for children
to be adopted.
They have helped persons in need of
therapeutic assistance to receive aid.
They have arranged for clothes and food
to be given to needy families.
They have made it possible for children
to have toys at Christmas time.
The above are but a few of a multitude of
things that have been accomplished with no
great demand on a members time and no
financial burden on anyone.
The members of the Sunshine Circle meet
as a small group to confer with one another
on plans, to understand each other, and to
unite as a moving constructive forc in their
community. Wont you become part of a
Sunshine Circle in your community? Learn
how you may enter into such an activity in
your town or city or in one near you. In
the event that no Sunshine Circle exists in
your regin, you can learn how to bring one
into existence. Your friends and neighbors
whether Rosicrucians or notcan take
part. Remember that the sunshine you rad
ate recognizes no creed, color or race limitations. Further particulars will be sent you
without obligation. Write today to:
Rosicrucian Sunshine Circle ,
Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.

We wish to emphasize also that there are

no dues, fees, or imposts, in connection with
this humanitarian service. Just as a strong
light may be reflected, so your efforts will,
Cosmically, come back to you to further
enlighten your life.-X

IS T H E R E

'

Life On Other Planets?

in the stillness of night, gased

H at the heavens overhead?
Have you wondered
ave you e v e r,

if there are intelligent, breathing beings moving

about on the numerous planetsout there in that
vast thrilling universe? Are you curious about
meteors, comets, asteroids, and solar systems other
than our own? In comparison with the vast canopy
overhead, our earth is but a grain of sand in an
infinite sea. Does the mysterious vault above contain
the answers to the reason of the universe and the
purpose of human existence?

T h o u g h t-P r o v o k in g F a c ts
Astronomythe oldest science on earthis one of
the special subjects taught by the Readers Research
Academy. Two discourses are sent you each month
for only 75 cents (5/4 sterling). You may subscribe
for as many months as you wish. There are 23 dis^
courses. Real enjoyment and pleasureplus firsthand knowledge of an intriguing subjectin the
comfort and privacy of your own home! Please be
sure to mention Series 7s{o. 12, Astronomy, when
ordering.

Rosicrucian Park

R EA D ER S RESEARCH ACADEMY
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA

,A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

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R O S IC R U C IA N
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AM O RC,
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 11 0 3 of the U .S . Postal A ct of Oct. 3, 1 9 1 7 .

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ^^
Vol. XXIII
FEBRUARY, 1953
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LITTLE BY LITTLE

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Little by little the rock wears down,

Standing in wind and rain;
Little by little our faults wear down,
Exposed to sorrow or pain.

Little by little the baby grows

Then one day we see a man;
Little by little our wisdom grows
Each day of the full life span.
Little by little a thought at a time
Onward and upward we go;
Though slowly it seem s, a cell at a time,
Yes, this is the way we grow.
-Dorothy Thomson, F. R. C.

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BYTHE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OFTHE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $2.25 (16/1 sterling) ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 74

Greetings!
V

V V

U N IT Y OF MINDS
Dear Fratres and Sorores:
Harmony in world society, more commonly referred to as peace, requires unity of
action. This is not meant to imply that peopies throughout the world would need to con
form to the same ways of living in every
respect. The differences in culture, religin
and economic resources, would prevent such
a completely integrated activity of the whole
human race. The desired harmony would
necessitate, however, that certain activities,
both physical and mental, be indulged in
by the peoples of all races so as to provide
a common relationship.
Every conscious, that is, volitional action
has behind it a motivating concept or thought.
Consequently, for true co-operation among
the diversified races and nationalities, there
must needs be a basic collective thought.
Several world organizations, prompted by
the ideal of peace, are seeking to establish
the groundwork for such basic thought. In
the main, they advance political ideologies,
theories of govemment, which obviously
have not as yet been universally accepted.
It would appear that, before anything posi
tive, as an abstract theory or principie, can
be received by all peoples, primary psycho
logical barrers existing between them must
be removed. The preparatory work for this
unity of minds, which is to result in coordinated action, is, therefore, of a negative
kind.
Perhaps the greatest psychological barrier
between peoples, both in small and large
groups, is that of suspicion. When one
doubts the reality of what he perceives or
otherwise comes to realize, he is then sus
picious. It is patent that the content of
suspicion is one of confusion. There is a
considerable difference, however, between
false judgment and suspicion. One whom
time and subsequent events prove to have
made a wrong decisin was nevertheless not
in confusion when he did so. Further, if
one had any certainty that conditions or cir
cumstances were different from their appearance, he would display that assurance

in his subsequent action. The suspicious

person is one who always manifests uncertainty.
Suspicion is not caused by false percep
tion. It is not that an individual actually
hears or sees, for example, a reality differently than does the confident person. Sus
picion is not caused by imperfect sense fac
ulties or illusion. Rather, suspicion is the
consequence of being unable to relate a par
ticular experience to our personal knowledge.
Suspicion is not a matter of unfamiliarity
but of relationship. There are many things
which we encounter in our daily lives that
are new and different to us. They evoke
our curiosity, perhaps even our caution, but
we are not always suspicious of them. Whenever the unfamiliar can be associated in the
mind with some other reality or manifestation or with a purpose, it assumes a positive
character to us. The relationship into which
we fit it may, of course, be erroneous. How
ever, we will then either accept and utilize
it, disregard it or fear it. That which we
suspect does not suggest a definite relation
ship to other realities. If the suggestion
were positive, that is, full enough to reveal
certain connections, then there would be no
cause for suspicion. Confusion is engendered
because what is experienced displays no defi
nite relationship to other experiences, and yet
seems possible of being other than what it is.
Ignorance is the greatest contributor to the
psychological state of suspicion. Through
knowledge or expanded experience, one comes
to perceive underlying causes which relate
realities like links in a chain. Phenomena
do not appear to be so isolated. Parallels
can be seen as existing between things and
events. The thoughtful and educated person
is, therefore, more conscious of what we shall
cali the probability of relationship to existing
reality, no matter how new and startling
may be the particular which is immediately
experienced. A person, for example, may
not be certain whether what he experiences
is a natural phenomenon or a supernatural
one. Such, however, must not be confused

FEBRUARY, 1953

with the probability to which we refer. This

probability of relationship is founded upon
our recognizing, in what is experienced, one
or more elements which do exist in other
realities. Therefore, it would be logical to
assume that the reality might be of those
other things. To the ignorant and suspicious
person, the reality, as we have said, stands
alone. It is not sufficiently comprehensible
in itself and such a person cannot perceive
in it any elements which have a definite
relationship to anything else.
We know that intelligent and learned per
sons often speak of being suspicious of the
motives of another. This type of suspicion
is actually caused, in most instances, by an
attempt at deliberate deception. The intelli
gent person, in such cases as the example
given, is not as suspicious as he really is
cautious. He sees the relationship between
the apparent conduct of the individual and
a probable misrepresented motive. Consequently, there are to him two realities pos
sible in the behavior of the individual and
he prudently determines as to which he
should react.
In most nations of the world, the political
ideology is closely aligned with the prevailing religin. The precepts of the political
theories are frequently justified by the doc
trinal precepts of religin, the implication
being that the social and political ideas are
more or less divinely inspired. This is particularly noticeable in what are referred to
as the Christian and Islamic nations. We
frequently refer to our Christian system
of government. In endeavoring to win the
collaboration of other peoples in putting in
to practice our theories of state, we often involve them in our religious traditions and
concepts. This immediately arouses suspi
cion of our proposals among the citizens of
those nations who are not Christian and
who, in fact, may be specifically unacquainted with the Christian dogma. The in
tense rivalry between religions, the desire
for each to be supreme and often to exercise control over state affairs, warrants this
suspicion so often displayed toward an at
tempt at a unity of minds in political realms.
Complex ideas and customs, if not thoroughly explained to peoples, arouse at times
the psychological barrier of suspicion. The
realities of the proposals are confused. The
mind then cannot see the true relationship

Page 75

of what is being presented. The doubt as

to the identity, as to the inherent nature of
the reality, causes confusion and a reluctance to enter into an acceptance of it. The
confusion of suspicion is unlike the confu
sion of perception. One may not see an ob
ject clearly, yet he does not necessarily mistrust it. With suspicion, however, the con
fusion causes a mistrust of that which evokes
it. The conceived factor of deception, intentional or adventitious, enters into the cir
cumstances. When one mistrusts, it is but
another step to hatred.
It is essential, therefore, for each nation
to sincerely make, at diplomatic levels, an
inquiry into those causes of suspicion which
are had of it by other peoples. What is true
is what appears real. Where there is suspi
cion, it is because the reality remains uncertain. Consequently, the beneficial influence of its truth is lost. Suspicion is an
intangible but nefarious film that insulates
human minds one from the other.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
Young People and AMORC
A frater rises to address our Forum. He
queries: Why are there not younger groups
in Rosicrucian membership? Why can we
not have more members between the ages
of twenty and thirty years? What needs to
be done to arouse their interest?
We will presume that the frater is quite
familiar with the existence of our Jnior
Order of Torch Bearers. This body is intended to appeal to children from six years of
age up to and including youths of eighteen
years. We have, therefore, by such a means,
not neglected our Rosicrucian youth. Below
the ages mentioned, of course, are also the
activities of the Child Culture Institute.
What then, as the frater has asked, of the
young men and women from the age of
twenty-one years? Why are there not more
of this age group, and what is being done
to interest them in the Rosicrucian Order?
The minimum age for membership in the
Rosicrucian Order is twenty-one years. This
is qualified at times by a special dispensation, as for example, if one is of an age
younger than twenty-one but is in the armed
forces. For the adult members, the subjects

Page 76

of the teachings as extended in each Degree

are the same. There are no special presentations of the doctrines of the Order, no adaptations for any age group. The teachings are
prepared for the matured mind, for the one
having mystical and philosophical inclinations. To make other types of appeal might
result in the attraction of other minds, but
their interest probably would not be commensurate with what the Order strives to
accomplish. As a result, the Order would
have to convert these other minds to the
mystical and philosophical levels of the Or
der. In most cases such persons would not
be ready for the full teachings until the
average age of Rosicrucian membership.
The average age of the Rosicrucian mem
ber, taken from an analysis of the whole
Jurisdiction, whether the members are in
Australia, South Africa, Venezuela, or in the
United States, etc., is forty years. Of course,
there are several thousand members who are
five, ten, or fifteen years younger, but they
are in the minority. Is the Order responsible for this age level? Is there something
we have failed to do to bring in younger
people? There is a psychological explana
tion for this average age of forty years. The
explanation is related to the very nature of
the philosophical attitude of mind which is
essential for Rosicrucian membership. This
attitude of mind is one of judgment, of the
appraisal of experience. It differs quite
fundamentally from the scientific attitude of
mind; the latter is analytical in an empirical
sense, that is, the scrutiny of particulars and
application of inductive reasoning. That is
why you will find so many young people
quite interested and successful in science.
It is one thing to carefully examine an object, as in scientific analysis; it is still an
other to evalate human experience and
human relations, and as a result, to arrive
at an ideal course of activity.
Philosophy seeks to take knowledge of life
as it is acquired from experience, and as it
touches the individual, and to construct it
into an organic, connected whole. It seeks
to discover the wisdom of human experience,
which means the best way of applying what
knowledge one may have gained from study
and experience.
The philosophical attitude of mind re
quires a considerable contact with the vicissitudes of life. It needs a fairly comprehensi-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ble experience. When one begins to philosophize, to contmplate, he is drawing upon his
experience; he is, to use a popular term,
screening it. It means that he has reached
a point in life when he has come to realize
that his behavior and his thinking is, to a
great extent, repetitious. There is, then, the
subsequent discovery that much that is being
done, or that he holds as a notion or belief,
is without particular valu! There is the
personal conviction that considerable pruning must be done with ones thinking and
living. The evaluation begins with a determination as to what is good, and what is
bad, what should be retained as habitual
thoughts and actions and what should be
discarded. This philosophical attitude, at
first, is a kind of self-inventory, a taking
stock of ourselves.
One of the prominent factors to be considered, therefore, is a determination of the
real vales of life. We must know or dis
cover the good in existence. Once we have
leamed this, then it is used as a rule for
the appraising of our experiences. The next
great factor is to organize the number of beliefs and the kinds of activities which we
consider as good. The experiences, the reali
ties, of our life must then be tied together
in such a way that one leads to another
and results in a forward expansin of the
whole good of our personality and existence.
Unrelated thoughts or experiences, even
though they be beneficial, could not suffice.
It is at this point that the Rosicrucian
Order is of service to the individual. When
one reaches this philosophical and mystical
attitude of mind he begins his search. He
wants to find some reliable authority by
which to determine the valu of his experi
ences. The Order has such tried and tested
precepts for measuring lifes experiences.
When reading the Rosicrucian literature, the
wording finds response in the consciousness
of these matured persons. Of course, there
are many who have not reached this maturity and yet they read the explanatory
literature. They are prompted by curiosity
and, as a result, no corresponding response
is found within them.
The average man or woman of twentyone years of age has not attained this philo
sophical attitude of mind. As yet, their ex
periences in life are comparatively few.
Their disappointments and failures have not

FEBRUARY, 1953

been many. There has been as yet no serious

challenge to their self-assurance, to their
intelligence, and to their personal confidence.
They are in a stage of the acquisition of
experience; they are particularly observing
and alert to life,> but they are not quite
ready to evalate those experiences. There
is also a kind of general goodness which
seems to exist in the neumess of all experi
ence to youth. Youth can afford to expend
itself, to take chances, to make mistakes
because of the resiliency of its spirit. Youth
has a vast expectancy. To youth, it appears
that life will make itself good. He has only
to live it and experience it.
It takes the years to prove that life is indifferent, and that one must select his ex
periences and organize the results of them
if one is to be happy. As a consequence,
mysticism, metaphysics, and philosophical
literature are not generally appreciated by
the youth. Much that philosophy or mys
ticism would demand of him, he is not prepared to give. As yet, he knows too little
of himself and of the vicissitudes of life. The
philosophy of life is the business of living
and it is a serious business venture. Youth
is the time for illusions, for fantasies, for
dreams. The bluntness of reality comes soon
enough.
It might be asked, could not the youth
be spared many of his errors and the painful
consequences if he were to share in some
way in the wisdom of his elders? The mind
properly cultivated early in youth admittedly matures more readily and reaches the
philosophical attitude more quickly. Such is
the purpose of the Child Culture Institute
and of the Jnior Order of Torch Bearers.
A substantial number of these young people
have become members of the Rosicrucian
Order at an early age. They reflect the
earlier training in their well-ordered think
ing and living. Youths on the outside with
out such previous training are generally not
ready for the Rosicrucian teachings; those
that are ready do become members. As a
matter of fact, our statistics show an increasing number of members affiliating with the
Order at this time who are under thirty
years of age.
As to whether it would be advisable to
prepare special appeals in literary form for
the ages of twenty to twenty-five years is
a moot question. If one were to become

Page 77

interested in such specially designed literature, and if he had not attained a philo
sophical attitude of mind, just how would
you transmute that interest to the level of
the Rosicrucian teachings? Conversely, if
one has attained that attitude of mind,
then our general literature should be acceptable. We do know, and such is being
done, that a transition of our general appeal
to meet the ever-changing mass-consciousness
is necessary. The impact of current society,
the advance of science, the changing standards of living and the new idealism require
new techniques of approach to the matured
mind. The AMORC staff is open to, and
welcomes, the suggestions of our experienced
members in matters of this kindthose who
are active in youth activities or who are
educators. What are your opinions?
The fact that there are many youths in
religious groups, sects, church societies and
the like, is not a parallel to Rosicrucian
membership. In the majority of cases, such
groups make two distinctly different appeals
from what we do. One is highly emotional,
including fear, hope and faith. The other
is recreational and social. Even these do
not always serve religin as they should.
This is evident from the fact that the youth
of many sects who are very active in youth
functions never affiliate with the parent
church on reaching their mental maturity.
In its teachings, AMORC makes a mnimum
of emotional appeal and does not stress the
social side, though we do, of course, include
it.X
The Classification of Consciousness
In one of our Chapters recently during a
question-and-answer period, several questions
were asked relating to the subject of con
sciousness. In reporting upon this particular
Chapter Forum, one member inquired if she
were correct in assuming there is in reality
only one Consciousness. This she more fully
explained by saying that the various socalled forms of consciousness that are described in psychology texts and in philoso
phy are merely terms applied to various
manifestations of consciousness. The ques
tion is then, Are there many forms of con
sciousness, or is there only one conscious
state?
It is well to remember that whatever is
classified is brought into such formal arrange-

Page 78

ment by the act of man. All classifications

are man-made. Nature, the Cosmic, the uni
verse, or anything which is not man-made,
functions as a whole; it does not lend itself
to forms or divisin. All changes in nature
are forms of transition. Night blends into
day, spring into summer, fall into winter;
the sea and the land are divided by a constantly changing line. No hard and fast
line can be drawn to separate the operations
of nature. In the living world, men have
classified and named various forms of ani
mal life, but actually it is impossible to de
fine exactly what the concept of species is
in its manifestation.
Man in his desire to understand and con
trol the world about him attempts to put
things in order. This order is usually for a
convenience, to serve him economically or
socially; consequently, while classification
and the establishment of system and order
is a worthy project, it is possible for man to
become a slave to system rather than to
serve the thing itself.
Human consciousness has not been forgotten in mans attempt to classify; in many
of the older psychological texts, one will find
that consciousness has been classified into
many forms. Much of present-day psycho
logical terminology has developed from these
classification attempts. Such words as sub
conscious, unconscious, semiconscious, sub
jective, objective, and many similar terms
have as many meanings as there have been
authors who have tried to classify the ex
pression of consciousness as limited by these
various terms.
Human consciousness is not a perfect
thing. It is in part transitory since it is
based upon the functioning of the physical
brain and this phase of consciousness is
therefore of no more ultmate valu than is
any other material thing. If we attempt to
classify human consciousness, we must take
into consideration that the consciousness
within the human being is our only means
of awarensss of mental function and that
the mind is not limited exclusively to the
physical organ known as the brain but to
the Vital Life Forc or to the soul which is
the real part of man, that is, his inner self.
In a recent article appearing in one of
our public.ations, the Imperator classified the
mind as objective, subjective, and subcon
scious, the subconscious mind being the most

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

profound phase of mind which is the part below the level of consciousness that maintains
the connecting link between human beings, as
entities, and God. Consciousness, as we are
aware of it, exists only in the objective mind.
We have no knowledge of consciousness ex
cept to the extent that we have an awareness
of being. When we consider consciousness as
a whole, it is the objective part of which
we are aware, and the part that is sub
jective and within the subconscious is he
low the level of awareness. We must also
consider a whole manifestation of which we
may not be aware in personal experience,
but which we accept as a premise to use in
building much of the fundamental doctrine
of our Rosicrucian philosophy.
There is in the final reality only one con
sciousness. That consciousness is the con
sciousness of the Absolute, or the Divine. It
is the essence which causes all manifestation
to function; it is the first cause and the final
reality combined into one. This conscious
ness which we can define in many terms,
the consciousness of God or the Divine Con
sciousness, is that of which the individual
human consciousness is only one small segment. If we accept this concept as truth,
then the consciousness of God is our con
sciousnesswhen we can become aware of
it. We can become aware of it provided we
are in a position to so relate our own con
sciousness to that level which is above and
beyond our own physical limitations. Mans
growth from the standpoint of evolution has
ever been from a lower form toward a
more complex and elabrate one.
The first form of life was a single cell.
Man today is composed of a complicated
mass of cells. The first form of conscious
ness iri the single cell was merely the forc
of life. Now this forc has a highly organized set of functions within the nervous sys
tem of the higher animals. But man is still
limited to some degree to the environment
in which he functions. All knowledge and
experience reach human consciousness in
terms of time, although the same knowledge
and experience exist in terms of the Eteraal.
We only gain in knowledge and experience
insofar as we keep at a certain level of ex
pression which is in terms of time and a
physical universe. We growthat is, our
consciousness expandsinsofar as we release
from control of our consciousness the limi-

FEBRUARY, 1953

tations of time and the boundaries estab

lished by any physical barriers. Our scope
of consciousness may now be limited, our
knowledge is only partial, but everything in
the history of mans evolution, everything
in his true conscious experience, points to
ward eventual growth and the attainment
of awareness of one consciousness, the con
sciousness of God.A
Rose-Croix University
As the 1953 term of the Rose-Croix Uni
versity approaches, it is not unusual to receive letters from many members in all parts
of our jurisdiction asking for further information regarding the University in addition
to that which is given in T he Story of Learning and other literature which is published
concerning this institution. We have recently completed the tentative plans for the 1953
term of the University iri a conference held
by the Dean to incorprate the suggestions
of the Supreme Officers. The main courses
to be offered for this years term have been
discussed and plans made for various ideas
to take effect during this years University
term.
The University this year will begin on
June 22 and continu through July 11. The
session therefore begins later in the month
than it has in recent years which will give
an opportunity to those who might not be
able to leave their homes at an earlier date
in June, or before school is out, to attend
this years University term. The complete
idea of the Rose-Croix University, its scope
and function, is outlined in the booklet entitled T he Story o f Learning. The Rose-Croix
University in this jurisdiction was instituted
by the late Dr. H. Spencer Lewis. It was
established for the purpose of perpetuating
the cultural activities of the Rosicrucian Or
der for the benefit of the individuis who
wished to participate in its activities.
The courses offered fall into three categories, the three colleges of the University.
One is devoted to the Fine and Mystic Arts,
one to the Sciences, and one to the Humanities. Each of these colleges offers courses on
specialized subjects, at all times trying to
stress and to correlate the principies of the
subject matter with the concept of Rosicrucianism.
The question most frequently asked by the
individual member of the Order is, Who

Page 79

may attend the Rose-Croix University?

There is no restriction to become a student
except that individuis in attendance must
be active members of the Rosicrucian Order.
It is a school for Rosicrucians, and only
those who are active members are privileged
to attend or particpate in any of the activi
ties of the Rose-Croix University.
Is special training necessary in order to
attend? This is usually the next question.
we do have a series of lectures, six matriculation lectures for each college, which the
prospective student studies and upon which
he passes a simple examination. These lec
tures are not difficult. They are as easy to
understand as the monographs which you
study each week, but they serve to review
or establish a foundation upon which the
student can continu study in the residence
classes conducted during the University term.
Some stu dents, th at is, m em bers of
AMORC, have said that they would like to
attend the Rose-Croix University but feel
that they would be unable to understand
what was being taught. This, of course, is
merely a misunderstanding of the scope and
activities of the University. Its purpose is
to present the subjects in which its students
will be interested in a way that they can be
understood. The material covered in the in
struction of the Rose-Croix University is no
more difficult than that which is contained
in the Rosicrucian teachings.
The faculty are specially prepared through
experience and training in the subjects which
they teach. They are also prepared to deal
with the individual problems of the individ
ual student who wishes to gain additional
knowledge and training in the field that
meets his particular interest. Bear in mind
also that the entire Rose-Croix University
student body is composed of members just
like yourself, individuis who wish to gain
certain new knowledge or new information
or to review subjects they have studied be
fore. In recent years particularly, many
members have come to the Rose-Croix Uni
versity to study the Rosicrucian explanation of certain phenomena in the physical
world, and to learn how the Rosicrucian
teachings can be related to the studies of
the arts and humanities.
Some of the subjects to be offered this
year will include in the field of fine and
mystic arts, a course devoted to music and

Page 80

another to art. Students may take either

one or the other in the College of Fine and
Mystic Arts and have specialized instruction
in either music or art. In the sciences, the
student can study Light and Color in the
field of the physical sciences, and the sci
ences of life in the field of the biological
sciences or the ancient lore of alchemy. In
the College of Humanities, philosophy will
include a survey of thought that has led up
to the modern concepts of civilization and to
the formulation of the philosophical content
of our present-day thinking and background
of Rosicrucian philosophy. There is also a
course in psychology that helps the individ
ual to better understand himself and his en
vironment. Mind and Mysticism includes
the teachings of philosophic and religious
leaders through mans history and how their
ideis may be applied to our lives today.
In addition to these principal or major
subjects, there are minor or elective courses.
Within these fields there is a wide choice in
music, art, science, Rosicrucian healing, lit
erature, drama, and many other subjects
that will interest the student who may devote an hour or more a day to these various
studies. One purpose of the Rose-Croix Uni
versity is to make available instruction in
such fields as will be of particular interest
to the Rosicrucians, and also to provide the
contacts that are made possible in an insti
tution having only within its student body
those individuis who are members of the
Rosicrucian Order and therefore have simi
lar or like interests.
In addition to the instruction, there are
many opportunities for social contacts and
organized activities on the part of the stu
dent body and the alumni association made
up of those who have attended previous
terms at the Rose-Croix University. Foliowing the three-weeks period of the Rose-Croix
University during which classes are held
every day including Saturdays, the student
has the opportunity to remain at Rosicru
cian Park for one more week and participate
in the annual intemational Grand Lodge
Convention. Make your plans now to be one
of the students registering at the Rose-Croix
University for its 1953 term.
This year, as a special feature, there will
be daily lectures given by members of the
faculty and of the staff of the Supreme
and Grand Lodges. These officers will speak

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

upon various subjects related to princi

pies having to do with the Orders teach
ings or its philosophy. Such lectures will be
in addition to the subjects for which you may
register as your major course. During this
1953 term, there will be a special series of
lectures on the subject of prophecy. We will
not attempt to prophesy the future in detail but we will attempt to teach each in
dividual who is a student at the University
the principies of prophecy, how prophecy
has developed, why man has sought to
learn of the future, how he has been able
to reconcile the findings that are based up
on fact and those which are based upon
theory or upon imagination. This special
series of lectures will be in addition to all
the regular fea tures which are listed in The
Story of Learning.
For further information concerning the
Rose-Croix University and the activities of
this year, write for your copy of The Story
of Learning; and ask also for a copy of the
prospectus which outlines the courses specifically to be offered in 1953. You will enjoy reading this material and receiving full
instructions as to how you can prepare yourself in order to be one of the registered
students at the Rose-Croix University this
year.A
Cycles of Success
A frater now addresses our Forum: One
of the subjects in the Rosicrucian work which
has interested me most is that of periods and
cycles. The articles on favorable and unfavorable periods have explained to me why
some things in my life have prospered and
borne fruit, and why some others have not
been fruitful.
The subject of periodicity or cycles is in
teresting in many ways. The University of
Pennsylvania has kept records on orchard
performance over a period of thirty-five
years. Until the last few years, the sevenyear periodicity has been very strong. The
good years were seven years apart; the years
of moderate crops seven years apart; and
every seven years was the calamity year
with a complete or nearly complete crop
failure.
I have a special question to ask in con
nection with cyclical periods. Is human en
terprise governed more by factors and influences connected with the enterprise in itself

FEBRUARY, 1953

or is it influenced more by the cycles of the

men in charge of it?
In a very splendid work, the first in re
cent times, by Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, entitled
Self Master y and Fate with the Cycles of
L ife, the author points out the rhythmic periodicity of human life. He says in part: According to this primary cycle, human life
is divided into a progression of periods, each
period lasting approximately seven complete
sun years or seven years of approximately
365 days each. Dr. Lewis further shows
that each individuals life cycle, though consisting of the seven-year periods, may be
subdivided into daily periods as well. Some
of these daily periods are advantageous and
others are not. The periods have a relation
ship to the time of ones birth. Consequently,
a certain period may be beneficial to one
individual but not to another. The underlying principie of Dr. Lewis work is based
upon the fundamental cycles that govem
natural phenomena, as the celestial movements and development in cellular or living
matter. Thousands of persons have found
his text, with the extensive charts it provides,
to be most effective in the governing of their
lives. Many years after Dr. Lewis published
his work, the noted statistician and columnist, Roger W. Babson, confirmed Dr. Lewis
writings in principie by publishing a brochure of his own on the influence of cycles
on human affairs.
There could be no such condition as natu
ral law if there were not cycles. Natural
law is the universal recurrence of certain
phenomena. A progressive change of phe
nomena, as a transition of one thing into
another each time with entirely different
effects, as energy, forc or form, would re
sult in chaos. Not only would there be no
identical manifestations but no order, no
persistent underlying cause, which could be
discemed or, if it was, it could not be utilized, for the next moment it would be
forever gone. The cycle, then, constitutes
the limit of a phenomenon, the circle of its
manifestation. The beginning of a cycle is
where the phenomenon exhibits its characteristics. Then there is the development,
progression or enlargement of it, and the
end is its retrogression or retum to the be
ginning again. A cycle then is an oscillation between the two poles or extremes of a
phenomenon.

Page 81

If the human organism, with its intellectual and psychical powers, is affected by
cycles and that which man may work with
is likewise affected, how can the two be coordinated? In substance the fraters ques
tion is, Can man sometimes be actually
working against himself? A man may in
conducting research in a certain field be
governed by the periodicity of that enterprise and yet he may not be working in ac
cordance with the cycles of his own highest
efficiency. Consequently, he may not have
the success which he should. Economists are
now of the opinion that there are cycles of
prosperity, of depressions, and periods be
tween of neither extreme. These are repeated with such regularity as to be indicative of cyclical law. Of course, some periods
of depression are worse than others. Just
why these economic cycles occur is not yet
entirely known. It is highly probable that
they are governed by one of two factors, the
human cycle or perhaps such physical ones
as sunspots.
For a considerable time, the phenomenon
of sunspots was an interesting astronomical
inquiry. With the advent of radio and the
transmission of ultra-high-frequency waves,
it was found that large sunspots caused electrical interference in the transmission of
transoceanic radio Communications. That the
sunspots apparently transmitted radiations
which, in turn, seemed to neutralize the
radio waves, became the general theory.
The phases of the moon have also been
shown to affect plant life in experiments
conducted by several botanists and horticulturists of well-known universities. There is
great probability, so think some leading psychologists and biologists, that the human or
ganism may also be affected by solar radia
tions caused by sunspots.
From the Rosicrucian point of view, the
sensitive sympathetic nervous system and
the psychic centers may be stimulated or
depressed by impulses discharged into the
atmosphere by sunspots. They may in a
very subtle way affect the human emotions
and, in turn, leave impressions upon the
faculty of reason. This could cause aggressiveness, excessive sensitivity, subliminal
anxieties, and other mental characteristics
that would react in human lives and affairs.
Extreme mterialism, aggressiveness and the
lowering of moral inclinations to any great

Page 82

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

extent, as we have found prevalent in most

areas of the world today, could be the con
sequence of the impact of solar disturbances
on the human nervous system and mentality.
Obviously, these, in turn, would affect mans
economic welfare by influencing his judg
ment and his intellectual visin.
We are ignorant of many of the cycles and
underlying laws and forces of nature. What
we now know of natural law is probably in
finitesimal in contrast to what is to be known.
We must learn as much as we can about our
selves as soon as possible. Many of our per
sonal cycles may be made to correspond to
those of nature which are already known.
Such assures greater probability of human
success in most enterprises. For example,
one psychologist, in conducting experiments,
found that students were able to concntrate
and to memorize more effectively during one
phase of the moon than in another, The
Rosicrucian Order has conducted similar ex
periments with interesting results. In both
instances the experiments were too few to
be conclusive in any sense. However, that
there are periods when our mental faculties
are more alert, more suited for beginning
certain enterprises, Dr. Lewis book has
proved in many cases. There are, then, for
tnate and unfortunate times each day for
beginning certain business and domestic af
fairs or in endeavoring to influence the minds
of others.
Notwithstanding our continued prating that
we are free agents, actually we are not. Our
freedom is subject to inclination. The incli
nation is the effect of causes lying deep with
in the cycles of our life forces and the condi
tions of our environment. Our will thus is
often not the consequence of our judgment,
as we think, but a latent impulse or desire
aroused by causes of which we are often not
conscious. Harmony or concordance is still
the key to the mastery of life. Learn how to
co-ordinate your microcosm, the small uni
verse of your being, with the larger one of
the Cosmic for fuller living.X
Do Not Test God
A subject to which comments in this Fo
rum frequently return is that of concentra
tion, one of the basic techniques of individual
development. Such questions, too, are ever
present in our Correspondence department.

It would seem in the years that thousands

of members have passed through our Neophyte degrees that there would be no new
questions to ask on this subject, and the cor
respondeos who direct all the Communica
tions with our members would have an im
mediate answer for any possible question
that a new member might ask. However,
the approaches to this subject of concentra
tion are sometimes almost as new as the
ideas of the individuis.
The reason for
this is that the concept of concentration as
given in the first few lectures of the Rosi
crucian teachings, and particularly in the lat
ter part of the first Neophyte degree, opens
a scopie of possible advancement, or extends
the visin of the individual in a way that
he had probably never considered before.
Regardless of the background of study that
anyone may have had prior to becoming a
member of the Order, I doubt that he would
find anything more challenging than the
Rosicrucian technique of concentration. This
is all important because without the ability
to concntrate the student cannot reorient
his thinking and establish a foundation for
the absorbing of the mystical philosophy
that becomes the basis of the Rosicrucian
teachings.
Even of more importance to the individ
ual is that by proper concentration he is able
to immediately utilize some of the principies
that are taught him. Every individual who
seriously approaches the development of the
concentration technique realizes that it is
like having a new sense faculty added. He
has something new to work with: a new
avenue with which to approach his problems,
the circumstances of his environment, his
various situations in life. It is the most im
portant tool that is given the student who
enters into these studies with which he can,
in a true sense of the word, attempt to map
out a new life and a new philosophy. Re
gardless of how important other things may
be, this concept is of first importance to the
member.
I will not attempt here to relate the basic
concept in regard to the use of concentra
tion, since that has been done many times.
Concentration as a technique is well explained in our monographs. But what is
important from time to time is our attitude
toward this technique. We need a degree of
confidence until we have gained enough ex-

FEBRUARY, 1953

perience to replace that confidence. True it

is also that a Rosicrucian does not accept faith
as a final reality; he must develop knowl
edge instead. But we have to approach a
technique with an assurance on our part
that since it has been used by others, it
can also work for us if we have the assur
ance and the determination to stay with the
problem and work it out.
One thing that we must never do is to
set ourselves up as a mdium of testing the
functioning of any psychological or mystical
law. There are individuis who have cer
tain aims or ends which they feel are most
important for them to achieve. They are
attempting to accomplish a change in their
life, a change in their environment, in order
to gain something that seems to be lacking;
thus, the new student may start concentrating with enthusiasm on the fulfillment of
that desire whatever it may be. This is a
natural thing and concentration should, by
all means, be used for this purpose, but we
must be able to do so with the full recognition that regardless of our technique of con
centration, or of our purpose, we are after
all finite in our judgment. It is the infinite
laws that in the end must govern the func
tioning of our whole life and being.
Therefore, always enter into a process of
concentration with the realization and con
fidence that the right thing will come from
your process. The result may not be exactly what we hoped for, but it will come
out as is should if we concntrate conscientiously and leave the final decisin in the
hands of the Cosmic. Never say that you
will concntrate for a thing over a certain
period of time and then if a definite result
doesnt come youll do something else. Never
test God. Always leave the way open for
the manifestation of laws which you may
see only in part because of your finite vi
sin and limited range of contact.A
Popular Psychology Books
Recently, a member asked for our opinion
in regard to a number of popular psychology
books which have been prevalent on the
market in the past few years. Most of these
books have a very good foundation insofar
as presenting many psychological facts in
a popular form easily understandable by any
reader who might be interested in self-im-

Page 83

provement or in the study of human be

havior. During the past few years there has
been a particular interest in this field. A
number of these books have become bestsellers. Some have sold even better than fictionsome have week after week led the
best-seller list and have amazed both the
publisher and the author with the interest
shown in these publications.
Most of these books are for the purpose
of informing the average individual of cer
tain facts about himself. Actually, the indi
vidual who has never studied formal or academic psychology has very little knowledge
of his own physiological and psychological
self. It is really amazing how uninformed
the average man on the Street is concerning himself. Many simple facts that are
presented in these popular books seem amaz
ing to the individual who has never seriously
studied anything that has to do with certain
basic principies of psychology.
In the popular sense of the word, psy
chology is usually conveyed to be something
of the science of the mind. In the academic
sense, psychology goes beyond this, not only
to study the mental processes of the individ
ual, but also to make a study of how he
functions and how he behaves. Psychology
is therefore, in the broadest sense of the
definition, a study of the function of the
mind and of the manifestation of human
thinking and emotion through behavior.
Some of these books, in a popular sense,
appeal particularly to the individuis who
do very little thinking for themselves. This
is not, in a sense, a reflection against such
books or an attempt to depreciate their
valu, but actually many of the so-called
semipopular books are merely presenting
concepts to an individual that he has not
taken the time to think out for himself.
A few years ago, one of the most popular
of these books was a very excellent one call
ed Peace of Mind. This book sold in the
best-seller list month after month, and a
large edition was printed a number of times.
It presented some basic principies on how
an individual may use his own mental fac
ulties to increase his enjoyment of life, to
make it possible for him to live a more even
and better organized existence. The princi
pies involved were simple; they were pre
sented in a form that the average individual
had just not thought of. The book also had

Page 84

a certain amount of respect for a divinity

that instilled in the individual the knowl
edge that there was something outside him
self where he could anchor and find support
and help in time of need.
As helpful as these books may be, we
want to point out here that they are not a
substitute for, or even a supplement to, Ro
sicrucianism. To the best of my knowledge,
none of the authors of recent best sellers in
this field has been a member of this organi
zation. Although there are certain principies
discussed in these works that have caused
members to ask whether or not they are
basically Rosicrucian in concept, they are,
when actually analyzed, found not to contain very much that is in the Rosicrucian
teachings aside from the surface material or
the basic philosophy of right living.
Most of these presentations fall short in
one important respect. They are basically
built upon a modern psychology that takes
into consideration the theory that the indi
vidual is a mechanical being. Although, as
I have already pointed out, a number of
these books acknowledge a God, a divine
power, they are mainly concerned with the
individual as a functioning human entity,
as a physiological being rather than as a
soul. To the best of my knowledge, there
has never been written in a popular form
a book that approaches the human being
from the mystical standpoint. I mean by
mystical standpoirst, the position that emphasizes the importance of the inner self, that
acknowledges the existence of a soul, of a
possible link with a higher being or with
a forc higher than is existent within the
individual in addition to his purely objective
psychological function.
As we have frequently said before, the
most important aspect of Rosicrucianism has
to do with its mystical concepts, the idea that
man can relate himself to his creator, that
man is in part imbued with a divine energy,
with a divine personality which he can use
as a mdium to relate himself to a God
that is the ultimate purpose of life. Any
psychological study that fails to take into
consideration this ultimate aim falls short
of supptying the individual with most of his
psychological needs. Rosicrucianism, based
upon a mystical philosophy, teaches man to
develop his inner potentialities toward the
bringing about of a satisfactory relationship

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

between himself and a divine power, a power

that is transcending him in its existence, but
yet is within the realm of contact insofar as
his psychic or inner self is concerned.A
Contemplation: A Key to Mastership
There are many keys to mastership or,
as it has been stated in another way, there
are many paths to achievement. No single
one is the final or the magic key which will
unlock all doors for everyone. Each of us
must gain abilities and certain efficiency in
those techniques which together will contrib
ute to our growth, development, and evolve
ment. That contemplation has been consid
ered a part of a good life was known in the
greatest period of Greek philosophy. Our
Western civilization having been influenced
by these basic concepts of Greek philosophy
has preserved much of the idealism that has
gone to make up the way of life which has
become an ideal in the Western world.
Aristotle in agreement with Plato said that
there are three basic forms of life which
develop according to the good for which
different types of men strive. These three
forms are: the life of pleasure, the life of
action, and, finally, the life of contemplation.
The life of pleasure is merely the seeking
of satisfaction of our physical sensations. It
is therefore a life on a level little higher
than that found in the animal world. On
a truly human level, the next form is a Ufe
of action in which man puts into manifesta
tion those traits by which he is human. It
is a life of moral virtue, an exemplification
of the good which is inherent or potential
within man. The highest form of lifethe
life preferred by the philosopher and the
mysticis that of contemplation. It is a
life devoted primarily to being an observer
of all being, a life in which the highest
pleasure is found in the activity of pur intellect. It is a life of growth beyond the
physical limitations of a material world, by
putting into effect the ability of the human
being to use his consciousness in the ad
vanced form with which man is equipped
so that he may extend or project himself
beyond the routine and confinement of the
material world. Pleasure then is not looked
upon as a wrong, but its highest good is
found in the activity of the mental and psy
chic self rather than in the satisfaction of

FEBRUARY, 1953

the physical self. Aristotle also stressed as

important the fact that the life of contempplation is something which we do not enjoy
to the fullest as human beings alone; rather,
we particpate in the fullest possibilities of
this life insofar as there is in us something
of the Divine.
Contemplation as a key to mastership is
one of the channels by which man re-relates
himself to God, brings himself to an aware
ness of the Divine character of his soul and
to a degree of knowledge concerning his own
destiny. To evolve toward mastership, to
direct ourselves to the ultmate achievement
of Cosmic Consciousness, requires our leaming the use and the development of our in
dividual potentialities. It is because of this
concept that Rosicrucianism attempts to re
late theory and practice. We begin early in
the Rosicrucian teachings, through the use of
simple exercises, to develop the technique so
necessary for this ultmate growth. We must
not lose sight of the importance of that
bridge between technique and theory which
must be expanded in all phases of human
activity. W e may read until we have mastered the theory of music or swimming, for
example, but the technique only comes
through its application. It is in the routine
practice of scales in music and proper movements in swimming that the technique of
the knowledge which we have leamed can
be made useful and the actual practice put
into effect.
Three important techniques which con
tribute to psychic growth as presented by
the Rosicrucian teachings are: concentration,
meditation, and contemplation. At this time,
we are primarily considering the subject of
contemplation, but it is necessary to remember that all these steps are important. It
might be that some individuis confuse these
techniques or think of them as being the
same thing or merely different manifestations of the same thing. Actually they serve
purposes that can quite specifically classify
them. Concentration is an active process; it
is a function of volition. In our concentra
tion, we, by the use of will, attempt to direct
all conscious forc or power upon the thing
under consideration so that different mental
forces may be brought to bear upon the situ
ation. The technique and procedure is thoroughly explained in our monographs and
will not be repeated here.

Page 85

In contrast to concentration being an ac

tive process, meditation is passive. We can
not at all times be exerting our will toward
growth or change; there must be periods of
absorptionwhen we attempt to absorb in
to consciousness that which we have gained
through concentration or as the result of con
centration. This is the state of meditation.
Contemplation as differentiated from con
centration and meditation is the continual
Creative process by which we attempt to
link the results of our own concentration
and meditation with the concepts and ex
periences of ourselves and otherswhere we,
as stated by the ancient philosophers, become the observers of all life, all being, and
attempt to comprehend the ultmate purpose
of the Divine as we may be able to under
stand it. Contemplation is the means of tying together what we have gained in knowl
edge and experience whether the source of
our knowledge and experience was gained by
objective leaming or through intuitive impressions.
An encyclopedia contains many facts, but
even if an individual had an encyclopedic
knowledge, without the contemplative life
allowing the individual to relate the various
informative elements, the knowledge itself
could have little valu. If we are to live to
the fullest of our potentialities, we must be
able to dwell at times upon the contempla
tion of our entire being and our entire
knowledge and experience. In that sense,
contemplation is truly the end and the aim
of life. The purpose of contemplation, from
the Rosicrucian standpoint, is to attain the
direct and intuitive awareness of God. This,
then, makes us realize that contemplation is
an important step toward our mystic unin
with God.
It follows from this idea that society is
good to the extent that it renders contempla
tion possible for those who compose it. A
society so controlling the thoughts and actions
of its members that they cannot draw their
own conclusions (cannot direct their con
sciousness toward their own aims and ideis)
lowers the dignity of individuality and there
fore suppresses a manifestation of the Di
vine. Some members of society can and
must be mystics if human society as a whole
is to reach its ultmate end or purpose. Mys
ticism concerns the continual expression of
consciousness, the gradual but persistent

Page 86

awareness of the Infinite. For this process

to take place within man, man must be able
to draw upon a source of valu that is etemal
and should not limit, or bind, himself to a
world of temporal things.
We must be able to consume the goods of
Eternity if we are to realize etemal vales,
or if we are to give out to our fellow humans the goods of time. The whole concept
of mysticism is based upon the idea that vye
increase in our awareness of the Divine in
direct proportion to our ability to be Godlike.
God is the ultimate truth whose reflection is
mirrored in time. This means, to us as fi
nite beings, that God changes in terms of
our experience and contines to change until we as finite beings are able to raise our
consciousness to that level which enables us
to comprehend Infinite Being.A
Does the Self Survive Death?
This is perhaps one of the most difficult
of subjects on which to express an opinion.
The only certainty is that, no matter what
position is taken, one is sure to arouse controversy. Since the content of the topic is
so intimately related to religious doctrine,
any opposing answer, no matter how innocuously presented, may offend the religi
ous beliefs of someone.
Perhaps the greatest factor in the develop
ment of the religious spirit has been the de
sire for immortality. The instinct of selfpreservation is very basic. It is part of the
very activity of the life forc itself. The
self is identified with life forc. In other
words, to the average individual the con
sciousness of self and of life are synonymous.
Even when one is unconscious, it is presumed that self lies just behind the curtain
of awareness waiting to express itself again.
The early human minds, where we have any
account of their thoughts, recognized a duality in human nature. There was the physi
cal awareness, the body itself, on the one
hand; and, on the other, the intangible self
which was experienced during dreams. This
intangible self was likewise, to the primi
tive mind, associated with the forc of life
which, in tum, was related most frequently
to air. Breath is air. The dead body does
not breathe; and so, when the breath departs, the self also must be carried away
on the wings of the breeze. That is why

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the soul was associated with pneuma by

the Greeks, since this corresponds to breath
and air. The equivalent in other languages
has the same meaning in the doctrines of
several early religions.
Primitive man, through experience, learned
of the transition of the physical body. Its
impermanence and decay were all too evident. Air could not be destroyed. All around
man there was air, invisible and apparently
immune to any of the forces that affect mat
ter. The self, the inner man, so closely re
lated to breath, air and life, was also as
invisible as the air and must then be immune
to the causes of death. In other words, the
conclusin was that the self must survive
death. This, in tum, helped to mitgate the
instinctive terror of death. Particularly did
it satisfy the latent desire to continu to live.
Death became but a transition, a change
from one form of expression of the self to
another. Man continued to live as man, it
was thought, but in another world. Many
of the ancient religions considered that the
surviving self continued to have a body. The
self was not wholly abstract; it had a form,
looked as it did on earth, and even con
ducted its affairs in a manner not wholly
unfamiliar. It is for this reason that the
Egyptians, Etmscans, Cretans, and those of
other early cultures buried with the dead
their favorite possessions. It was expected
that in the next life the deceased would use
his jewelry, implements, weapons, and even
furniture.
In drawing this parallel between the ex
istence of the self in physical form in this
world and its existence in the etemal life,
the ancients likewise drew a similarity of
all experiences. From such a line of reason
ing, it seemed logical to deduce that each in
dividual in the afterlife would recognize
himself; that is, his identity would not be
lost. Further he would retain a full memory
of all his lifes experiences. He would have
free intercourse to speak and be with all
relatives and friends who were also in the
other world. Obviously, this inclination for
a most complete afterlife was made to in
clude a facile exchange of ideas or Communi
cations between those who remained behind
both loved ones and enemies.
Psychologically, man was trying to create
an ideal world for himself. He was peopling
it with those he loved and establishing in it

FEBRUARY, 1953

those things and conditions that gratified the

earthly human appetites and desires. The
world hereafter was a transference of the
conditions and enjoyments of this life but
without any of the aggravations, restrictions,
or limitations. The afterworld thus became
a place where man could do what he wanted
to do in accordance with what he thought
was best to do. This kind of conception of
the next life made death but a momentary
break in the continuation of existence,
though the existence that was to follow tran
scended this one in the happinss which it
would provide.
It is interesting to note that man readily
associated pain, evil, suffering, denial, and
all limitations of personal power with the
earth. The world and the body itself were
confining; in fact, as the early Greeks
thought, the body was a prison of the soul.
When the soul or self, which was identified
with it, departed, it was thought to be
stripped of all such encumbrances. It never
seemed to occur to most of these early thinkers that almost all of the pleasures they anticipated in the next life were physical and
psychological, related to the body which
they were casting off. To leave the body
behind was not only to leave suffering but,
as well, the desires for pleasure, the joys
and sentiments, the experiences of friends
and relatives, and all sensual gratification
whatsoever. Even when the self was con
sidered as an ethereal body, like the air it
self, these believers expected it to possess
faculties and attributes common to the body
and the mental self. There would be ambition, love as human beings know it, and
interest in many of the ideis which the
mortal mind had conceived.
This kind of thinking is interrelated with
the instinct of survival. Life to most men
is not a forc, an energy, an abstract Cosmic
phenomenon. Rather, it is principally a
state o f living. This state consists of a matrix
of experiences, such as men are familiar with
in this existence. Survival after death would
mean, then, not just a continuation of life
or of a kind of awareness but, as well, most
of the state of living with which we are
familiar.
Most persons in the advanced civilizations
and religions of our era tenaciously embrace
these same ideas. They fervently cling to
such beliefs. To explain immortality from

Page 87

any other conceptional viewpoint seems to

them to attack their etemal security. The
Biblical adage, that the Kingdom of God is
within, should most certainly apply to these
believers. If their self finds satisfaction and
they enjoy peace profound in such concep
tions, by no means should they be disturbed,
no matter how implausible their beliefs may
be to others. Conversely, their beliefs should
be no reason for suppressing the conceptions
of those who think differently.
As one understands more of the processes
of mind and acquires a more profound philo
sophical and mystical insight into reality,
his conception of survival after death chang
es. He can no longer believe or find satisfac
tion in the thought that self has experiences
in the next life as one knows them here.
Further, he cannot accept the idea that self,
in the sense of personality, will be as we
know it in this mortal existence. The real
mystic knows that self is immured within a
framework of certain components. The self
as we know it, the commonly expressed per
sonality, is but a phase of the various mani
festations of consciousness. Self, as ordinarily
comprehended, is a combination of the per
ception of willthat is, the realizing of our
agency of choiceand the perceptions we
have of externality. It is, in other words,
a joint awareness of the phenomenal world
and that faculty by which we are able to
distinguish our organic inclinations and preferences as apart from all else. Consequently,
self manifests as the separation of reality
into I am and I am not. Since self arises
out of consciousness or that sensitivity which
the life forc has to its organism and en
vironment, a transition of the sensitivity, a
change in the nature of consciousness, will
affect the content of self. The conscious
ness is like a vast stream and the realization
of the ego, or the awareness that the con
sciousness has of itself, vares as it progresses
deeper into this stream.
We have said that the self that we are
most familiar with arises from our distinguishing between will as the power of choice
and our perception of the external world.
When we move farther into the channels of
the stream of consciousness, we entirely lose
our awareness of the external world. We
also no longer exhibit the faculty of memory
by which to recall images of the outside
world. Does this mean, then, that, since

Page 88

there is no extemality remaining to contrast

with will, self must fail to exist? No, the
duality still exists, but it is of another char
acter. The self of will subdivides into new
elements as does, for example, the living
cell in the process of reproduction. Will or
desire are stripped from consciousness because there is nothing to desire. Sensual ex
perience is gone. As a consequence, each
former manifestation of self stands in the
same relationship to the next higher aspect
of it as does the extemal world to what we
cali the ego. Thus the self becomes more
and more exalted until there is absolutely
no similarity to the normal self.
In mysticism the individual strives to ex
press self in these higher or deeper realms
of consciousness, instead of in the objective
and subjective spheres only. Cosmic con
sciousness is an awareness of the universal
consciousness. What attains such realization
is self, too, but not that aspect of self of
which we are normally conscious. All the
determnate qualities of the world, form, di
mensin, desire, are stripped from self in
that state of consciousness. Mystics and
students of mysticism, who have experienced
Cosmic consciousness, usually refer to it as
an ecstasy, a sublime pleasure. The word
pleasure, however, is a misnomer. It cannot
be pleasure, that is, sensual or emotional. It
is difficult to explain. We can best say that
it is like a state of imperturbability; that is,
it has no positive nature but one that is free
of all sensations and thus creates a kind of
experience in itself. Or again, to use an
analogy, it is like saying that nothing is
the absence of something. One can only de
scribe nothing in terms of something, that
which it might have been but is not.
If Cosmic consciousness can produce such
an exalted self, are we to presume that a
self that would survive transition or death
would be of any lesser nature? Certainly
the self that could persist after death would
be of the highest aspect of consciousness.
The whole premise that there can be life
after death rests on the foundation that
there are universal forces in nature which
go through change but are immutable in
essence. We believe that life forcand we
have much assurance for our beliefis an
attribute of a Cosmic universal forc. When
united with that other forc which pro
duces what we cali matter, we have that

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

miracle or phenomenon of animate and con

scious beings. With the development of the
organism, the consciousness becomes more
complex, resulting in the self-awareness of
human beings. There is and must be, though
we shall not take the space here to give our
reasons, a universal consciousness that is
associated with the whole spectrum or keyboard of Cosmic energy. With the transition
of the human organism, the life forc and
its inherent consciousness is freed into the
universal consciousness of which it is a part.
Is it absorbed like a raindrop falling in the
sea, or does its interval in the human or
ganism cause it to retain an individuality
of a kind, like a speck of oil floating upon a
stream? Mystics take this latter view that
there is a slight alteration in the conscious
ness, which characteristic is retained as the
personality in the Cosmic after death.
The more profound thinkers, even though
regarding this existence in the Cosmic as the
self, cannot confer upon it the functions and
kind of awareness that we know here or
that most religionists like to believe. Why
should we insist upon the same ideis of
affection, the same standards of happiness
for the Cosmic as we experience here? As
Seneca, Romn philosopher, so aptly said:
What is death? A tragic mask. Turn it
and examine it. See, it does not bite. The
poor body must be separate from the spirit
either now or later as it was separated from
it before.
Pass, then, through thy little space of
time conformably to nature, and end thy
joumey in content, just as an olive falls off
when it is ripe, blessing nature who produced it, and thanking the tree upon which
it grew.X
Violation of Oaths
An oath of obligation is a vocative or writ
ten pledge. It is an expression of the will
of the individual wherein, on his honor and
integrity, he agrees to do or not to do cer
tain things. Such oaths should never be
taken lightly, for to vilate them constitutes
a definite aspersin upon the character of
the individual so doing. To take an oath in
verbal or written form with mental reservations or equivocation is to falsify. Specifically, it is lying or cheating. To take an oath
indifferently or with the intention of abrogating or violating it, whenever it is to your

FEBRUARY, 1953

advantage, is also falsification; it indicates

that your motive is not commensurate with
what you have expressed in the oath itself.
It further implies that your word is not supported by strong character and resolve. The
moral fiber of an individual, his moral worth
and dependability to his friends and to so
ciety, generally, are indicated by ones support of his oath and solemn obligations.
The Rosicrucian Order, just as many fra
ternal Orders and societies, has oaths and
obligations which its members are obliged
to take. These oaths, if honestly given, are
assurance that the inner self of the individ
ual, his moral being or consciousness, is in
accord with the spirit and purpose of the
Order. The oaths ask that the individual
declare himself on those issues which represent the teachings, policies, and the princi
pies of the Order. The Order must trust
and have the confidence of its members
who, in fact, constitute the body of the Or
der. It cannot extend cherished and sacred
traditions to one who, in turn, does not
pledge to do, or not to do, certain things in
consideration of what he receives.
There is nothing ever exacted under a
Rosicrucian membership oath or obligation
to which any circumspect, morally proper
member would not want to subscribe. The
Order requires its members to keep confidential the teachings, rituals, passwords,
signs, and certain symbols. If these things
have a true worth to the sincere member,
and he is desirous of protecting them, he
gladly subscribes. The oaths also pledge
ones allegiance to good citizenship and to
a program of living a good, morally upright
life, and to help the advancement and enlightenment of humanity. The individual
who hesitates to sign such an obligation or
equivocates, or dissents in any way from
such clearly presented oaths, immediately
places himself under suspicion; his hesitation implies that he may have some ulterior
motive. After all, if one believes in what
the oaths declare, why should there be any
reservations about signing? The oaths contain no components which cannot be met by
the individual. They do not bind one to do
the impossible. They do not compel him to
remain forever in the Order. They do request one to try to live an honorable life
and to respect the noble purposes and truths
of the Order.

Page 89

The individual who states that he mentally

subscribes to the oath, but that he has scruples against signing one, though it expresses
the same ideas, is not very consistent. One
should have the courage or the conviction
of his thoughts. If he thinks rightly, he
should say so, and act accordingly. Be proud
of the stand you have taken. The one who
refuses to sign an oath with which he professes to be in accord, displays a pusillanimous character. Actually, experience has
shown that such persons really have certain
mental reservations and their refusal to sign
a membership obligation is often so that they
may later vilate it without leaving evidence
of their insincerity.
The Rosicrucian principies, oaths, and ob
ligations are not secret. The piimary oath,
for example, to which each Neophyte must
subscribe, may be disclosed to others. The
Rosicrucian Order is unique, perhaps, in
not keeping its oaths secret, as do most fra
ternal orders. They contain no language
that the public could misinterpret or at
which anyone could be shocked. The oaths
do not threaten bodily harm for violation,
or intimidate the individual in any religious
or theological sense, as do those of many
other societies.
Each Rosicrucian is under oath and moral
obligation not to share the official monographs, rituals, teachings, charts, diagrams,
and instruction matter with a nonmember.
There are no exceptions to this provision.
The fact that a wife, mother, sister, husband, or brother for example, may share
your home constitutes no justifiable reason
to permit them to read or examine your
confidential study matter. The individual
who does so, in disregard of his obligations,
is a dishonorable person. In a sense, he is
a thief because he has misappropriated the
confidence which the Order has placed in
him. If cise relatives and friends manifest
an interest in the Rosicrucian Order, its
philosophy and teachings, then, they can
through the proper and ethical channels become members of AMORC. The Rosicru
cian Order is distinct in providing a very
economical system of membership whereby
relatives may become companion members
after meeting certain requirements.
What would you think of a Freemason,
an Elk, or an Eastem Star who after taking
solemn vows to keep confidential his rites

Page 90

and ceremonies would deliberately divulge

them to a nonmember, whether one of his
family or not? You would agree that such
a person is contemptible and should be sub
ject to expulsin from that Order. Most
certainly it is no less a violation to permit
others to have access to the teachings, under
any pretext!
Further, the intelligent and ethical non
memberhusband, wife, daughter, etc.
will not demand that the member permit
him to read confdential membership ma
terial. Certainly the wife could not, for ex
ample, demand that her husband escort her
into a closed session of the Masonic Order,
or of any other Lodge. Why then should
she expect that he must vilate his Rosicru
cian membership oath and divulge the contents of the teachings?
One may, and should, tell others with
pride that he is a member of the Rosicru
cian Order. He may give them the free,
public literature provided by the Order,
which explains about it. He should, likewise,
say that the study material has been entrusted to him under obligation as a mem
ber. He is not at liberty to permit others to
read or study it, unless they, too, are mem
bers. The understanding relativewife, hus
band, son, or daughter, etc.will realize
that such a bond of cise relationship does
not mean that one should sacrifice his integrity as an individual and his self-respect,
by violating his fraternal oaths. Where one
cannot, for lack of strength of character or
other circumstances, keep inviolate such
oaths of membership, he or she, then, has
no proper right to become a member. Such
persons should decline to affiliate until they
can be assured that their membership documents and teachings will receive the privacy,
the security, to which they are entitled.
It is also advisable again to admonish
members that because one purports, or rep
resents himself to be a Rosicrucian, or even
because he gives a password, that is not suf
ficient reason to entrust him with the mono
graphs or rituals of any Degree. The in
dividual should present an activethat is,
currentmembership card, showing himself
to be in good standing; he should establish
his identity as a member. Without this, his
unsupported statement as to his active mem
bership cannot be accepted for reasons of
security. Further, before permitting one to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

have any monographs, it is necessary for

the member to prove that he is of the De
gree of the monographs which he requests.
He should show copies of the monographs
of the Degree immediately preceding the
one for which he asks. If this cannot be
done, then he must obtain a credential on
the official stationary of the Grand Lodge of
AMORC, which states the Degree to which
he has attained. In lieu of these absolute
proofs, under ones oath of obligation to
AMORC, one should not permit others to
have access to his confdential, membership
materials.X
Bowing to Graven Images
Recently, in a Forum conducted by one of
our lodges, a frater asked a question which
we think worthy of considering at this time.
He said: In the Bible, Exodus 20:4, it is
admonished: Thou shalt not make unto thee
any graven image, or any likeness of any
thing that is in the heaven above, or that is
in the earth beneath, or that is in the water
under the earth. How are we to interpret
this injunction? In the light of our modern
times, men and women do not practice idolatry. They create no images as deities. Can
we believe, then, that this statement in Exo
dus has no lesson for our age?
Men today in our most civilized lands, in
our great metropolitan cities, have their idols
just as did the ancient Philistines, the Hittites, and the Phrygians. They create them
as images to displace the divine in their
adoration and in their worship. These ob
jects and practices which men have made
their idols are not conceived by them to be
divinities or gods. Rather, they are images
of pleasure, of materialism, idols of fame,
fortune, ambition, and power. Men grovel
before them, however. They sacrifice to
them their moral impulses. They destroy
at the foot of such idols those virtues which
mankind has long cultivated. They deny
the spiritual part of themselves so that these
idols of materialism may be served. They
exalt these symbols of lust, avarice, and
sensuality above Cosmic law. They have
made these idols or graven images the su
preme god in their lives.
It is not just sufficient that a man say:
Yes, I believe there is a supreme Being, a
Universal Intelligence or God, and then, by
his living, pay homage to the false gods of

FEBRUARY, 1953

materialism. The man who permits the acquisition of money to so domnate his life
that it opposes every moral and social princi
pie, or what is conceived to be the spiritual
good, has most certainly created a graven
image. A man is religious not only in his
affiliation with a sect but also in displaying
the religious spirit. What one worships,
therefore, as a transcendental power, or recognizes as a supreme good and to which he
dedicates and sacrifices his life, constitutes
his personal god. Our present world is teeming with the votaries of these graven images.
It is natural and proper that man should
seek bodily comfort, freedom from mental
and physical aggravations. It cannot be denied by any rational person that the conten t
of happiness is in physical and intellectual
gratification as well as in the satisfaction of
the moral impulse. However, over and be
yond all these ideis, these objects or images,
which we strive to obtain, there must be a
spiritual ideal that corresponds to our moral
impulses. Each of us must have enshrined
within our consciousness the God of our
Heart. These other things to which we pay
homage must always be in a subordinate
relation; they must never supplant or be a
substitute for the exalted pleasure of inner
communion with what we conceive the su
preme power of the universe to be.
The material world may have its golden
idols, its prizes and rewards for which men
with ambition and initiative will and should
strive. For these they pay with labor of
body and mind. Never, however, must they
sacrifice their humility to the First Cause,
or think that such material gains are the
end of human existence and the summum
bonum of life. These material ideis are
evanescent. They pass with time. Their
glitter is dulled with the enlarged experi
ence. In the more serious conflicts with life
they bring little satisfaction or relief from
any distress. What man can make, man
can destroy. What he can invent, he can
make obsolete by new creations. However,
no mind has yet risen to the level of answering all the mysteries of existence. Only the
fool has ever felt independent of the powers
that gave him life and which take it from
him. In a peaceful understanding of the
God of ones heart is to be found consolation in every situation of life. Cali it psy
chological adjustment, if you will, to the

Page 91

vicissitudes of our finite existence. Yet, when

it is possessed, it is more permanent and
gratifying than any collection of things.
Have your images if you must, as we all
do: golf, televisin, movies, cars, books, prominent titles, and a myriad of other particulars. Above them, must be the symbol of
the moral sense, that which your being respects as the governing immutable power and
intelligence of the universe. If you conceive
such to be the God, then you will never be
a worshipper of graven images.X
Are Accidents Caused Psychically?
A frater in Pennsylvania now rises to
ask a question of our Forum. Are there
psychic locations for accidents? This thought
has come to me quite strongly of late. I
carne upon the idea why so many accidents
happen on highways just at certain locations.
Now, there may be nothing especially hazardous about the road at that point. It is
just that accidents do happen there and fre
quently. I was wondering whether there
might not be some Cosmic influence in the
area. I use the word Cosmic loosely here, of
course. What I mean is, that certainly when
people are hurt at a location, they must
recall that location; it must be often in their
thoughts. If they are killed, perhaps psy
chically they try to get back to the location
for some reason which we do not thoroughly
understand.
Experience has shown that certain areas
have been the lcale of numerous traffic
accidents, even when there was no apparent
physical cause. Many suppositionsand
superstitionshave been advanced to ex
plain such a phenomenon. The most prob
able one given, and, of course, wholly materialistic, is that there is a psychological
factor involved. Drivers are familiar with
the reputation of the area. They recollect
all of the accounts, the details of the injuries
and deaths that have occurred there, and
they become unnerved. Their imagination
being thus stimulated, they think they see
probable hazards which they attempt to
avoid. As a result of lost coordination they
lose control of their vehicle and become an
other victim of the area.
At first, the analysis given may seem exaggerated, but it does revolve around the
psychological law of suggestion. For example,

Page 92

we all have had the experience of feeling

as though we were going to lose our balance
when walking along a ledge ten inches wide
that was perhaps ten to fifteen feet above
the ground. However, we can walk easily
and steadily along a strip of the same width
if it is on the surface. The height suggests
danger and insecmity. Fear inhibits our
sense of balance and may actually cause us
to fall.
Aside from the possible psychological
cause of accidents in definite areas, there is
also a much more mysterious cause which
is wholly of a physical nature. Accompanying our Rosicrucian monographs in one of
the early Degrees, there is a special monograph, a pronunziamento, which relates to
the phenomena of earth rays and currents.
Noted physicists are quoted, also geologists
and other scientists, who tell of these mys
terious radiations from the earth. It explains
how pigeons and other living things are able
to navigate over great distances by following the courses of these rays. Carrier pigeons,
for example, have a faculty of perception
which, in effect, functions like radar. Car
rier pigeons react to the subtle earth radi
ations, and by following their beam, simi
lar to modem aircraft, they are able to
pursue the same course with great accuracy
in any weather or at night.
Many theories and facts are advanced in
the same Pronunziamento as to the physical,
and of course natural, sources of these earth
radiations. They are thought to be the deposits or veins of radioactive minerals. Again,
they are believed to be minerals which in
some way concntrate or deflect the lines of
magnetic forc within the earth itself. These
currents or, if you wish, magnetic stresses
which are generated can be detected by cer
tain living organismsan ability which na
ture has provided for their welfare.
In other regions it has been found that
no vegetation will grow within an area often
not over twenty-five or thirty yards in diameter; beyond such a circle, the vegetation is
quite normal. A chemical analysis of the
properties of the soil in the nonproductive
area has proved it to be no more deficient
or otherwise different from the adjoining
soil in which the vegetation flourishes normally. It has been contended that disturbing
radiations or earth currents have been the
cause of sterility of the soil. Small animals,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

such as dogs and cats, have been noticed to

avoid Crossing such an area; if forcibly
placed in that particular spot, the animal
would seem to show some physical distress,
fleeing as quickly as released.
In one instance concernng a regin of
this type, human beings have felt a slight
tensin when standing in the center of the
area, or they have felt nothing at all. Of
course, the tensin experienced by some,
may have been due to suggestion. It is interesting to note that modem radiation detecting devices, such as the Geiger counter, gave
no indication of a perceptual energy. We
recall an experience in the high Andes Mountains in the interior of Per. The altitude
was approximately 14,000 feet. Our Rosi
crucian Camera Expedition was filming some
of the sacred shrines in the cities of the
Incas. On this particular promontory overlooking the Cuzco Valley were what was
known as the royal Inca baths, or the Sacred
Baths. These are recumbent monoliths of
granite which had been hollowed out to
form huge rectangular basins. There were
three, each elevated about five feet above the
other. They were in such a relationship
that the water which gushed from a spring
in a crevice of the rock would pour into the
top one, then overflow into the one beneath
it, and subsequently into the lower basin.
Archaeologists have little to relate about
this obvious artifact of the Inca culture, except to say that it was probably used as
baths. The Peruvian Indians of the regin,
descendants of the Incas, have romantic
and impressive legends about the baths, how
ever. They are said to be a remnant of a
place of lustration, that is, a site used for
religious purification, similar to a baptismal
font. Perhaps it was used in connection
with the initiation of a mystery rite where
one was inducted into the wisdom and secret
doctrines attributed by some to the Inca
priests. At least, the area is venerated by
the indigenous Indians, and likewise held
in awe by them.
We prepared to take cinema pictures and
sought to get an exposure reading with our
light meter. We were surprised to find that
the hand. of the meter failed to respond even
though it had worked perfectly at an alti
tude of 12,000 feet a short time previously.
Not wishing to risk an inaccurate exposure
for the motion picture film, we contented

FEBRUARY, 1953

ourselves with a still photograph, approximating the light valu as best we could.
We retumed to the sacred Inca city of
Cuzco, situated on the floor of the valley
which attains the considerable altitude of
11,500 feet. To our amazement, the light
meter functioned satisfactorily! We discarded the theory that the altitude might
have in some way affected the delicate mechanism. Previous filming, and subsequent,
proved that the meter was unaffected by
altitude, and technically there was no reason
why it should be so affected. We even resorted to the extra effort of climbing again
to the Inca baths and discovered that when
we approached within a radius of approximately one hundred feet of them the meter
again went dead. Whether anyone else
has had a similar experience in that regin
previously or since, we have never learned.
We have theorized that some mineral deposits in the vicinity, or even earth currents,
temporarily magnetized the delicate mechanism of the meter or in some way affected
its photorell. The student of the occult and
of psychic phenomena might take the view
that since the place was venerated by the
Indians, and had been for centuries, it had
become a focal point of their thoughts; that
is, the concentration of the psychic powers
of their combined consciousness had in some
way affected the substance in the area so as
to create a physical disturbance. The only
fault with this supposition is that the Rosi
crucian Camera Expedition elsewhere in
Per, as well as in India, Tibet, Siam, Egypt,
Iraq, etc., had successfully filmed (with the
aid of a meter) sites and objects equally as
sacred and venerated.
In cases of severe emotional disturbance
as in incidents of grief associated with death
and accidents, it has been noticed that ma
terial substances as places and things
have been affected. The human aura, a vi
bratory radiating energy resulting from the
stimulation of the psychic centers, becomes
particularly intense from aroused emotions.
It would appear that this aura creates a
condition which is retained within material
substances for an indefinito time. Those
who later come in contact with these sub
stances detect, in a psychic manner, these
subtle radiations which appear to induce
within them sensations or feelings compar
able to the ones had by those having ex
perienced the original misfortune.

Page 93

This explanation, obviously, is not yet

possible of empirical confirmation. Physicists
as yet have not devisd an instrument able
to detect in substances which have been
touched by, or been contiguous to, individ
uis suffering great misfortune any electrical
radiations of a mysterious nature which
might have come from them. Whatever be
the characteristics or changes in substances,
the result of these subtle radiations of the
human aura, they defy any physical means
of detection as yet. In other words, examination of the substances does not show
anything which would indicate that there
is resident in them a forc or an energy implanted there as a result of the human aura.
In fact, not all humans are sensitivo to these,
shall we say, aura radiations that may be
coming from inanimate substances. The only
scientific approach to the subject is along
the lines of parapsychology and inquiry into
the extrasensory perception of individuis.
Science will eventually admit what many
persons already know from their personal
experience that repeated tests under ideal
conditions prove that a substantial percentage of a given number of persons respond
alike under the same circumstances.
Let us remember that both hypnotism and
mental telepathy were once relegated to the
category of superstition and fancy. Now,
physical science recognizes the phenomena.
Science has satisfactorily explained hypno
tism, but regarding mental telepathy, it has
not yet found an answer. Nevertheless, sci
ence admits the reality of the phenomenon.
Students of the esoteric who have long known
of the phenomenon have equally as long had
a gratifying knowledge of the laws and the
principies underlying mental telepathy.
The accidents to which the frater refers
could well fall into the category of a psychic
phenomenon. A psychic field could have
been induced in the surroundings by the
great number of accidents that occurred at
that particular placethe field being the
consequence of the mental as well as the
physical distress that resulted in the area.
Others, driving along this portion of highway, relaxed and perhaps even in a meditative state, partially subconscious as they
habitually drive, could be receptive to the
disturbing vibratory radiations. Such could
perhaps affect their motor nerves, and the
resulting inability to coordinate their actions

Page 94

might cause the accident. Everyone might

not be so affected, just as everyone has not
had the experience of mental telepathy or
the projection of thought.
We have here offered several explanations
of how such accidents might have occurred.
It would take an extensive analysis along
the lines of scientific methods to determine
the true cause. It is, however, a fallacy to
assume as absolute the nature of the cause
without a rational, unbiased investigation.
Let us remember that an investigation of
psychic phenomena must be analytical, and
one must be just as logical in his conclusions
as is the materialist in his inquiries.X
About Non-Mystical Philosophy
A frater of long standing, addressing our
Forum, says: In reading certain types of
philosophy such as that of Einstein, Russell,
and Whitehead, I frequently encounter propositions which evoke no mystical reaction
whatsoever. Is my use of the Rosicrucian
technique consequently limited to the intellectual field? Or does the lack of mystical
reaction indicate some imperfection in the
philosophy? We, as Rosicrucians, do not at
tempt to define God, since we hold that each
persons experience of Him is unique. Does
this apply to other phases of truth or reality
as well?
Mysticism is a phase or type of philosophy.
It consists of certain general principies and
objectives supported by personal experience.
Like all philosophy, then, it is a love and a
search for an all-inclusive knowledge bringing into a singleness the function and pur
pose of life. We may put it another way
by saying that mystical philosophy is a par
ticular approach to the understanding of the
whole of reality. To the mystic, the human
consciousness is an extensin of the allpervading universal consciousness of God or
Cosmic Mind. To comprehend the unity of
all the separate manifestations of reality,
which we experience as mass, matter, energy
and form, animate and inanimate substance,
the human consciousness must be brought
into realization of the universal conscious
ness. The mystic, therefore, approaches the
sol reality or God, if you will, not through
the analysis of material particulars but by
raising his consciousness to a perfect attunement with the omniscient mind. The abso
lute mystic, then, believes, and has had

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

experiences which to him confirm his belief,

that he will have a flow of intuitive knowl
edge which will explain the phenomenal
world to him.
The Rosicrucian mystic is not a conformist
to this traditional mystical approach in every
respect. We believe that our Rosicrucian
method, the result of proofs revealed during
the centuries, is superior. One cannot retreat from life and become a recluse, resorting solely to meditation, and expect to de
velop a philosophy which serves mankind in
a practical sense. Furthermore, one will not
come to understand, in every respect, his
material environment by doing so. We live
in a material and phenomenal world. There
are material demands made upon us daily.
We cannot escape the impact of mechanical
progress and scientific development. We
must know something about the sciences and
arts of our society and use many of them
in our contemporary living. The Rosicru
cian, then, finds it necessary to pursue an
empirical inquiry into many of the technical
fields of his day. Rosicrucians must, in pursuit of a livelihood, become chemists, physicists, astronomers, physicians, lawyers, mechanics, photographers, accountants, printers, engineers, and the like.
The Rosicrucian, whose life is touched by
these sciences, arts, and trades, must study
the components of which they consist. He
must know the facts about them in the way
that any other individual does. The dis
tinction between the Rosicrucian and other
students of these material subjects is that
the former resorts to his mystical philosophy
to guide him in his intellection. He is given
inspiration, Cosmic enlightenment, a clearer
visin, and the stimulation of his faculties
through his mystical insight. It is the mys
tical lumination that integrates or ties together in a comprehensible form the factual
knowledge which he may acquire from the
usual academic pursuits. We may say that
the mystical philosophy is deductive. It sets
the general order or framework into which
the particulars of academic studies may be
fitted. The mystical philosophy often reveis
the course that an inquiry along wholly
materialistic lines should take.
From this, then, we can see that mystical
philosophy integrates the results of our observations and the judgments of our reason
with Cosmic reality. It permits us to draw

FEBRUARY, 1953

the proper conclusions from what we per

ceive. Certainly the true meaning of them
is as important as the collection of any particulars. It is one thing to perceive some
thing; it is another to understand its proper
relationship to all else.
Philosophy, generally, also seeks to unify
all knowledge which man has gained through
experience. As Hegel taught, the true reality
is found only in the significance of the particulars of our experience to the whole into
which the experiences must fit. Philosophy
likewise attempts to set certain ends as an
intellectual path to be followed. It is deductive, the general idea of reality constituting
the challenge for science and for empirical
knowledge to find the particulars as facts
to confirm the idea. The distinction between
mystical philosophy and that of other schools
of philosophical thought is that the concepts
of the latter are arrived at wholly by ratiocination. Philosophy, generally, is a proc
ess dependent upon the analysis of experience
and the logical deductions drawn therefrom.
The mystic, on the other hand, seeks a level
of consciousness and experience beyond his
objective and subjective powers. He seeks,
through the depth of self, to have reflected
in him some of the Cosmic intelligence which
shall be his guide and counselor. This type
of guidance is most commonly known as
intuitive and it results in a stimulation of
the mind, producing what are known as
self-evident truths.
Self-evident truths are not predetermined
facts as, for example, mathematical equations, chemical formulae, which, as innate
points of knowledge, exist in the Cosmic
world. Self-evident truths are the result of
a psychological process. The facts of which
they consist, as concepts, are born out of the
actual experiences which we have had objectively. The psychologist will definitely
claim that self-evident truths are not innate
Cosmic wisdom that is awakened in the soul.
The psychologist is right. The true mystic
does not insist that self-evident truths exist
in any intact form in the Cosmic. He de
clares that the psychological process, how
ever, by which self-evident truths occur, is
the consequence of a higher phase of con
sciousness, organizing and developing ex
perience into new ideas on a level beyond
the function of reason.

Page 95

Many philosophical works of note are not

mystical in content. Consequently, the study
of them will, in no way, contribute to a
mystical experience, as the frater says. The
classical philosophers and noted thinkers of
our day should be studied, however, within
the limits of ones time and without the
sacrifice of ones mystical philosophy. The
logic of these thinkers is superb and often
cannot be refuted because their conclusions
are trueby that we mean, they are in
accord with reality. What is truth to the
human mind is at least a temporary reality
until the mind is able to transcend it. There
fore, such truths are real, no matter through
what source they come. When mystical ex
perience convinces you, as an individual,
that the conclusions of a philosopher are
false, then do not accept his postulations, no
matter how eminent his views. However, it
is not sufficient to have merely a mystical
conviction as to a truth. As said, it is then
necessary to reduce your Cosmic illumination, your inner conviction, to a logical ob
jective level or it will serve neither you or
anyone else. All the great mystics and re
ligious founders as, for example, Zoroaster,
Buddha, and Christ, brought their conceptions into the realm of a livable philosophy.
Though some of the philosophers of our
day and of the past may not engender a
mystical reaction in the one studying their
works, often such are the result of mystical
enlightenment. In other words, the profound
thinker may not write on the subject of
mysticism but his clear exposition of his
topic indicates that his knowledge was not
wholly due to perception and to reasoning.
His meditations undoubtedly led him to
higher levels of consciousness unintentionally and these his magnificent reasoning
comes to reflect. In fact, some of the promi
nent philosophers of our day, who readily
deny that they are mystics, nevertheless
concede that the mystical state can result
in tremendous revelations which pur reason
alone could not attain.
We have had occasion to say elsewhere,
and we repeat it now, that not every philoso
pher is a mystic. Every mystic should, how
ever, also cultivate, as much as he can, the
logical thinking which is the virtue of the
philosophical mind. X

With the Flip of a Coin!

npHE flip of a coin often constitutes the decisin for
a course of action. This simple act has moved
armies, precipitated wars, started great industrial ventures. It is, however, an act devoid of careful thought
or reason, and an indication of lack of will. Such a
method of deciding important problems is subject to
the unsound element of so'called chance. The book
Self Mastery and Fate with the Cycles of Life, which
thousands have read and use daily, proves what econo'
mists and scientists know that there is a periodicity
in human and natural events. In life there are fortnate
and unfortunate hours for every act. W e are pleased
to introduce to the readers of this book a simple coin
based on the charts of the book which at a single glance
reveis the hourly periods accurately, mathematically
true. One glance at this coin informs the reader of the
nature of the daily periods governing his life not an
amulet or lucky (?) piece.

C an You Afford To
Be Without It?
This handy coin can be carried in the pocket. It is
ever^ready to reveal the tendencies of the cycles af'
fecting you. Accompanying the coin is a little pamphlet
fully explaining the things to avoid during certain
periods, and showing the profitable periods that await
you. Every reader of the above book should possess
this practical coin. If you have not the book, write for
free descriptive folder. If you have, SEC U R E TH E
CO IN A N D P A M P H L ET TO D A Y .

The coin is made of a light weight, strong alloy.

One side contains the days and periods; the
other, the hours of the day divided into A. M
and P. M , and indicating the periods. Acco,nv
panying the coin is a pamphlet giving explana'
tion of the importance of each period, and iiv
structions fo.-- use of the coin.

6 0 c Pos+paid
(4/4 sterling)

ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU

SAN

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

q| l f | > T H E R O S IC R U C IA N PR E S S , l i T D . , SA N J O S E , C A L IF .

U. S. A.
P R IN T E D IN U . S . A .

.A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A . S

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM

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A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF A M O RC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1 1 0 3 of the U .S . Postal A ct of Oct. 3 , 1 9 1 7 .

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Yol. XXIII

APRIL, 1953

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No. 5

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MIRACLES

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"Why does not God work miracles

As in the days of od
So all men can behold them and
Believe the stories told?"

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So spoke the man of little faith

Who blindly plodded on,
Who never saw the starry skies,
Who never saw the dawn;

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Who never saw the leafy trees,

Who never felt the heart
That throbs throughout the Universe,
The God within his heart!

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George L. Ahlborn, F. R. C.

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N e fe r t it i L o d g e B u lle tin,

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1949

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BYTHE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OFTHE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $2.25 (16/1 sterling) ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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Page 98

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

V V

SIM PLICITY OF PURPOSE

Dear Fratres and Sorores:
The average man and woman stand be
fore the course of life like one at a bazaar
which is heavily laden with wares. They
hardly know which of the multitude of ends
or objectives offered they should select. On
all sides, figuratively speaking, are the intel
lectual and emotional appeals of various
philosophical and religious sects. Almost like
a vendor hawking his wares, they exhort the
people to partake of certain doctrines and
methods. In glowing terms, they offer salvation, theories of knowledge, immortality, di
vine beneficence, and their interpretations
of deity. Also, like objects one buys at a
public mart, some of these ideas wear well
and others are later found to be faulty.
What the average person too often fails
to realize is that the numerous things and
ways extended to him as ends in life are
not positive in themselves. At best they can
be but contributions to the fundamental
satisfaction in human existence. Long before
any one of us pursues a course designed to
provide satisfaction, he should have a comprehension of just what that satisfaction
constitutes. If we know our goal before we
set out upon a journey, we will not burden
ourselves with particulars which actually do
not help us to attain it. The experienced
traveler journeys light. He knows that many
things interfere with his travel instead of
adding to his comfort, as the inexperienced
traveler may imagine.
Let us put aside the traditional and romantic purposes in life which have so long
been eulogized. For us, as conscious intelli
gent beings, what does remain as natural
gratifying ends to pursue? All ends may
be reduced to only two. The first of these is
health. It is the perfect state of an organism,
the harmonious functioning of its being. If
we conceive the human organism as being
comparable to a complex mechanical device,
then its ideal is to achieve and maintain the
harmonious co-ordination of its many parts
and systems or as the engineer would say,
the fullest efficiency of the mechanism.
Health, then, is the efficient co-ordination

and balance of the entire human organism.

This harmony is experienced by man as a
condition of well-being, of freedom from
aggravation and distress.
Any properly functioning mechanism generates or has a potentiality of producing
work. The healthy human organism generates a vitality and excessive energy which
must be released or consumed; otherwise, its
efficiency is retarded. One plans no task for
a complex machine until he is assured that
it is operating in a manner capable of performing the work for which it was intended.
The mechanic adjusts, tunes and times, his
machine to avoid any internal inharmony,
for such would then mean loss of power and
potentiality of work.
We should not expect less of our own
beings than of a machine insofar as deriving
the utmost efficiency from ourselves is con
cerned. The first end in life, upon which
all else is contingent, is health. It is futile
to establish any idealism which will draw
upon the productivo capacity, physical or
mental, of the human organism, unless there
is a first concern for health. The youth, the
young man or woman, should lay down an
intelligent program of a healthful life. They
should be guided by accumulated experience
as set forth in the instructions and guidance
of physicians and physical education directors. Health is its own reward. It must not
be construed wholly in terms of future accomplishment. Certainly millions of persons
will agree that no satisfactory culmination
of any enterprise completely mitigates the
suffering and misery of ill-health. At least
we can say with assurance that one who has
kept the distress of ill-health to a minimum
has realized one of the fundamental pur
poses of human existence.
Unspent energy and vitality cause nervous
tensin and physical and mental aggravation.
For analogy, a powerful motor designed and
constructed to accommodate a specific work
load, may become damaged if operated to full
capacity without being engaged by any
load. The work is necessary for the stabilization of the mechanism. So, too, it is with the

APR1L, 1953

human organism. The healthy normal hu

man being must find an outlet for the vitality he is generating through his efficient
physical living. Muscular and mental ener
gy is constantly engendered. The majority
of lazy persons are not healthy ones. A toxic
condition can produce autointoxication to the
extent that the individual is lethargic. If
one is more inclined to be inactive than
active, it is a certainty that he has a lack of
vibrant health. Conversely, of course, all
active persons are not paragons of health.
They may by necessity be driving themselves
beyond the efficiency of their organism. The
healthy person wants activity. There is an
ebullient exuberance, and satisfaction is only
had in a physical or mental expenditure of
the energy.
The second fundamental purpose in life is
the pursuit of peace of mind. All the things
that man aspires to in life, all the expenditures of the healthy, are attempts to acquire
this fundamental. Sensual pleasures satisfying the appetites and passions are but func
tional. They are the result of urges, the
gratification of which is intended by nature
to establish the physical norm, that is, to
maintain health. It is like providing water
for an engine when escaping steam indicates
the need to replenish itor to provide oil
and grease when a bearing begins to emit
smoke. Sensual pleasures are satisfactions
that are derived from the return of the hu
man mechanism to its operating order. Peace
of mind is derived from hamessing or engaging the productive human power.
Actually health is incomplete without the
minds conceiving a purpose for the integrated human being, that is, for both the
mind and body. There must be a dissipation
of the energy generated. This consumption
of vitality must not be adverse. It should
not consist of such activity as would be
inimical to the internal harmony of the
mechanism. For further analogy, a machine
should not be engaged in such work as will
eventually retard or destroy its own func
tion. Herein lies a common human problem.
Most of the particulars or ends which men
pursue in life in the hope of finding peace
of mind, though often under some other
term, actually impede or destroy their own
capacity to attain peace. They engage in
pursuits which detrimentally affect their
physical or mental health. The objective of

Page 99

peace of mind must complement and sustain,

as much as humanly possible, ones physical
well-being.
Obviously, peace of mind is related to
idealism. This consists of a program of ac
tivity from which may be derived the great
est pleasure, which likewise, means a minimum of any kind of distraction as well. How
should this be accomplished in a practical
way? Though we speak of self as though it
were a single quality or state of our being,
actually it is a composite. The physical configuration of our being, our skeletal struc
ture, organs and systems, is a pronounced
self. These are among the elements of our
entity of which we are conscious. The emo
tional and psychic element, the immanent
feelings and sentiments, is still another self.
The intellectual aspect, the will and reason,
is again another self. Each of these has a
plethora of its nature, that which represents
the full expression of its conten. The sensually gratified state, where there is no aggravation of desire existing, constitutes the
ideal of the physical self. Freedom from
anxiety, fears and excessive emotional or
psychic stimulation, provides the ideal of the
emotional, psychic, and moral self. The in
tellectual or rational self has its ideal in the
realization of an idea, the objectifying of a
thought or a plan.
There must be a coherence between these
selves and yet they, to' an extent, work
independently. The individual who seeks
health alone leaves ungratified an active
mind and an unexpressed emotional and
psychic self. Again, the individual who
pursues merely an intellectual end, without
regard for the physical, moral, and emo
tional selves, can never realize peace of
mind. The end of each self must be established and pursued without interference with
the others.
Once you have determined that you have
prescribed for yourself a course of life that
will, to the extent of your means, contribute
to your health, then consider next your emo
tional and psychic self. What do you need to
gratify a sense of moral rectitude, to feel that
you are doing and thinking right? What
will establish a sense of self-confidence and
instil within you an impersonal love? Will
love of children, or animals, nature or di
vine mysteries, bring deep emotional satis
faction and stability? What of the mind and

Page 100

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

mental faculties? Can you conceive ends for

your imagination and reason logically so as
to prepare yourself for a trade, a business or
profession? Without intelligent organization
of your thoughts, your actions are likely to
become disorganized. Disorganized, haphazard living disrupts the separate gratifications
of your physical and psychic selves.
Try this deductive process in establishing
your purpose in life. Go back to the basic
requirements of health and peace of mind.
Adjust the particulars of human experience
to conform to them. Be certain that there
is a harmonious relationship between them.
Life can offer you nothing more glorious
than health and peace of mind.
'
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
Our Future Incarnations
A soror, new to our Forum, rises and says:
I sometimes wonder about the next incar
nation. Does the time come when we can
look forward into our next Ufe and see who
we shall be, what we shall do, and so forth?
What we shall be in our future incamations and where we shall be born, is not determined in advance Cosmically. We are
the creators of our next incarnation while
we are in this one. Our thoughts, our deeds,
our relationships with others, our ideis and
aspirations, as well as our intellectual and
spiritual evolution, all determine the next
incarnation, just as the next moment is the
effect of what you say and do now. Each
conscious moment is causative and the one
that follows from it is an effect. The effect,
becomes a cause of still further effects. In
each life, then, we forge a link with our
next and future incarnations. We can definitely influence the development and course
of our next incarnation while in this one.
The Rosicrucian monographs, in several of
the Degrees, elabrate on the technique by
which this mystical process can and has
been accomplished. We can but touch upon
it briefly here.
First, it is futile for us to attempt, Cos
mically, through any exercise of attunement
to try to determine what our next incamation is to be. The reason for this being im
possible is quite simple. It is that .the life
of the next incarnation is still in the forma-

tive stage. It is a potential within your pres

ent life at this time you are helping to lay
its foundations hourly. Further, if you were
to perceive the next incarnation, it would
be to the extent of certain causes which you
have already laid down. You would be able
to see only that certain effects, as laws or
conditions, would follow from what you had
done up to the present. That future would
have no stability because it would be subject
to change or mitigation, the consequence of
any new acts and thoughts upon your part.
Let us use a simple analogy to make this
principie more comprehensible. Suppose you
are planning for next years vacation. You
want to visit the mountains. You therefore
anticipate the type of clothing you will need
at that altitude; you further determine the
amount of clothing, depending upon the
length of time you will be on holiday. You
conceive, as well, what you will want to do
while there. Perhaps you have arranged to
buy a camera and film so as to photograph
any unusual scenery. You may have purchased fshing accessories and some worthwhile book to read during the long pleasant
evenings. As you review all these details, it
would seem that your holiday is quite an
established fact. What you do as causes
should produce the results of which you de
sire your vacation to consist. However, as
you well know from experience, events of
now could easily change the whole course
of your holiday. Your health might make
it inadvisable for you to go to a high alti
tude. Your economic affairs or some other
unforeseen demand upon your resources
might oblige you to cancel the vacation.
Thus the holiday is contingent upon the
thought, deeds, and circumstances of the
now. It is not a fixed or assured event.
We are told in our monographs that laying the foundation of a future incarnation
constitutes more than just wishing, desiring,
or, in fact, asking the Cosmic for it. It is
a process of creating upon your part. You
must begin by thinking of the type of life
and kind of work you wish to perform. Carefully analyze yourself. What do you know
about yourself that, if you could live your
life over, you would want to correct or seek
to attain? Have you discovered that you
would be happier in one of the arts, as mu
sic, painting or writing, than in your pres
ent work? Perhaps you would prefer research

APR1L, 1953

in some field of science or mechanics. Again,

you might desire to pursue an academic life
as a teacher or professor. Have you thought
that, as a spiritual counselor, mystic or phi
losopher, you might attain your greatest hap
piness? Has life shown you that you have
a great sympathy for those who are ill and
that you have a natural ability to heal
others? This might cause you to aspire to
become a physician in your next incarnation.
After deciding what you would sincerely
like to do in another incarnation, it is nec
essary that you keep it uppermost as an
ideal in your mind. Next comes the grad
ual preparation and the establishing of
causes from which the next life will follow
as an effect. If you would like to be a
healer, for example, it would be necessary
for you to read whatever you can about the
human body and its various processes, par
ticularly stressing the healing technique, as
given in the Rosicrucian monographs, as a
stimulation for your thought. Make the ef
fort also to visit those who are ill. Try to
discover what things you can do and say
that will, in some way, alleviate their
suffering.
Mystically, while in Cosmic attunement
in your sanctum, visualize yourself as in
another incarnation and as actually assuming the personality and duties of one doing
what you desire. Further, ask that you be
given the Cosmic power to build strength
and to develop your character and soulpersonality along the lines of the life you
wish for your next incarnation. Try, as
much as your personal time and studies
permit, to assume activities and enter into
thoughts that are definitely related to your
ideal in the next incarnation. All of this
conditions your soul-personality for that par
ticular kind of life. It makes you psychically
responsivo to that kind of existence by arousing and developing those talents which are
related to what you desire.
We also have been told in our monographs
that the soul-personality, upon the occasion
of rebirth, is attracted to the body and to
those circumstances which will enable it to
carry out its plans. For analogy, we may
say that the soul-personality is really one
pole of a magnet. It draws to it the opposite
pole, the material existence, the body, which
is of a nature best able to serve. We often
use the expression that one is a born mu-

Page 101

sician, physician, writer, and so forth. Psy

chologically, we mean that the association
areas of a persons brain and consequent
talents make him particularly adapted to
the work or profession which he has selected.
This psychological adjustment is principally
due to the fact that the soul-personality was
attracted to an organism and to circum
stances through which it could best express
itself.
Just as we may intentionally form our
future incarnations, so too we may unwittingly do so. The individual who harbors
racial hatreds, or extreme religious bias, is
creating a karmic condition for which he
must make compensation. He is assuredly
creating a condition where he may have to
assume, in the next incarnation, the very
race, color, or creed that he now despises
and perhaps attacks. He is practically assured, unless he changes his thoughts and
actions, of being exposed to the same humility and acrimonius statements and hurts
that he has imposed upon others. Those who
hold in contempt the opposite sex in busi
ness and professional matters, as some males
do females, may endure the life of a female,
being subject to the same kind of obstructions and restrictions. You cannot want one
life for yourself in a future incarnation and,
at the same time, think and act quite differently in this one. It is not, as we have
said, the desire alone that creates the next
incarnation but behavior that is commensurate with it.
It is necessary to think of your soulpersonality as the cause of the kind of life
you will live in your next incarnation. This
soul-personality is plstic. In other words,
it is flexible. You must, with the help of
the Cosmic, mould it in the form you wish
it to express itself now and in the next life.
As you can understand from these brief remarks, planning the future incarnation is
in many respects like planning for tomorrow in this life. Just as we often find it expedient to alter our plans for tomorrow, so,
too, it is often advisable to change our plans
for the next incarnation. Each one of us
can readily recall that the ambitions of our
youth were quite different from what we
now think the ideal life would be. Some
have realized that what they prepared them
selves for in their youth and in their schooling is not what they should have pursued.

Page 102

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Their real love, they have discovered, is per

haps deeper and fuller than the one of the
immature concepts of youth. It may be too
late to bring about a transition in your af
fairs in this incamation but you can, as explained, prepare for the next one.
Our late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis,
has admirably said in one of our mono
graphs: There need be no concern for tomorrow, if we live properly today.X
Convention Visitors
A Rosicrucian Convention consists of many
activities and functions. There are special
classes for students of all the degrees; thereby, each student gets the opportunity to have
personal instruction. He is assured that
everyone in that class is in about the same
stage of progress as he is. Consequently,
the questions asked and answered are almost
as personal as a private interview.
In addition to lectures and demonstrations
upon subjects of science and mysticism by
the officers and faculty members of RoseCroix University, there are personal inter
views. Visitors have the opportunity of
speaking to the different staff members of
the Department of Instruction. They also
meet the Grand and the Supreme Grand
Lodge officers with whom they have had
correspondence.
A factor that is also important is to meet
at Convocations, and on the extensive grounds
of Rosicrucian Park, with fratres and sorores
from nearly every part of the world. Many
Rosicrucians meet others from their own
home townin fact, persons that they did
not even realize were Rosicrucians. It is a
thrill to meet fratres and sorores from Buenos
Aires, Mxico City, Vancouver, Caada
from Johannesburg, South Africa, and from
nearly everywhere else. You will find that
these members represent every walk of life.
Many are from the trades and occupations;
others are in professional fields doctors,
nurses, dentists, surgeons, engineers, attorneys; some are artists, craftsmen, writers,
and the like.
The 1953 Convention appears to be especially promising in that we will have many
distinguished visitors with us. We are expecting the Grand Master General of distant Indonesia, from the island of Java. We
shall also have with us the former Deputy

Grand Master of the Order in Italy, Frater

Orlando Perrotta. He is coming to us from
East Africa where he has been residing for
more than a year. He will become a mem
ber of our Staff. We will have with us an
other frater from a distance: a frater from
Rhodesia, below the Equator in Africa. This
frater will spend some time at Rosicmcian
Park preparing himself for special duties
for the Order overseas. Inquiries from Cen
tral and South America, about the Conven
tion, indicate that we will also have large
delegations of fratres and sorores from Latin
America.
There are many changes under way in
Rosicrucian Park, changes made in some of
the existing administration buildings to allow
for necessary expansin. There are also
fundamental changes being made in the
Francis Bacon Auditorium which will be
welcomed by all members who have attended previous Conventions. These include
the installation of a most modern refrigerated
air plant; this air conditioning will add considerably to the comfort of all those who attend sessions in the auditorium. There are
also basic changes in the lighting systems
which will enhance the atmosphere of that
historie place.
* The Rosicmcian Egyptian, Oriental Museum has also grown by its addition of a
number of new exhibits during the past
year: beautiful statuary, models of ancient
structures, and a fine collection of various
rare antiquities. Each of these has an interesting story related to the lives and times
of the peoples of centuries ago. These things
will all be explained in lectures and in
guided tours in which those attending the
Convention participate.
The noted artist, Vladimir Tretchikoff,
from South Africa (an account of whom appeared in the April issue of the Rosicrucian
Digest), will have the first exhibit of his
American tour in the Rosicrucian Art Gallery during the Convention. His magnificent
paintings will be available for inspection by
members as well as the public. Shortly
after the Convention, Mr. Tretchikoff will
begin his tour of the United States, sponsored
by A.M.O.R.C., showing his paintings in the
principal cities and eventually in Caada.
It is expected that his work will receive the
same acclaim here as it did in South Africa.
We urge all of you who have not yet

APR1L, 1953

made your plans for the summer, to make

every effort to visit Rosicrucian Park during
the week of July 12-17 inclusive, the period
of the International Rosicrucian Convention
even if it constitutes some sacrifice to you,
and even if you may never be able to visit
again. This will be a memorable experience,
one that you will never forget. From an
early hour in the morning until well along
in the evening, there are activities which
appeal to every mind and interest: art, sci
ence, philosophy, mysticism, rituals, antiquities, entertainment, sociabilityall of these
things comprise a Rosicrucian Convention.
Plan now to be with us this July.X
Source of Inspiration
A soror rises to address our Forum. She
says: To be honest, I cannot be sure when
I am inspired Cosmically. For example, I
may in the springtime read a lot of William
Blake, Meister Eckhart, the Bible, etc. Dur
ing the course of the busy summer I com
pletely lay aside such materials for other
necessary studies. Then, behold! in later
summer, suddenly, while relaxing under the
trees, I feel inspired to write. How can one
say whether this is an outcropping from the
subconscious of the spring reading, or
whether it is Cosmically dictated?
There are, it seems to me, three ways
in which the subjective mind receives ideas:
(1) from the objective mind; (2) from what
has been learned in former incarnations;
(3) and from the Cosmic. By the time the
material is objectified, it is often difficult to
tell from what source it is derived. Is there
any way to tell?
First, it is advisable to inquire into what
is meant by inspiration. At least, we should
have that common ground to begin our dis
cussion. In general, an inspiration is an
emotional motivation. We feel the incentive
to perform some act or undertake certain
ventures. The idea is accompanied by a
feeling of exuberance and excitation. Inspiration is not akin to intuitive knowledge;
that is, it is not in any sense the same thing.
We are often inspired to some undertaking,
but intellectually we may not be certain
as to just how we are to realize what we
want to achieve. Thus, one may be inspired
to paint, and yet have no knowledge of the
technique of the art. Conversely, intuitive

Page 103

knowledge is an immediate and absolute

knowledge. The ideas seem to flash into
consciousness and they are so complete as
to appear to the reason to be self-evident.
Rarely is inspiration accompanied by these
intuitive flashes.
We are of the opinion that though there
is a distinction between inspiration and in
tuitive or immediate knowledge, yet, at the
bottom they may have a somewhat common
cause. Inspiration can be aroused through
immediate experience, or it may follow as
a delayed response. If the interval between
the cause and the eventual inspiration is
long we may not be able to recall what
engendered it. The commonest cause of in
spiration is the arousing of emotions which
are stimulating to the intellect, and the
whole then results in a pleasing experience.
Instinctively, we are mimics; we learn
through mimicry and imitation. This is par
ticularly noticeable with infants and small
children. They mimic acts which arouse
their curiosity, and in this way they learn.
When there is something which we as adults
observe and which pleases us, and which so
emotionally stimulates us that we are
thrilled by it, there is then established within
us a desire to imitate it. Only actual knowl
edge of circumstances which inform us that
it would be impossible to imitate the act
would discourage us from doing so. Otherwise we are particularly encouraged, enthusiastic, or inspired to imitate what pleases
us. This is especially so if we realize that
we have a talent or kind of skill in a similar
activity. Thus, persons who have some talent
in music are always inspired to practice, or
to resume same, when witnessing the per
formance of an exceptional artist. Where
there is no emotional stimulus, there is no
inspiration.
There are times when one is relaxed and
is not concentrating upon anything which
would be likely to arouse emotion, and yet
suddenly he feels inspired. An idea flashes
into mind and, as he contemplates the idea,
that emotional motivation follows which
constitutes inspiration. It is this latter type
of experience which appears to be more re
lated to intuitive knowledge. It is a wellestablished fact psychologically, and of
course, a familiar one to Rosicrucian stu
dents, that all that we perceive objectively,
and which we may eventually appear to

Page 104

forget, is not completely lost to us or dismissed entirely from the mind. Much of
the ideation of our experiences is registered
in the subjective and subconscious. This is
especially so if the ideation when originally
had was accompanied by an emotion. The
emotional stimulus causes the ideation to become more firmly registered.
If, for analogy, we have been laboring
with a problem and have been unable to
find a solution for it, we may eventually
dismiss it consciously from our thoughts with
a feeling of dissatisfaction at our failure.
The subconscious, however, resumes the ef
fort to find the solution. In psychological
terminology this process is called unconscious
work. The latent intelligence of the other
levels of our mind, according to the Rosi
crucian explanation, has been put into activity by the suggestive efforts of the think
ing mind. As a result, this intelligence
contines after we have stopped our objec
tive efforts, unless of course we have been
successful.
This unconscious work consists of an align
ment of all of the ideas which may complement, or in some way be sympathetic to,
the central idea or problem. In other words,
it is a combining and the analysis of all
ideas which may have a relationship to the
dominant thought which has been transferred to the subconscious. When the ap
parent solution is reachedthat is, when
a new idea is prominent and forceful enough
to represent the objective soughtit attracts
to itself sufficient emotional stimulus to break
through into the conscious mind. This, then,
is an intuitive flash, which is so comprehensible, so satisfying, that we are immedi
ately inspired by it. This inspiration con
sists of an enthusiasm for the idea that
moves us to act upon whatever it suggests.
Such reading as we may have done in
the past, which, at the time, provoked serious
thought, but yet did not result in any culmination of ideas, may cause the whole sequence of that thought to be transferred in
its incompleto nature to the subconscious
mind. The unconscious work then begins.
Days after, perhaps even weeks later, as an
inspiration, there may come forth into the
conscious mind an idea which specifically
or only in a general way is related to the
subject of the original reading matter. For
analogy, one may read a classic poem which

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

causes a keen appreciation on his part of

some of the phenomena of nature and its
mysteries. Accompanying this is a strong
emotion, the desire to know more of nature,
to probe beneath the surface of daily ex
perience. Some time after the reading, he
may suddenly be inspired to write a brief
essay on something in nature which he has
observed and to which he had previously
given little thought. Fortunately for us, the
subjective and subconscious processes are
quite tireless, or else this factor of uncon
scious work could not serve us.
Wherein, one may wonder, is the distinc
tion between these subconscious processes
and what mystics and we Rosicrucians cali
Cosmic inspiration? It is difficult for us to
determine the difference between these kinds
of inspiration. Inspiration from the Cosmic
and the one which comes as a result of the
delayed response, or the unconscious work
insofar as their effects upon the conscious
mind are concernedmay be more or less
the same. To use a homely analogy, it is
like one who suddenly sees a glow on the
horizon of a night sky. What caused the
glow one may never know, yet the glow is
there. Further, whatever valu it may have
is more or less the same regardless of what
caused it.
Cosmic inspiration usually follows medita
tion, at which time we free the consciousness
from the objective self. Its nature depends
upon the extent that our meditation causes
us to reach into the various upper levels of
the spectrum of consciousness. The higher
we ascend in consciousness, the more we
embrace the harmony of that greater reality
which we cali the Cosmic. The vibratory
impulses of this psychic contact stimulate
the various levels of consciousness. This
stimulated consciousness draws to itself all
complementary ideas, all noble thoughts, all
ideas which we have had in the past and
which, at the time, surrounded themselves
with sensations gratifying to the higher self.
These finer ideas then are reassembled in
the subconscious and manifest themselves as
a lofty inspiring thought, or some seemingly
new idea. The thought in quality, in its syn
thesized form, is perhaps quite unlike anything we may have ever experienced. The
elements of it, that of which it is composed,
are so merged harmoniously that their origin and familiar nature are not recognized

APR1L, 1953

by us. Consequently, the whole idea has the

character of a complete, new thought transplanted in our minds in its entirety from
out of the Cosmic. There are just those Cos
mic vibratory forces which engender from
the elements of human experience the inspired ideas which we have. Human knowl
edge is the building material, the substance,
if you will, out of which Cosmic inspiration
or intelligence takes its objective formX
Fear of Examinations
A member recently requested that we discuss in the Forum the problem of fear, and
that particularly the fear of examinations be
emphasized. The member stated that in
looking through the Forum and in other
Rosicrucian literature she has failed to find
a really good answer to the perennial ques
tion as to what to do about the fear of ex
aminations. She then specified that kind of
fear that makes a student forget what he
really does know, so that he actually com
pletes an examination with a poor showing
in spite of the fact that the knowledge was
there. I presume, therefore, that this mem
ber is not concerned with the individual
who does not study or prepare properly for
an examination. It is true that many peo
ple are unable to do their best under circum
stances such as that of writing down facts
that they had learned previously.
A number of years ago when I was teaching school, I found that there were certain
students who had to be graded not exclusively upon the basis of what they wrote in an
examination, but upon the basis of their
attitude toward their study and their gen
eral attitude as indicated by other periods of
the day during the school term or semester.
These individuis developed almost a state
of panic when it became necessary to write
the answers to an examination; whereas, if
they could express themselves freely, they
would have no trouble in producing evidence
that they had gained knowledge from their
studying.
Obviously, a question arises as to whether
or not an examination is a true test of an
individuals knowledge. This depends, inso
far as the answer to that question is con
cerned, upon the individual. Many people
can give an answer to a question under any
circumstance, regardless of whether it is an

Page 105

examination, a casual question, or whether

or not they are under any kind of pressure.
Others are unable to formlate their ideas
into words or to write those words down
properly if they are under any type of
stress. The stress upon which a person
might base fear is probably due to the desire
that he be recognized as having gained the
information and knowledge for which he
has studied and that this fact be evidenced
in the results of the examination. Such stu
dents fear self-pity and the pity of others
for them. They are afraid that they will
be unable to impress upon someone else that
which they know they had expended effort
to attain.
Sometimes the fear is purely an emotional
complex, they do not know exactly what
they are afraid of. This type of fear is related to stage fright where the child or even
the adult may be unable to remember a
thing that has previously been committed
to memory. The problem of fear in general
concerns itself with one of the most intense
of all emotional experiences. Excessive fear
is an emotion that is the basis for much disaster from both an individual and a social
standpoint. No one can do his best under
circumstances, whether it be an examina
tion or whether it be in any other thing that
he is called upon to do, when he is overcome
by the feeling of fear.
Fear, when it is established in conscious
ness, becomes insidious and intenseit gnaws
into us like termites gnaw into woodit
undermines every rational thought that
should come to our rescue and take the place
of the feeling of fear. Not all fear, however,
is useless. Fear has a biological basis. If it
were not for the emotion of fear, we might
not preserve ourselves against injury, we
might not take proper precaution insofar as
ordinary common-sense safety measures are
concerned. Self-preservation requires that
fear be an existent emotion. To that extent,
fear must be taken into consideration as
being a function of the mind that affects the
body. Through fear, sometimes unexplainable, we are able to avoid actual damage or
harm to our physical being. But when fear
becomes an all-powerful part of our think
ing, it replaces judgment and reason just as
any emotion can overrule the reason of the
individual.
When an individual is functioning entire-

Page 106

1y by emotion, his behavior and actions become unpredictable. What a man might do
under the stress of an emotional circumstance is entirely different from what he
might do if he were reasoning each action
or each step of an action as he proceeded
through the act that he had in mind. You
and I might say what we would do under
certain circumstances. We can analyze those
circumstances in the cool light of reason as
it exists at the moment, and we can say that
if such and such a thing happened we would
react in these ways, and enumerate them.
But actually, we do not know what we would
do, we do not know what emotional upheavals might come into our consciousness
that would change or eradicate the reason
that would normally be our guide. That is
why in many accidents the individual freely
admits that he did not know what he was
doing. An individual in an automobile may
freeze to the steering wheel, for example,
when he should be acting in some other way;
or the individual may fail to put on the
brake, or stop the car, or do something else
that reason would normally dictate should
be done. In such case, it would usually be
the emotion of fear that would interfere
with the act of reason. When fear predominates thinking, it in the end does modify
behavior. It may not change external cir
cumstances in the least, but it does change
our reaction to any circumstance, or to any
stimulation. Fear, however, if carried to the
extreme, causes us to concntrate on our
selves; it causes us to be too concerned with
ourselves. We then become overly sensitive
to any situation either outside of us or with
in our own thinking. Fear, carried to an
extreme, is a selfish emotion. It causes us
to forget that others have rights, needs,
wants, hopes, desires, and that if we would
devote ourselves to some extent to the needs
of other individuis our own fears might be
subordinated.
Theories about fear do not answer our
fundamental question. How can knowledge
replace fear? In the first place, one of the
fundamental fears on the part of man is the
fear of the unknown. Assuredness, self-assurance, and the actual assimilation of facts
help replace fear. If we are confident of
the information we possess, fear can, by
developing the habit of the exertion of will
power, cause us to reassert ourselves and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

take control of an emotional situation. The

individual who sits down to an examination
whether it be a civil-service one, in a school,
or anywhere else, may prepare himself by
proper concentration and meditation in ad
vance and thereby direct his consciousness
toward the task at hand.
It would be well for anyone who is sensi
tive to the idea of examinations to learn
the simple steps of concentration and visuali
zation. He knows that he knows the answers
to most of the questions that are asked about
the subject upon which the examination will
be taken. He should, therefore, instead of
worrying about it, instead of anticipating
failure, disaster, or trouble, visualize himself
as confidently writing the answers to the
questions asked. This is truly a subconscious
suggestion, but it will come to the rescue
of the individual when the time to write
those questions comes. It is easy to say
there is nothing to fear, or there is no use
to fear. But it is hard to replace a system
of habit dominated by fear or by any other
emotion with a systematic process of reason
ing. It is something that has to be developed.
Through some strange experience in our
past life, or in past lives as far as that is
concerned, we may have made ourselves
susceptible to emotional control of our reason, but we can, by a process of education
and direction, redirect our thinking and
come to realize that proper preparation and
concentration can assist us in advance to
utilize our reason instead of allowing emo
tion to control it.
The next time that you are faced with a
situation such as taking an examination or
performing some other act that causes you
to hesitate, or to be afraid, or to not know
how to proceed, take a few minutes quietly
by yourself; sit down, relax, visualize your
self doing what you should do and in the
way you want to do it. Then when the time
comes for the task, whatever it may be,
although you may from habit have some
of the feeling of fear or hesitancy that you
have evidenced in the past, you will find
that the power of the subconscious mind in
which you have planted this prior sugges
tion will take over. The emotion will take
second place, your reason will come back,
and you will be successful in the task that
is before you. Make this test yourself. You
can learn that just as you have created a

APRIL, 1953

habit of permitting fear to interfere with

reason, you can create a habit of letting
reason take command over fear when it is
a matter that is primarily concemed with
knowledge.
Do not think, however, that you can give
up studyyou must prepare yourself; you
must have the knowledge. Then, through
proper training and concentration, confi
dence and reason can be given control of
your mental activities for the actual test.
This application of the principies of con
centration and meditation will leave the
way open for the manifestation of laws
which you may see only in part because of
your finite visin and limited range of
concept.A
Psychology of Prayer
We have several interesting questions from
fratres who now rise to address our Forum.
Their questions are related to the same
subject. One of these fratres is from Nigeria,
Africa. The following question asked by
the frater who is now before us is typical
of the others. He says: If the universal
laws under which we Uve and have our be
ing are and have been unchanged since the
beginning of time, of what valu is a prayer
for forgiveness when one has transgressed
these laws? Further, if there is no personal
god,* to whom does one pray for assistance,
forgiveness, etc.?
Fundamentally, a prayer is an appeal or
desire which is made vocative, that is, ex
pressed aloud or in writing. Obviously, the
intent is to direct such an appeal, as a
petition, to someone or to something. In
this Forum and elsewhere, we have rather
frequently set forth the basic classifications
of prayer. All prayers fall within three
specific categories. Generally, they are:
First, prayers of intercession, petitions that a
Supreme Power, human or supernatural, in
tercede in behalf of the petitioner. Second,
there are prayers of confession and atonement. The petitioner declares his wrongs to
the superior he conceives of, and seeks to
expiate them. The third general category of
prayers includes those of exaltation. They
are similar to the psalms in the Bible, where
the individual extols the greatness of the
deity, sings his glories.
Among primitive peoplesand those who

Page 107

are primitive in their thinkingthe deity is

commonly anthropomorphic, a personal humanlike being. He is a god that can be
assuaged by confession and appealed to by
pleas of mercy. He is often thought vain
enough, according to such conceptions, as to
find pleasure in the glories sung of him by
mortals. If man violates a precept of his
own conscience or a prescribed religious
doctrine constituting, in his mind at least, a
divine law, he prays for forgiveness from
this personal god. This petition principally
requests immunity to any effect that might
follow from the law violated. The whole
reasoning is based upon the premise of an
arbitrary control of natural phenomena by
the being appealed to.
The modem scientist and the modern mys
tic alike cannot accept the premise of a per
sonal god and an arbitrary fat by him,
setting aside the consequences of natural
law. The very divine equality, which the
religionist expects from his god, obviates
such exceptions and immunities under any
circumstances. The very intervention with
the effects of a natural law, which one would
plead for, may be appealed against by an
equally devout person elsewhere and simultaneously. To the scientist, the pragmatic
goodness of Cosmic or natural law is to be
found in its immutability and uniformity.
To the mystic, the goodness of Cosmic law
exists in its being exacted against all per
sons alike.
The loss of confidence in prayer, so much
evidenced today in different societies, is the
direct result of numerous experiences of nonresponse. The individual, in thinking of his
own immediate welfare and coming before
his god as a personal being, whom he thinks
of as having all the foibles, prejudices, and
preferences of human beings, makes most of
his prayers impossible of fulfillment. How
ever, prayer has not lost its efficacy if it is
applied in the light of the enlarged modem
understanding.
The first psychological valu of prayer is
that it consists of a catharsis. The individual
ego purges itself of its attitude of complete
independence and of dominant self-sufficiency. One excoriates his false vanity by crying out for aid and asking for intercession,
thereby admitting a power that transcends
his own. Instead of continuing at a tangent
to the Cosmic order, prayer, like a centrip-

Page 108

etal forc, retums the consciousness of the

human being back to the center of his own
being. The prayer is an appeal from the
psychic and emotional nature of man rather
than from his rational and objective self.
Prayers of confession constitute an admission of insufficiency and inadequacy. Thereby they prepare the individual for an in
fusin of new power which he has formerly
denied or never realized.
Prayer destroys inhibitions and removes
confining blocks in the personality and men
tal make-up that the will may have established. As a result, the individual permits
a flow of the subliminal impressions of the
other selves or levels of his subconscious to
flow through his conscious mind. The inspiration which he subsequently receives, the
influx of renewed confidence, causes him to
feel that the deity has at that time interceded
and made an exception for him. Usually
such is a noetic experience. When fears
have been banished, circumstances are more
clearly evaluated by a calmer mind. There
is, then, what seems to be an effulgence of
inner light or new knowledge. In a sense,
this is true because the individual is able
to draw more fully upon the inner and Cos
mic conten of his own being. The orthodox
religionist, of course, if he has this experi
ence, attributes the beneficent effect to the
arbitrary fat or command of God in his
behalf.
An individual who has violated natural
law cannot expect a suspensin of Cosmic
order in his behalf, no matter how fervent
and sincere his prayer. His prayer can and
should take the form of a petition to the
depths of his own being. This is not sacrilegious, for implanted within us is a spark
of the infinite intelligence and order. God
is not beyond but, as the mystical pantheist
affirms, within all things. The center of the
divine is everywhere. This prayer should
not be a plea for intervention or an alleviation of any suffering we may have incurred
because of our acts. Rather, it should be an
admission to the innermost state of our own
consciousness: I have erred. I am guilty
of violating what, to the best of my mortal
knowledge, I know to be the right. This
should be followed by the inner statement
of self to self that one be given the strength
and courage to endure the consequences of
ones own acts. Further, one should ask that

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

there be indelibly impressed upon his mind

and upon the whole of his states of con
sciousness the lesson of the experience.
By this mystical process the individual
places himself in full dependence upon the
Cosmic powers, which are resident within
him. He seeks to attune with the infinite
directly through the nearest channel, that
is, the divine conten of his own being. His
passive receptive sae, his sincere humiliy,
causes o be drawn o him from he recesses
of his own spiriual naure he inheren
srengh and inuiive guidance which he
needs. Ofen i may appear ha he effec
of he violaion which one feared or had
reason o expec, never comes o pass afer
such a mystical communion or prayer such
as his. I is because of he regeneraion of
he individual, his new power and resisance
o wha otherwise would have been a more
severe psychic shock and menal ormen.
I migh be asked: If one sincerely prays
o wha he believes o be a personal deiy
who, he expecs, will lisien o his acual
words and inercede in his behalf, more or
less as one would o some supreme earhly
ruler, will he no receive he same resuls?
Cerainly, many have hus prayed wih such
a conception of God and His powers and received wha o hem were blessings. The
mystical and psychological principies and
laws involved in he ac of prayer are no
changed, no maer how one may conceive
his god or believe in he function of Cosmic
law. Therefore, an accidenal combinaion
of he righ elemens for he full efficacy of
prayer may be ai times as producive of
resuls as hose more inelligenly applied.
However, accidens are bad risks. I is far
better to know wha should be done in he
use of prayer and wha is more efficacious.
In his way, he raio of success in prayer
is much higher.
Prayers are ofen impersonal; ha is, they
are not in he ineres of our own immediae
selves bu are for he exended self which
includes oher hings and persons in he cir
cle of self-ineres. These are he prayers
for a nation, for oher peoples or for some
cause. Neverheless, even in his ype of
prayer, he psychological principies of prayer
are applicable also. Through he inrovering
of our consciousness o he dephs of our own
being by he procedure of prayer and by he
sheer psychical motivation of an impersonal

APRIL, 1953

love, we are brought into closer attunement

with the more profound and exalted levels of
the selves of our being. What we term
intuitive impulses flood our consciousness.
We seem to be guided and instructed as ideas
flow to the mind. For these ideas frequently
make it possible for us to devise ways and
means of helping those or that for which
we pray.
The freedom of inhibitions that comes
through such prayer and the domination of
our consciousness by the thought of the
one about whom we pray put us contiguous
to that individuals mind. We come to real
ize, subconsciously, his thoughts and to have
a more intelligent understanding of his con
dition. The pouring forth of this psychic
energy from ourselves through the Cosmic
to the object of our interest often stimulates
the psychic centers of the other person. As
a result, such a one may often say, Your
prayers have helped. I feel freer and I
have experienced a kind of regeneration of
mind. As a result, the individual often
actually begins to do things for himself
which formerly he believed himself incapable
of accomplishing.
What are often thought to be insurmountable conditions, stifling all progress and ef
fort, can be removed through the mdium
of prayer. Those who do not understand
the mystical principies involved may think
that the evident relief from the oppressive
condition was caused by its dissolution as
the result of a direct act or fat of God.
Actually, what often occurs is that prayer
has enlarged the mental horizon, given a
closer insight into the offending circum
stances, and removed the psychological block
of helplessness that inhibits ones own Cos
mic power. The problem, then, has not ac
tually been dissolved by any external power,
but it is understood, is faced with fortitude,
and its solution readily realized and accom
plished.
Prayer, therefore, is as essential in our
times as in any period of history. Prayer is
not necessarily, as some believe, an inheritance from earlier superstitious eras. It is
so, only if we refuse to look- upon prayer
with the full significance of modern mysti
cism and modern science.X

Page 109

Is Death a Blessing?
A soror in Caada now stands before our
Forum to ask a question. A question has
troubled me for quite a long time, and so
it is being asked with the hope that perhaps
it might be answered for me. The Rosicru
cian books and the Rosicrucian Digest seem
to imply that natural transition (not suicide)
is a great blessing, a higher initiation, and
that it frees from pain, worry, grief, and
strife. But let us take a hypothetical case
of two people. One passes through transition
has tened by much wrong-thinking and hav
ing no knowledge of Rosicrucianism. The
other one, living on this plae, lives a
Christlike life to the best of his ability, conforming to the Rosicrucian principies. Which
of the two individuis, would you say, has
received the greater blessing?
The point which the soror is making is
whether death is a greater reward than life.
If so, then why do unscrupulous, immoral
persons pass through transition, freed from
worry and strife, and those who live a more
noble and continent life on this plae have
to endure its turbulence? In our Rosicru
cian teachings, we do not say, or do we
mean to imply, that the experience of death
is a more important one than that of life.
Death is part of a great cycle. It is just as
the vertex or crest of a wave motion is
equal to its valley, or concave section. We
would not have such a thing as a wave
were there not both the crest and the valley.
Though different phenomena, for instance in
the undulating wave of electrical radiation,
may occur for the crest than for the valley,
yet it is man who determines their relative
importance. So, too, man, in his religions
and philosophies ascribes varying importance
to each aspect of the great cycle, namely,
either to death or to life.
In life we are conscious of the instinctive
urge to persist since it is inherent within
the life forc. Every manifestation strives
to be. Being is action. Life endeavors to
retain those characteristics which are immanent in even the simplest living organism.
In man we realize this desire for self-preser
vation. The only existence of which we are
objectively aware is this one. It is quite
natural, then, that man should fear the ob
jective discontinuance of his own being. To
most men, life is the only form of their

Page (10

own being in which they have any con

fidence. Men have viewed the dead; they
have noted the dormancy of all those fac
ulties on which they depend in their living
state and upon which they pride themselves.
Further, they have observed the dissolution
of the body. It is to be expected, therefore,
that they will resist death as long as they
can. Added to this urge to live, for the advantages of life itself, are also the numerous
fears of death which have been heightened
by superstitions and by the many religious
doctrines which indirectly imply the horrors
to follow death.
From the mystical point of view that
phase of the Cosmic cycle which we know
as life is most important to the evolve
ment of the soul-personality. It is on this
plae that the sublimation of the conscious
ness is had. The divine consciousness expresses itself through the mortal mind. Its
expression is fashioned by the psychic and
the emotional characteristics of our being,
and by environmental factors. The per
sonality or self is thus a combination of all
of these factors. As the self expands, it
learns to distinguish between the various
influences which are directed to it. Through
will, the great expressive instrument of self,
the latter comes to heed more and more of
the divine impulses from within the depth
of consciousness. Gradually then, the soulpersonality conforms more to the universal
soul, or to the divine consciousness within
man. Self, as we know it, does not exist in
the Cosmic because most of those elements
of which it is ordinarily composed, here in
mortal existence, are not resident outside
of the physical organism. Therefore, it is
during the life span that we can have a
profound insight into the spiritual essence
of our being and truly evolve the self.
Obviously, from this point of view, as from
any rational aspect, the mystic, the Rosicru
cian, considers life, the span of earth exist
ence, of the greatest importance to the hu
man. However, death is the consequence
of the law of change. It is the ever-becoming. Nothing is static in the whole of the
Cosmic. Whatever appears to be so is only
relative. Granite goes through change although that change may often be impercep
tible to us. Wind and the elements will
erode the hardest stone. Worlds and planets,
as our earth, go through change, even

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

though in the life of mankind or the life

of the human race such changes may not be
noticeable. Consequently, if we consider life
as the crest of the wavethat is, as only
part of the cyclethen deaththe valley of
the wavemust follow by necessity to com
plete the cycle.
Actually, there is no horror in the ex
perience of death. We may rightly fear
pain or suffering which often precedes it.
The change or loss of mortal consciousness
of which death consists is not painful, or
does it imply a dreadful experience to fol
low life. The normal person thinks of death
in terms of the abandonment of living. To
him, life is all; and, therefore, death is the
end. It is not the end but only the con
clusin of one aspect of a cycle. For analogy,
one who may have been reared in the mountains, and to whom such a life is the essence
of existence, might believe later that his
being obliged to live on the desert or upon
a plain is a torment and a useless existence.
We, of course, know that he would be wrong
in this evala tion.
Rosicrucians teach and mystics know that
death is often truly a blessing. Death fre
quently means a relief from untold suffer
ing. It also affords another beginning rather
than the ending of all existence. Rosicru
cians also know that death is not the begin
ning of a period of retribution and punishment. These things can be realized only
by the mortal consciousness, and that means
that they are experienced on this plae of
existence, and are the result of our acts
hereor, if not in this span, in that of an
other life span.
The Cosmic cycle of birth, life, and death,
constitutes elements of initiation, if we mean
by that learning and progressive develop
ment. Death is part of this initiation which
we must all pass through. However, to seek
death for itself is as Cosmically wrong as to
think, as some do, that all of existence is
confined to our consciousness of reality dur
ing this one life. One must prepare himself
mystically and psychologically for death
just as one does for life. We should resign
ourselves to death, for it is inevitable. It is
not a punishment, it is but a transition.
This life is not all there is to the great
cycle, so death begins the other phase of
the cycle. Death can be a blessing but cer-

APR1L, 1953

tainly no more so than intelligent, moral,

and inspired living.
To answer the question submitted specifically, a life of understanding, of usefulness and of aspiration to unfold the self, is
more blessed than transition or death in it
self. Life and death both have their natural
functions as part of the Cosmic cycle. The
human ego and the intellect can heighten
these advantages by proper emphasis and
significance being placed upon them. If we
think of life as the opportunitywhich it
isfor the fuller expression of self and
live accordingly, then life becomes truly a
glorious period of existence. At the same
time, we should look upon death as retirement, like one finishing a days labor well
done. The night does not necessarily rob
us of the day. It brings a conclusin to it
and provides that change which we cali
rest, so that we may again labor fruitfully
another day.X
W hat Causes Human Cruelty?
A soror from England says: I have been
wondering if there is any reasonable answer
to what appears to be the inherent wickedness of mankind. For instance, from whence
comes the savage instinct of cruelty which
from time to time seeks some outlet in socalled civilized man? There are the examples
of the shocking cruelty shown by persons
toward others who are weaker than they are.
God created everything in the universe.
Surely He foresaw the eventual unfolding
of all His works. Is this facet of cruelty and
injustice in man part of the Divine plan?
Why is the inner and Divine part of man so
easily submerged by grosser instincts?
If we think of human conduct in terms of
determinism or as a Divine direction or plan,
we then find ourselves precipitated into a
mire of inconsistencies and confusion. Hu
man conduct is independent of what we
refer to as the will of God. W e and the
Cosmic laws, as forces and agencies, deter
mine Our own actions. What we do is not
by the consequence of Divine intention. To
imagine other than this necessitates the be
lief in fatalism and that mans acts are predetermined for him and that, in fact, he is
exclusively a puppet of higher forces. With
such reasoning, moral will or conscience
would be of no avail. Why should man con

Page I I 1

form to a moral standard, if he is neverthe

less destined to be cruel and immoral? Why
would one aspire to other than he is, if he
cannot escape a course predetermined for his
life?
We must, to be consistent, presume that
the Creative act of the Divine Being was to
imbue us with a mechanism, that is, a mind
and body, motivated by the forc of Divine
Intelligence. This unit, or ourself, is one of
many units of living and of inanimate things
set within a sphere of forces which we cali
the universe at large. There can be and
there is, of course, a harmony or relation
ship between these many units of which we
are one. The mind of man can discern this
relationship. As it evolves, so evolve its comprehension of natural law, the understanding
of its own nature, and those realities sur
rounding it. Goodness and evil, happiness
and pain, are but the consequence of the
human beings properly integrating himself
with the elements of his own nature and
environment. The Divine Mind made it
possible for man to experience the good, or
what we cali the good, namely, harmony
with creation and its manifestations. It also
made it possible for man to be what we cali
evil and to suffer accordingly.
A physical organism can evolve, that is,
reach a more complex or developed state,
without realization of its evolution. The self,
the moral consciousness, however, cannot
evolve without realizing that it has done so,
because moral consciousness consists of a
realization of self and of selfs actions. One
cannot aspire to virtue without first being
cognizant of what is termed evil. We are
thus given that much independence in the
pursuit of our desires as to be able to ex
perience both pleasure and pain and to strive
for moral ends as against iniquity.
Cruelty is frequently the result, not of a
lack of realization of good and evil, but of
pathological causes or imperfections within
the human organism. Cruelty can be as
much the result of a physical disorder as is
impaired eyesight or defective hearing. Many
persons who are cruel are sadists. They find
sexual satisfaction and intense pleasure in
inflicting pain or torment upon other living
things. This experience is gratifying to them
just as virtuous deeds or acts of rectitude are
gratifying to the moral sense of normal per
sons. These unfortunate persons are ill and

Page 112

they need the help of their fellows. During

their period of treatment they may need to
be restraind so as not to inflict harm upon
others. What they do is certainly not the
result of a Divine decree or plan. Most of
the time, they are not in violation of any
personal moral standard. It is not a ques
tion, we repeat, of good or evil with them.
Often, too, sadism arises from environmental conditions which have greatly disturbed the emotions and distorted the
personality. For analogy, children who have
been neglected by parents or guardians or
who have never known happinss through
kindness and care, and in fact may have
been abused, may eventually come to strike
back at society. They find satisfaction in
retaliation against others, in bringing to
them pain and suffering similar to what they
have personally experienced. In most instances, this extreme cruelty is a distorted
sense of pleasure.
With the normal person, the self extends
beyond ones own immediate welfare. Most
of us include in the interests of self those
persons or classes of persons that engender
within us a sympathetic feeling. Thus we
dislike seeing children subjected to abuse or
mistreatment. All children are sympathetically related to our own paternal sense or
to those children whom we particularly like.
The offense against any children is sympathetically realized, then, as an offense against
those children to whom we have a special
attachment. In other words, it is a kind of
parallel feeling. Thus an experience of the
mistreatment of a child induces within the
normal person all those feelings he would
have if children closer to him were to undergo similar treatment.
The emotionally matured and psychically
developed person has, therefore, a self that
embraces in its feelings and sentiments more
than his own person. Conversely, then, the
restricted self, as the primitive person, often
has a limited compassion. He experiences
no mental pain or torment except those sen
sations which come as a result of something
directly inflicted upon his own person. Such
types of persons will abuse animals and all
others who cannot defend themselves against
them.
What the mystic calis self-consciousness
means more than an awareness of our own
entity as distinguished from other things.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

There can be acquired a hy per sensitivity to

vibrations of a higher frequency which are
not ordinarily perceived by the receptor
senses and which can truly be referred to
as psychic. Thus man can come to realize
symmetry in art, harmony in music, and
develop an advanced aesthetic sense. He
can also have a profound appreciation of
the finer and more subtle social relations.
Then, again, he may have, in addition, a
mystical consciousness amounting to a deep
love for spiritual vales. This kind of selfconsciousness results in mans being aware
of the finer and subtler impressions that
actate his sympathetic nervous system and
which are more closely attuned with the
higher Cosmic forces. This nervous system
responds to those impulses which transcend
the grosser manifestations or more primitive
ones of our physical existence. Those who
learn and practice introverting their con
sciousness gradually become aware of these
finer higher vibrations of their own being
and they experience exalted pleasures that
the sensual person never comes to know. Life
to these persons is far richer. The sensibilities of these individuis are often shocked,
and they exhibit mental anguish at displays
of cruelty and coarseness. Such sensations
the less evolved person would not experience.
The cultured person, the one who cultivates these higher levels of consciousness, is
the one who also advances society. He is
the one who contributes to the refinement of
the human race. The primitive person, mo
tivated strictly by the lower and essential
animal instincts, has not those finer feelings
of compassion about the hurt his actions may
bring to others. It must not be thought,
however, that just one who loves music and
is proficient in it or in art of any kind, or
who has an extensive academic training or
is very intelligent, is necessarily also one
who is responsive to the higher levels of
his consciousness. A talent for music or art,
for example, means a particular develop
ment which may be congenital, of the asso
ciation areas of the brain related to that
talent. However, such an individual may
not have that sensitivity which would make
him a humanitarian and cause a deep sym
pathy for his fellows. The real humanitarian
and mystic is one who is responsive to im
pressions from all of the levels of his con
sciousness. He is emotionally and psychically

APRL, 1953

well balanced. He reacts to impulses from

the full range of octaves of the vibrations of
his being. Consequently, what such a person interprets as good is of a more expansive
nature than that interpreted by one to whom
good is only a sensual pleasure.
Until a greater number of the worlds
populace has reached this state of awakening
and is responsive to the higher aspects of
self, we must expect from society further
brutality and atavistic conduct. The average
person is exceedingly primitive beneath the
veneer of conditioning to restraint. This
restraint is mostly fear of retribution for
ones own wrong conduct rather than the
result of any real compunction against
wrongdoing. Millions of persons will allow
the most primitive instincts of self-interest
to dominate them when freed of the restraint
of conventions or legal prohibitions. Cultivating the sensitivity of self brings about a
great self-discipline. We then set for our
selves proscriptions which we will ourselves
to respect. We do so under the motivation
of idealism instead of conforming merely to
custom or public censure.X
The Law of Amra
Little phrases and practices may often
represent tremendous truths which men have
gleaned in the past and lessons they have
learned. One of these is the ancient practice
of tithing. The word tithing originated from
tithe, meaning a tenth of anything. Among
the Ancients, taxes were paid either in mon
ey or in crops or cattle to the extent of one
tenth of the estimated valu of the taxpayers property or of his annual income. Subsequently, the early Christian church levied
a tax of a tenth of the annual income of its
members for the support of its activities.
This levy became known as tithing.
All tithing, however, was not compulsory,
as were taxes. Among the members of the
mystery schools of antiquity, and even later,
each award in life, each pleasure or bounty
which one received, was, in principie,
thought to impose a moral obligation upon
the recipient to make adequate compensation
in retum. The mystical concept was that
there is no justice where there is no true
equality. Each must share the goodness of
life. No man should be morally indebted to
another. Therefore, if you received a good

Page 113

or were the recipient of a beneficent act,

you were in like manner to assist someone
else. Not to do so would imply that you
had arrested the course of goodness, that you
had caused it to stop with you. Further, it
was thought that, by such conduct, you
would not be considered worthy of further
benefits from the Cosmic. Consequently,
each time one was benefited, he was then
obliged to confer, in some manner, a good
ness, if not in kind at least in spirit, on
another.
Mystically, the custom became known as
the Law bf AMRA. This law or its prin
cipie is succinctly explained in the brochure
issued by the A.M.O.R.C., entitled The
Cathedral of the Soul. Therein it is stated:
There is an ancient custom, found in all
the od Rosicrucian records, called the Law
of AMRA. This law became a sacred doc
trine with the Egyptian people, and later
with the Jews in their religious practices. It
was finally adopted by branches of the
Christian church. It was originally a mys
tical law, although many modern forms of
religin have tumed it into a purely ma
terial law. The Law of AMRA is this: If
you pray to God or petition the Masters
for any special help in sickness, worry, trial,
tribulation, or poverty, and your prayer or
petition is answered, you are obligated to
make compensation not alone by prayers
and thankfulness but by passing along to
others some portion of the blessing you have
received.
If you have asked for an improvement
in your health, relief from pain or suffering,
the gift of some material thing, or help in
your business and social position, then, according to the Law of AMRA, you should
tithe yourself either by setting aside a small
amount of money or of some material
element which can be used to make some
other person happy and at peace with the
world. Unless this is done each time you
receive a blessing through the Cathedral
(Cathedral of the Soul), you cannot rightfully petition in the future for any other
blessing.
That this mystical law does bring satis
faction to the individual that conforms to it,
is evidenced by the many members who respond to it. An example of this inner com
pensation, the result of tithing, is given in
the remarks from a member in the State of

Page 114

Michigan. The soror states: I would recommend that anyone appeal to the Council
of Solace sometime if for no other reason
than to receive the little AMRA box. A
thrill went through me the first time a coin
was dropped in. It instantly seemed to form
a new connection of some kind. Considering
it, I recalled that a number of times I had
been told to share, and had had this demon
stra ted in different ways, by pictures. Naturally, I dnate along with others to various
causes, but this is something special, int
mate, and difficult to express. You under
stand, without a doubt. A day or so ago,
when thinking of money and what I had
to do with it, the Voice whispered, And a
little bit for me. I felt like putting the
whole pay check into the box. It may be
just a little box, but it represents a tremendous law.
Cosmically, we do truly create a favorable
condition for ourselves by intelligent charitable contributions, no matter how small the
amount. By that means we set into motion
a karmic benevolent law, the effects of which
redound to our benefit. To use a homely
analogy, in giving we create within our own
resources a certain vacuum to be filled. How
ever, what retums to us, mystically, as a
result of our gift, is of far greater extent
than what we gave. Therefore, the vacuum
is more than filled. It overflows. Sometimes
what redounds to our benefit is of the same
kind as what we gave, money or service,
and it comes when we need it most and
usually least expect it. At other times, the
reward we receive mystically is in the form
of advice, friendship, loyalty, and kindness,
when those things are most important to us.
Then, too, we must not fail to take into
consideration the great inner satisfaction
derived from the realization that, through
our gift, no matter how simple, and through
tithing ourselves so that we may help others,
we are bringing happiness to these others.
Whenever you receive something, a success
in business, an opportunity, or help of any
kind, immediately consider it a Cosmic ob
ligation to do, in some small way for others,
as you have been done by.
Your contribution may be for a needy
friend, for animal shelters, for the support
of cultural activities; that is for you to
choose. Most certainly under the Law of
AMRA any donations to the Council of So

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

lace, or to the A.M.O.R.C. in general, will

be applied in numerous ways for the betterment of our fellow men and the support of
the worthy Rosicrucian cause.X
Brain and Mind
The difference between the brain and the
mind has fascinated man from the dawn of
consciousness. In our Rosicrucian teachings
it is necessary to distinguish between the
two terms in order that the particular func
tion of each may be clarified. The following
three questions have been directed to The
Rosicrucian Forum concerning this subject:
Does the brain reason? Is brain synonymous
with mind? Is the function of the brain
the same as that of the objective mind?
These three questions probably cover most
of the field concerning the relationship of
brain and mind that may occur to the aver
age member who is interested in this subject.
It is necessary to analyze each question as
an individual unit if we are to gain a com
plete understanding of the different func
tions of these two attributes of human ex
istence.
The brain does reason, or rather, we might
say it is the mdium in which reason takes
place. Just as the heart is the organ that
is at the center of the circulatory system, so
the brain is the organ that is at the center
of the sensory system. The heart is not the
circulatory system; it is not the blood. In
fact, the heart has to be fed by the blood
just like any other organ in the body. The
brain, by the same analysis, is not the
thinking part of us. It is the organ, or the
center, to which all nerves lead, and, as a
result, the sensory activity of the body takes
place therein. Every impulse that is received by the body, every sensation that
takes place within it, does in some way or
another enter the spinal nervous system,
and indirectly, the brain. There are certain
reflexes that are purely at a spinal level.
Nevertheless, the spinal column is closely
connected with the brain, and we think of
the cerebrospinal system as the center of all
nervous energy. Reasoning on an objective
level takes place within the brain. The
ordinary functions of consciousness in our
day-to-day living are within the brainthat
is, our memories, our recollections, what we
see, feel, hear, taste, and smelland our

APRIL, 1953

reactions to these functions and to other

various conditions of our environment and
of our thought take place in our objective
consciousness and at the level of the brain.
To a certain extent Creative ability is
expressed within the brain level; that is, we
can relate facts and experiences in objective
consciousness. A simple illustration can be
found in the field of mathematics. If we
see two items in one position and two more
items in another position, we are then able
to relate those two isolated facts within con
sciousness and come to the conclusin that
there are four such items existing within our
field of perception. This is a simple illus
tration of objective reasoning.
The next of our questions is concemed
with the brains being synonymous with
mind. This question can be answered very
simply. The brain and the mind are two
distinctly different things. A good way to
keep this fact in mind is to remember this
important observation: In accordance with
Rosicrucian philosophy, mind can function
without the brain but the brain cannot func
tion without the mind. This proves that
the brain and the mind are two absolutely
different things, each serving a specific pur
pose within life. The student of mysticism
makes an important distinction between the
brain and the mind; that is, he thoroughly
realizes that the mind is the most important
factor of the two, that the mind is a mani
festation or phase of soul or life which
functions independently, at some times, from
the brain itself.
A very good brief analysis of this func
tion is given in the glossary of the Rosicru
cian M anual where the term mind is defined.
It might be well to consider some of the
most important points of this definition.
First of all, there is pointed out the obvious
fact that the brain is a physical organ. As
a physical organ it serves for some of the
functioning of the mind. It is important
that the word som e appears here. The brain
is not the entire functioning of mind. Rather,
mind functions through the brain to a great
extent but not exclusively does it function
through that organ. It is possible for the
mind to function when there is no brain.
This has actually been proved on a physiological level. The brain has experimentally
been removed from animals and certain
forms of life persisted in manifesting. Cer

Page 115

tain reflexes took place, certain activity of

body continued, and even life was maintained for a limited length of time. There
are other illustrations in more recent times
when brain injuries have not always resulted
in immediate death.
The mind, according to the Rosicrucian
Manual and according to the Rosicrucian
teachings, is divided into two phases, the
subjective and the objective. We sometimes
refer to the objective mind and to the sub
jective mind as if they were two things.
This is not true. They are only functions
of the same thing. The mind of man is
immortal, an attribute of the soul or per
sonality; whereas, the brain, being a physi
cal organ, is a mortal thing, a physical
entity just like any other part of the body.
We may therefore say that the brain and
mind are not synonymous and we can re
member our basic principie that the brain
exists only as a physical entity; or, in other
words, its continuous existence is concurrent
with the existence of the rest of the physical
body. Without that physical body, the brain
would cease to exist or at least to function,
and have no use. Nevertheless, in contrast,
the mind is a distinctly different thing. It
is one of the attributes of self which con
tines to manifest as long as there is evidence
of being of any kind.
Life exists separately from the physical
body, and mind is the function of life of
which we can become consciousfor after
all, consciousness is an attribute of the mind
which m ay take place in the brain. With
the brain alone consciousness could not ex
ist, but with mind consciousness becomes
apparent. Therefore, consciousness in both
of its phases, subjective and objective, is a
manifestation of the law of the triangle because consciousness, insofar as we know,
functions where both brain and mind exist.
Subjective consciousness no doubt, being an
attribute of the soul, maintains its existence
independent of the simultaneous existence of
mind and brain. However, since we are
physical entities, thinking of consciousness
in terms of our existence, we need the combination of both brain and mind to become
aware of our present existence.
The last of our three questions may have
already been answered, concerning whether
or not the function of the brain is the same
as that of the objective mind. We may

Page 116

qualify our answer by saying that the ob

jective mind is known to us, or we may become aware of it through the mdium of
the brain. Our objective thinking is at a
brain level. We carry on most of our think
ing, most of our living, at the level of our
objective consciousness. All the five physical
senses constantly bombard our nervous sys
tem with the impressions which they gather
on the outside; that is, everything that enters the body in the form of sensations
comes into the central nervous system of
which the brain is the primary organ
through the five physical senses. Nerve endings connect with our sense organs, such as
the eye, the ear, etc., and the other end connects with the spinal nervous system and
the brain. As a result, into the brain come
the sensations by which we compose our
perception of things; and as we interpret
these various sensations coming into the
brain we put them together, we reason about
their relationship to each other, and the
total of our reasoning and of our percep
tion is in the conten of consciousness or
the point of attention within the objective
mind at any given time.
We may, therefore, say that the brain is
the mdium by which objective conscious
ness or objective mind functions. But we
cannot say that the function of the brain
and the function of the objective mind are
identical because without mind even though
the brain appeared to be a perfect organ,
there could not be any perception, any sensation, of any kind. It is the life forc
that is, the vital life forcthat is almost
synonymous with the manifestation of soul
which pervades our body, makes it a living
thing, makes it an entity that is distinguishable from other material things that cause
us to be a living being, a thinking being,
and therefore a mental being. In this latter
qualification, we are referring to an entity
exhibiting the various manifestations of
mind. Without mind, the brain could not
function. With mind, we are objectively
conscious of our perceptions and our reflections upon those perceptions.
Therefore, we might in summary say that
the brain and the mind are distinctly differ
ent things: the brain is a physical organ
through which the mind functions part of
the time or to a certain extent of its po
ten tialities; the mind, on the other hand, is

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

an attribute of the life forc itself. It is

the process by which we continu to be liv
ing beings and not merely physical, mechanical entities. Brain and mind are different
but are both necessary to the physical life.
We cannot live on this earth without either
one of them. We must have both. As long
as we are physical beings, the mind and
brain will both function to a certain degree
within the physical structure of our being.
We believe, however, that since the brain
is mortal and the mind, being immaterial,
is immortal that it has attributes which con
tinu to function beyond the scope of time
when the physical body is no longer neces
sary. Immortality and mind are closely
related. How mind functions without a
body we cannot know, but we are conscious
of the fact that its functioning is not dependent upon any physical thing. It goes
above, or transcends, physical limitations,
and therefore, in immortality mind will still
be an entity. It will be the mind of the
soul.A
The Function of Conscience
Man can make no prouder statement
than, I shall act according to my con
science. Much has been said in the ame
of conscience, and little has been done to
define this attribute or its function. It is
well in the field of human psychology and
the study of human behavior for us to analyze from time to time the various attributes
of conscience and become at least conversant
upon its nature and potentialities.
Throughout the history of man, there have
been those individuis who have dedicated
themselves to upholding the principies of
justice, love, truth, and tolerance against any
extemal pressure which might be brought to
bear that might make them give up that
which they knew and that which they, as
individuis, held dear or sacred. Upon occasion, it has been necessary for man to denounce loved ones and country rather than
particpate in those acts which would uphold
corruption and injustice. Many times, man
has had to make the choice between what
might have been accepted in society as valu
and the valu that lay within himself in so
far as his convictions had committed him
to certain ideis. Scrates preferred to face
death rather than to face life opposed to his

APRIL, 1953

conscience which would have been necessary

had he compromised the truth.
On the other hand, history also shows that
there have been various men, or individuis,
who claim to be motivated by their con
science. These individuis in the ame of
conscience acted in a manner which seems
to us today to have been directly opposed to
the way that a proper realization of con
science would have directed. For example,
such individuis in the period of the In
quisition burned men of conscience at the
stake. Men and women who held to their
ideis which had been proved to be of valu
through their conscience were tortured, persecuted, and condemned to death by ther
men who also, in the ame of conscience,
carried out ruthless persecution. There is
hardly an example in history of an act of
cruelty against others or oneself which has
not been rationalized as being the dictate of
conscience. There is always an enigma in
our analysis of that which appears to be
diametrically opposed to different forms of
behavior although in the ame of the same
principie. In mans history, we see misinterpretations of consciencetwo extreme
types of behavior coming from what is labeled, in so far as terminology is concerned,
as ethical thinking. Men have given up life
while others took life in the ame of con
science. Was conscience the same thing
in both cases, or was it a ame misapplied
to a variety of things? Or, to take the cynical viewpoint, is conscience merely a myth
and not a true basis of human motivation?
The conclusions we might reach from
studying human behavior through history,
philosophy, or religin do not quite satisfy
the human mind as to the nature of con
science because in none of these subjects
can we find one answer to the problem of
the many interpretations of this wordor
do we find the application that is most im
portant to our behavior today. So many uses
of the term conscience show that the mean
ing is nominalthe existence of so many
meanings for the term indicates that it has
been loosely applied. Those who have not
made a foundation upon which to substantiate or excuse their acts have yet been able
to turn to conscience, since no one can deny
the validity of another individuals con
science. Conscience exists within the privacy
of the individual conscience, and is there

Page I I 7

fore not subject to judgment or analysis

except as we analyze the resultant acts.
In an attempt to come to an understanding
of this concept, Erich Fromm divided con
science into two phases: authoritarian con
science and humanistic conscience. This di
visin is acceptable in modern philosophy as
being a starting point for the consideration
of conscience in terms of actual behavior. It
is my purpose here to attempt to follow the
classification to a certain point, but to modify it with my interpretation of conscience
in terms of Rosicrucian philosophy. In order
to do this, I will, for want of better terms,
refer to my divisin of the subject as: implanted conscience, self conscience, and in
tuitive conscience.
I mplanted Conscience

The first of thesewhich I am calling

implanted conscienceis a type of conscience
of which the average individual is mostly
aware. It is the conscience that has been
brought about by environment. Conscience
is not something that is built up within us
by Divine decree, and that is why different
forms of behavior exist in different parts of
the world and even in different strata of
society. The implanted conscience is the
voice of an internalized external authority,
that is, conscience implanted within us which
has come from the outside. It is the voice
of parents, of the State, or of a concept of
God which has been accepted by an indi
vidual or a certain section of society. Implanted conscience is therefore a voice es
tablished within consciousness based upon
whatever the society of which the individual
is a part recognizes as an authority. This
type of conscience is not the result of free
will or free thinking of the individual. By
implanting a sense of responsibility or duty
within an individual, the authority accepted
by the individual becomes the most impor
tant factor in the universe.
As long as human relationship to authority
remains external, such recognition of con
science is merely expedient in the presence
of outside authority. This recognition of con
science is no more or less than a concept
of the existence of certain authority im
planted within the thinking of individuis,
and the individuals hope of accomplishing
or gaining something is based upon the approval of that authority. The function of
such an implanted conscience is therefore

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 118

regulated almost entirely by fear of punishment or hope of reward, and the individual
regulates his whole life in such a way as
to avoid some of the immediate punishments
or to gain certain rewards.
Heaven and Hell are therefore the con
cept of the authority which attempts to reg
late human behavior by implanting within
the individual human being this concept of
fear and hope. Our behavior in life is based
upon the concepts implanted in conscious
ness, and our feeling of guilt, which may
accompany any thought or conclusin we
reach, is associated with external authority.
The individual who is controlled by conscience implanted from without is the victim
of the authority forced upon him. He does
not base his behavior upon his desire to live
fully but rather to avoid those things which
he has falsely believed to be in conflict to
proper living. Actually those people whose
lives are controlled by such a series of con
cepts misconstrue the feeling of guilt for that
of fearthey are actually afraid. Such authorities as parents, the Church, the State,
or public opinion are responsible for the
false moral ethical codes which are accepted
by the individual as legislators of behavior.
As such these authorities and their opinions,
or any one of them, become the laws and
sanctions which one adopts, thus making an
intemal thing out of what has actually been
implanted from the outside.
As the result, an implanted guilty conscience may come from a feeling of strength,
independence, and pride; whereas, the im
planted good conscience may spring from a
feeling of dependence, obedience, defenselessness, and powerlessness. The opposite should
be true; we should feel free to express our
selves and be proud of our self-expression.
We should not feel good merely because we
let ourselves be controlled by an external
authority. Man as an individual has a right
to develop himself. Implanted conscience
robs a human being of his greatest right:
that is, to live in the fullest extent; to de
velop his own individuality. To live entirely
as a result of a system of codes and regulations implanted from the outside is to shut
off the individuals right and privilege to ap
proach God directly.
Self Conscience

Self conscience is quite different. It is not

the internalized voice of an authority which

we are eager to please and afraid of displeasing. Self conscience is our own voice. It is
potentially present in every human being,
and it exists and can manifest independent
of external sanctions or rewards. This voice
speaks within us even to the extent of contradicting upon occasion the implanted con
science. It is the voice that seems to be able
to make known its awareness even in childhood when we begin to analyze the behavior
that may have been forced upon us and the
behavior of adults which is different from
that which we have been taught. This voice
of self conscience helps to bring out the best
in us. We are conscious of its good purpose.
At times we are distinctly aware of this
voice and at times we become deaf to it.
Usually, it can be heard by being cultivated.
We can also become completely deaf to it,
or it can cease to exist, when we permit
authority from the outside to replace our
own thinking and feeling with something
that is completely external.
Self conscience is the reaction of our whole
self, of our total personality to its proper func
tioning and disfunctioning. Self conscience
is not limited to a single or limited capacity.
It is a functioning which relates itself to our
whole capacity to live. Self conscience causes
us to be able to judge our behavior as hu
man beings. It is the voice of knowledge
within oneself. Acts, thoughts, and feelings
which we find conducive and which con
tribute to the proper functioning and unfolding of our whole self, our most cherished
aims and desires, produce a feeling within
us of inner approval and rightness; that is,
the self recognizes the good. On the other
hand, those acts, thoughts, and feelings which
are injurious to our whole self or the total
personality cause us to have a feeling of uneasiness or discomfort, and this is particularly characteristic of the evolved human being.
Such uneasiness is truly what we might cali
a guilty conscience. We are guilty of not
recognizing our true self.
Self conscience is thus a reaction of our
selves to ourselves. It is the voice of our
true self which causes us to realize the
valu and potentialities of self and therefore
to utilize that life which is ourselvesto
live productively, to develop fully and har
moniously, and to become what we poten
tially are.
Self conscience is therefore a guardian of

APRIL, 1953

our integrity. It is that which produces

within man those feelings and those aspirations which raise him above the level that
is found in any other form of life or above
a level that is produced by someone else
through exerting pressure upon the individ
ual. It is true that man cannot reglate
existence in terms of his own wishes; that
is, he cannot live entirely within himself,
and yet self is the one thing of which man
is most conscious. It is the one thing which
is exclusively the reflection of his individuality and is his responsibility to develop.
We can make adjustments for the expression
of self, but we do not always have to do
this in terms of an authority outside of us.
Those activities and feelings that have to do
with external conditions can also contribute
to growth within. The environment in which
we live is related to our inner being like
the soil to the seed. We grow in our en
vironment and can enrich self through par
ticiparon in the development of other selves.
Probably the most profound feeling which
we reach out of our selves is that of love
which can be defined as the affirmation of
the potentialities, the care for, and the re
spect of the uniqueness of the loved one.
Applying this same principie to self, the self
conscience can reasonably be called the voice
which is within us impelling us to exert
loving care of ourselves. This is not an ex
pression of selfishness but a true desire for
the self to be cared for and to permit its
fullest expression.
I ntuitive Conscience

Intuitive conscience is no more or less

than a continued existence of self conscience.
Intuitive conscience is self conscience expressing on a higher level or plae. It is an
extensin of self into a higher dimensin.
Such an extensin can be toward love, that
is, in the evaluations of self, it strives to
include another person, a deity, or an ideal.
Also, this extensin of self conscience is an
extensin within toward the inner self, to
ward the awakening of the function of
intuition. This process assists the growth
toward the eventual mystical unin with the
Divine. This concept of development is the
realization that the still small voice, which
is self conscience, may evolve into a stronger
thing within us which will eventually
change from a small voice to one which will
shout to us its meaning. The development

Page 119

of this highest concept of conscience is directly related to the development of intuition.

Through intuition, the means is provided by
which any human attribute is evolved be
yond the mere human level. Intuition there
fore lifts man from merely being a human
to a state of being that which is Godlike.
Intuition provides the knowledge and assurance that will permit certainty to replace
doubt, and establishes an authority within
us which will not permit room for an au
thority falsely implanted from without.
Through intuitive knowledge, we grow,
evolve, and live, exemplifying those ideis
that lift consciousness above the material
world which constitutes our environment.
Implanted conscience restricts the growth
of intuition and prohibits the existence of
intuitive conscience. We need to live and
grownot to live and be ruled by an au
thority or a set of codes established by man.
Through intuition, we gain access to the
ultimate authority. We can be guided by
the voice of intuitive conscience within us
through thought, feeling, and action. To
restrict ourselves to someone elses code,
other than is necessary to live properly in
society, is to subdue a forc which cries for
expression. Self being the only channel to
the realization of the Absolute is the channel
to the strongest forc and greatest power to
which we have access. If we do not permit
its growth or development, it becomes a forc
within us that literally will wreck us because
life without those intuitive urges is meaningless. We have all seen individuis who
have seemingly sealed themselves off from
all self-expression. It is abnormal; it is not
conducive to proper living. Seal even a small
teakettle, heat it, and it can explode and
wreck a house; but let those vapors which
develop escape, and the kettle sings.
God does not establish a high wall around
us. As Emerson said, there are cracks in
everything that God has made. We may
leam that the expression of self is the means
of realizing those cracks, of realizing that
perfection in the sight of God is not conformance to an external code, of realizing
that perfection is so living that within the
depths of our own conscience, we feel at all
times accountable to God.A

A CHANCE TO PROVE

y<nUi ffen&

9he&de&

UNDER
COMPETENT
DIRECTION
AT THE

Rose-Croix University
RALPH WALDO EMERSON, modern philosopher, said "A man should learn to detect
and watch that gleam o light which flashes
across his mind from within. . . . Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because
it is his/'
How many of your own ideas which you
dismissed from your mind as too different or
newor merely because they were your
ownhave years later returned, as Emerson
said, in the alienated form of someone else's
P R IN T E D IN U . S . A .

recent accomplishment? Perhaps you, like

many others, have let germs of Creative
thought die for want of a place in which to
mature them.
Waste no more yearswrite today to the
Rose-Croix University, San Jos, California,
for a free copy of The Story of Learning.
It contains a complete currculum of the
courses and tells how you may enjoy the
various privileges. Attend this summer
short term; reasonable tuition.

T H E R O S IC R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D . , S A N J O S E , C A L IF .

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

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ROSICRUCIAN
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A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AM O RC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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under Section 1 1 0 3 of the U .S . Postal A ct of Oct. 3 , 1 9 1 7 .

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JUNE, 1953

Vol. XXII!

No. 6

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SEEKING ASSURANCE

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A cherished role in Fleeting Tme,

My script 1 sean, each word and lne.
1 find it takes a lot of care
To learn to act what's written there.

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Some times 1 play another's role

1 lend that time, and share my soul.
A finger on my place 1 hold,
More pages there 1 must unfold
Such forc 1 feel from line to line.
1 like this part in Fleeting Time.

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Soror Connie Fox

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

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SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $2.25 (16/1 sterling) ANNUALLY

FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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OTHER MONTH) BYTHE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OFTHE SUPREME

COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK. SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA

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Page 122

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

FALSE COUNSELORS
Dear Fratres and Sorores:
There is an od adage to the effect that
a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Unfortunately, many persons do not realize
that they know only a little about a great
deai. The knowledge they possess of some
subjects may far exceed that had by the
average person; however, their knowledge
may not be comprehensive enough to be
authoritativeand therein lies the danger.
The importance of knowledge is to be aware
of its limitations, as well. Thus, what we
know we may relate only for its valu, its
particular contribution to the subject it em
braces. When one thinks and believes him
self omniscient, he then exeludes all new
and additional knowledge. He becomes dogmatic. He speaks with an air of finality,
of conclusiveness, that tends to bar any
further enlightenment upon the topic.
There are two factors which contribute
to the confidence of an individual. The
first is positive and the more important. It
arises out of actual experience. It is positive
because it constitutes activity on the part of
the individual. What he experienced has
become to him an intmate and personal
knowledge. He has gained ideas from im
pressions made upon him and his own reactions to them. By such an experience, he
is fortified. He knows of its elements, of
what it is composed, and of his own response
in tum. He is thus prepared in a manner
for a similar encounter. This preparation
through experience, instills confidence. The
extent of the assurance depends upon the
effect of the experience upon the individual.
The other factor creating confidence is
negative. It is the lack of any experience
which will challenge ones notions and opinions. Many men are self-assured, having
a strong sense of security in their opinions
only because they have never been put to
test; the knowledge associated with such
confidence is mostly abstract or hearsay.
We must encourage original thought. We
must also encourage deduction from general
ideas. Such knowledge, however, has no
pragmatic valu until it is reduced to appli-

cation, put to test in our daily living. Cer

tainly, the confidence that such engenders
(if not false) may at least be groundless.
The man with little knowledge upon a
subject but who yet exhibits confidence in
his own authority is obviously one whose
experience is limited. The wise man is the
one who has put his knowledge to a test,
for wisdom is the technique of applying
what one knows. The wise man admits of
the probability of error. He relates that although what he knows is factual, it is at
least limited to the time and circumstances
by which he learned it. He will not at
tempt to impart his knowledge to another
without admonishing him that there are un
known factors which must also be anticipated. The man whose knowledge is born
and tempered by experience is rarely boastful. He is too fully aware that it is difficult
to be prophetic because there are too many
extenuating circumstances which might arise
to counter the conclusions which he has
drawn from his limited fount of wisdom.
The one who knows that he does not
know, is most ready to learn. He does not
need to purge himself of false notions or
does he cling to any to spare his pride.
Nevertheless, such persons are often misled by the loud, the vain and positive assertions of those who profess to know. Their
own admitted lack of knowledge makes
them humble in the presence of the pretenders. They wrongly presume that no
one would speak so authoritatively upon a
subject and freely give counsel unless he
were prepared to do so. Thus, they quietly
listen and are fascinated by the loosely spoken phrases offered as fact and as being
indisputable truths. They take counsel from
one, the basis of whose oratory is nothing
but boldness and ignorance of his own selfignorance.
These false counselors have at times been
repudiated in their statements by truly
learned persons, organizations or institutions.
Their false pride is thus injured. Finally
realizing their inadequate knowledge, they
retire from association with those who might

JUNE, 1953

correct them. Not wishing to be humble in

the presence of the truly learned, they seek
a group of people who know less than they
so that among then; they may feel su
perior. There they establish themselves as
a kind of preceptor and Oracle. They never
relate that what they expound to their listeners has been proved erroneous by others.
To justify their stand, to give it emphasis,
they attack the findings and truth of their
superiors. They make the good seem to be
the worst. They poison the minds of their
unfortunate listeners by first imparting a
false knowledge and, second, by ridiculing
the truth.
These persons will not be found in places
of learning, for they are afraid of exposure.
They will establish themselves where neophytes may be foundpeople newly searching for knowledge and yet not able to deter
mine the difference between the true and
the false. Then, as if expounding some secret gnosis not to be found in the conventional and reputable places of learning, they
spew out their froth of untruth. Again, you
will find such false prophets with a knot of
listeners about them at the crner drugstore, at the cocktail bar, or at the local
tavern. You will also find them in various
places, searching out confused beginners,
members of some organization or the dissenters of some group, and rallying them
by a braggadocian display of leadership.
Listen well when you hear an individual
speaking loudly, reiterating again and again,
as if to challenge doubt that his words are
true. Before accepting his counsel, ask
frankly what is his background, academic
training and experience, permitting him to
speak so authoritatively. If you are timid
about approaching him in this manner, then
inquire indirectly further before placing reliance upon mere words. Remember that
one can only accept something as being real
or true when it cannot be repudiated by
anyone. That which appears logical may
not be so in fact. Therefore, go to a public
library and apply for an authoritative reference source by which to check the accuracy of the statements that have been made
to you. You may also consult a well-known
organization, or an institution the activities of
which are directly related to the subject, and
thus learn whether the speakers statements
were true.

Page 123

What price truth! Are you willing to em

brace untruth and inaccuracies because they
are offered freely from an unknown or self-'
acclaimed authority? Learning requires sacrifice and often expense. The teacher,
whether an individual or an organization,
is worthy of his hire. It is better to support
an authoritative channel or organization
than to accept loose talk gratis. Beware,
as well, of the one who inveighs against
real study and mental effort in the acquisition of knowledge and offers instead the
easy, the quick method. There are no short
cuts to real learning. One must by his own
efforts raise his consciousness, develop his
understanding, to be in accord with what
he seeks. Learning requires the focus of
attention. With it goes the slight aggravation that comes from the effort to memorize,
from abstraction, and the exertion of reason.
The labor of study is pleasant when one
properly prepares himself, for each hour
brings its reward a deep sense of satisfac
tion. The one who tells you that these
things are not necessary, and offers to coun
sel you without self-effort, is but leading
you astray. He is appealing only to your
sense of pleasure and imagination. He lulls
into lethargy your reason, your judgment,
your natural mental powers by which you
really grow.
Real knowledge must be intmate at all
times. What is imparted to you by another
can be at best but a stimulant to arouse
your own thoughts which must embrace it.
A predigested knowledge extended by an
other can raise you no higher than the one
upon whom you depend for it.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS
Imperator.
Is Meat Eating Harmful?
A frater from Brazil and a soror from the
southem part of the United States come be
fore our Forum at this time with questions
of a more or less related nature.
The frater states: In the Confession to
Maat, which is of traditional origin and is
brought to the attention of all members, I
read the line: T have caused no pain to be
inflicted upon man or animal. Is this not
a little inconsistent with some of the monograph material which indicates that there

Page 124

is no superiority in the vegetaran diet alone,

and which would imply that we should eat
meat; obviously, by eating meat we are inflicting pain upon animals.
Then the soror says: In a recent monograph I received, it states: Man has not yet
eliminated those teeth used for masticating
flesh or meat, indicating that man is prepared by nature to eat and to digest flesh,
etc. I am not a vegetaran or a fana tic
on this subject, as I serve meat to my family
every day, but whenever the question comes
up there is always a doubt in my mind
concerning this. Has not man developed his
teeth as a result of his own practices and
customs? Many organs have atrophied
through nonuse, and some have merely
changed, but I thought mans habits and
customs caused nature to alter him accordingly. The point I am trying to make is
this: that nature gave man the teeth only
because he wanted meat and needed the
teeth for the meat. If he did not desire the
meat, over an equal period of time, then
man would perhaps not need the same type
of teeth.
The subject of eating meat and its rela
tionship to spiritual idealism, and to mans
spiritual evolvement, is a rather controversial
one. The Rosicrucian Order definitely does
not advcate vegetarianism. The fact that
we do not advcate it does not mean that
we do advcate meat eating. We believe
that the eating of meat is a personal choice,
the decisin of the individual.
First, we would like to make this clear:
one cannot eat himself into spirituality. It is
true that a well-balanced diet and the partaking of certain foods into our system,
brings into our bodies certain invisible ele
ments which we might cali spiritual qualities.
But these things are necessary only in bringing about the harmony of our body. When
we are healthy, normal beings, we have the
greater opportunity to unfold spiritually. In
other words, our thoughts and consciousness
when we are healthy can be directed toward
ends other than relief from pain, sickness,
or disease.
There is no food that in itself, if it does
not disturb the balance of our health, will
either contribute or detract from mans pure
ly spiritual element. The Universal con
sciousness, which enters our beings with the
Vital Life Forc, is the essence of what we

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

cali our personal soul, and that is in no way

affected by our food. Even ill-health does
not actually affect the spiritual essence of
our being; it only interferes with our har
mony with the spiritual essence. The real
question which constitutes a conflict in many
minds is whether a human being who is
trying to raise himself above the primitive
stage of his animal nature, and trying to
express the higher consciousness, should try
as much as is within his power to live with
out sacrificing animal life for food.
The survival instinct is exceedingly strong.
Each expression of life will use every means
at its disposal to live even if it means the
sacrifice of other kinds of life. There is no
evidence that vegetarians who will not take
life to eat flesh have never been guilty of
murder or have never killed in self-defense
to preserve themselves. Thus, the whole
matter is debatable. If the individual has a
compunction about eating meat because it
results in the slaughter of animals, and if
he can find sufficient proteins in other
sources of food to keep himself healthy,
then we would encourage him to be a vege
taran. There is a brutality about the destruction of animal life for any reason. This
the sensitive individual cannot help realizing
and being affected by. It is safe to say that
if the average individual who eats meat
also had to kill the animals, to slaughter
and butcher them, he would not be a meat
eater! If the average person who buys
meat, thinking of it almost in terms of
something inanimate, were to pay a visit to
a slaughterhouse and see the terror that
comes into the eyes of many of those animals
and could hear their bellows and screams
as they seem to realize their fate, he would
hesitate before he ate meat again.
However, to be logical about the whole
matter, if you have such a sensitive nature
that meat eating is repugnant, you must at
least be consistent about it. In a way it is
amusing and rather pathetic to find staunch
vegetarians, exhorting their fellows not to
indulge in such savagery as meat eating,
who wear leather shoes which, of course,
come from the hides of animals; some of
these individuis even wear furs. We should
try within our power, to be consistent with
our idealism, or otherwise we become hypocritical or make a mockery of that which
we want to hold sacred.

JUNE, 1953

Insofar as nature is concerned, it is not

affected by the destruction of life. Life is
bountiful to nature. Life, to nature, is just
one phase of a cycle; death is the other acceptable phase. Man stresses the importance
of life because of his fear of death. Nature
has no such fear: life and death are equal
aspects of a single cycle. Furthermore, it
must be realized that in our very living, we
destroy organisms. In the exhala tion of our
breath, the carbn dioxide destroys organ
isms immediately about us. The question is
where to draw the line in not destroying
life.
I think that most of us mean that we
are reluctant to destroy life wherein con
sciousness has reached the stage of realiza
tion of pain and the individual living thing
has attained, sufficient awareness to realize
its own danger; it thus, in a sense, experi
ences emotional and mental torment as well
as physical torture. In most religions, with
the possible exception of the Hind, who
are extremists, Thou shalt not kill! refers
only to human life and to the imposing of
unnecessary suffering upon animals. For
the time being, we can only hope that, in
the case of individuis who feel that meat
eating is essential, the slaughter of animals
be done as humanely as possible.
In closing, I again wish to state that,
aside from the idealism involved, the consumption of meat neither adds to or detracts from the purely spiritual part of our
being.X
Knowledge is not Enough
We might ask ourselves the question, Has
knowledge valu in itself? This question
may seem odd to a person who has not previously analyzed the idea. The obvious con
clusin would be that knowledge constitutes
valu. After all, the world thrives on knowl
edge. Much of that which we enjoy today
is the result of the accumulation of knowl
edge by man. But when we take time to
analyze this same principie or question from
another point of view, we cannot help un
derstanding and realizing that all the accumulated knowledge of the ages to which
man now has access has not been the answer
to some of the perennial problems that face
him in society and in his personal life. These
problems have to do with the most basic

Page 125

principies of livingthe problems of mans

becoming adjusted to his environment and
thereby living in at least a degree of contentment.
All the knowledge that man has attained,
stored in his libraries and made available
in his museums, and which today is accessible to almost any individual, particularly
in the democracies, has not saved man; that
is, it has not saved him from threats of war,
the possibility of suffering, of illness, and
want. All the things against which man
has fought, which he has striven to do away
with, are still ever before us. There exists at
the present time in the world the possibility
of the most devastating war that has ever
taken place in the history of mankind; and
yet, we have sufficient knowledge to avoid
such a catastrophe. We know that in the end
war is not justifiable. We know that neither
the victor or the vanquished gains particu
larly from the outcome of war. Within the
lives of most of us, great wars have taken
place, nevertheless. We further know that
there are other things, for example, forms
of disease which man has not yet conquered.
There is suffering that results from both
physical and mental illness; there is hunger;
there exist economic problems with their
possibility of bringing about depression and
want.
All these things exist in spite of knowl
edge. Some of us might become cynical
and ask, Why then does man accumulate
knowledgewhat good is it if it will not
make for him a better life or at least better
conditions in which to live his life? The
answer is that knowledge itself is not lacking; the trouble lies in our application of
that knowledge. It is the experience in utilizing the knowledge and putting it into
effect that is of most importance. All the
knowledge in the world would not benefit
anyone unless it could be utilized. To read
through an encyclopedia or to memorize a
dictionary has little valu when an individ
ual is faced with a problem that needs im
mediate and practical solution. That is why
there are many people who live more contentedly and who possibly have attained
a better degree of happiness without having
the knowledge that might be considered
necessary in the academic sense of the word.
These individuis have learned how to utilize the few things that they may have

Page 126

learned. They have gained in experience

that which makes it possible for them to
adjust themselves better to the circumstances
in which they live.
From time to time a letter comes from
some individual inquiring about the Rosi
crucian Order, or even from a comparatively
new member wanting to know why the
Rosicrucian teachings are published in the
form of prvate discourses issued only to its
members. The overanxious individual wants
to know if he can have all the materials
in book form, wants to know if it is possible
that the contents of all the monographs
might be published in a set of books which
he can study. It is of course possible that
they could be. The monographs, instead of
being put in individual form, could be put
in one set of books, and it is conceivable
that an individual might be able to read
this set of books in a matter of hours if he
devoted himself to it. But when he finished
that work, after he had read the books, what
would be the advantage? He would have,
it is quite true, certain knowledge that he
may not have had before, but that would
not be enough. Mere possession of knowl
edge does not bring about a degree of hap
piness, contentment, or does it necessarily
greatly contribute to the spiritual evolvement of the individual.
The Rosicrucian teachings are presented
in the form that they now exist for the
simple reason that they can be presented
as principies and applied as such. The sim
ple exercises, experiments, and rituals that
accompany the Rosicrucian teachings are
the means by which this knowledge becomes
a part of the life of the individual, the
means by which it is absorbed into con
sciousness and becomes a living factor. The
rituals make it possible for man to associate
both fact and emotion, and to relate his
rational process to his process of feeling.
These conditions within the consciousness of
man make it possible for him to grow, to
evolve spiritually, mentally, and physically;
and it is the evolvement, it is the application, it is the experience of the knowledge
taught, that is the true valu of anything we
learn. This is the basis of the Rosicrucian
presentation of their philosophy and with
out this application the individual does not
gain that which he seeks. We are not merely
seekers of knowledge, although the Rosicru

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

cians have always been a ray of light in the

midst of superstition; as individuis we also
wish to make that knowledge effective in
our lives to better ourselves and, we hope,
to better the environment of which we are
a part.A
How to Join an AMORC
Lodge or Chapter
A question received in some recent cor
respondence, directed to one of the officers
of the Order, indicated that the individual
did not realize the procedure or method by
which a member can affiliate with a subor
dnate Lodge or Chapter. A number of
times, within the pages of T he Rosicrucian
Forum and of other literature, the advantages of a Lodge or a Chapter have been
outlined. Throughout this jurisdiction of the
Order, there are in existence many Lodges
and Chapters. It might be well for us to review very briefly the constitutional require
ments for these groups and just how they
function.
In almost every major city of the world
today there are representatives of the Rosi
crucian Order. These groups, some of them
Chapters, some of them Lodges, are mem
bers just like you and I; they have decided
to work together in an organization of a
local nature, for the group, for themselves,
and for the benefit of each other. Forty
members of the Order who wish to do so
may, upon receiving dispensation from the
Supreme Grand Lodge, establish a Chapter.
The procedure by which a Chapter is established has been worked out in detail and
complete information concerning this pro
cedure can be obtained by writing to the
Supreme Secretary.
The minimum requirement is a necessity
because fewer than forty members would be
hardly enough to fill the positions as officers
and to have functioning groups such as vari
ous committees, as well as individuis, for
projects that become a part of Lodge or
Chapter activities. Individuis who affiliate
with a Chapter are those who enjoy the
association with other individuis who have
similar interests. The Chapter does not take
the place of the privileges of sanctum mem
bership. All members of a Chapter or a
Lodge receive their monographs in the same
way; that is, the monographs come by mail

JUNE, 1953

and the individual study periods of the sanc

tum member are maintained. The work of
Lodges or Chapters is supplementary. It
consists of rituals, discourses, social gatherings, and activities by which the work of
the Order can be made known to other
people; and also certain practical demonstrations of the Rosicrucian principies can be
carried out by a group of individuis.
A Chapter or a Lodge is a function that is
entirely voluntary on the part of the mem
bers who affiliate with it. There is no com
pulsin to affiliate with a Lodge or a Chap
ter; consequently, Lodges and Chapters are
voluntary groups, individuis who find sat
isfaction and benefit in associating them
selves for the purpose of expressing, and to
be representative of, the ideis for which the
organization stands.
Do you wish to affiliate with a Lodge or
a Chapter? If you do, you should consult
the directory in the back of the Rosicrucian
Digest. This directory changes in every other
issue; therefore, be certain to check the issue in which Lodges and Chapters are listed
for the country in which you live. If you
find a Lodge or a Chapter listed in the city
in which you live, or in a near-by city, you
may write to the secretary of the Chapter
whose address is listed in this directory and
ask for an application blank upon which to
apply for membership in that Lodge or
Chapter. You will receive full instructions
and a necessary form to use for this purpose.
Every sanctum member has the privilege
to join a Chapter or a Lodge if he so desires.
If you do not find a Chapter or a Lodge
listed near you, write to the Supreme Sec
retary to determine definitely where the
nearest Lodge or Chapter is located; or, if
one is not near enough to be convenient for
you to affiliate with, ask whether there are
sufficient members in your immediate vicinity to establish a Chapter. If you live in a
small place, it would be well to give the
ames of a number of towns or cities within
a reasonable area to see if a sufficient num
ber of members exists in the group to which
you refer so that a Chapter might be estab
lished in one central place.
A Lodge or a Chapter is as effective and
as worth while as the members who com
pose it make or desire it to be. In Lodges
and Chapters where members work for the
good of the Order, for the advancement of

Page 127

themselves, and for the growth of the Rosi

crucian principies in civilization today, a
great deal of stisfaction and pleasure is
found in the association provided by a Rosi
crucian group.A
The Element of Faith
It is a premise of the Rosicrucian teach
ings that faith occupies a secondary position
to that of knowledge and experience. We
are taught in some of the earliest degrees
that faith is not as important as knowledge.
In other words, blind faith can be deceiving.
A person can have faith in a thing that has
no actual existenceno validity. Therefore,
it is important for the student, wishing to
develop a philosophy of his own, to realize
that something besides faith must become a
part of the foundation upon which to build
such a philosophy. On the other hand, we
cannot lose sight of the fact that there is a
certain valu in faith; we have to have faith
even to begin a study such as the Rosicru
cian teachings, even if that faith is no more
than faith in ourselves or faith in our in
dividual ability to be able to grasp the tech
nique and the principies which will be pre
sented.
Usually, when faith is referred to, it is
thought of in terms of the condition that is
closely related to certain religious doctrines
wherein faith becomes the exclusive basis
of belief, and all belief is based upon faith.
Anyone who has had the experience of liv
ing in a home under the influence of an
orthodox religin realizes that there are many
things, many questions and principies that
are not discussed. Analytical study is practically banned in some forms of religious
belief. This brings about a concept that re
ligin or things that have to do with God,
with life, with the higher principies of be
ing, are something that cannot be discussed
from the standpoint of reason, cannot be
analyzed, but must be accepted because
someone else has said that they are to be
accepted.
It is upon the basis of such concepts that
the priesthood becomes established in re
ligin, that individuis are set up as intermediaries between man and God to interpret
for the individual human being the concepts
that are to be his beliefs and upon which he
is to base his behavior and in the final con-

Page 128

sideration do all of this solely on faith. Such

a concept naturally has a tendency to stop
inquiry. It has a tendency to make think
ing, upon the part of the individual human
being, subordinate to mere blind acceptance
of anything that a religious leader or a re
ligious principie attempts to forc upon that
individual.
This does not mean that faith has no
valu. Faith, as outlined in the definition
contained in the Rosicrucian M anual, pro
vides a certain element that is necessary
on the part of an intelligent individual in
order to familiarize him with the knowledge
and experience that can come later. In
the glossary of the Rosicrucian M anual, it
is stated that faith is an expression of con
fidence. This means that if we have confi
dence in ourselves and in something of
which we have made a study, or at least a
preliminary investigation, we can have the
assurance that by giving proper attention
to the subject, or to the set of principies to
be presented, we will be in a better position
to accept and apply what we leam.
Confidence, however, does not mean blind
faith. It does mean that we accept a thing
because we are told to accept it, or because
we believe that there is a personal God that
forces us to accept it on the basis that if
we do not we will be subject to punishment.
Confidence is an assurance. It prepares the
point of view; it assists us into the right
frame of mind so that we can be mentally
alert to those things that can aid us. It
would be difficult to approach a course of
study, such as the Rosicrucian teachings for
example, without a confidence built within
ourselves that causes us to believe that here
is something worth while, and that we can
gain benefit by the practical application of
the principies that we are going to study.
The difference between confidence and
faith is that confidence is amenable to reason and experience. If we place our confi
dence in something and later find that it
has been misplaced, we are at liberty to
make a change; in other words, confidence
does not commit us. Confidence is always
subject to later findings, or new knowledge
and experience, whereas faith is the pur
blind acceptance of any set of facts or any
group of principies or any mode of procedure with the idea that, come what may,
there will be no modification, but always

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

merely the continued acceptance of that

which faith has decreed.
Blind faith, therefore, is the shutting out
of reason. A true faith is, as we have al
ready stated, an expression of confidence.
Confidence is born of experienceexperi
ence comes from the utilization of knowl
edge. We can realize that a certain degree
of confidence, based upon the experience
that has been ours, will help us to set up
the necessary ideas which can be utilized in
creating the knowledge which we hope to
attain. Faith helps in the establishment of
confidence. It is a means by which we can
bridge the gap between the unknown and
the known. It is impossible to attain knowl
edge instantaneously in all the fields that
might interest us, but confidence will help
us pass over that period until knowledge
will enter into our mind and assure us of
that which we want to know.
The proper use of faith then is the utili
zation of those things which will assist in
the acquisition of knowledge and experience.
It can serve as a steppingstone by which
knowledge and self-assurance can be the
final achievement or accomplishment. Faith
is nothing in itself, it is only a means to an
end. It helps us attain that which will bring
assurance. Blind faith acts like a narcotic
while it is tied up with our emotional sys
tem and a part of our thinking. It can
take the place of that which we do not know
or that which we hope to know.
Knowledge and experience, on the other
hand, are entirely different. They are the
assurance that comes within our own con
sciousness through having the actual knowing of a thing take place within our reali
zation. The experience is the utilization of
knowledge and its practical application in
our living. A familiar quotation with which
almost everyone is acquainted is found in
the New Testament wherein it is stated
that, Faith is assurance of things hoped
for, the conviction of things not seen. Un
til we attain those things for which we hope,
until we can see the field that is now un
known, faith serves as the intermediary. It
assures us of what we hope to attain, and
it causes us to be able to create a conviction
within our being of those things which we
cannot now see. But we must not forget
that faith alone cannot forever serve in this
position. Faith must be replaced with the

JUNE, 1953

realization of things hoped for after there

is no longer a necessity for the assurance,
and convictions must be replaced by the
knowledge and experience of those things
seen and realized when they are no longer
beyond our sight.A
Do We Deceive Ourselves?
A frater now comes before our Forum
and says: If one cannot rely on the five
senses, they being deceptive, how can one
believe what he sees or feels in the experi
ments? In other words, did I imagine the
candle to dim or was it a faulty candle?
Did I imagine, after gazing in the mirror
for five minutes with only a candle for
light, that my reflection was becoming misshapen or inconstant? I checked my mirror
after the Initiation and found no distortion
in its surface.
Am I going about our teachings and ex
periments in too logical a fashion? Should
I accept these teachings in blind faith or
should I wait until they prove themselves
through physical manifestations? I have
tried to be utterly frank in asking these
questions.
From the philosophical viewpoint, no real
ity is actually as we perceive it. One of the
oldest of all philosophical problems is the
question of the accuracy of knowledge arising out of empirical or objective experience.
Which is real, the idea we have of an experi
ence or the impulses from the external world
which act upon our senses? Color, for ex
ample, has no counterpart in the outer
world, such as red, green, or blue. These
colors are but varying wavelengths of the
visible spectrum of light which causes us to
have, through the mdium of sight, sensa
tions which we come to identify as red, green,
and so forth. Each of our receptor senses
has its particular qualities as taste, smell,
form, extensin, and color. Whatever acts
upon our sense organs must produce these
qualities singly or in combination.
Our knowledge, then, is a synthesis of
our sense qualities and of the vibrations of
reality which act upon our sense organs.
We can never know objectively what the
external world or reality actually is, because we have no immediate knowledge of

Page i 29

it. All we experience are the sensations we

have of existence.
The sense organs can be so deceived as to
cause interpretations by the mind that are
different from normal. What we refer to
as normal is what the average sense organ
and its facultiesas, for example, the faculty of sightwould perceive under specific
conditions. Even that norm, as we have
said, is not absoluto truth. It is only a kind
of interpretation of it. However, since we
are limited to such categories of interpreta
tion, for all practical purposes we must ac
cept this preponderance of evidence of our
senses as the real. We are obliged to govem
our lives by them.
The illusions of the senses refer to those
instances which, by change of our position
in time or in place or by the confirmation
of other senses, prove an experience to be
other from what we realize it to be. Illusions
are those things which, to our own satisfac
tion, we demnstrate to have no stability;
that is, we alter their reality to us. Since
we cannot know absolute reality, we must
be guided by that which at least appears
to be indubitable. The grass is not actually
green but, since it appears so to all persons
having normal visin, we accept the implied
reality of its color.
There are many experiments conducted
in our Rosicrucian teachings which produce
psychic changes rather than physical ones.
Sometimes we seem, because of suggestion,
to objectively perceive somethingthat is,
to see or hear a physical transformation
which has not come about. Actually the
transformation is one limited wholly to a
state of consciousness. The importance of
such experiments is to bring about the
change in consciousness and not in any thing
or any mdium which may be used in conjunction with the experiment. There are,
however, experiments which the members
conduct, the results of which consist partly
of changes in consciousness and partly in
material reality. To be more pointed, let
us refer to the mystical experience, in one
of our initiations, of witnessing the self in
the mirror. Thousands of members have
conducted this initiation, not in blind faith
but rather with the reserve of skepticism at
first, and had what to them were amazing
results which they have reported. These
persons were not subject to autosuggestion.

Page 130

They were not reacting to a strong influence

of their own imagination. They saw facial
changes, contractions of the facial muscles,
that actually and considerably altered their
features. These changes were not facial contortions, the result of an emotional impact
engendered by their own imagination. We
have even known of others, not members,
who have noticed this different facial ap
pearance, that is, the change of features, of a
Rosicrucian member of their family immedi
ately following the conducting of such an ini
tiation ritual. Consequently, these experi
ences must be distinguished from any state
of mind just induced by the efficacy of the
ritual instructions.
We do not deny that, to a considerable
extent, the initiation experience is a subcon
scious one. The feelings one has accompanying the experience, the impressions of a
personality associated with the facial change,
all of these are within the realms of the
consciousness lying behind the objective
mind. They are so intimate, so personal, that
they are not objectively demonstrable to one
not participating in the ceremony. If such
immanent experiences alone prevailed, it
could then be said that perhaps they were
entirely a phenomenon of the subconscious
and the illusionary. However, when the ele
ments of the initiation also have an objec
tive counterpart, then certainly there is no
self-deception on the part of the candidate
or member.
This same criterion may be applied to the
exercise concerning the concentration on the
candle fame for the purpose of dimming it
or causing it to bend slightly either to the
right or the left at the will of the individual.
There are many scientists who are members
of the Rosicrucian Order. They are teachers
and researchers in the fields of physics,
chemistry, metallurgy, medicine, psycholo
gy, and related subjects. These persons are
quite conversant with all the natural phe
nomena, the physical causes, which might
result in a candle fames dimming or bending one way or the other. We, too, know
and can easily demnstrate in our laboratries how thermal waves and the reduction
of oxygen within the room, may cause a
similar phenomenon, or a dimming of the
candle fame. Consequently, when we state
in our monographs that the results are not
the cause of any of these things, we are not

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

resorting to self-deception. To be the victims

of self-deception, these members who are
scientists would need to be ignorant of com
mon natural laws which would be ridiculous
in the light of their training and preparation.
Where the phenomenon obeys the direc
tion of human will or intelligence, it is a
corollary that the will and mind are affecting the physical forces upon which they are
brought to bear. A relatively new subord
nate field of psychology, known as parapsychology, is devoted to the empirical investi
gation of that phenomenon once adjudged by
science as occult bosh or rank superstition. That the mind may radate or emit
radiations which can affect material sub
stances is a source of serious investigation
by scientists. It is admitted by them that
instruments have not been devised which
can completely or convincingly demnstrate
this power of mind over matter. On the
other hand, scientific statistical analysis has
revealed a ratio of success in experiments
related to this phenomenon which cannot be
conscientiously disregarded.
The greatest danger in conducting experi
ments of this type is the tendency of the in
dividual to exaggerate his results. The en
thusiasm that occurs when the experimenter
realizes that he has discovered little used, or
unused potentialities, is tremendous. In try
ing to convince others, he may elabrate be
yond what he has actually realized. Then,
too, the student and member must be sufficiently self-analytical as to be able to distin
guish between that aspect of his experience
which is of his own subconscious mind and
that effect which is actually objective. If
this is not done, he may transfer to the mirror, for example, what he has merely per
ceived on the screen of his own consciousness
and then he may imagine the former to be
an objective reality.
Such analysis, however, must not be indulged in during the process of the exercise
or no success will be had with it. The in
dividual by such reasoning at that time
would be limiting his consciousness to the
wholly objective state. The necessary evaluation of the experience should be made im
mediately at the cise of the exercise or
experiment.
The worst offender is the one who will not
even believe what he perceives, thereby denying himself a new knowledge. He is not

JUNE, 1953

unlike the backwoodsman who on visiting

a zoological garden in a large city and seeing a giraffe, for the first time, refused to
believe that there was any such animal.X

What Does the Rosicrucian Seek?

It is interesting to analyze what the in
dividual is seeking when he or she affiliates
with the Rosicrucian Order. If we would
make an analysis of every application that
is submitted for membership, we could gain
a cross section of the thinking, attitude, and
concept of the individuis who apply for
membership. Bearing in mind that all those
who join are not going to continu the studies
for a sufficient period of time to advance to
the highest degrees of the Order, we also
realize that we are obtaining a good crosssection of contemporary thought, by that I
mean the thinking of the so-called average
individual. These individuis are obviously
those who feel motivated to learn something
besides what they have been able to gain
in whatever academic training they have
had and in the experience of the daily life
where they happen to be at the present time.
We might also say that these individuis
are not typical examples of the average man;
they are examples of individuis who are
somewhat above the average in that they at
least are consciously putting into an ex
pression what someone else may only hope.
This is an important point and might bear
some elaboration.
Every individual daydreams to a certain
extent. He wishes that he might have a lot
of money, a lot of property, or he wants
health, or happiness. In his daydreaming, he
imagines these things as having actually
taken place. This is simple hope without
any attempt to make the things for which
he or she hopes come into existence. Although we all daydream, the important thing
is that some people do more than daydream.
They attempt to put these dreams into actuality. They attempt to bring them into
existence in their lives.
Those who submit applications for mem
bership in the Rosicrucian Order are in this
latter classification. They have decided to
do something about their hopes and aspirations. They feel that possibly through study
and application and through leaming to

Page 131

utilize all the forces at their command, that

are resident within the human mind and
body, they will be able to bring some of
these hopes into actual existence. It does
not mean that all individuis submitting
applications for membership in this organization are going to be able immediately to
change their whole lives and environments,
but they will be able to direct their efforts
and consciousness towards a hope of attaining a degree of peace of mind which after
all, coupled with happiness, is probably the
greatest possession possible for the human
being to attain.
When the average individual becomes as
sociated with the Rosicrucian teachings, he
therefore has already asked himself either
pointedly or unconsciously, Why am I
here? and What am I? Most of the ques
tions that occur in human experience begin
with what, why, when or where. The child
begins asking these questions as soon as he
gains a sufficient vocabulary to make sentences. We are a curious race in the sense
that curiosity is an expression that all of us
evidence in some degree. We never see a
thing without having some impulse to want
to know how it works, how it got there, why
it is here, and what utilization is made of it.
The individual is born into a complex world,
and as soon as he becomes conscious of what
is going on about him, he asks the question:
Why am I here? He wants to know what
it is that has brought about this manifesta
tion of life and this existence of a conscious
state in an environment which is sometimes
perplexing and at times very pleasant.
There have been attempts, to answer this
question, throughout the time that man has
been a rational being. Often this question
and its answers are dropped by many think
ing people from their thinking; that is, they
decide that lifes circumstances are too com
plex to be answered or that there is no an
swer. The agnostic claims that we may be
here just as an accidental qirk of fate or
quirk of nature. The religionist answers the
question in varying ways but usually that
we are here as a result of the will of a be
ing greater, larger, and more complex than
ourselves. In other words, with many modifications, fundamentally, religin says that
we are here because God put us here, and
what are we going to do about it? There
are variations of explana tions as to what

Page 132

we should do about it, but basically that is

the answer to the question from the standpoint of religin. From the standpoint of
philosophy, there are as many explanations
as there have been philosophers who have
thought upon the subject. There is the ex
treme mechanistic point of view that man
is a mechanical peculiarity that has evolved
into the present physical state here on this
earth, and there is the other extremethat
of the idealist. Such one has very little to
add to the viewpoint of religin, that man
exists by an act or will of an external forc.
The question What am I? is also dis
cussed and analyzed in the fields of religin
and philosophy. Basically, religin says that
man is body and soul, and philosophy has
various interpretations. What we are most
interested in is how mysticism, as interpreted
by the Rosicrucian philosophy, attempts to
answer these questions. How completely or
how successfully we may have answered
these questions to ourselves may be the key
to the philosophy of life that we have been
able to develop. The individual who can
answer these questions, to his own satisfac
tion, has taken the most important steps to
the establishment of that state of peace of
mind and happiness for which we all seek.
It little matters whether I answer those
questions to your satisfaction or whether
you answer them to my satisfaction. What
is important is that I arrive at an answer to
those questions to my own satisfaction, and
that you also arrive at an answer to the
same questions that fit you and satisfy you
within your own consciousness. You need
not attempt to explain why I am here, or
what I am. What you are concerned with
is your own experience, your own life, your
own existence.
The concepts of reincarnation and Karma,
in the Rosicrucian teachings, give the most
logical basis upon which these questions can
be answered. If we are to conceive of the
physical life span which vares from a very
short span of a few minutes to that of eighty,
ninety, or one hundred years in the comparatively extreme cases, we know that even
the longest span of human life here on earth,
when measured in terms of infnity, is as
nothing. One lifetime is just a moment in
time or a tick of the clock of eternity.
It therefore seems unreasonable from the
standpoint of all that will adjust itself to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

reason, all that is consistent with what we

believe to be good and purposeful, that one
human life should be a complete entity of
expression within itself.
The concept of reincarnation states that
man is more than a mere physical entity
placed in a physical environment for a
limited length of time. It declares that man
is soul. In other words, Rosicrucian mysti
cism answers the second question as to
What am I? by saying, I am soul. Soul
is an expression of a life forc, an expression
of an individuality which has been destined
by God to function as a phase of His own
manifestation and, at the same time, have
an individualized manifestation of a forc
that is all-pervading and a part of the highest forc in the universe. This soul goes
through certain functions and processes.
Exactly why this whole evolutionary chain
of events should take place over a period of
eons of time is difficult for the finite mind
to conceive, but the fact that it does, or the
fact that we accept the conclusin that it
does, causes us to realize that life is a continuous expression regardless of what may
be the accidental physical things with which
we are put in contact from time to time.
We are here then to evolve and to grow.
We are going to learn certain things from
each physical expression that is ours. In this
life, we have certain things to learn. If we
direct our attention, our consciousness, and
our effort toward trying to learn and under
stand these things, this particular incama
tion will contribute to the whole of our de
velopment and will be the basis of a part
of our character which can be continued
into future incamations. We will gradually
evolve to the point where we will become
able to realize the whole content of soul and
its whole experience, and therefore be able
to complete the Cosmic plan for which we
were created.A
Helping Overeme Karma
A soror of England rising before our Fo
rum says: Now with regard to Karma,
should we show another the way to over
eme our karmic debt? There are some
people whom one can see positively banging their heads against their fate (as they
cali it ). Everything seems to go wrong, not

JUNE, 1953

now and again, but seemingly always. Would

a word of suggestion to them, if they are
willing to accept it, be appropriate?
There are those who think that because
all our fortune and misfortune is caused
either by ourselves or humanity collectively,
that any attempt by another to mitgate the
effects constitutes an intervention with Cos
mic law. If this were so, then it would be
Cosmically wrong to display a charitable
nature or to show any compassion or mercy
for our fellows. It is admitted that karmic
law in the Cosmic scheme of things is the
law of causality or balance: for every cause
there is an effect. But this law is impersonal
in its operation. There is no intention to
inflict punishment or, in the positive appli
cation of the law, to reward an individual.
For analogy, it is the same as one who by
his acts invokes the law of gravity by throwing a stone into the air. What follows is
not the consequence of any purpose, but is
the function of natural forces. If a person
were to catch the stone thrown into the air
before it crashes downward into a glass window, he is not defying natural law, and
therefore bringing upon himself some pen
alty. Rather, he is merely imposing a new
forc to counter the other. So, too, is it with
Cosmic law.
.
If he is reflective, an individual may come
to realize that his adversity follows from the
course of his own errors or those of society
of which he is a part. By intelligence and
the application of his own will, he may
alter his behavior or thinking so as to lessen
the effect of the established causes. In this
way, he has learned his lesson. The mysti
cal principie behind karma has then been
fulfilled. One who is successful in life, that is,
has satisfactorily culminated various enter
prises and who has had personal happinss,
is one who has discovered those causes which
account for desired and undesired results,
and has acted accordingly.
It behooves the person with foresight, or
who through experience has come to learn
of physical, moral, and social laws having
great influence on our lives, to enlighten
others concerning these laws. When you
see a person about to make a serious mistake that could be avoided through a word
of counsel, it is morally incumbent upon
you to tender your advice. Not only should

Page 133

this be done where the consequence of the

effect may be harmful, but also where it
may be beneficial. Thus, if someone is not
cognizant of an opportunity which lies be
fore him as karmic law, then it should be
explained to him.
It is conceded that human pride, selfesteem, often causes a resentment to proffered counsel. To not know what we are
expected to know, and to have such elucidated to us by another, seems to place us in
an inferior position to that of our counselor.
Therefore, too often there is the inclination
to reject advice even if it is worthy and if
extended with the best of intentions. Indi
viduis that exhibit such a character are
crude and not very advanced in their moral
consciousness. They have yet to learn that
man is not independent of nature and of his
fellows as he would like to presume. He
must then be left to his own resources, if
he has such an attitude, and he must learn
direct from the effects he himself crea tes.
Such learning is obviously slow and is many
times painful.
If everyone insisted upon learning from
immediate experience all that constitutes the
helpful knowledge of mankind, he would
probably remain in a state of culture little
higher than that of a savage. Most of our
learning is from the preservation of the accumulated experiences of others who have
gone before. Suppose we did not go to school
to be taught by others! We would need to
discover through our own reasoning, for ex
ample, the abstract principies of mathemat
ics. Further, if we had sufficient imagina
tion to do so, we would have to slowly de
velop an alphabet and learn to speak beyond
the stage of uttering mere cries incompre
hensible to others. All the sciences and arts,
their basic laws and principies, if not learned
from others, would also have to be discov
ered personally by us in the span of one
short lifetime, if we were to even know their
rudiments. Such a process is so absurd that
we would not entertain such an idea and
therefore we gladly accept textbooks, teachers, and a curriculm for our general educa
tion. Why then should we resent a friend,
a relative or another, who through kind in
tentions endeavors to disclose to us certain
information which is to our advantage?
The opposite view in connection with this
subject must also be considered. It concerns

Page 134

the individual who says: The affairs of

another are in no respect my own. He is
the one who figuratively and literally shrugs
his shoulders when he is aware that another
is conflicting with laws which may be detri
mental to him. This subject involves the
proverbial question: Am I my brothers
keeper? Mystically, the answer to this
question is an emphatic Yes! with qualifications. Each of us has his own life to live,
his own experiences as lessons to be learned
through direct contact or through what is
imparted by his parents, teachers, relatives,
and friends. As human beings, imbued with
Divine consciousness, it is our duty to so
evolve and extend our self-consciousness that
it is not limited to our own immediate wel
fare. The exalted personality, the expressions of the more comprehensive self, includes
compassion, mercy, impersonal love, sym
pathy, and those affections and sentiments
attributed to the spiritual consciousness of
man. Certainly, one denying help to an
other, help which he can give, even in the
form of an admonishment, is in violation
of the lofty aspects of the higher conscious
ness within. Such a one is denying the
spiritual attribute of his own being. We
are spiritually obligated to reveal and display what men cali virtue. These virtues
are actually but courses of action or behav
ior which correspond to the impulse to do
good which we each have, to a varying de
gree. This good is the satisfaction of all
aspects of our being.
Being our brothers keeper does not mean
being a director of his life. It does not mean
the assuming of the responsibility of an
other. Each has his own responsibility. In
fact, in most instances, such help should be
limited to doing for another what he is incapable of doing for himself at the time.
Most important, it should not consist of our
imposing upon another our own preferences
or ends in life. In counseling someone else,
avoid exhorting him to accept your personal
conclusions, ideas, and ideis. Relate facts,
pointing out impersonal laws and principies
which are universal, that is, those which
apply, as against all personsyou and oth
ers. There are too many persons who in
terpret the term my brothers keeper to
mean the domination of the life of another,
the subordination of another to ones will.
Such misconduct is an abuse of another; it

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

brings to the one responsible a karmic effect

which in some manner he will not find
pleasant.X
Is Wisdom Inherited or Acquired?
A frater of Midwestern United Statesa
first visitor to the Forum, we believesays:
We may presume that the ancient philoso
phers, like Anaximenes, had access to the
wisdom of the ancients who preceded them.
Was this access then their storehouse or the
source of their philosophy? Could it be also
that, having access to a certain amount or
part of the ancient wisdom, the philoso
phers, through their own thinking and rea
soning, eventually arrived at their own phi
losophy? Might it not have been that their
personally developed philosophy only confirmed the same ideas had by peoples long
before them, such as the ancient Lemurians
and Atlanteans? The point I wish to make
is this, Is wisdom necessarily inherited? Can
it not be acquired by the individual and
then be equal to or/and go beyond what
the wise of another age taught?
The frater makes reference to Anaxim
enes and his contact with sources of wis
dom existing prior to his time. Many of the
ancient Greeks known to us for their phil
osophical learning were indubitably influenced by their association with learned sages
of the Orient. Egypt, Babylonia, Phoenicia,
and Persia had achieved great civilizations
and had tremendous learning when Greece
was but a land invaded by barbarians from
the north. The early traveler visiting the
East and Mid-east would have been deeply
impressed by the great advancement of these
peoples. If observing and permitted, they
would have acquired a knowledge of the
arts and sciences of which their own people
knew little. With all due respect for the
great thinkers of ancient Greece, especially
before the Hellenic period, it is difficult to
determine to what extent that which they
expounded was their own thought exclusively and how much of it grew out of the stim
ulus of contact with the learned peoples of
Asia and Africa.
It has been said that Egypt and Babylonia,
for example, never produced a true philo
sophical system. In a sense that is probably
correct. There is no known individual or

JUNE, 1953

particular philosophical system that has de

scended to us from Egypt that is as com
plete as that, for example, of Democritus,
Anaximenes, Plato, or Aristotle. However,
in the inscriptions found in Egypt and attributed to the priesthood and in the traditional accounts of, the teachings from the
mystery schools, are concepts which parallel those taught by the Greeks; that is, they
parallel them in profundity and, in some
respects, in conten. Such Egyptian con
cepta are no as formalized, ha is, no as
unified, as hose of Greece. They are ofen
inlerwoven with liurgies. Nevertheless, he
ideas are here. Furher, anyone who has
made any sudy of he Bhagavad-Gia, he
Upanishads, or he Sankhya philosophy of
India marvels ai how hese eachings anlicipae much ha is found in Weslern phi
losophy. In fac, he similarily is so grea
in even he philosophy of some of he laer
Germn idealiss that one is impressed with
the hough ha hey mus have borrowed
some of heir ideas from he Indian sources.
Jus wha do we know abou he Greek
philosophers journeys lo he Eas and heir
sludying here? Wih Thales of Mileus
(585 B.C.), began wha we cali organized
thought in he Wes, a raional inquiry inlo
physical phenomena. As a youlh, Thales
engaged in polilics, almos a mus for
every ambiious young Greek of he time.
He laer urned from politics o becoming
a sluden of naure. He lef little in writing
of which here can be any certainly of authenticiy. What we know of him is moslly
gained from the accounts of his contemporaries and later historians, as Pamphila, Herodotus, and Diogenes Laertius.
Pamphila slates that Thales learned geometry from he Egyptians and hat he was
the first to inscribe a right-angled triangle
in a circle. It is also relaed that he had
no instructor except that he went to Egypt
and spent some time with priesls there.
It mus be realized ha he prieslhoods of
Egyp were no concerned alone wih sac
erdotal maters. They were he sages, he
preceplors, he insrucors in all he accumulated wisdom of ancient Egyp or ha
known o ancien man. They were a class
selecled and prepared for he preservation of
knowledge and for he expounding of learn
ing lo all hose who were qualified o receive

Page 135

i. Much of the knowledge of such subjects

as alchemy, medicine, theology, architecure,
and aslronomy was the direct result of the
researches and discoveries of hese priesl
hoods.
Though some of the priests were corrupt,
as a whole they did not seek o suppress
wisdom bul extended it to all who met their
qualifications. These qualifications did no
always apparenly require he suden and
candidae o become a permanen devoee of
heir culi or religious syslem. In his inroduction to he mysteries he neophyle was
obliged, in he course of his initiation, o
solemnly swear o keep secre certain riluals
and elemens of he initiation. The oher
knowledge, he disinguished foreign iniiates, as the Greeks, were apparenly permited to divulge wih discretion upon their
relum o heir homeland.
Hieronymus informs us ha Thales measured he heighl of he pyramids by he shadow hey casi. I is said thal he took his
observation at he hour when our shadow
is he same length as ourselves. Then he
apparently applied he same rule o the
pyramids.
Much knowledge of physical laws is atributed o Thales. He is said o be the first
lo determine the suns course from solstice
o solstice and, according to some, the firs
o declare he size of he sun lo be one
seven hundred and Iwentieth part of he
solar circle. In general, he was he firs
Greek, of whom we have knowledge, o
discuss he physical problems of exislence.
He definitely departed from a theogenic con
ception of the creation of he universe, ha
is, one generaled by he gods. Of him it is
also said ha, being asked wha is difficul,
he said: To know oneself. To Wha is
easy? he replied: To give advice o another.
Plato at he age of weny-eigh wen lo
Cyrene, capilal of Cyrenaica, on the north
coas of Africa. There he visited the learned
mathematician, Theodorus. Thence he wen
o Croona to consult the philosophers of
the great school of learning established here.
Subsequenly, he, too, went to Egyp o
hose inlerpreting he will of he gods. This
later undoubledly mean he learned prieshood. I mus be recalled ha mosl of he
priess paid homage o he gods for wha

Page 136

they themselves actually taught. Each century, new discoveries were attributed, for
example, to Hermes Trismegistus or Thoth.
It is not mine, but thine, was the spirit of
the priesthood. What carne to them personally as illumination, they conceived as be
ing the result of a divine influx of wisdom.
While in Egypt, Plato fell sick and was
cured by the priests who treated him with
sea water. History does not relate the nature
of Platos malady. This particular treat
ment must have greatly impressed him because it is said that it is the reason Plato
spoke the line:
The sea doth wash away all human ills.
The healing powers of the priesthood also
invoked his admiration for it is revealed that
he said that the Egyptians excelled all men
in the skill of healing. Plato had intended
to visit the Magians but was prevented by
the wars in Asia.
A great channel by which knowledge
reached the West from the East was the
learned Pythagoras. He was instrumental
in the introduction of much that has become the basis for the subsequent Rosicru
cian teachings in the West. Of course, the
Rosicrucian philosophy was not altogether
eclectic. It was not just borrowed from the
East. In each century and every land its
members have added the latest knowledge
and often far advanced its enlightened teach
ings.
Pythagoras was born on the island of
Samos in the Aegean (582-500 (?) B.C.).
Herodotus relates that he was the son of a
gem engraver. At an early age, he left
Samos and journeyed to the island of Lesbos. He had an introduction to a prominent
official there. While on Lesbos, he had three
silver flagons (flasks) made. These he took
with him as presents to three high priests
in Egypt. But first it is said that he went
to Phoenicia, a land at the time learned in
writing, mathematics, and commerce. There
he was instructed by Chaldean sages. It
must be mentioned that, before arriving in
Egypt, Pythagoras had also been instructed
in all the mysteries in Greece and foreign
countries. These mysteries were initiatic and
esoteric schools, as the Orphic and Eleusinian.
While in Egypt, and to his good advan
tage, Pythagoras received an introduction

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

to the Pharaoh Amasis. Through the lat

ters good offices, he undoubtedly gained the
permission he received to study in the Egyptian mystery schools. The ancient historians
relate that he learned the sacred and an
cient hieroglyphic script of the Egyptians.
It was in this script that all the secret teach
ings were recorded. It would seem that
Pythagoras was most favorably accepted because it is recorded that he was allowed to
enter the sanctuaries, the inner shrines, and
initiatory chambers of the great temples.
It was there he was told their sacred lore
concerning the gods. Remember that the
lore of the gods would mean any great
knowledge had by man. It is just as a
learned religious person would say today,
as a tribute to his god, My knowledge is
by the grace of God. Such knowledge was
not just a matter of theological doctrine but
consisted of abstract science as mathematics
and, as well, medicine, music, and so forth.
Later, Pythagoras went to Italy and es
tablished a school at Crotona for the Greek
colony located there. His priva te initiated
students numbered three hundred, we are
told. However, it is related that six hun
dred persons went to his evening lectures.
It would seem that Pythagoras organized
at Crotona his inherited wisdom into an efficient philosophy consisting of his own
thoughts, undoubtedly enlarged by what he
learned and making an advancement. His
students and initiates went through a rigorous disciplinary regime. For five years his
students and friends had to keep silent,
merely listening to his discourses without
seeing him until they passed an examina
tion. Thereafter they were admitted to his
presence and allowed to see him.
It is well known that Pythagoras is credited
with the discovery of the mathematical re
lationship of musical notes or the mathe
matical proportion of the scale. He also
greatly advanced the principies of geometry.
How much of such knowledge, first generally
publicized by him, was all his own, acquired
as a result of his original thought, and how
much was the imparting of what he had
been taught during his sojourn in Egypt,
perhaps we shall never know.
There is no virgin knowledge. Everything
we could possibly know is recorded in the
elements of human experience. A latent or

JUNE, 1953

innate knowledge coming from the soul, as

some say, must have the mdium, the vehicle of actual experience, for its expression.
It is only possible for us to think in terms
of generally familiar ideas. These ideas are
born out of our sense qualities, our sense
impressions, for these latter are the substance out of which all our thoughts are
constructed. New ideas are so only in their
composite. They are not new in their entirety. Consequently, we must have many
ideas as a result of experience from which
to construct different thought forms or no
tions.
A person may have what is said to be
an original thought as a plan or an idea
that is different. Such however, is derived
from contemplation or an intuitive integration of the ideas one has previously acquired
from experience. One need not be educated
to be Creative in his thinking. He will nevertheless have to acquire a fount of knowl
edge from observation or by carefully listening to others. The more we experience and
the more we dwell upon such experiences,
the more our reason and imagination is stimulated. Examine the writings of a philoso
pher or sage. You will note that, no mat
ter how profound and how original appear
his ideas, they are grounded in an inherited
knowledgethat which he has gained from
a study of books, from nature, from the lives
of others, or from an inquiry into self. The
greatest philosophy of all is the one that
makes us, by its teachings, use ourselves and
the universe in which we dwell as the source
of our wisdom. X
A Realistic Look at Man
Actual experience with reality is some
times much more effective than the most
profound or erudite, even though logical,
discourse about it. W e speak of the duality
of man in our teachings. We refer to mans
physical, material side, and we speak of his
immaterial side, that is, the Divine essence
and the self. The self, as we have said many
times, is not an immaterial substance, but,
rather, it is an expression or a function of
the divine polarity of our being.
Let us put it this way. Life forc con
tributes to the material substance, the biological elements of our beingthe cells, flesh,

Page 137

tissue, bones, the organs. But accompanying

that life forc is an intelligence, a higher
form of consciousness which, as it expresses
itself through the more developed physical
organism, finally produces that state which
we cali self-consciousness, or the intangible
thing we cali self. Really, this self is just
the expression of the consciousness that accompanies life. It is just as the music of an
instrument is not a thing in itself, but is
an expression of the instrument and that
which plays upon it. The body, then, is just
a vehicle for the expression of self. The vehicle must be maintained and kept in the
most efficient orderwhich we cali health.
When life forc leaves the body, that polar
ity is absent from it which gives forth the
expression which we cali self. There is noth
ing left then but the lower polarity manifesting that which we refer to as matter.
The matter of the inanimate body has no
greater importance than the substance of any
other inanimate body. The so-called dead
human form is no more important than a
dead tree, a rock or minerals, or the sands
on the beach.
The form that it still assumes before it
completely disintegrates has a certain senti
mental valu to us. We have an affection
for it because of our memory of the expres
sion that carne forth from it. But the real
valu of that form has gone. To use a
homely analogy, it is like one having an
affection for a musical instrument that is
no longer capable of being played. This af
fection which man has for the body after
it no longer functions to produce self, has,
in many respects, led him astray. It has
caused him to glorify the body and often
to give it an importance in his philosophy
and religin of which it is not worthy once
the consciousness of self has departed from
it. Many religious sects stress the point of
the preservation of the body after death.
They wish to keep the body intact in the
hope or belief that at some future time, as
resurrection, the same body will be occupied
by the same soul-personality which departed
from it.
Though in good faith, these believers are
not very realistic. The average embalmed
body today retains its state but a very short
time. The usual type of embalming in no
way approaches the efficiency of the em-

Page 138

balming of the ancient Egyptians. In just

a matter of years, the body disintegrates and
becomes no longer inspiring, no longer representative of the personality which once
was expressed through it. How much better
it would have been if that body had been
immediately retumed to the pristine ele
ments of which it consists rather than to
assume a partial form of its previous state!
Further, if the divine power on the occasion
of a resurrection would be able to restore
the highly disintegrated human body into
an efficient living one through which the
same soul-personality could again express
itself, then that same divine intelligence
could gather together the elements of a cremated body, and likewise permit the soul
to function through it.
The point we are making is that it would
really require a divine miracle to restore a
disintegrated body to house the same soulpersonality upon the occasion of a resurrec
tion. If that miracle is possible, the restoration of the body after cremation is possible,
as well. The advantage of cremation is that
the body is returned to its simple elements
quickly, hygienically, and in a more ideal
istic form. The body does not have to then
slowly disintegrate and go through all of the
hideous stages through which it otherwise
passes in the transition after death until it
eventually becomes merely impalable parti
les.
We were made deeply conscious of this
fact by a recent incident here at Rosicrucian
Park. As most of our members know, the
Rosicrucian Order maintains in its Museum
the largest Egyptian collection in the West
ern part of the United States. The Rosi
crucian Egyptian, Oriental Museum is visited
by over sixty thousand persons annually,
from all parts of the world. The importance
of the Museum, its educational valu, has
brought the Order splendid publicity, and has
heightened appreciation of its integrity because of the cultural contribution to the community. As I am dictating, standing at my
window looking out upon the lawns, I see
walls being raised by workmen to constitute
a new wing to this Museum. From various
parts of the world, the Rosicrucian Order has
acquired authentic Egyptian objects. Some of
these antiquities are from leading museums
in the world; others are from prvate collec-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tions and other sources of distinction. Just

a few days ago we received another shipment of Egyptian antiquities from Europe.
For the most part, the articles in this shipment were originally excavated under the
direction of the distinguished Egyptologist
and archaeologist, Professor Flinders Petrie.
This shipment included prehistoric pottery
dating back to the Proto-Egyptian Period,
and a number of other Egyptian objects:
utensils, stelae, and the like. There were
also some embamed human remains.
One of these is a mummy of a small child.
The remains had been placed in a wooden
case for shipment from Egypt to England
in 1912. They were in very poor condition,
the embalmed body being no longer as one
unit. The members were separated and the
linen wrapping was shredded. Some of the
linen had deteriorated away from the skul]
exposing the cranium, the teeth, the hair,
and the like. To us who are accustomed to
working witK antiquities, it was not a par
ticularly hideous sight, though not a pleas
ant one. The original embalmers in ancient
Egypt had hoped that the childs body would
be preserved against time for etemity, in ac
cordance with their religious concepts. The
original excavators that found the body dis
covered it in this disintegrated state. How
much more pleasant it would have been to
have had the body returned to its simple
elements in the first place, and to think of
it just in the sense of the soul-personality
that once occupied it.
With this childs body was a wooden
eradle which was in a dilapidated condition.
Our technician and staff artist will restore
this childs eradle which the ancints had
entombed with its body. In our Museum,
it will again look as it did some three thou
sand years ago. Our Museum staff, in carefully examining the mummy wrappings and
the remains of the eradle, found intact with
in them a small, copper cymbal. This is
shaped much like a small, Oriental gong.
It is in an excellent state of preservation,
being only slightly corroded. Fragments of
the original cord, by which the gong was
suspended or carried, still remain. This was
the toy of that child, to be used, as it was
thought, in the next life. Because of the
loosened condition of the mummy Wrappings
about the skull, it was thought that the}r

JUNE, 1953

could be entirely removed, but it was then

found that this could be done only partially
if further damage was to be avoided. This
mummy, then, as much of it as can be preserved and made presentable, will be returned to its little eradle with its original
wrappings.
It is these experiences with the realities
of life that help us evalate our Rosicrucian
doctrines and which permit us to see how
sound they really are. X
Making Cosmic Requests
A member addressing our Forum states:
Rosicrucian friends have often mentioned
to me the matter of proper respect for the
Cosmic; that is, they feel that it is not right
to make of the Cosmic any specific request.
They assert that one should merely place
himself in the hands of the Cosmic, that is,
one should only ask for guidance in the most
general way. If a certain thing is needed,
if that thing is proper, if ones motive is
right, then one may only go so far as to ask
the Cosmic for guidance to give unto one the
necessary direction, indicating no specific de
sire on the part of the supplicant. Why should
the mystic adopt what seems to be a servile
and insincere approach? If one has no fear,
if ones purpose and motive are right, why
should one not voice his desire, visualize the
thing wanted, etc., as indicated in some of
the early monographs? Personally, I see no
lack of reverence in such a procedure.
Again, the approach to this question is the
need for a comprehension of the Rosicrucian,
the mystical conception of Cosmic. One must
not conceive the Cosmic as an anthropomorphic deity, benign, patronizing, and prepared
to reach into an infinite source of supply to
bring forth the commodity or to invoke the
conditions asked for. The Cosmic constitutes
the harmonious relationship of all the uni
versal forces and energies which comprise
what we tem alike the spiritual and natu
ral worlds. The Cosmic includes both the uni
versal consciousness and the expression or
laws, if you will, of that consciousness.
The Cosmic seeks to confer no special
privileges or benefits upon us. If, however,
we make ourselves, through meditation, receptive to its functioning we are then the

Page 139

recipient of benefits which we would per

haps not ordinarily enjoy. But let us look
at the matter in this way. The sun, for
analogy, is a source of strength and vitality,
and furthers the growth of living things.
The sun does not, however, do this by intention or purpose, as those who once deified the sun thought. What follows from
the sun as radiant and Creative energy does
so by the necessity of its nature, not because
of a teleological cause. If we wish to partic
pate in the curative and health-giving qual
ities of sunlight we must put ourselves in
relation to the sun. We must go out into
its direct rays and bathe in it. The benefits
which thereby come to us are not because
the sun wants to bestow its qualities upon
us or even that we have requested it. Rather,
we have brought ourselves into that proper
relation to the sun that we cannot avoic}
receiving the good which it radiates!
In our Rosicrucian and mystical exercises,
we practice meditation and by that means
we elevate or ascend our consciousness to a
level where we become a more direct channel for the higher vibratory impulses of the
Cosmic, the universal consciousness. Thus,
we receive the manifestation of that con
sciousness. We participate in those things
and those conditions that make it possible
for us to gain the end which we desire.
Just how does this desire work? The pieture which we frame in our consciousness
or, as we say, visualize during meditation,
and which we release, as we say, into the
Cosmic, is actually passed on to the higher
levels of the psychic consciousness of our
own being. In the Cosmic there are no ideas
such as we experience in our minds. How
ever, when in final and proper attunement
with the Cosmic, the flow of the Creative
power that comes to us from it through the
higher levels of self becomes related to the
elements of the picture which we formed
on the screen of our mind. These higher im
pulses stimulate our thinking and our sub
jective and objective minds in a manner
that corresponds to the particular picture
of our desire. As a result, we have what we
cali intuitive impressions constituting a kind
of guidance by which the fulfillment of our
desire is facilitated.
Let us use a physical example to explicate
this point. Let us consider a red glass, that

Page 140

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

is, a glass colored red, as being the desire

which we have in mind. Sunlight, we shall
say, is the universal consciousness or the
Cosmic mind. In raising the glass up so
that the sunlight falls upon it, we find then
that the only color which is transmitted
through the glass is a red light. All other
wave lengths of the suns spectrum are filtered out. So, too, it is with our desire,
which is raised to the higher levels of our
consciousness. Only those aspects of the
Cosmic Intelligence which are associated
with that desire, as will further it, reach
down into our objective consciousness in the
form of guidance or intuitive impressions.
Thus, we are inspired to do certain things,
and which, in effect, make it possible for
us to realize the particular end which we
seek.

tain that the patient is agreeable to the treat

ment given. This voluntary accord then
brings the patient, the recipient of the treat
ment, in closer harmony with the one desiring to help and brings both, in turn, in
closer harmony with the Cosmic forces.
The ethics involved. in requesting Cosmic
help must not be omitted. This ethics con
sists of asking for that which is proper. This
propriety means that we must not request
that which would deprive another of what
he is morally and naturally entitled to or
which would bring harm in any form to
others. Mystically, a selfish request is not
something from which you will benefit, for
it is your right to further self, materially,
intellectually, and spiritually! After all, the
law of self-preservation is the exercise of
selfthe furtherance of self in all of its as
pects. If we did not further self, there would
be no further self. If you request something
from which you alone will derive advantage,
which would be of no advantage to anyone else, then it is truly a selfish request
and should not be Cosmically requested, for
the Cosmic will not respond to such an ap
peal. By respond, we mean that you will
not be brought into that proper accord by
which you would be a channel for the Cos
mic forces you need.

When our desire, or request to the Cos

mic is impersonal, or specifically, is for the
benefit of another, we become the instru
ment for bringing that other person into
harmony with the Cosmic. Our thoughts
about the person whom we desire to aid, if
intense enough and in accordance with our
mystical instruction, bring our consciousness
in attunement with the deeper levels of self,
of this other mind. Our desire to help them,
in turn, causes those aspects of the universal
consciousness which are most needed for the
help, to be focused upon the consciousness
of the one for whom we seek assistance.
In this sense, we are really directing the
Cosmic forces: by our placing ourselves and
those with whom we are in attunement, in a
relationship with the Cosmic to receive the
most benefit.

Under these circumstances, we see that il

is not Cosmically wrong or imprudent for
us to request from the Cosmic what we de
sire. We repeat, however, that we must al
ways be cognizant that the Cosmic does not
directly provide what we seek. Rather, it puts
us in accord with those agencies, those fac
tors of which it consists and by which we,
as individuis, may then create or discover
in nature that which we wish.X

In connection with absent treatments, we

always urge our fratres and sorores, who
are endeavoring to heal another, to be cer

REMEMBER THE CONVENTIONJuly 12 through 17, 1953

JUNE, 1953

Page 141

IN D EX O F VO LUM E X X III (Comprising the entire Six Issues of the 23rd Year)
NOTEThe small letters after the page numbers refer to position on page: a, upper half of first column; b, lower
half of first column; c, upper half of second column; d, lower half of second column. Titles of articles are italicized.

A
About Non-Mystical Philosophy, 94-95
Abstraction and Reality, 43-45
Accidents Caused Psychically? A re, 91-94

Adler, 54d
Affirmation, 65d-66
Afterlife, The, 66-68
Air, 46a 86b
Akashic records, 4c
Akashic Records, 5-6
Amasis, 136c
AMORC (See also Rosicrucian):
Concept of religin, 27d
Council of Solace, 21b, 114a
Egyptian, Oriental Museum, 64d, 102d, 138b
Examinations, 4a
Foreign Contacts, 63a-65
Grand Lodge records, 4a
Initiations, 5a
Letters, 126a
Members, 27a, 89d
Membership identification, 90b
Supreme Grand Lodge, 126d
Supreme Secretary, 127b
AMORC Lodge or Chapter, How to Join an, 126-127
AMORC, Young People and, 75-77
Amra, T he Law of, 113-114
Analogies, 43c-45
Anaxagoras, 46b
Anaximander, 46a
Anaximenes, 134c, 135a
Andhra University, 63b
Animals, 124c-125
Antiquities, 138b
Are Accidents Caused Psychically? 91-94
A re W e Tested? 3-5
A re You a Crusader? 32-33
Aristotle, 84c, 135a
Attainment, Degrees of, 33-35
Attunement, 139d-140
Aura, 93b
Authority, 117d-118

B
Babylonia, 47b, 134d-135
Behavior, 56d-57, 58b, lOld, 106a, U6d-119, 133b
Being, 69d, 109d
JBergson, Henri, 46d
Blessing? Is Death a , 109-111
Body, 16a, 18b, 41c-43, 62b, 87a, 114d, 115d, 137c-138
Boehme, Jacob, 14c
Books:
Art of Absent Healing, The (Lewis), 19d
Bhagavad-Gita, 33d, 135a
Bible, The, 33d, 59c, 90c
Cathedral of the Soul, The (Dean), 113c
Christian Mysticism (Inge), 45d
Essentials of Psychology, The (Henry), 58b
Mansions of the Soul (Lewis), 66d
New Testament, 128d
Peace of Mind, 83d
Psychology of Insanity, The (Hart), 56d
Rosicrucian Manual, 115b, 128a
Self Mastery and Fate with the Cycles of Life
(Lewis), 81a
Upanishads, 135a
Books, Popular Psychology, 83-84
Bowing to Graven Images, 90-91
Brain, 78b
Brain and Mind, 114-116

Breathing, 41 d, 43b, 86b, 125a

Bruno, Giordano, 45d, 46b
Buddha, 63b, 95d

c
Candle fame, 130b

Candles and the Mystic Fame , 11-13

Can Good Eliminate Karma? 35-36
Can W e Project Soul? 51-53

Cathedral of the Soul, 113c

Causality, 6b
Cells, 7c, 16b, 18b, 78d
Chaldeans, 136b
Change, 16d, 110b
Character, 59c
Charity, 71a
Child Culture Institute, 75d, 77b
Christ, 95d
Civilization in the Making, 50-51

Classification of Consciousness, The, 77-79

Colombe, 13c
Colors, 23d, 129b
Compensation, 26a, 101c
Concentration, 82b-83

Concentration, Directing, 29-30

Confession to Maat, 123d

Conflict of Interests, 8-10

Conscience, T he Function of, 116-119

Consciousness (see also Cosmic Consciousness), 9c,

51d-52, 66d-68, 86b-88, 110a, 114d, 115d-116, 124b,
129d-130, 134a, 137c, 139c-140
Consciousness, T he Classification of, 77-79
Consciousness? Does Injury Reduce, 18-19
Consciousness, Nature of Cosmic, 6-8
Contemplation: A Key to Mastership, 84-86
Contributions, 114a
Convention Visitors, 102-103
Convictions, Courage of Your, 26-27
Copernicus, 46b
Cosmic 5d-6, 69a-70, 104d-105, 133a
Cosmic Consciousness, 34c, 85a, 88a
Cosmic Consciousness, Nature of, 6-8
Cosmic Direction, Yielding to, 65-66
Cosmic intelligence, 18b-19
Cosmic keyboard, 69d-70
Cosmic Requests, Making, 139-140
Counselors, False, 122-123
Courage of Your Convictions, 26-27
Creating, Mental, 11b, lOOd
Cremation, 138a
Crime, 31a, 62d
Crotona, 135d, 136c
Cruelty? What Causes Human, 111-113
Crusader? A re You a, 32-33
Curiosity, 131c
Cuzco, 92c-93
Cycle, 109d-lll
Cycles of Success, 80-82
Cyrene, 135d

D
Daydreams, 53d-54, 131b
Death (see also Afterlife), 125a
Death a Blessing? Is, 109-111

Death? Does the Self Survive, 86-88

Deceive Ourselves? Do We, 129-131
Degrees of Attainment, 33-35

Democritus, 135a
Descartes, 3b
Desires, 62c, 65a-66, 88a, 140a
Determinism, 111b

Page 142

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Development, Study and Psychic, 13-15

Diet (see Meat Eating)

Diogenes Laertius, 135b

Directing Concentration, 29-30

Disease 57c-58, 61a

Does God Cause Suffering? 27-29

Does Injury Reduce Consciousness? 18-19
Does the Self Survive Death? 86-88
Do Not Test God, 82-83
Do W e Deceive Ourselves? 129-131

Drugs, 33a, 40d-41

Duality, 61b-62, 137b

E
Earth rays, 92a-93
Ego (see also Self), 34b, 53b, 86d
Egypt, 46a, 86d, 134d-135, 136a, 138a
Einstein, 94a.
Element of Faith, The, 127-129
Elements, 46a
Embalming, 137d-138
Emerson, 119d
Energism, 46d
Ethics, 30d-31, 140c
Evaluation, Self-, 55-56
Evil, lllc-112
Evolution, 28c, 36d, 60b, 78d, 11 Id, 132c
Examinations, 4a
Examinations, Fear of, 105-107
Experience, 15d, 43d, 68d, 125d-126, 128c, 133d, 137a
Extramarital Relations, 30-32

F
Faith, T he Element of, 127-129
False Counselors, 122-123

Fantasies, 53d-54
Fatalism, 65b
Fear, 37b

Fear of Examinations, 105-107

Fechner, 45d
Fire, 12a-13, 36a, 45b

Fame, Candles and the Mystic, 11-13

Flattery, 3b
Food (see Meat Eating)
Foreign Contacts, Our, 63-65
Freud, 54d
Fringe consciousness, 8c
Fromm, Erich, 117c

Function of Conscience, The, 116-119

Function of Pain, The, 39-41

G
Geiger counter, 92c
Geometry, 135b
Goals, 54a
God, 7b, 19d, 27c-29, 44a, 45c, 69b-70, 78c, 82b-83,
84b, 86a, 91b, 94b, 107c-109, 111b, 117d, 119d, 127d,
128b, 131d, 132c
Gong, 63d, 138d
Good, 35d-36, 44a, lllc-112
Graven Images, Bowing to, 90-91
Greece, 46a, 50b, 84c, 134d-135
Growth of Perception, 10-11

H
Habit, 16a
Handicaps, 66b
Harbin, China, lodge, 63a
Harmony, 7d, 74a-75, 82b, 140c
Hart, Dr., 56d

Has the Universe a Personality? 45-47

Hatreds, 101c

Have You Progressed? 37-39

Healing (see also Treatments), 19c-22, 61a, 136a

Healing, Questions on, 19-22

Health (see also Meat Eating), 98b-100, 137c

Hearing, 11c
Hegel, 95a
Helping Overeme Karma, 132-134
Henry, Dr. George, 58b
Heraclitus, 69d
Hermes Trismegistus, 136a
Herodotus, 136b
Hieronymus, 135c
How to Join an AMORC Lodge or Chapter, 126-127
Humanitarian, 112d-l 13
Hylozoism, 46a
Hypersensitivity, 112c
Hypnotism, 93d

I
Idealism, 99c, 113a, 124d-125
T ^ p ]<s

Ideis? Should W e Seek, 53-55

Ideas, 10a, 43d, 45c, 103b-105, 128c, 137a, 139d

Ideology, 75b
Ignorance, 74d-75
Illness (see also Healing), 57b-58, 124c
Illumination, 8c
Illusions, 129c
Images, 13b, 90c-91
Immortality (see also Afterlife), 86b-88
Imperator, 63b-64, 78b
Impressions, Understanding Intuitive, 15-18
Incarnations, 60b, 132d
Incarnations, Our Future, 100-102
Incas, 92c-93
India, 135a
India Academy of Sciences, 63b
Indians, 92d-93
Inge, Dean, 45d
Inharmony, 57b
Initiation, 5b, llOd-111, 129d-130
Injury Reduce Consciousness? Does, 18-19
Inquisition, 117a
Insanity, Psychology of, 56-61
Inspiration, 30b
Inspiration, Sources of, 103-105
Intelligence, 7a, 137c
Interests, Conflicts of, 8-10
Intuition, 15b-18, 119b, 139d
Is Death a Blessing? 109-111
Is Meat Eating Harm ful? 123-125
Is Wisdom Inherited or Acquired? 134-137
Java, 63d
Jung, 54d, 67d

J
K

Karma, 4d, 5a, 29b, 58d-59, 65d-66, 101c, 114b, 132b,

134c
Karma? Can Good Elimnate, 35-36
Karma, Helping Overeme, 132-134
Knowledge, 122a-123, 128c, 129b, 136d-137
Knowledge is not Enough, 125-126

L
Law of Amra, The, 113-114

Laws, 6b, 10b, 56c, 65d-66, 82a, 107b-108, 133a

Learning, 14d, 123c, 133d
Leather, 124d
Leibnitz, 7c
Lesbos, 136b
Lewis, Dr. H. Spencer, 19d, 21 d, 63b, 64a, 71b, 79b,
81a, 82b, 102a
Life, 52a, 70a, 84d, 109d-lll, 124c-125
Life forc (see also Vital Life Forc), 86b, 137b
Lifetime, 132b

JUNE, 1953

Page 143

Lodges:
Amenhotep (Cairo, Egypt), 63c
Grand Lodge, 4a
Harbin (China), 63a
Indonesia, 63d
Supreme Grand Lodge, 126d
Logos, 46a
Love, 119b, 134a
Lucite, 52d

M
Maat, Confession to, 123d
Magic, 40a
Maha Bodhi Society, 63b

Making Cosmic Requests, 139-140

Man, 30c, 34a, 51b, 52b, 78a, 84b, 86d-87, 116d, 125a

Man, A Realistic Look at, 137-139

Man? Why, 68-70

Martinist Order, 64a

Mastership, Contemplation: A Key to, 84-86

Materialism, 81d-82, 90d-91

Meat Eating Harmful? Is, 123-125

Meditation, 41c-43, 104d, 139c

Membership, 26c-27
Memory, 13a, 16a, 59a-60
Mental telepathy, 93d
Meter 92d-93
Mind,46b, 62b, 70a, 78b, 104a, 114c-116, 130c, 139d
Minds, Unity of, 74-75
Money, 30c
Monism, 46d
Moon, 81 d
Moslems, 32a
Mummy, 138c-139
Museums, 51b, 64d, 102d, 125c, 138b
Mysteries, 135c, 136b
Mystic Fame, Candles and the, 11-13
Mysticism, 56a, 88a, 94b
Musical scale, 136d

N
Nature, 78a, 125a

Nature of Cosmic Consciousness, 6-8

Nervous systems, 112c, 114d

Neurosis, 54c-55
Nonmembers, 89d

Petrie, Professor Flinders, 138c

Phenomena, 81b, 130b
Philosophers, 95d, 134c
Philosophy (see also Wisdom), 40b, 43a, 46b, 76b-77,
84c, 94a-95, 132a
Phoenicia, 134d, 136b
Pigeons, 92a
Planes, 7d-8
Planets, 47b
Plato, 84c, 135a
Pleasure, 84d, 88b, 99a
Pneuma, 46b, 86c
Poems:
Abyss and Fame (Phelps), 49
God and I (Binder), 25
Little by Little (Thomson), 73
Miracles (Ahlborn), 97
Seeking Assurance (Fox), 121
Star Cali (Starr), 1
Polarity, 61b-62, 137c
Popular Psychology Books, 83-84
Posture for Relaxation and Meditation, 41-43
Prayer, Psychology of, 107-109
Pride, 133c
Pride, T rue and False, 2-3
Priesthoods, 127d, 135d
Progress, 37a-39
Prohibitions, 9d
Prophecy, 80c
Propitiation, 39d-40
Psychic centers, 18c-19
Psychic changes, 129d-130
Psychic consciousness, 7d
Psychic development, 10c
Psychic Development, Study and, 13-15
Psychic phenomena, 38a
Psychoanalysis, 54d-55
Psychology, 78b
Psychology Books, Popular, 83-84
Psychology of Insanity, 56-61
Psychology of Prayer, 107-109
Psychoneurosis, 58c
Psychosis, 21d-22, 58c
Ptah, 46a
Purpose, Simplicity of, 98-100
Pythagoras, 136a

Non-Mystical Philosophy, About, 94-95

Nous, 7b
Numbers, 44b

Questions on Healing, 19-22

o
Oaths, Violation of, 88-90

Obsessions, 59c
Obstacles, 5b
Orient, 134d
Origen, 45d

R
Radiations, 130c
Rays, Earth, 92a-93

Realistic Look at Man, A, 137-139

Reality, 129b

Reality, Abstraction and, 43-45

Our Foreign Contacts, 63-65

Our Future Incarnations, 100-102

p
Pain, 40d, 125a

Pain, T he Function of, 39-41

Pamphila, 135b
Parapsychology, 93c, 130c
Peace (see Unity of Minds)
Peace of mind, 99a-100
Perception, Growth of, 10-11
Periods (see also Cycles), 8c, 81a
Perrotta, Orlando, 102c
Persecution, 117a
Persia, 134d
Personality (see also Soul-personality), 45d-47, 52d,
59a, 134a
Per, 92c-93

Realization, 129a
Reasoning, 15c, 43d, 114d
Records, Akashic, 5-6
Reincarnation (see also Incarnations), 132b
Relations, Extramarital, 30-32
Relaxation and Meditation, Posture for, 41-43
Religin (see also Afterlife), 27d, 40a, 75b, 87b,
125a, 127d-128
Requests, Making Cosmic, 139-140
Rose-Croix University, 79-80
Rosicrucian (see also AMORC):
Applicants, 131a
Camera Expedition, 92c-93
Convention, 102a-103
Doctrines, 34b, 65c, 139a
Exercises, 5c, 37c-38, 126b, 139c
Experiments, 129d-130
Ideis, 33c
Laboratory, 130b
Literature, lOa-11, 37a, 63b, 126c

Page 144

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Members, 27a, 37a-39, 126d-127

Monographs, 3d, 14b, 19c, 100b
Mysticism, 132c
Neophytes, lid
Oaths and obligations, 89a-90
Philosophy, 15b, 115a, 117c, 132a, 136b
Records, 113c
Rituals, 45b, 64a, 126b
Scientists, 130b
Students, 3d-5, 94c
Teachings, 21 d, 30b, 37a-39, 43a, 109d, llOd, 114c,
126a, 127c-128, 129d, 130b
Treatments, 19c-22, 61a, 140b
Rosicrucianism, 84b, 85a
Rosicrucian Order, 6b, 124b
Rosicrucian Park, 102c, 138b
Rosicrucian Seek? What Does the, 131-132
Russell, 94a

Saad, Frater, 63c

Sadists, llld-112
Sages, 134d, 135b
Saint Augustine, 45d
Saint Francis, 14c
Salvation, 34a
Samadhi, 34a
Samos, 136b
Sankhya, 42d, 135a
Science, 40c, 44d-45
Scientists, 130b
Sea water, 136a
Sects, 77c, 98a, 137d
Self (see also Afterlife), 2a-3, 14b, 19b, 51a, 53a-56,
58a, 99c-100, 110a-lll, 112b, 137b, 139d, 140b
Self-assurance, 128d
Self-awareness, 67a
Self Conscience, 118b-119
Self-consciousness, 70a, 112b, 134a, 137c
Self-discipline, 113a
Self-esteem (see also Pride), 133c
Self-Evaluation, 55-56
Self-expression, 118b
Self-idealization, 53b-55
Self-preservation, 86b, 105d, 140c
Self-sufficiency, 69b
Self Survive Death? Does the, 86-88
Senses, 10a-ll, 116a, 129a
Sex, 30d-32, 61c-62
Seneca, 88d
Should W e Seek Ideis? 53-55
Silence, 22d
Simplicity of Purpose, 98-100
Society, 9b-10, 50a-51, 85d, 113a
Scrates, 116d
Soul, 46b, 58d-59, 116b, 124c, 132c, 137a
Soul? Can W e Project, 51-53
Soul-personality, 34d-35, 51d-52, 101b, 110a, 137d-138
Source of Inspiration, 103-105
Space, 67a
Spectroscopy, 45a
Spectrum, 23d
Sphinx, 63c
Spine, 42c
Stoicism, 46b

Students, 127c, 136d

Study, 123c
Study and Psychic Development, 13-15
Suffering? Does God Cause, 27-29
Suggestion, 91 d
Sun, 135d, 139c

P R IN T E D IN U . S

Sunshine Circles? What Are, 70-71

Sunspots, 81 d
Superstition, 39c
Suspicion, 74b-75
Sympathy, 60d-61, 71a

T
Tabula rasa, 44d

Taxes, 113b
Techniques, 85b
Teeth, 124a
Teleology, 70b
Tensin, 42b

Tested? A re We, 3-5

Test God, Do Not, 82-83
Thales, 46a, 135b
Thanksgiving, 55a-56
Theism, 27d-28
Theodorus, 135id
Thinking, 60c
Thoth, 136a
Thoughts, 62d
Time, 67a, 78d-79
Tithing, 113b-114
Treatments, Absent, 140b
Tretchikoff, Vladimir, 102d
Truths, 95b

Unconscious, 68a

Understanding Intuitive Impressions, 15-18

Unity of Minds, 74-75

Universal Consciousness, 124b

Universal Intelligence, 52a
Universe, 69c

Universe a Personality? Has the, 45-47

University, Rose-Croix, 79-80

Upanishads, 135a

Vacation, 100c
Va jira, Sister, 63b
Vales, 86a
Vegetarianism (see Meat Eating)
Violation of Oaths, 88-90
Virtues, 134b
Visitors, Convention, 102-103
Visualization, 11b, 20d-21, 29d-30, 53b-55, 106c
Vital Life Forc, 52a, 116b, 124b

w
War, 125c

What Are Sunshine Circles? 70-71

What Causes Human Cruelty? 111-113
What Does the Rosicrucian Seek? 131-132

Whitehead, 94a

W hy A re Wornen Negative? 61-62

Why Man? 68-70

Will, 130c, 133b

Wisdom Inherited or Acquired? Is, 134-137

Y
Yielding to Cosmic Direction, 65-66

Yoga, 42d

Young People and AMORC, 75-77

Zeno, 46b
Zoroaster, 12d, 95d

A. o ^ ^ l T H E

R O S IC R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D .

,A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AM O RC,
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER
Entered as Second Class M atter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1 1 0 3 of the U . S. Postal A ct of O ct. 3 , 1 9 1 7 .

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Vol. XXIV

AUGUST, 1953

No. 1

SOUND AND SILENCE

1lie n the tall grass
And hear the sound of wnd
Blowing
And grass rustling.
Down n the grass 1hear
No sound. With each green blade
1 breathe in time
To silence.
Down in the soundless grass
1 hear beyond the tone
O f silence
Music of earth.
In music of earth
1hear the One.
Ruth Phelps

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BYTHE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OFTHE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $2.25 (16/1 sterling) ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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Page 2

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

PRA YER, ITS USE AND MISUSE

Dear Fratres and Sorores:
W ar makes particularly conspicuous the
paradoxical use of prayer. The peoples of
the involved nationsfriends and enemies
alikeenter their temples of worship and
solemnly pray that they might be victorious.
Frequently, peoples of the same faith in opposing nations are praying in like manner to
the same conceived god. Obviously, both
peoples believe they are justified in their
respective causes. Consequently, to the sin
cere religionist of a defeated country, it
must seem that his god has forsaken him,
or that, at least, prayer has lost its efficacy.
It is this circumstance that has confused
many religionists and caused many other
persons to regard prayer as being contiguous
to superstition.
The valu of prayer is directly proportionate to the manner in which it is used.
Prayer, in itself, as an act or a series of
acts, is not infallible. Prayer consists of a
number of such elements as: to whom we
pray, how and when we pray, and what we
pray for. Unless these elements are integrated rightly, prayer must of necessity
fail. However, no matter how often a prayer
may not be productive of the intended results, certain beneficial results are experi
enced; such is an example of using nearly
all of the elements correctly, which we shall
later explain.
From the rational point of view, prayer
is a petition. Like any kind of request, it
may either be made silently, or be vocative.
When emotionally moved, it is instinctive to
give voice to our desires. The voice has
power in its utterances. The sound of the
voice relieves the emotions. It suggests the
invoking of the forc of the desirephysical
ly as well as mentally. In fact, it is nearly
impossible to prevent a vocative response
accompanying intense emotional agitation.
We are inclined to cry out, or speak out,
under such circumstances.
If prayer is a petition, there must be some
thing or someone to whom it is directed. Ob
viously, we do not pray to ourselves, that
is, to our own mental or physical being. If

we believe that we are intellectually and

physically capable of executing a plan, or
acquiring something, we proceed entirely according to our own initiative. Prayer is,
therefore, an admission of an actual or
imagined self-sufficiency. This self-insufficiency causes a tendency in the individual
to turn outward, to put dependency upon a
forc, agency, or source, which is external to
himself. Patently, our conception of this extemal source determines to a large degree,
the nature of our prayer. A primitive being
with a polytheistic conception imagines a
plurality of gods; to him, such gods may be
resident in inanimate things, as rocks, the
sea, or in storm clouds. In his conception,
each of such gods is distinctively productive
of certain needs of man. Thus, the individual
has to evalate his godsto one he turas
for health, to another for strength, to still
another for support against his enemies.
When man seeks to communicate with a
power vaster than himself, he devises various
means of gaining the attention of such a
deity. For example, when men cali upon a
human potentate, or tribal head, it is neces
sary to have the potentate disposed to their
ends; consequently they seek to propitiate
him by a presentation of gifts, the gifts being
whatever men consider of valu. Sometimes,
the approach to the god is the attempt to
create a favorable environment in which the
deity may receive them. Thus, theurgical
rites of music, song and dance, are used. In
following this method of prayer, two things
are observed: first, there is the belief that
the deity may grant the request, if he is
sufficiently pleased with the acts of the peti
tioner; second, there is no question of the
motive of the petitioner. It is not a question
as to wThether the results of the prayer are
contrary to natural law or as to whether they
may work an injustice upon other mortals.
The psychology in such instances is very
crude. It is, in reality, conferring an anthropomorphic nature upon the god. God is
conceived as being like mortals, possessed of
vanity, easily gratified by gifts, homage, and
ostentation. He is further conceived as being

AUGUST, 1953

capable of dispensing his gifts or conferring

his powers, just as some earthly absolute
kingwithout regar to reason or justice.
Each man can, consequently, obtain what
ever he wishes from the god if he is able to
perform the proper theurgical rites. Men
thus vie with each other to gain the secrets
of how best to influence the gods. It is this
kind of misconception that has encouraged
priesthoods from the earliest known society.
Priests were men believed to possess or to
be trained in the proper way to invoke the
pleasure of the gods for mens benefit.
Though we speak of this practice as being
primitive, yet this elementary idea has
persisted down through the ages greatly to
influence the dogmas and creeds of many
religions extant today. A religious sect may
decree a certain mode of behavior upon the
part of the individual. It may decree that
you must drop coins into a box, you must
regularly attend certain ceremonies, you
must repeat specific creeds and enter into
authorized rites. If you comply, it is presumed that you have appeased God, or made
the proper approach, and that the deity will
incline his will toward the fulfilment of the
prayer offered. I do not need to designate the
sects who encourage these practices; they are
known to you, being common in your community. These peoples, then, pray in good
faith and are, of course, most often disappointed in the results and frequently disillusioned as well.
There is still another orthodox conception
of prayer, which, though it transcends the
previous example, is yet quite primitive and
potentially a failure. It contines to recognize a personal god as exercising an arbitrary
will, but he does so for beneficial reasons.
The individual confers upon his god not only
the power of accomplishment but the highest
moral valu of which he is able to conceive.
In other words, it is believed that the god is
capable of anything, but will only do that
which is in accord with moral good. This
type of religionist, then, will not petition his
god to grant his prayer if it conflicts with, or
is contrary to, what he conceives as morally
right. He will not ask his god to strike an
other person dead or to give him money
which he should not have. However, this
religionist will have no hesitancy in asking
the fulfillment of a prayer which he thinks
just, no matter how contrary it may be to the
necessity of universal, or Cosmic, order. He

Page 3

would not hesitate to ask God to stop a war

which men themselves have brought on.
Psychologically, to such individuis, god is
believed arbitrarily to exercise his will as
against the very laws and causes he himself
has establishedif man in good faith and
with moral purpose asks it.
The illogicalness of such prayer never
occurs to the petitioner. He may pray for
his god to stop what another religionist, in
equally good faith, is praying to be continued. The fall weather in California affords
an excellent example of such an anthropo
morphic conception of god and prayer. In
late September the California prune growers
are drying their fruit in the sun; an early
and continued rain might prove very ruinous
to their crop. Conversely, the cattle raisers
at that time of the year are desperately in
need of rain for pasturage, especially after
the long rainless California summer. A
cattleman, if he were one of the religionists
we have been speaking of, would pray for
rain; concomitantly, a prune grower would
pray that it would not rain. If God were to
exercise arbitrary will, opposing the natural
law of climatic conditions, whose prayer
would He favor? Such a religionistic view
places the deity in a ludicrous position and
makes religin vulnerable to atheism. If the
Divine will could and would function arbi
trarily, it would disrupt all Cosmic unity.
There would be no dependency whatsoever.
It is because Cosmic laws perform consistently and are immutable by the necessity of
their nature that man has an assurance of
dependability of the Divine or Cosmic prin
cipies.
The mystic5s conception and practice of
prayer is not only the most productive of
results but it is the most logical method as
well. The mystic avers that all things are
possible within the Divine consciousness of
God except that which would oppose the
very nature of God. Since the Divine Mind
is all things, there is nothing which can op
pose it. Therefore, a negative request or peti
tion, remains nugatory. One should not ex
pect to find, for example, darkness in light,
for where there is light there cannot be
darkness; thus the mystic does not ask for
the impossible in his prayers. A mystic never
asks for the setting aside of a Cosmic, or
natural law, which he may have invoked by
his own acts, whether due to malice or to
ignorance. He is a firm believer in cause

Page 4

and effect. He realizes that to ask that a law,

invoked by himself, be mitigated in his favor
would be requesting the impossible.
A mystic does not ask that there be conferred upon him special blessings. He knows
that in the Cosmic scheme there are no preferred mortals. Further, he is quite cognizant
that everything already is, or will be, by the
eternal law of change. There is nothing held
back. In the laws of the Cosmic, everything
consistent thereto can eventually be brought
about by the mind of man. Things are not
transmitted to man, rather it is man that
directs and assembles the Cosmic powers to
which he has access, in order to bring them
about. The mystic does not ask for a completed particular, but rather for the illumination whereby it might be materialized
through his efforts; or, if his desire for a
particular is not proper, he may ask that
the desire be removed from him. Knowing
the limitation of his own objective self, the
mystic asks that if he cannot be shown how
to satisfy his need, that he be shown how to
rid himself of the false desire which causes
him to think it necessary. The mystic thus
proves that he does not insist that his purposes are infallible. He likewise indica tes he
wants to be certain that he does no other person an injustice by his desires through re
questing something he should not. The mys
tic realizes that with proper understanding,
many of the things we now pray for would
lose their importance to us and would be
shown to be insignificant and unworthy of a
Divine appeal. Many of the things with
which we torment ourselves, and regard as
being so essential to our welfare, are so because they have not been analyzed in the
light of their broader aspect, namely, their
relation to the whole Cosmic plan.
The mystic, in petitioning the Cosmic,
turns his consciousness inward instead of directing his plea to a distant external entity or
power. The Cosmic is in him, the mystic
realizes; it is not just in the reaches of space.
He knows, further, that his Soul will answer
his petition. The Soul is of the Cosmic and
it will guide him to self-action. Prayer, to the
mystic, is really a consultation between the
two selves of man. It is an appeal from the
mortal mind to the immortal mind of Self
within. The answer to a prayer is, the mystic
knows, actually an insight into Divine wis
dom through proper attunement. The mystic
thence is able properly to evalate his desires

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and he is able to act in the light of what is

Cosmically right and possible.
When a mystic asks for something which
is not forthcoming, he experiences none of
the disappointment which the religionist
feels after his unfulfilled prayers. Whether or
not the particulars are forthcoming the mys
tic has nevertheless received an understand
ing which has disclosed to him the unnecessariness of his appeal. Prayer, therefore, is
always satisfying to the mystic. Psychologically as well, prayer is beneficial to any
man if it is mystically practiced. Prayer re
quires humility. It requires submission to
the better side of our nature. It puts us en
rapport with the more subtle impulses of our
being.
Prayers are usually of three kinds. There
are prayers of confession when man indicates to the god of his heart that he is contrite and admits a violation of his moral
ideis. Then, there are prayers of intercession; these are prayers in which man asks to
be guided so as to prevent undesired effects
of certain causes. There are also prayers of
gratitude, like those of the Psalms where
man hails the majesty of the Divine and expresses joy in realizing his own Divine
nature. Of these three kinds, the mystic in
dulges the latterthe prayer of gratitude
more frequently. In doing so, the mystic
avoids the necessity of the other two. If we
recognize the Divine, and commune periodically with Self, which is of it, we acquire
such personal mastery of our own being that
prayers of intercession or prayers of con
fession are not required.
The following is a prayer embodying all
of the mystical elements that we have just
enumerated:
M ay the divine essence of the Cosmic
cleanse m e of all impurities of mind and
body that 1 m ay commune with the Cathe
dral of the Soul. M ay m y mortal conscious
ness be so enlightened that any imperfections
of my thinking m ay be revealed to me, and
may I be given the power of will to correct
them. 1 hum bly petition that I may perceive
the fullness of nature and partake thereof,
ever consistent with the Cosmic good. So
Mote it Be!
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator
(Reprinted during absence of the Imperator)

AUSUST, 1953

Symbolism of the Snake

A frater of South Africa arises and addresses our Forum. He says: The Egyptian
symbol of Cosmic consciousness is a snake
with a great number of smaller snakes.
My question is, What connection does the
symbol of a snake have with Cosmic
consciousness?
To most persons a snake is revolting, or
a living thing to be feared. It seems, there
fore, incongruous to them that a snake
should represent the highest spiritual attain
ment of man. The snake or serpent in sym
bolism, mythology, and religin, may be
traced to the custom of primitive peoples to
associate animals with powers and attributes
which their appearance or habits seem to
suggest. Nature as an environment is more
dominant over, and asserts a greater influence upon, primitive man than on civilized
man. In civilization, man creates artificial
surroundings in which are centered most
of his life and interests. As a consequence,
he is less conscious of the elements of na
ture. The primitive man, not being beset
by a vast number of products of his own
creation, has his attention centered upon
natural phenomena. The sun, moon and
stars, the seasons, as well as the functions
of animals, reptiles and birds, fascinate him.
Thus he is a greater naturalist, insofar as
his observations are concerned, than is
civilized man.
The observing aborigine notices in what
manner the functions of other living things
either equal or excel his own. Whenever
their virtues or powers exceeded mans, his
admiration and awe were elicited. The ser
pent, in primitive culture, has been thought
to be possessed of great wisdom and cunning.
This is suggested by its silent, quick, gliding
movement without either wings or feet. This
unique power of locomotion, in contrast to
that of most animals and birds, and of man
himself, was mystifying to the simple mind
and engendered the idea that the serpent
embodied a divine wisdom and power.
Added to the serpents fascination and
mystery was its ability to disappear sudden
ly as though it had been transformed into
an invisible entity. The beady eyes of the
reptile with their glint also intrigued the
imagination, as evidenced by the numerous
myths which concern snakes eyes. The

Page 5

colorful and geometric pattems of the

snakes skin caused it to appear beautiful.
This to the primitive mind appeared as a
distinguishing attribute, lending the snake
a kind of supematural importance. The
aborigine nonetheless was impressed by the
strength of the larger reptiles and the ability
of many to inflict great harm and almost
instant death upon man. The strange phe
nomenon of the serpents casting off its skin
implied that it had the faculty of renewing
its life and thus was immortal. That the
serpent was able to accomplish these things
signified that it was imbued with a wise
spirit. In devious ways, some peoples carne
to believe that the serpent was beneficial
to man.
The disappearance of serpents into holes
or crevices in the earth caused them to be
thought of as having a chthonian characteristic, that is, that they were related to the
nether world or the subterranean regions.
Being a dweller of the regions below the
earth did not, with many ancient peoples,
imply an evil association. Entities in the
world below had their virtues and were
often thought of as beneficent beings. In
myths, serpents have been said to be guardians of hidden treasures. This notion prob
ably arse from their chthonian characteristics and the belief that the nether world
possessed treasures equal to or greater than
those found upon the surface.
Numerous snake cults have existed
throughout the centuries, in which either
the serpent was worshipped or was symbolic
of a god or a supernatural agency. They
have frequently been identified with cults
of ancestor worship. This conception prob
ably arse from the fact that serpents were
often found inhabiting the abandoned places
of the dead. Extant myths also connect
snakes with the formation or creation of
bodies of water as lakes, rivers or seas. Since
some areas inhabited by primitive peoples
contained large marshlands in which ser
pents flourished, they, by association of
ideas, became the dominant spirit of water.
As one studies the various myths, in
which snakes play strange and fantastic
roles, it may seem difficult to comprehend
just what gave rise to such conceptions.
These ideas are not rooted in any observation of nature by man. They are principally
the product of his imagination and dreams.

Page 6

Primitive mans fear and awe of snakes

caused him frequently to dream of them.
The dreams, even as our own, were often
but mere random ideas without causal con
nection. The snake is the central idea of the
dream. Concomitantly the emotion of fear
would cali forth irrelevant experiences which
became associated with the snake in the
dream. An example of this is found in the
my ths held by certain tribes which relate that
a giant serpent carne forth from a volcanic
eruption and created the world. Mans fertile and unbridled imagination concerning
what a snake might do or had done, when
incorporated in a dream, became a reality
to the primitive mind. The dream state was
the spirit side of man, an experience he
thought to have been had by his invisible
self. Consequently, the dream was trans
ferred to objectivity as an actual event and
included in the myth.
Nearly every culture and civilization
known to man has, in one way or another,
made use of the serpent in its religin and
mythology. We shall make mention of but
a few of the most impressive examples. In
ancient Egypt, the snake was worshipped
but this was particularly during the decline
of the great civilization. Earlier among the
priesthood the cobra and asp were symbolic
of the powers and virtues of gods. The
uraeus or cobra, so frequently used in Egyp
tian decoration of wearing apparel and statuary, and for architectural ornamentation,
was a symbol of fire or the solar disk. It
also was representative of the great heat and
Creative forc of the solar deity. The uraeus
thus commonly appears on the crown of
statues of the solar-god and his representatives, the Pharaohs and high priests. Stat
ues in the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
show the uraei. Goddesses of fertility, as
Isis, are frequently shown with the uraei
and this causes the snake to likewise become
the symbol of fruitfulness.
The asp is often referred to in ancient
Egyptian inscriptions as the eye of God.
The glint of the serpents eye, the fascina
tion or appeal which it often has to man,
seemed to allude to an effusion from it of a
subtle intelligence or forc which was re
lated by the Egyptians to the eyes of their
gods. It is doubtful if the priesthood actu
ally thought there was any nexus between
the asps eyes and the god. They most likely

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

conceived the eyes as symbolic of divine

sight and the power of supematural visin.
Symbolic or otherwise, the snake was given
a place of importance in ancient Egypt.
Snakes, like other animals and birds, were
embalmed and placed in their own little
sarcophagi (mummy coffins). In the Rosi
crucian Egyptian Museum may be seen one
of these little ancient wooden coffins with
an embalmed asp in it.
The Egyptians, as other peoples to follow
them, connected serpents with life itself and
with healing. Just how this conception arse
is speculative. Again, it may be traced to
the shedding of the skin, to which phenome
non the primitive peoples attached much
significance. Since the snake seemed to die,
because of its periods of semi-dormancy,
and then (after shedding its skin) become
vigorous again, it suggested that it had great
restorative powers. Snake flesh was eaten
by the cruder peoples, so that the snakes
virtues might be transmitted to the sick or
the afflicted. An oil or grease made from
the snake is applied by peoples of many
tribes to the afflicted parts of the human
anatomy and is thought to have effective
curative properties. It is not many years
ago, in the backward sections of the United
States, that itinerant salesmen, posing as
physicians, offered, at lucrative prices, bottles of snake oil and salve to effect miraculous cures.
The Riblical account in the Book of Genesis, reveis that, among the ancient Semitics,
the snake was associated with great power
by which it could accomplish almost anything it desired. It was an agency of a
supernatural being or had such a being at
times embodied within it. However, the
snake was not always a symbol of evil but
often one of benevolence and virtue. Accord
ing to the interpretation of one prominent
ethnologist, the original story of the serpent
and man had two trees in the garden: one
represented life; the other, death. God besought man to partake of the fruit of the
tree of life. The serpent reigned over the
tree of death and he induced man to eat
of its fruit. The temptation, therefore, ac
cording to this versin, was not one of iniquity and immorality, but of a choice be
tween life and death. Among many of the
ancients, as the Babylonians, death was a
condition of horror and was associated with

AUGUST, 1953

all those attributes which man later assigned

to the evil state. This is perhaps the reason
why eventually the snake was associated
with Satan.
The snake as a symbol was prominent in
the ceremonies and initiation rites of the
Greek mystery schools. According to Clement of Alxandria, noted theologian and his
torian, in the Dionysiac mysteries a golden
snake was let down the bosom of the candidate and removed from the lower parts.
The exact connection of the rite is not known
but we may presume that the snake denoted
a godly and sexual power. By means of the
snakes gliding over the bosom, a marriage
of the candidate to the spiritual principies,
or the divinity recognized by the mystery
schools, was accomplished. It was undoubtedly an experience that would test the nerves
and fortitude of the candidate. In Eleusis,
the site of the renowned Eleusinian myster
ies, also according to Clement of Alxandria,
an object was taken from a cesta, a small
basket carried on the wrist, and put into
the bosom. This was perhaps an inanimate
representation of the serpent.
In one period of Greek history, snakes
were kept in a shrine or sanctuary and were
fed by priestesses. They were thus preserved
for the omens of health and plenty which
they would display. Certain activities, natu
ral movements of the reptiles, were interpreted as suggestions of cures to the sufferer
or as an indication that a woman would be
fruitful. We may presume that the sagacious priests did not actually believe that
the actions of the reptiles constituted signs
having any relation to cures. The gullible
populace carne to the temples for advice and
wanted some sign. Their fear and awe of
snakes and the primitive traditions connected with these emotions gave the priests
an opportunity to support their own personally expressed views. Priesthoods are not
disinclined to resort to similar psychological
deceptions today, not by employing snakes
but inanimate objects, as amulets and fetishes, which serve the same purpose.
Asklepios, a great Greek physician, appears in some myths as a snake. The snake
as a symbol is often shown entwined about
Asklepios staff. The caduceus or winged
staff of Mercury, the symbol of the modem
medical physician, also has, as part of its

Page 7

symbolic form, two serpents entwined about

it.
In Pythagorean symbolism, the snake,
forming a circle by placing its tail in its
mouth, depicts etemitythe universe with
out beginning or end, complete in itself and
all wise. In the book Behold the Sign, a
work on ancient symbolism, is an illustration of the serpent forming a circle in the
manner just described, with an hourglass in
its center. The hourglass represents time
and etemity; the serpent, the universe with
out beginning or end.
Among esoteric schools, the circle, in the
form of a serpent, is often used to symbolize
Cosmic consciousness. It alludes to the unity
of mans mind with the Universal Intelligence. It depicts the conipletion of that
cycle when the human consciousness has a
realization of that mind or universal con
sciousness of which it is an extensin. The
serpent used in this manner is but an inheritance of the ancient symbolism of wis
dom. Its circular form denotes completion
or fulfillment.X
Strangely Familiar Places
A soror in San Francisco addresses our
F orum and says: This is what has puzzled

me for years. Often in visiting an outdoor

scene or building, I have a distinct feeling
that I have seen and been at that particular
place at some previous time. I know that I
have actually not been there in person in this
life. Also, I know I have not seen the place
in a printed picture. I could explain the
sensation or feeling as a memory of a former
incarnation, except for the fact that in most
cases the buildings and scenery, as a landscape, are new in this worldfrom five to
ten years od. Further, I am from a family
that can trace its ancestry back hundreds of
years, and no member of it ever visited
America. What causes these feelings of
recognition of such scenes and buildings?
As the soror states, the fact that the places
are new precludes their being a memory of
a previous incarnation. Consequently, the
explanation centers in the fantasies of the
subconscious mind. The subjective part of
our mind creates thought pattems from ob
jective experiences, often without our will or
direction. The most common example of such
phenomenon is our dreams. We dream of

Page 8

people, of incidents, and places which have

no actual parallel in our objective experi
ences. In other words, we dream of many
things which actually have never occurred
to us or been perceived by us during our
awakened state. When we are asleep the
will and the reasoning powers are dormant.
The subjective self is undisciplined by the
objective, and can and does release from
memory elements of actual experiences.
Under the influence of our uncontrolled emo
tions, the subjective combines these into
fanciful images or dreams. Even the most
fantastic dreams, of course, have in them
elements which have been experienced.
Otherwise, we could not realize them. The
dream, however, in its entirety, may be
strange and quite unlike any actual objective
experience. Then again, our imagination
during our awakened state, our so-called
flights of fancy, reaches through and makes
impressions upon the subconscious. These
impressions recur in our objective minds occasionally, under a new form of arrangement
of ideas that on the one hand seem new to
us, and yet there is a strange recognition or
familiarity about them.
Let me use an analogy to try to explain
this, shall we say, odd mental functioning
which we all experience at times. We may
think of mans progress upward spiritually
and in the attainment of knowledge as a
climb or an ascent. We may think of him
laboring up a great stairway, a stairway
representing the steps of accomplishment
and the things to be learned or done. At the
top of the great stairway, which seems to
run almost into infinity, is the peak of at
tainment. In our minds, we vaguely symbolize this attainment as a beautiful castle
or a magnificent white palace. The beauty
of the design and its pur whiteness denote
perfection or the illumination which is had
as a reward for the struggle upward. Now,
perhaps we never actually formulated this
whole scene in our thinking, as I have described it here. However, the idea was inchoate in our thinking; that is, it existed in its
elements as a result of our meditations on our
own progress and struggle upward in our
own spiritual development. Perhaps only for
a moment did we vaguely have such an allegorical conception of mans intellectual and
spiritual conquests, and then perhaps we dismissed it because of the invasin of other

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

thoughts. Nevertheless, if when we were

thinking of these different symbolsthe
clouds, the castle, the winding stairwayif
there were any real emotional emphasis or
feeling behind the thoughts, they would
register in our subjective minds. In the sub
jective they would then come to form a
thought pattern. The different impressions
would be registered in memory as an image,
or as a mental picture. Psychology calis these
impressions eidetic images.
Perhaps months later we might be traveling in a foreign mountainous country. It is
the first time we have ever been in that
country in our lifetime. As we journey
along, suddenly there appears at some distance a lofty rocky eminence. It is an actual
mountain crag. It seems to reach up into
the clouds which hover about its top. In a
crevice in the crag, we see winding upward
a graceful flight of stairs, their whiteness
glistening against the somber, brownish-black
of the rocky formation. Following them up
ward with our eyes we see indistinctly on the
peak an edifice resplendent in the sun. It
almost seems to float in the fleecy clouds
which surround it like a collar. Its crenelated top and turrets penetrate the clouds in
a fairy-tale-like manner. Immediately the
whole scene seems akin or familiar to us.
To ourselves we say: Why I recognize this!
I feel that I have been here before. Our
guide then informs us that the stairs and the
edifice have only been constructed ten years
before and that no photograph of it has ever
been published. Nevertheless, the sensations
of familiarity persist.
What has occurred in such an experience?
What is the cause of it? The cause of it is the
psychological principies we have enumerated.
The objective experience of what we have
just seen participates in the symbolic idea
once formed, and now firmly established in
our subjective mind. The moment we see
an actual similar scene, the symbolic idea
is released from memory in the subjective
and associated with the present experience.
We are, therefore, conscious of two things
first, what we experience objectively; and,
second, the memory experience of our sym
bolic idea. The memory of the symbolic idea
is vague. We do not know that it was engendered by our imagination, that is, think
ing in the past, of man climbing upward
spiritually. Consequently it seems like the

AUGUST, 1953

recollection of some remte, actual objective

experience.
All of us have certain ideis of beauty,
whether visual or as harmony of sound.
These ideis are often very indistinct in our
minds. We cannot exactly express them in
terms or words, or even in designs. How
ever, these ideis become very firmly impressed on the subjective mind. Whenever
in our life we experience in actual form, as
a musical composition or as an object, that
which produces sensations or feelings corresponding to those ideis, it immediately
engenders familiar feelings. It releases from
the subjective mind those images which were
associated with the ideis we have had, and
accompanying those images is the feeling of
familiarity. We are thus confused as to
whether we have seen the objects somewhere
before. Knowing these psychological princi
pies, it sometimes is not difficult to trace the
cause of such feelings of recognition. If the
objects are newly built, that of course dis
poses of having seen them in a previous in
carnation. The next thing, then, is always
to inquire into our ideis and flights of
imagination, as to whether there is any
parallel between them and that which we
now objectively seek.X
(Reprinted during absence of the Imperator)

Sanctum Meditation
We are frequently asked, What thoughts
should we have in mind when we enter our
sanctum or conduct our sanctum convocation?
In answer to that, first let me again remind every member of the purpose of a
sanctum. It is a sanctuary within your home
or wherever you establish it. It is as well
a temple dedicated to the highest ideis and
concepts of which you are capable.
Let us analyze those two purposes. A
sanctuary is a refuge; it is a place to which
you may retire from the usual conditions and
circumstances with which you are confronted
daily. It is not necessarily a place of escape;
it is not a negative condition or environment
where you are merely avoiding responsi
bilities or avoiding the struggle with things
that should be met and mastered. Rather, it
is a place which you wish to keep free from
the usual encumbrances and distractions so
as to begin to build something you want to

Page 9

accomplish, something you do not wish to be

affected by the other elements of your daily
world. It is like putting up a retaining wall
to keep sand or mud from sliding down into
an excavation and interfering with the construction of a foundation.
So your sanctum is a niche where you can
shut out the problems of the day, the dis
tractions, the meanness and pettiness of the
world, and have an opportunity to commune
with your own soul and listen to the softer
voice of selfa place where you will not be
rudely interrupted by objective sounds and
impressions. Your sanctum is as well a little
eminence upon which you can stand to look
up, without obstruction, to God, to reach up
without interference into the Cosmic with
your consciousnessthat, then, is what we
mean by the sanctum being a sanctuary.
The sanctum derives considerable from
your presence. The little area in your room,
whether it is just one comer or closet, or
even the whole room itself, takes on some
thing of your personality. It is affected by
the thoughts you have in mind, by the intensity of your emotional feelings. You know
that physical environment does radiate the
influences of the personalities which have
been brought in touch with it. You have
gone into hotel rooms or the homes of others
and have sensed immediately either a har
monious condition or distracting vibrations,
depending upon the conduct of those who
occupied the premises. So when you pray
in your sanctum, when you think of the Cos
mic, when you contmplate the mysteries of
life and existence, when you express the
finer and higher aspects of yourself, you are
dedicating that area to those ends, and every
thing in the sanctumthe cross, the candlesticks, the apron you wear upon your personeach of these things reminds you of
some truth, some mystical principie, and
prepares you for Cosmic attunement. Your
sanctum, then, is a temple, really a pantheon,
because it contains a collection of those
things representing the spiritual and soul in
terests of your being.
One is permitted to take into his sanctum
the problems with which he is confronted
in his daily affairs. If he Wants advice on
a business problem, if he wants to know what
is the right course of action, he has a right
to visualize his problem and to release it
through his subjective mind into the Cosmic

Page O

for an intuitive impression, for Cosmic in

struction and guidance, as has been explained
in our monographs. One has a right as well
to use and apply during his sanctum convocation the therapeutic or Rosicrucian prin
cipies of healing to assist a member of his
family, a friend, or oneself. One has a right
as well to make of the sanctum a Cosmic
laboratory and to use the various exercises
dealing with mental telepathy and projec
tion, and the stimulation of the various
psychic centers, because one knows that the
vibrations and environment of the sanctum
are conducive to better results than elsewhere, and so long as the use of these prin
cipies is for knowledge and ultimately to
acquire power by which one can improve one
self and make valuable contributions to so
ciety, one is not out of order in such conduct.
But the sanctum must not be used exclusively for selfish interests. I do not mean
just for our own person, but for all those that
our personal interest includes; that is, the
members of our family and friends. The
use of the sanctum should also be for strictly
humanitarian purposes and for impersonal
reasons in the broadest sense of the term.
How many times do you enter your sanctum
for the purpose of directing thoughts of encouragement, of help, of love and support
toward those great personalities of the world
who are formulating or trying to put into
operation some plan which will make for
peace and better international understand
ing? When you read your daily newspaper
or news magazines and read of some congressman or even some businessman, some
writer or actor or artist who is struggling
against great odds, unselfishly, to expound
an idea or to exhort a government to support
a plan which will make for world unity, do
you ever try to give him Cosmic support
during a meditation period?
One of the objectives of the Rosicrucian
Order, the principal one possibly, is to de
velop the individual, make him more proficient, more efficient, more tolerant and un
derstanding, so he may become a harmonious,
constructive member of society. But you also
have the obligation of not just working upon
yourself but of using the Cosmic principies
and formulas which have been divulged to
you to assist others who may not be members
of AMORC but who are worthy of becoming
a useful influence in society. Without di-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

vulging any of the confidential aspects of

our monographs, which are left for your
prvate study, may I remind some of you of
the Law of Assumption, such as is given in
detail in the Ninth and Twelfth Degrees,
and also the Law of Affinity.
Do you realize that these principies were
meant not merely for your particular bene
fit but so that you might also help others
to do the things they should do and to help
them accomplish what is Cosmically right?
Many of our members have had amazing re
sults in doing this. They have read of some
individual fearlessly struggling to manifest
some worthy end against tremendous odds,
and they have tried Cosmically to assist that
individual. They have felt as though they
had contacted him. They have felt that they
had put into motion the Cosmic Creative
powers through strengthening him, and in
doing this they had certain thoughts in mind.
They were afterwards quite amazed to read
in a speech by such an individual words or
phrases that were identical to the thoughts
they had in mind in their own sanctum,
and such words and phrases in the speech of
that person stood out and were so arranged
as to make his address especially effective
and resulted in his winning his point.
Coincidence, you might say! But was it?
So the next time you enter your sanctum, do
so for an exclusively humanitarian and im
personal purpose. Let us help, all of us,
periodically in this matter. We might say it
is a form of Cosmic charty.X
(Reprinted during absence of the Imperator)

Illusions of the Senses

Perhaps one of the most difficult tasks is
to convince people of the fallibility of their
senses. If a person appears to have normal
eyesight and no deficiency in any of his
receptor senses, he is usually confident that
the world is as he perceives it. As Locke,
the English philosopher, pointed out, in his
famous essay on the human understanding,
most men believe that their senses mirror
the external world. They are convinced that
things quite closely resemble the ideas which
they have of them.
Our consciousness of the physical exis
tence of our bodies and of external objects
is a grand illusion. The application of reason
and analysis to much of what we believe and

AUGUST, 1953

say that we know would excorate this belief and knowledge of its existence to us.
There are many self-deceptions which bring
to us, for certain intervals of time, consolation, peace of mind, and a false sense of security. Perhaps it is just as well that many
persons are not as rational and as analytical
about their experiences as they could be. If
they were, then one by one they would lose
those things, those beliefs, and thoughts,
which have brought them a certain comfort
during the years. The small child finds
ecstasy in the expectation that Santa Claus
is going to visit him from out a mythical
land and shower him with gifts. The older
boy or girl is made to find a certain satisfac
tion in the statement that the stork delivers
his newborn sister or brother. Many adults
find deep satisfaction in the anthopomorphic
concept of God, picturing him as a benign
elderly gentleman with a long flowing beard,
who arbitrarily decides the events of each
persons life.
The problem is whether to disabuse such
minds with knowledge or to allow them the
bliss of ignorance. There is always the
danger that the shock of reality may make
them skeptical of all observation and make
life a bitter ordeal. On the other hand, an
intelligent parent will eventually inform the
child that Santa Claus doesnt exist and that
the stork did not bring his baby sister. The
tactful method, and the proper one, is to
make the person happy in the substitution
of the new knowledge. He must be made to
realize that it is for his own benefit ultimately to know the truth. For analogy, we might
walk blindfolded for a considerable distance
in order to be spared many unpleasant
sights. However, it would not be advisable
to advcate such enforced blindness indefinitely, because the very sight that might see
unpleasant things could also help us avoid
serious pitfalls that would prove to be pain
ful.
Philosophically, it can be sustained that
all our conceptions of the actuality of the
external world are but illusions. Nothing
is as we conceive it to be, matter, space, life
and the like. Yet we cannot become like
Pyrrho, the skeptic of od, of whom it is said
that he had so little faith in what he perceived that he refused to leave the roadside
when a vehicle approached and, consequent
ly, was injured. We know fundamentally

Page 11

our senses create within the mind many

ideas which we have. They intercept ex
ternal stimuli and present them to the con
sciousness in the nature of certain sensa
tions which we interpret in a specific man
ner. We know psychologically that spatial
relations, for example, the neamess, farness,
smallness, and largeness of objects, depend
upon several factors such as direction, extent or size of the stimulating object, and the
distance or depth of the stimulus. The three
dimensions are very fundamentally related
to the structure of the eye itself. What we
can and should do, therefore, is to accept
these illusions as natural, as necessary to
our welfare. They arise directly out of our
organic structure. We cannot annihilate our
senses and still live in a physical world.
However, when it is known that we compound our illusions by wrong interpretations or by confusion of the normal sensa
tions, we should then correct such errors.
The purpose of the following is, therefore,
to acquaint you with a number of common
illusions, and by this means we hope to
have you question every empirical experi^
ence before adding it to your category of dependable knowledge.
First, it is appropriate to distinguish be
tween illusion, delusion, and hallucination.
Delusion refers to false judgment and error
in belief. Likewise, illusions must not be
confused with hallucinations. The latter re
fer to the apparent perception of something
when there is no corresponding organic
stimulus. Perhaps the commonest form of
illusions are optical ones. These illusions
frequently occur in geometric pattems. They
are expressed in errors of length, area, di
rection, and curva ture. These illusions are
due to false perception of the patterns of
lines. They occur because we attempt to reconcile parts of a figure to the whole figure
or pattern, and thereby visually distort the
part. Contrast illusion offers an example.
The person standing between two tall people
looks shorter than he is. We offer the fol
lowing illustration. Study A and B below.

Page 12

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Is the dotted line longer in A than in B?

Measure it. It appears longer in B only because of the contrast of the shorter con
tinuous heavy lines.
There are theories which have been of
fered as an explanation of how we are confused in our visual perceptions. The first
of these theories which we shall consider is
called eye movement. It is generally assumed that the impression of length is
gained by moving the eye along the object
so as to follow from one end to the other.
The vertical movement of the eye as it looks
upward at a vertical line requires consider
able effort. The vertical line will consequent
ly seem longer than a horizontal line of
equal length. Again, if the outward ends of
a line attract the eye, that is, cause the move
ment to exceed the length of the unaltered
line, the latter (A) will seem longer because
the eye has included the ends with the center. Conversely, if the ends of the line turn
inward, the movement of the eye is confined
between the two inner extremes and the
whole will seem shorter (B). Note the illustrations below.

(A )

(B)

The illustrations under C show illusions

caused by changing the direction of the
oblique lines passing through horizontal
ones. It will be noted that, although all the
lines are horizontal, they seem to turn up
ward or bend downward.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\ww
/////////////////

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

is immediately above the longer line of the

lower are.

Still another theory of illusion is known as

the perspective theory. A line drawing suggests objects in three dimensions, length,
breadth, and depth. Some lines may be of
equal length but, if they are used in the
drawing to suggest perspective, they may
seem to be either longer or foreshortened.
For example, study the illustration below.
All lines are equal. The one suggesting
depth, however, appears longer.

The confusion theory. It becomes very

difficult to judge the lines and angles of a
figure, because the observer is engrossed in
the appearance of the figure as a whole. He
looks upon the figure as a unit. He finds it
difficult to rid himself of the total impression
that carries over from an observation of the
whole figure. These impressions which are
brought over are added to the ones he has
of the line which he imagines he is judging
singly. Consequently, there is the illusion
that the single line is longer than it actually
is. This principie is illustrated below. The
two dotted lines in Figures A and B are of
the same length. It will be observed, how
ever, that the dotted line in Figure B seems
to be of greater length.

0-0 0-
-0
A

The lines of the ares drawn below are

identical in length, but it appears that the
upper are is smaller, because its shorter line

Habits, of course, contribute greatly to

many illusions we experience. With continual reading, for example, we react to the
stimulus of the word patterns instead of to
single words. We read a whole line at a

AUGUST, 1953

Page 13

time, not for its component words, but for

its meaning. Consequently, a sentence may
often have errors of spelling or other typographical mistakes which we do not see at
all. The stimulus of the single word is lacking. A proofreader follows a different reading arrangement. He reads for words instead of ideas and yet it is difficult for him
to break away entirely from the stimulus
of pattems of thought. In other words, he
sometimes contines to grasp whole sentences for their meaning and does not see
misspelled words or errors in punctuation.
Another optical illusion is that known
technically as phi-phenomenon. We know,
of course, that motion pictures are not constantly in motion though they seem so to the
eye. There are intervals of a fraction of a
second when the motion picture screen is
absolutely black. The projector throws on
the screen a series of still photographs. These
are interrupted by the shutter of the pro
jector causing intervals of darkness. We are
not conscious of the darkness, and the alternation between it and the still photographs
causes the illusion that the pictures are moving. The consciousness retains for the frac
tion of a second the image that is held on
the retina of the eye and then the picture
is followed, after the dark interval, by an
other picture. They are so united in the
mind as to create the illusion of constant
motion. Tests of this phi-phenomenon or the
illusion of motion have been made with the
following illustration:

A
B

Illustrations A and B are flashed on and

off rapidly on the screen. If there is a fairly
long interval between the two flashes, as 150
milliseconds (thousandths of a second), lines
A and B seem separated, as shown above. If
the flashes are cut to 20 milliseconds, the
lines seem to form a right angle; that is,
lines A and B are united. If the interval is
60-90 milliseconds, then, to the sense of sight,
A appears actually to move over to join B,
as shown in Illustration C.
The olfactory sense is also subject to il
lusion. The examples to follow, however,
are due to suggestion as well. Our suscepti-

bility to suggestion is principally dependent

upon the faculty of imagination. An active
imagination will combine simple ideas readily to form new and complex ones. The
syncrasy of the imagination is not always
voluntary. Often we do not realize what is
occurring and the suggestion may, there
fore, be quite misleading at times. For ex
ample, a test was made by having several
persons smell, successively, three strong
odors, namely, peppermint, wintergreen, and
ethyl alcohol. Then the subjects were given
ten bottles to smell, having been told that
they had a delicate scent of two of the three
odors. The subjects were requested to ame
the scents smelled. As a matter of fact, none
of the bottles had any of the three odors.
Yet the majority of the persons professed to
have smelled one or more of them.
Illusions of the tactile sense are easily
accomplished with the aid of suggestion. A
subjects hands are placed in a bowl of liquid
which contains electrodes. A current starts
through the primary coil and then slowly
the second coil is pulled up until the sub
ject feels a very definite shock. Next the
subject is told that he is going to be tested
for his sensitivity to electric shock; that is,
it is going to be determined how slight an
electric current he will be able to feel. He
is requested to immediately announce the
slightest stimulus from the electrodes. At
this time, unbeknown to the subject, the
current is switched off from the primary
coil. When the secondary coil is slowly
pulled, the subject will exclaim that he feels
the current which in reality does not exist.
Imagination is extremely useful in our
living for it extends the possibilities of all
that we perceive, by suggesting new forms
into which it may be assembled. Without
imagination, we would be bound strictly by
the immediate qualities which things present
to our senses. However, we must also real
ize that imagination, not directed by reason,
becomes fancy, as has been well stated in
our Rosicrucian monographs. It can, un
der such circumstances, become harmful because of the illusions which arise from it.
Take your fountain pen and shake a drop
of ink from it, so that it falls from the height
of a few inches onto a white sheet of paper.
As you look at the ink spot, its form will
immediately suggest to your imagination sev
eral designs. It will seem to resemble many

Page 14

different things. If you did not exercise

reason, you might think that the ink spot
is other than what it is. On the other hand,
if, after several attempts, an ink spot does
not suggest something to you by its design,
your imagination is lacking and it follows
that your Creative ability is constricted.
There is an od adage to the effect that there
is none so blind as he who will not see. Seeing with the mind, however, is equally im
portant as seeing with the eyes. Unless we
exercise our inner perceptions and psychic
faculties, as we are encouraged to do by our
Rosicrucian teachings, our eyes and their
fellow sense organs may lead us far astray
in life. X
(Reprinted during absence of the Imperator)

Can Projection be Wrongly Used?

Occasionally there comes to my attention
correspondence from members who claim
that they are being persecuted by means of
psychic projection. This type of correspond
enceand oral complainthas become frequent enough for us to consider it in this
F orum .

The principies underlying the projection

of the psychic consciousness or the conscious
ness of the inner self have been thoroughly
illustrated in the monographs of the teach
ings. For this purpose, it will be sufficient to
merely touch upon one or two of the basic
principies of the phenomenon.
The human is a matrix of vibratory
energy, vibrations of various frequencies and
consisting of the two polarities, namely, posi
tive and negative. As a whole, the vibratory
energy of the bodythe material nature of
manis predominantly negative. This is because the chemical elements of mans nature
are composed of that spirit energy which
underlies all matter. This spirit energy, or
electronic energy, if you will, is both positive
and negative in its polarity. However, in
contrast to still another energy, it is pre
dominantly negative. This other energy in
man is the V.L.F. (Vital Life Forc), which
imbues every cell and is of the Universal
Consciousness of the Cosmic. In comparison
to the energy of matter, it is more infinite,
less restricted and thus more positive in its
polarity. The human aura is a combination
of these two energies: the spirit energy of
matter which is predominantly negative, and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the predominantly positive energy of the

V.L.F. of the soul forc.
Projection of consciousness is actually a
projecting of the consciousness of the soul
forc within us, in accordance with some
idea or concept which we may have. Let us
use an analogy, to better understand this
principie. An electric current flows from a
generator through an electric lamp. The cur
rent in the lamp is always directly connected
with its source, the generator. The current
in the lamp manifests by heating the ele
ments and becoming light. The light that
radiates from the lamp we may liken to the
ego, the self. The light is an attribute of the
current and dependent upon it, and so also
is the ego or psychic self, dependent upon
the positive polarity or soul forc which
is in us.
Psychic projection, to use the analogy
again, consists, then, of having the light of
the lamp spread out farther and farther,
either in one direction or in all directions,
as we may desire. The projection of that
light is really a projection of the manifesta
tion of the electric current that is within
it. Our ego, then, or self is our consciousness
of the soul forc within us; namely, the soul
forc within man manifests as the conscious
ness of self. When we project, we are extending that consciousness of self into space.
Physically you may be situated in a room of
your own home, but the self, the you is wherever the consciousness of self is, namely,
wherever you realize yourself to be, which
could be on the other side of the earth from
where your body is situated. When you
become engrossed, for analogy, in a motion
picture, as we are told in our monographs,
the self becomes closely identified with the
characters in the story, or lost in the incidents of the play. You then have projected
your self into the screen. You are no longer
aware of where your physical body is.
Projection of consciousness can be either
passive or active. If passive, we have become
receptive to the incidents and circumstances
of the place to which our psychic self is pro
jecting. Thus, if I desire to project to a cer
tain European city, with which I am familiar,
and use the technique given in our mono
graphs for the purpose, and if I am success
ful I would find myself, in consciousness, in
that city. Under such circumstances, I will
not appear there as a physical being, that is,

AUGUST, 1953

I will not see myself walking about as one

would see his image in a dream. Rather, it
would be as though I were looking out of a
dark doorway upon a scene. My own image
would not be visible, yet in consciousness I
would be there and I would be able to per
ceive all that happened. I might have sentient experiences, that is, I might feel, see,
hear, and smell what occurs at the lcale.
However, so long as I remain but an observer
or spectator and do nothing more, mine
would be passive projection. Conversely, if
in projection we try to communicate with
another, or to make ourselves visible in any
form so that our presence can be realized,
then we are active in our projection.
How is this phenomenon, which has been
known by many different ames such as
bilocation, Epiphany, and empathy, accom
plished? As said, the specific procedure to be
followed by the member is related in the
monographs. The basic principie is that the
psychic self is of a positive polarity, since
it is a manifestation of the Cosmic or Uni
versal Soul forc in man. Consequently, like
the soul forc, it has no restriction and it
need not be body-bound. It can be projected
anywhere, any time into the Cosmic. How
ever, a malevolent thought, a thought as
sociated with hate, jealousy, envy, et cetera,
is negative, somatic, and earthly. If such
thoughts, as purposes, are associated with the
desire to project, then the psychic self or
inner consciousness is not able to reach out
into the Cosmic. It is blocked by an unsurmountable barrier. Thoughts which are
destructive and malevolent are limited to the
objective consciousness of the persons think
ing them. No matter how strenuously such
an individual tries to reach out with such
thoughts and to project self with them, they
go no further than a few feet in their in
fluence. Such thoughts may be felt in the
limited negative vibrations of the human
aura. We have said that the negative vibra
tions of the human aura are of the material
or earthly substance of the body. They are
thus more limited and not able to radiate
from the body more than a few feet. In the
immediate presence of such a person, we
may experience his acrimonious intents as
a feeling of unrest on our part, or a feeling
of repugnance toward him.
Furthermore, there is another factor which
protects every human from the attempts of

Page 15

others to project their psychic self for improper or immoral purposes, and this is the
conscience. The conscience of an individual
represents the highest moral idealism of
which he is able to conceive. It arises from
a perception of the Divine qualities of his
own nature, and a defining of those qualities
into terms of moral vales. What we as indi
viduis morally will not consciously sub
scribe to becomes a bulwark of protection
against the vicious thoughts of others. Our
conscience or moral precepts are firmly
established in our subjective minds. They
have become a law to the subjective, by our
continual abiding by them and making of
them a habit. Therefore, when we are asleep
or in a so-called subjective state, these pre
cepts are active and prevent a violation of
our spiritual selves. They work by reflex,
repelling any thought that may reach the
inner consciousness and which is contra to
them.
This is not merely a mystical dissertation
or speculation. It has also been easily proven
by numerous experiments in hypnosis, hyp
nosis conducted for psychological and thera
peutic purposes. It is an established fact that
a person who has been placed in a hypnotic
state, and has voluntarily submitted his will
and objective powers to those of the operator
cannot be compelled to do anything which is
in conflict with his moral sense. Such an
individual, when in a hypnotic state, instead
of being able to reason for himself and sug
gest to his own subjective mind, has the
objective reason and will of the operator
supplant his own functions. Consequently,
the subject, the one in the hypnotic state,
will obey every command or suggestion of
the operator. The subjective mind obeys the
command, as it is the function of the sub
jective to do so. However, whenever a com
mand is issued by the operator, as a test,
that the subject should resort to conduct or
language which is contrary to his moral sense
or conscience, the subject will be found not
to respond. It means that the subjective
mind has repelled the suggestion that the law
established there as the result of habit is invoked. This law acts as a guardian of the
threshold of the consciousness and actions of
the individual. Persons in hypnotic states,
as a matter of experimentation, have been
asked to resort to obscenity and indecent acts,
and the subject has always remained silent

Page 16

and immobile. This indica tes that such things

were contrary to the normal moral sense and
law of the subject.
In one of our monographs concerning pro
jection, and in giving assurance to our mem
bers that others could not take possession of
them by means of projection for any improper purposes, we say: What in your
waking state you would not permit, in a
sense of decency, would not and could not
be possible when you are asleep or in a sub
jective state, and at a time when the inner
self stands guard. Then, again: Your
moral standards and your conduct which
have become a habit put a wall of sanctity
and safety around you which no projection
can invade for improper purposes.
In spite of these age-old mystical princi
pies, and in spite of the fact that they have
been empirically proven by hypnosis, there
are those persons who insist in tormenting
themselves by the belief that they are being
violated by the improper thoughts and acts
of another while they sleep, and by means
of psychic projection. They will insist that
they have on occasion seen psychic personali
ties, with evil leers on their faces, enter the
privacy of their bed chambers. They further
relate that such projected personalities made
improper advances toward them, or other
acts which terrified them. Were such ex
periences actual exceptions to the Cosmic
principies? The answer is no. Investigation
of such cases has invariably revealed that a
series of events have led up to such delusions.
Usually the person has had some previous
shock or terrifying experience in connection
with the personality, which he later im
agines is projecting to him for improper
purposes. The shock of the objective ex
perience causes a phobia, a fixation in the
subjective mind. Subsequently the individual
broods over the experience and such brooding enlarges it in his mind, and finally he
comes to dwell upon this fixation almost
every conscious hour. Little illnesses, minor
misfortunes, or minor unfavorable incidents
he begins to attribute to the influence of
that personality. The realization of the per
sonality becomes greater and greater within
the subjective mind where the phobia has
been established. Eventually the person ac
tually imagines the physical presence of the
personality at all hours. To put it more
simply, the impressions of the personality

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

from within, the result of the illusion, are

such intense sensations that the individual
is unable to distinguish between them and
reality, that is, the things he sees or hears
objectively. It reaches the unfortunate stage
where the victims reactions to his phobia
are actually confused with normal objective
experiences. The unfortunate person is sure
he has actually seen or heard in his presence
the person whom he fears, endeavoring to
inflict harm upon him psychically.
Such a victim of this fear may actually
have known, by previous study, that Cos
mically such projections are impossible, yet,
because of his phobia, the experiences as
built up within his subjective have become
so real that he can no longer deny them,
any more than he can deny that he sees some
object outside of his window. The only solution is to try to remove the phobia, to go
behind the cause and extrpate it from the
subconscious mind. This has often been done
effectively through medical hypnosis, by a
trained psychologist or psychiatrist. The pro
cedure is a simple one. The patient is put
(voluntarily, of course) into a hypnotic sleep.
Then a counter suggestion oppsing the na
ture of the phobia is implanted in the sub
jective mind, by repeating it numerous times.
It becomes a law just as it would if it had
been suggested by the objective mind of the
patient to himself. The counter suggestion is,
of course, associated with the phobia as a
related idea. The subject does not objectively
know what has been said to him while he
was in the hypnotic state. In the post-hypnotic statenamely, when he is again nor
mal, and while going about his affairsif
the phobia thereafter again begins to take
possession of him, by association the counter
idea arises simultaneously and ameliorates
it. In this way, the efficacy of the phobia
is gradually diminished to a point where the
patient is able to compose himself, his will
is strengthened, and he is thereafter able to
discipline his own mind.X
(Reprinted during absence of the Imperator)

Do Memory and Imagination Have

Actuality?
It is a conclusin in Rosicrucian philosophy
that now is the most important period of
anyones existence. In previous articles in
the Rosicrucian Forum, in the Rosicrucian
monographs, and in other writings, this prin-

AUGUST, 1953

ciple has been reiterated from time to time

in different ways. We know that the past is
gone and cannot be recovered; we know that
the future is still to come, so consequently
nowthe present momentis the time of
life with which we have to deal and the
time that we should utilize to the best pos
sible advantage. In other parts of the Rosi
crucian teachings and of this magazine, this
subject has and will be discussed in more
detail. The subject of this article concerns a
question regarding how one can classify cer
tain mental functions as to whether or not
they exist in actuality or only in imagination.
If the past is gone, exactly what is the
valu of memory to the average individual?
Does imaginationwhich takes us into the
futurehave any practical use? These ques
tions concern the personal psychological re
sponse of each individual to his concept of
time. We each have to deal with the cir
cumstances of our own lives and environments, and we are constantly reflecting en
vironment within ourselves, within our
mental outlook, and in our behavior, but in
addition to environment, there is the complex
nature of our mental self. Mentally we are
made up of sensations, emotions, memories,
reason, imagination, and various other mani
festations of consciousness that have been
catalogued in these various psychological
terms.
We relive the past in memory. We often
can reproduce to a degree certain pleasurable
sensations from remembering pleasant events
that have taken place in the past or from
bringing to consciousness the memory of
certain pleasant incidents that it has been
our experience to participate in at some past
time. Also, we constantly draw upon mem
ory in order to bring to mind knowledge
which we either have learned or experienced
in the past. The ability to cali on memory
is the only means that we have to utilize
past experience and past learning. It is not
to be inferred that since the past has already
gone and the now is of the most im
portance to us, that the past should be
entirely ignored. Man has been given the
ability to remember, has been given the
potential of memory, in order that he will
be able to draw upon the existence that he
has already lived and will not have to repeat
every experience in order that his knowledge
and application will be at its best.

Page 17

If we had no memory, then every situation

we faced would be an entirely new experi
ence necessitating our having to start at the
beginning every time we began anything
and resulting in our being completely buried
in detail. We would never accomplish any
thing. The human race would not be Crea
tive. We would not have the civilization that
now exists; in fact, there would never have
been any civilization in mans whole history.
Therefore, memory is a definite tool, a
means of helping us orient our inner selves
to the environment in which we are placed.
Utilizing memory does not mean we have
to worry about the past. Man has the same
selective ability with the use of memory
that he has with the use of his sense facul
ties. We can see a number of things, but
we do not have to concntrate upon all we
see at one time; we are able to choose those
things upon which we want to concntrate
or the item to which we want to give our
attention at any particular moment. The
ability to discrimnate and select is a part
of the mental power of human consciousness.
Therefore, the use of memory in its con
structive purposes is to bring from memory
to the level of consciousness those things to
ward which we wish to give attention at any
particular moment, and in this process ba
able to draw upon the knowledge and ex
perience that has preceded the present
moment.
Looking into the future is a somewhat dif
ferent situation. We can predict to a degree
what the future will be, provided we have
interpreted all the facts correctly and that
certain events take place in the order we
expect them. We can reasonably presume
that if we see a vehicle moving at a certain
rate of speed and coming toward us that it
will arrive at the same position where we
are at the moment. That is, we predict the
future in terms of memory, in terms of our
past experience; however, it is absolutely
true that we cannot predict all future events
specifically and definitely, since we do not
know what all the circumstances are or will
be. We do not know how we will behave,
or how other human beings will behave, or
what certain apparatus or machinery will
do; therefore, the prediction of the future is
very indefinite and cannot b relied upon
with the same assurance that we can rely
upon knowledge and experience that has oc-

Page 18

curred in the past and has been brought to

the level of consciousness again through
memory.
In spite of these limitations, the use of
imagination for constructive, Creative pur
poses is a worth-while project. It is in that
way that we prepare ourselves for certain
circumstances. We lay aside money to meet
an obligation that may occur in the future.
Such an action is that of a prudent individual
and a good example of common sense, but
to believe that the world is going to come
to an end on a certain date in the future, or
that some catastrophe is going to overtake
us, or that some fortune is going to become
ours, is to merely give full rein to our imagi
nation. When we let imagination carry us
to the point where our ideis, hopes, and
whims occupy our minds to the exclusin of
proper consideration of the actualities we
must face, then we are not properly directing
the constructive means of using imagination.
Both memory and imagination serve definite purposes, but if an individual lives in
the past or in the future to the point of
ignoring the present, then he is misusing
these faculties. The present is the period of
time that has actual existence. The actuali
ties of the physical world, of our mental
existence, and of our relation between the
external world and our inner selves are
something of which we can be conscious only
at this particular time. Everything else, in
terms of memory or imagination, is merely a
mental concept which we are bringing to
the level of consciousness as a thought that
can be given attention at a definite moment.
Memory, for example, has actuality only
through the means by which we can bring
that memory into conscious realization. In
other words, if I think of what I did yesterday, the things that existed in my en
vironment yesterday do not have the actuali
ty that they had when the actual incident
was taking place. This is difficult to describe.
At the moment, I am sitting and dictating
this article on a mechanical dictating apparatus; I see wheels moving and lights
flashing; I see the desk upon which it is
placed; I see everything about me which
constitutes the physical environment of my
office. They all have actuality of the mo
ment; they exist and are being used by me.
Tomorrow, if I happen to think of this
moment and recall the incident of dictating

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

this particular article, the period of actuality

will have passed, and only a mental impres
sion which we cali memory will exist.
The conditions and events of this present
time will not exist in the same relationship
to each other and to me in the future as
they do at this moment when I am actually
in the process of doing this particular piece
of work. However, if tomorrow I have oc
casion to refer to the contents of this article,
I will remember some of the words I said,
and I can review what I said by referring to
what was written from the transcription
which I dictated, and then the article itself
will have actuality. It will be an existent
thing, brought into being through the vari
ous mechanical functions of the dictating
machine, the work of the stenographer, the
typewriter, the paperall these things will
have caused this particular discourse to come
into physical manifestation.
There is no harm to the individual in
using his memory and imagination as freely
as it is possible. The harm lies in assigning
actuality to memory and imagination. If an
individual devotes all his time to recalling
incidents of the past and reliving as it were
in his own mind the things that occurred
yesterday, a year ago, or ten years ago, or
if, as the other extreme, he daydreams con
stantly about what he would like to have
happen tomorrow or a year from tomor
row, then he is going outside the world of
actuality. Such an individual is functioning
to escape the realities of his present existence,
by trying to find refuge or trying to hide
in the conditions that existed at some time
in the past or that he hopes will exist in
the future.
Memory and imagination, therefore, have
actuality only in so far as they can be
applied to the present moment either constructively or for the pleasure of recalling
the incidents. They do not have actuality
in themselves; and, if an individual takes
refuge in thoughts which existed in the past
or those which he hopes will exist in the
future and if he is unable to discriminate
between those thoughts of the past or future
and his current thinking of the moment, then
such an individual is passing up the most
important time of life and is building a basis
for an abnormal existence due to his ignor
ing the actualities of the present.

AU0UST, 1953

By all means, we should draw upon every

faculty of the mind that is possible for us.
We should utilize every potentiality, every
God-given ability which is within us, but
never should we try to substitute any mental
function for the obligations that are ours at
the moment. We must not attempt to escape
by living entirely in memory or by living
entirely in an imaginary world that may
or may not exist in the future. Now is the
time to utilize all our potentialities, and we
should draw upon all of them for immediate
application. The actualities of the moment
are those which we can utilize; and then in
our own realization, we can come to the
conclusin that will help build up our
character, our spiritual abilities, our general
evolvement in the process of soul-personality
growth through this incarnation.A
Trial and Tribulation
It is not unusual for the question to be
asked, Is life a series of triis, tribulations,
problems, and suffering? Many people would
answer this in the affirmative. Many phi
losophies are based upon the fact, or at
least the accepted fact, that all life is a
problem, all life is suffering. While this
idea has been put into various philosophies
and has been considered by many thinkers
throughout the history of mans thought, it
has probably been best expressed by the
Stoics in ancient Greece. They gradually
developed their philosophy upon the prin
cipie that there was nothing to be obtained
by living except to bridge the existence of
time, that all was simply a process of accepting that which comes, and that life had
more suffering and trouble than it had pleas
ure. Philosophies expressing the opposite
point of view have also been developed.
The Stoic philosophy was adapted to early
Christian theology, and, even today, we find
expressed in many forms of Christian doc
trine the principie that man is born primarily to suffer. His life will be primarily a
series of triis and tribulationsa process
through which he must live, a cross to be
borne. In commenting upon this viewpoint,
a frater who has been a member of the Rosi
crucian Order for many years and is also the
minister of a large Midwestern church made
this statement: The philosophy of Chris
tian faith and the philosophy of mysticism

Page 19

as we know it in our Order is very serious

and must be learned and applied to human
life through trial and tribulation. There is
no doubt that the philosophy of this minister
is greatly influenced by Christian doctrine
and principie, but he is also stressing the
fact that the basic philosophy as taught in
the Rosicrucian Orderthat is, the mystical
concept which is the nucleus of our thinking
and the most important function of Rosi
crucian doctrinetoo is a very serious mat
ter that must be learned and applied to
each individual human existence through
certain forms of trial and tribulation.
It should be obvious to any intelligent person that life is not a simple, pleasure-seeking
process that will always bring satisfaction.
He who will try to make out of life nothing
more than a means of obtaining satisfaction
of the physical senses is only confusing the
issue and bringing himself to a point where
he will, in the end, gain nothing. The con
tinuous attempt to satisfy the physical desire
for pleasure and what is believed to be the
resultant happiness does not produce that
which is hoped for by the individual striving
in that direction. No material thing can pro
duce continued pleasure over a period of
time regardless of how much we think we
would like to possess this or that thing. We
know, if we are intelligent, that the pleasureproducing quality inherent within the thing
within any material thingis limited, and
we will eventually tire of any material pos
session which we have.
That life consists of many triis, many
tribulations, a certain amount of suffering,
mental and physical, is a fact which we
should face and not try to avoid. These
tests and triis will come to us as long as
we are physical, existent beings. We can
not avoid them; there will be a certain num
ber of them. It is a mere statement of the
process of the alchemy of life. In everything
in which we find changeand after all, in
an honest and final analysis everything does
changewe find that change takes place
through an upheaval or at times through
radical procedures and manifestations in
things that are existent. Take the simple
process of the preparation of food, that is,
the process of cooking. The dough which becomes bread goes through the process of be
ing changed under heat. In other words,
fire is the element which produces heat that

Page 20

in turn makes a radical change in the uncooked substance causing it to become the
food that eventually serves us. Thus change
has added to foods tastefulness and usefulness in so far as the body is better able to
assimilate more things cooked than uncooked.
Fire, therefore, is a powerful forc to
break down existent things and cause them
to manifest in another way. It actually
changes their chemical structure, changes
the composition; for example, the bread that
we eat is much different from the dough that
was placed in the pan and then placed in
the oven where heat could affect it. Fire
is the forc which causes the transmutation
to set in, that brings about the product which
we can utilize and find satisfactory.
Trial and tribulation are the fire of life,
the elements which enter into our experience
and cause an otherwise routine living to have
meaning, to have something come out of
our experience. This forc within life may
not always be comfortable. It may be very
trying, but without it, nothing can be
achieved. Sacrifice and suffering are some of
the steps that the individual must take in
the process of evolution, and, whether that
evolution is mental or physical, evolvement
must be experienced.
The individual who first is fitted with
glasses in order to see better finds that a
period of adjustment is necessary before he
can gain the full benefit that comes from
these physical aids to sight. Every new thing
that we have to assume as a part of our daily
habits requires certain uncomfortable ad
justment, but out of that adjustment, out of
that transmutation, out of the discomfort or
even suffering that may be entailed, will
usually come a degree of satisfaction which
could not have been attained without having
gone through this transmutation process. We
could never gain some of the things that we
have, even in our physical experiences, if
we did not make the effort and sacrifice to
gain them.
It may be painful to do certain work, to
carry out certain functions, but the same
work or function is the key to what we are
trying to gain; therefore, attainment is worth
the price. It is the goal toward which we
can strive, toward which we can direct our
effort, and the intelligent individual will
realize that not all will be pleasant or easy.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

As we can attain control or at least use of

physical things, we can also realize that
many of the problems of life are solved
through the experience that is ours and the
triis and tribulations that are a part of our
life process. We are aiming toward an end
when perfection will be the end product of
evolution and when that state of perfection
comes, there will be no more triis or trib
ulations. Those lessons will be learned, and
mans effort and his consciousness can be
directed toward realization through direct
awareness of God.A
Degrees in Rosicrucian Teachings
It is not uncommon for a member of
AMORC to ask how many degrees there
are in the Rosicrucian teachings, and why
we have degrees. To know how many de
grees constitute the total of the Rosicrucian
teachings is not as important as how well
the content of each degree is grasped by the
individual student. Basically, there are
nine degrees in the Rosicrucian studies.
These are called the Temple Degrees and
they constitute a survey of the principies that
underlie the Rosicrucian philosophy and its
application to the individual life. Preceding
these nine Temple Degrees there are three
introductory degrees known as Neophyte De
grees. Then, after the ninth degree, there
are other degrees through which the member
may pass after a satisfactory completion of
the nine degrees of the basic Rosicrucian
teachings.
The degrees are not honorary degrees.
They are steps of progress. It is convenient
that the principies that are taught in the
Rosicrucian teachings be divided into cer
tain patterns and these individual pattems
that constitute the degree are approached
from three points of view; the emotional, the
practical, and the intellectual. It is through
the ritual, and the initiation, that the emo
tional approach is made. The individual is
able to particpate in these ritualistic activities which appeal to the dramatic sense that
is inherent within us and which gives the
emotional overtone that is so essential to
ward grasping those principies that can be
incorporated into our consciousness and made
a part of our life. Mere facts are not enough,
the emotions also must be appealed to and
they must respond if we are to gain the

AUGUST, 1953

benefits and the advantages that come

through a study of this kind.
From a practical standpoint, each degree
presents those applications which make it
possible for the individual to utilize the
ideas presented. This is done through the
experiments and exercises that become a
part of the course of study.
From an intellectual standpoint, certain
facts, principies, and ideas are given for the
benefit of increasing the individuals knowl
edge in general information as well as presenting the new points of view.
So psychically, intellectually, and practically, the Rosicrucian teachings are designed to appeal to the individual and, when
applied, result in a properly balanced life
philosophy and outlook.A
The Use of Inspiration
A question recently submitted to the
Rosicrucian Forum asks: Is there any way
an individual can judge whether the in
spiration and intuitional knowledge which
he may receive is primarily for his own
development and enlightenment, or is meant
to be given to others in some form such as
poetry, prose, music, art, or some other ex
pression? It would appear, judging from
mail received by the Grand Lodge, that this
problem comes under consideration oftener
than would seem likely.
Many individuis are confused when they
become conscious of their intuitional urges
or feel that they are inspired in a manner
that makes new knowledge ever present in
their consciousness. One purpose of the
Rosicrucian teachings is to help develop the
individual in his ability to learn more
through intuition than he has been able to
do in his previous experiences. Being ever
dependent upon the physical senses, man has
lacked intuitional development. To grow in
the use of intuition, man must develop new
habits, new techniques, and in that way
gain the inspiration which comes through
the process of attunement and concentration
which is taught as a fundamental part of
the Rosicrucian teachings.
Intuitional knowledge includes impres
sions that enter consciousness in different
ways. First of all, there is direct intuition,
that is, knowledge that comes into conscious
ness and yet seems to have no external

Page 21

source in so far as the physical or material

world is concerned. The individual in such
a circumstance receives what is popularly
called a hunch. This may be entirely
inconsistent with reason and seemingly unrelated to the experience of the individual;
that is, it is something to which he has
previously not given any particular attention
or tried to develop. Intuition is sometimes
a series of ideas or a single concept that has
suddenly become apparent in consciousness.
Under such circumstances, there is no im
mediate explanation of the source. This is
truly an inspirational concept, one that has
come into consciousness complete and needing no further change or analysis. It is, of
course, necessary in the earliest attempts to
gain inspirational knowledge or to develop
the use of the intuition to be able to dis
tinguish between pur imagination and in
tuition. It is not infrequent that the begin
ning student confuses his own imagination
with what might be actual intuition.
Conscientiously, the individual must ana
lyze and attempt to determine whether his
imagination has been given free rein and he
has permitted it to build up within his own
mind such ideas as he would prefer to have,
or whether the ideas are completely new, or
at least new to his experience. Sometimes
the element of time alone will be the key by
which it is possible to decide whether ones
impression is merely the result of the free
play of imagination. No one can determine
this for another. It is something that comes
through experience, and it is important for
the individual member to review from time
to time those concepts presented in his first
lectures in order that he may gain the prop
er experience and technique which go into
the building of the intuitive ability. As the
intuitive ability increases through use, the
ability to recognize that which is of intuitive
origin is also increased.
The second matter that has to do with
the recognition of intuitive knowledge comes
from the sharpening of our general ability
to utilize things we already know. For ex
ample, it is possible that an intuitive im
pression may relate things that have pre
viously been unrelatedin consciousness. After
all, we must never lose sight of the fact,
and this has been repeated frequently in
our literature, that we are physically existent beings; we are human beings; we are

Page 22

limited to the scope of the physical human

body, and we have to live in it and live
with it. If it were not our lot to have that
experience, we would not be here. Conse
quently, although the five physical senses
are pointed out repeatedly in our teachings
as being of secondary importance to the
ability of gaining inspiration and intuitional
knowledge, they are nevertheless important
factors in our lives. We will have to con
tinu to depend upon them for much knowl
edge and for much of the experience that
comes into consciousness.
What we see, feel, hear, taste, and smell,
is important in our daily lives. The senses
are the means by which we assimilate the
knowledge that is a part of our environment.
The fact that we live in the physical body
indicates that we must particpate and be
a part of the environment in which we are
living. We have to absorb certain knowl
edge and information from that environ
ment. Environment provides circumstances
in which we develop; that is, the soul is
resident within a body which is in turn
resident within an environment in which
both must grow. There is no use denying
that a certain development has to take place
within the limitations of those circumstances.
The body is physical, and to familiarize
ourselves with the physical part of the evironment in which the body is placed, we
have the five physical senses. Even if it
were possible for us to develop the intuitive
ability to the point where all knowledge,
all information, all experience, might come
through that channel, we would still be
physical entities in a physical body dependent upon physical impressions for a certain
part of our lifes existence. Therefore, we
should not depreciate the physical senses
or should we depreciate the knowledge
which comes into consciousness through those
senses; we should develop the point of view,
the mental broadness, sufficiently to be able
to appraise properly those sensations and
impressions that enter into our physical
being. By being able to look at the whole
matter with proper perspective, we see our
selves as conscious beings in a physical en
vironment; but at the same time, we are
a part of the nonphysicalwe are body
and soul.
The soul, after all, is the seat of the inner
self, but it is through its existence today

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

that our consciousness of it can develop.

Therefore, intuition helps us to put together
the various phases of our physical environ
ment and to create the mental images in
our mind as a result of physical experience.
What we see today becomes a part of us.
Concepts become implanted in consciousness
and what we see tomorrow may apparently
have no relationship to what has been seen,
but a relationship may become apparent
through an intuitive impression that makes
it possible for us to relate seemingly unrelated facts.
If you can remember those high school
days when you first studied algebra, you
probably realized little relationship between
that rather abstract mathematical science
and anything in practical everyday life.
But those who have much to do with mathematics in the course of their daily activities learn that algebra is an exact science
which has to be used frequently in coming
to the understanding of certain conditions
or facts with which they work. In other
words, we learned the science as an abstract
entity; it was through experience in the
world of making a living that certain in
dividuis learned to correlate certain facts
with the actual experience of living.
To refer again to the question asked at
the beginning of these comments, as to
whether or not that which an individual
receives in an intuitional way is to be
stored up inside him as a selfish possession
or whether it is to be shared with other
people, is a point that must be answered
on the basis of each individual experience,
not on the basis of a general, all-over statement. First of all, we must ask ourselves,
Is the impression truly an intuitional im
pression or is it merely a new association
of ideas? If we are convinced that we have
received certain knowledge by intuition, then
we should by all means feel obligated to
know what we are to do with that knowl
edge. It may be that it has a very personal
meaning and, if that is true, we will prob
ably grasp in a period of time what that
personal meaning is. No one else can ex
plain personal meanings to us. We have
to gradually fit such knowledge into our
thinking and have it in the back of our
mind so that it may be recalled the first
time it seems to apply to a situation or to
a series of events.

AUGUST, 1953

Much knowledge that we gain in life does

not have immediate utilization. Already I
have referred to the example of algebra;
the average high school student sees no
utilization of that science, but there is a
possibility that at some time in life, an
opportunity for application will come. He
will then draw what is needed from his
memory to direct himself in finding how
to utilize that knowledge to which he had
been exposed some years before.
Many intuitive impressions seem to lie
dormant in consciousness until they are
called upon for use. We may not see their
immediate application, but at some test, or
some trial, or some circumstance, we sud
denly remember that we had an impression
that would help us in interpreting the situ
ation or in making a matter plain.
The second point in regard to these im
pressions is to determine whether or not
they are impersonal. We might say that
most intuitive impressions do have a per
sonal overtone to them. We mean that they
are necessary to the realization within our
consciousness of our own lifes work and
function. As we become more and more
attuned through concentration and medita
tion to the reception of intuitive impressions,
we become more and more aware of how
much we are dependent upon them in
rounding out our lifes experience. Man
cannot live on bread alone also means that
man cannot live alone upon the analysis
and rational thinking that comes as a re
sult of impressions received through the
physical senses. The full, rounded life is
that which draws upon all the faculties of
our being, including the intuitional urges
th$t come into consciousness through the
subjective mind. That each of these im
pressions has certain personal overtones does
not mean that they are restricted to per
sonal use however.
Mans obligation is not only his own evolution, but to contribute as best he can to
the evolution of those around him. Although
we may not always literally accept the
principie that we are our brothers keeper,
we are to a degree responsible not only for
our own Karma but for the Karma of those
who constitute a part of our environment
and, in reverse, we are a part of theirs;
therefore, expression is an important part
of living.

Page 23

Expression means the putting into some

kind of active form the things which con
stitute the innermost part of our conscious
ness. The artist, whether he is a writer,
a painter, musician, masn, carpenter, or
whether he belongs to any trade or craft,
is the individual who takes pride in bringing into existence a new creation in the
sense that this piece of work is done with
thorough conscientiousness and consideration
for its ultmate attainment of perfection in
so far as it is possible for the human being
to perfect a thing. If an individual feels
the urge to express those things which have
come intuitively and which are not in violation of his own personal experience or
personal development, he should by all
means put them into poetry, prose, music,
art, or any other form. Everybody should
feel free to let himself go, as it were,
now and then, in expressing those things
which indicate that they may bring valu
to someone else as well as pleasure to him
self through the very process of expression.
This does not mean that everybody canbe a poet, a writer, a musician, or can start
painting pictures. Remember that we have
to do certain things ourselves. We cannot
write articles or stories regardless of our
inspiration unless we know language and
something about how to use that language.
We cannot paint if we do not know which
end of the paintbrush is to be placed against
the canvas; we cannot compose music if we
do not know some of the elementary prin
cipies of a musical instrument and how
music is recorded on a scale. It is foolish,
in fact it is silly, for anyone to feel that
he is inspired to write poetry, or write
articles, or compose music, when he has
never had any instruction or any experience
in any of those fields.
The Cosmic may wish you to express
yourself through the mdium of writing,
but it will expect you to leam all there is
to know about how to write so that your
expression will have freedom and will mature in the physical mdium in which you
have tried to gain some element of knowl
edge. Therefore, we might summarize the
answer to our question thus: by all means,
express your inspirational and intuitive urges
to other people through the mdiums that
you find best for your expression and in
which you have trained yourself to give
expression.A

The

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P R IN T E D IN U . S . A .

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All necessary equipment

and accessories provided.

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under Section 1 1 0 3 of the U .S . Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1 9 1 7 .

OCTOBER, 1953

No. 2

An Apothegm by Thales

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A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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Of al! things that are,

the most ancient is God,
for He is uncreated.
The most beautiful is the universe,
for it is God's workmanship.

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OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
< i COUNCILSUBSCRIPTION
PRICE, $2.25 (16/1 sterlng) ANNUALLY

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Page 26

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

THE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY

Dear Fratres and Sorores:
Great oaks from little acorns grow. The
culture and magnanimity, or the depravity
and viciousness of nations are the outgrowth
of the individual habits and the characters
of their citizens. Collectively, a people will
often give lip service to certain ideis, but,
as individuis, they will act to the contrary.
Therefore, the probability of a nation becoming a great benefactor to humanity in
other than material creations must be determined from the conduct of its average
citizen.
Watch the throngs on the main thoroughfares of great cities. They rush on their way,
jostling each other rudely. Frequently, they
fail to even mumble the stereotyped Excuse
me, or Pardon me. Sometimes they tum
about and glare reproachfully at the person
into whom they had collided, whether he was
responsible or not. In queues formed before
shops or places of amusement, individuis
will forc their way inconsiderately, ahead
of others, so as to be served first. Again, in
numerable automobile drivers, when not
watched by plice, will not check their speed
when pedestrians with the right-of-way cross
their path. These are but a few indications
of the lack of restraint of the instinctive
urges in people.
Man is very much an animal. He has all
the fundamental appetites and desires of the
lower animals. He cannot completely quell
them without becoming subnormal or abnormal. The only distinctive faculty of man
is his reason. The reason can, and should,
establish certain ideis, certain intellectual
and emotional ends, which become competitive with the primitive urges. An animal,
such as the dog, cannot have intellectual
desires. He cannot strive to know about the
heavens above him. He cannot love to inquire into the nature of his own conduct.
Aside from the appetites and the intellectual
desires, man also has what we may cali the
psychic urges. They constitute, for example,
compassion, sympathy, the desire for tran-

quillity, the love of justice and the love of

righteousness. These stimuli, or urges, are
quite subtle. It is often difficult for these
finer impulses of mans nature to make
themselves felt in his consciousness. It is
only when he is relaxed, when the grosser
passions and appetites are subdued, that he
may experience them. At such a time these
immanent feelings are transformed by the
mind into ideas, into things which seem to
represent them. Consequently, we interpret
certain acts, or kinds of conduct, as being in
accord with justice, sympathy, and righteous
ness. The extnt of our defining of these
feelings is dependent upon our intelligence,
experience, and education.
Man is by nature, gregarious; he desires
to live in groups of his own kind, to form
what he calis society. Many of the lower
animals, likewise, prefer to live in groups,
packs or herds. The psychic urges of man
have caused his mind, his intellect, to confer
upon society a distinctive meaning. Each of
us who enjoy human society can, to the extent of our ability to express ourselves, give
some reason why we like and wish to live
with other humans. These reasons must
conform to the psychic urges of our own
being, to compassion, justice, and righteous
ness. If they do not, then we are not living
like human beings. We are being driven
blindly by the elemental aspects of our na
ture, to live as if in a herd. It is quite simple:
either society becomes a pack of animals who
instinctively function together merely to ac
complish something to satisfy their physical
requirements as individuis, or it has knowingly united to accomplish something for its
collective good.^
The individual who is inconsiderate, abusive and selfish in the narrowest sense of
the word, in his relations with others, is anti
social. He may live in a community with
other persons; he may indulge in the advantages which collective living provides,
but he is nevertheless, antisocial. He is not
contributing to the social ideal prompted by

OCTOBER, [953

the psychic urges. He is merely conforming

to the herd instinct. Wolves care nothing
for the pack as a whole. They will collectively seize their prey when hunting in packs,
but they will proceed to destroy their own
pack by ferocious fighting among themselves.
The highest aim of human society is to
give, to create, to do; the lowest aim of so
ciety is the effect of the herd instinctusing
society only for the immediate benefit of the
individual. The psychic urges cause man to
realize that the highest social aim cannot be
satisfied through individual efforts. The
creation of the beautiful, the development of
a harmonious atmosphere which is appeal
ing to the higher self, can never be a single
enterprise. No artist wants to paint entirely
for himself. His greatest joy is in the radiation of his aesthetic talents. He wishes others
to see and enjoy the symmetry of line, or
harmony of sound and color which he has
executed. An artists greatest personal happiness is in the realization that others also
find enjoyment in his works.
The truly socially minded person is, there
fore, one who displays a courteous attitude.
By his conduct he is binding society together
with the bonds of personal self-restraint so
that it may be kept intact for higher
purposes.
Ordinarily, when we explain courtesy, we
do so in terms of ethics. This consists of a
reciting of the generally accepted rules of
conduct. However, a comparison of the customary ethics of various nations will show
quite a disparity between them. The cour
tesy necessary to advance society, to make
it serve the exalted aspect of mans nature,
must go deeper than just the rules of con
duct! It must go back to the causes of con
duct. It must consist of those causes that
can be made applicable to all human rela
tions and changing conditions. The reason
why one people will do something offensive
to another, without compunction, is that their
ethics are not founded upon the same premises of courtesy.
How shall this essential courtesy be determined? In all human enterprise, the in
dividual must be the starting point of consid
eration. The self is a composite. It is the
aggregate of the body with its physical urges,
and the mind and soul, or psychic nature,
with their respective attributes. We proceed

Page 27

by asking ourselves, What does our personal

self want from life?
Our most insistent needs are the rganic
ones. We dislike the sensations of pain as
the result of hunger, thirst, coid, and disease.
Physical imperturbability or freedom from
physical want or distraction, is thus a first
essential. We say they are first because
these distractions are so easily incurred. The
normal human being is not satisfied, how
ever, when only his physical needs are gratified, or when his body is at ease. We have
the faculty of becoming self-conscious. We
can observe, reflect upon the operation of our
own minds. We can think, reason, recollect,
imagine. Even when the body is passive, the
mind may be very active. The mind is ca
pable of mental desiresends which it wants
to achieve. These mental desires become
stimuli, cravings which are often far stronger
than the prosaic appetites. What person with
Creative ability has not been tormented by
the desire to experiment with, or to build
some device, or has not wanted to satisfy
his curiosity about the nature of something?
Life, then, obviously, if it is to provide tranquillity, must gratify these mental desires
as well. Fortunately for humanity, there
have been many humanitarians in the world.
They have brought pleasure to their higher
selves by alleviating the suffering of others
and by correcting obvious social ills. This
inclination to altruism and humanitarianism,
is also a psychic or mental urge. If we have
these innate inclinations, then the oppor
tunity to gratify them is also what we want
from life.
Since these elements, the desires of our
composite self, are so basic, it is comparatively simple to set up certain rules to recognize
them. Rules including them become the pos
itive requirements of a system of ethics es
tablished for any people, regardless of race
or nationality. You believe them as being
indubitably necessary to any society of which
you become a member, or a citizen. Fundamentally, courtesy is not complete until you
have conceded to other members of society
the same right to these positive requirements
as you have. However, this is more than a
mere expression of others may do as I do.
The unthoughtful pursuit of your positive
requirements and others doing likewise may
bring conflict. It would result in each in

Page 28

dividual acting entirely for himself and destroying society, as often has happened. Con
sequently, each of us must set up a negative
course of action in our lives as well as a pos
itive one.
The purpose of the negative course of ac
tion is to prevent our positive acts from interfering with those very rights which we
concede to others. The only way this is made
possible is by assigning order to human re
lations. This order becomes a product of the
human intellect. The order consists of an
established sequence for the demands and
rights of individuis. In other words, the
order of human relations shall be founded
upon provisions of time and space. Let us
further elucidate. Suppose I have a positive
requirementa basic need which is neces
sary to my being, such as we have explained;
you have a positive requirement, as well. The
means of fulfillment of that requirement may
not be sufficient for both of us at the mo
ment. Which one shall have it? This shall
be determined by the time provision, that
is, the person who made known his require
ment first; or perhaps the spatial provision
shall applythat is, the one who is more
adjacent to the supply shall obtain it. The
human mind abhors confusion, and seeks
order. Order is, psychologically, any arrangement which the mind can readily comprehend. The confusions that result in discourtesy, rudeness, and in a display of the
primitive aggression of animals, can be
avoided by this application of order to our
relations with others.
This application of order to our wants or
our desires, does not dispose of the spirit of
competition which makes for progress. Each
of us may try to be the first to the source
of supply, or means of satisfaction. Yet we
can recognize the position of another in point
of time as preceding us. If one precedes us
in time, or in sequence, we will recognize
that order.
This sense of order in human relations is
expressed even in the so-called social
graces. We will not rudely interrupt an
other who is speaking, no matter what we
wish to say, until he has finished speaking.
We will recognize the fact that he precedes
us. Without a regulation of the sequence
of speech, we know that confusion would
arise. Again, where several of us need some
thing, and none of us has preference in point

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of time or in sequence, then the principie of

equality shall apply. Since, in our original
reasoning we have conceded to others the
right to the same positive requirements as
we have, then they must share equally with
us, if the principie of order has not worked
against them. Under such conditions there
must be a divisin, an equitable sharing of
the advantages to be obtained.
If all of us will use these psychological
factors of order and equality in governing our
behavior, a higher code of ethics will ensue.
This improvement would reflect itself in the
broader aspect of human relations, namely,
international affairs. Without compliance
with such principies, we have nothing more
than a society of individuis living together,
but in practice, working against each other.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator
(Reprinted during absence of the Imperator)

Does Luck Exist?

A frater in the United States Army, now
stationed in Italy, joins our F orum Circle .
He arises to ask: Is there such a thing as
luck? Why do we sometimes continually win
in a game while other persons lose, no mat
ter how hard they may try? Also, why is it
that some days it seems that everything is
against us; for instance, if you are waiting
in line for something to be issued, you get
the worst, while everyone else gets the best,
and so throughout the entire dayor life. I
am a member overseas in Italy and seem to
be going around puzzled about the world,
with many questions on my mind all of the
time. This is the first opportunity I have had
to submit a question to the F orum. For my
benefit and, of course, to help the F orum, I
will send in others from now on.
The word luck is used ordinarily in the
sense of one of two meanings. It is used
either in the sense of good fortune or chance.
Between the two uses, however, there lies a
vast difference of meaning. Fortune is either
created for us or we do our own creating
of it. Those who assume that our fortune
lies entirely out of our power and the cir
cumstances of environment are fatalists.
Such individuis presume that external
powers or entities may arbitrarily favor an
individual or affect him detrimentally. This

OCTOBER, 1953

influence may, in the opinion of some, be

ordained in advance of birth, as a prescribed
course of living, which is inescapable. Again,
others accept it as a fate which is decreed
from day to day, or hour to hour. The unthinking and overzealous devotee of astrology
is often one of the latter type. He is apt to
believe that every favorable incident or unfavorable one is the direct result of an in
fluence upon him from the stars. Luck to
him means a fatalistic control of the affairs
of his life, regardless of the exercise of his
will, or the use of his own powers to create
his destiny.
Some students of mysticism have the same
attitude toward karm a or the Cosmic doc
trine of Cosmic compensation. They presume
that conduct in a previous life has absolutely
determined the course of events for this one.
Consequently, they are of the opinion that
whatever happens to them is karmic, in the
sense of being the effect of a cause having
occurred in a previous existence. They ig
nore entirely the minor causes of their
present living. Such causes may be the accumulated mpetus of numerous current acts
on their part producing their present plight
or advantage. Such, again, is fatalism, and
results in a suppression of the individual will
and a submitting to circumstances. Let us
outrightly deny the existence of a fate which
predetermines and fixes the course of human
lives and events.
Causes may result in certain effects emphatically following, provided that the causes
are not countered or mitigated. The cause,
however, carries with it no power that prevents it from being altered by still other
more potent causes. For analogy, a ball
thrown with a certain velocity will carry a
number of feet in one direction, unless it is
intercepted by a bat, then it will reverse its
course and go in the opposite direction. Con
sequently, the only thing which may make
inflexible the course of human life is a submission on our part to all causes. If we cise
our mind and submit our will, then we are
like a straw in the wind. The wind will de
termine the fate of the straw, the directions
in which it will go. Man can become causative by exerting his thoughts and his will,
and can oppose the cause of his environment,
even his inherited tendencies, which are also
causes. Many men have overcome their

Page 29

heredity and risen above physiological and

psychological disadvantages of birth.
Since, however, man is not yet capable of
knowing all natural and Cosmic influences,
which are causes and to which he is subject,
there are many incidents that will surprise
and dismay him. Such does not mean that
he has been intentionally selected by fate
or fortune for the events that follow. It does
mean that his exposures to circumstances
have been different from others, thus making
the difference in the experiences which he
has. Since we are often ignorant of these
differences which are at times hereditary,
they are mystifying and appear as though
we are under the aegis of luck.
The other sense which is attributed to luck,
as said, is chance. The believer in chance
does not think that the advantages or dis
advantages that accrue to him are due to fate
or supernatural powers. To him, chance has
really a mathematical content. He may ad
mit that the exact formula or series of causes
is unknown to him, but often he strives to
learn the laws underlying chance so as to
direct it in his favor. Chance is related to
the law of probability. The premise of this
law, stated in nontechnical language, is that
anything may happen in time. Even the
most apparently rigid cycles of recurrence
will vary ultimately. The opposite or deviation from a fixed condition or circumstance
is bound to occur sometime because the
whole universe is subject to change. Further,
everything has one or more probable altematives. And these alternatives recur in every
so many thousand, million, billion, or trillion
times. Let us look at it in this way. A coin
has two different sides, heads and tails. There
are a number of factors which may make it
fall heads up, when tossed into the air.
The tails side may be heavier, causing it to
plummet toward the earth first because of
greater gravitational attraction. The distribution of the weight of the design may cause
an unbalancing of the coin so that given
the same, or nearly same toss each time it will
land nearly always with the same side up.
However, where all such factors are equal,
then, according to the law of probability and
chance, the coin must land in a given num
ber of tosses as many times with heads up
as with tails. Thus, for a homely analogy, in
a million of such equal tosses, with equal
factors involved, a coin will land heads up

Page 30

a half million times and with tails up the

same number of times. This equal number
may not be evenly distributed throughout
the million tosses. Thus, for example, the
coin might land heads up successively for a
number of times without once appearing tails
up. Then after a great number of tosses a
series of tails up would occur.
Frequently an individual encounters a
series of the altemate actions, like a number
of heads up of a coin in succession. To him
it may seem that luck favors him. Actually
he has just encountered an aspeet of the law
of probability. The common or positive way
of referring to this law is to cali it the law
o f averages. The person who chances a circumstance hopes that the change he wishes
may occur just at the time he wants it. In
other words, he gambles with this law of
probability. Gamblers at the Casino at
Monte Cario, who play the roulette wheel
have striven for years to work out mathematical equations based on the law of proba
bility. They hope to determine in just what
number of plays a number or combination
of numbers must recur. In fact, it has been
related that once or twice in the history of
that institution an individual has been able
to work out such equations with great success.
This law of probability accounts for some
individuis being lucky on certain days in
some game when each play will, for a num
ber of plays, occur in their favor, making
them the winner. Of course, in some instances the thoughts of the individual can
and do influence circumstances to their favor,
even though they may not realize it. A
group of men may be seated, waiting to be
called by an official seated before them at a
desk to fill a limited number of positions.
The concentration of one may compel the
man at the desk to look in his direction and
to be inclined to point to him to arise before
others. The man so selected may be unaware
that his intense thought caused it. He may
consider himself as but lucky. The fact
is that some of us can and do release our
thoughts more easily than others, and we are
quite unconscious of it.
Notwithstanding, then, the mysterious cir
cumstances which sometimes seem to surround the so-called lucky person, there is no
such condition as luck. We repeat, unrealized
causes and the law of probability contribute
to those circumstances which are called

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

lucky. We often experience a series of unfavorable events of a minor nature, all occurring in one day. We then say that nothing
is right today. Such is sometimes caused by
psychological and physiological conditions.
We are nervous and more tense than usual.
Consequently we move quickly and not cautiously. Thus we knock things over, spill
things on the table, drop objects, or we forget
things easier. All such circumstances provoke or become causes of still other aggravating events, until eventually the unthink
ing person is certain that the day augured
bad luck for him. X
(Reprinted during absence of the Imperator)

Whence Carne the Dark Forces?

A soror of the New York Lodge of AMORC
asked a question at one of their recent Forum
sessions that is well worthy of our con
sideration. The question was: From whence
carne the dark forces and what is their
origin?
Malevolent powers and beings have long
been associated with darkness and night. To
many persons, darkness is a veil which conceals thaumaturgical, or miraculous powers
and evil entities. This conception is primitive
and its origin is rooted in the earliest re
ligions. It accounts for the fact that today
we symbolize goodness by light and evil by
darkness. Man is far more a creature of sug
gestion than of reason. What suggests itself
as a plausible explanation of a phenomenon
or a happening is accepted. What seems to
be, we rarely doubt.
Light comes out of the darkness of night.
Primitive men who huddled in caves, or lived
an arboreal existence in trees, must have
been deeply impressed by the coming of
dawn. During the long hours of the night
they were without any light. Even if they
possessed a fire, beyond its limited circle
were the inky shadows; nothing was visible
within them. Yet, from this blackness carne
strange sounds, cries, shrieks, and roars.
Some of the sounds were identified as those
of known wild animals; others were cries of
beasts who either were only nocturnal, or
who emitted no sounds during the day
consequently, primitive man could only
imagine what they were like. It is not too
presumptuous to as sume that man was often
attacked by beasts in the darkness which

OCTOBER, 1953

would hesitate to stalk him in daylight. Such

creatures were like things from another
world. The actual graying of the skies at
dawn dispelled the deep shadows of the
night; the strange noises grew less. The
world seemed to assume definite reality. The
terror-stricken troglodyte could once again
identify familiar objects and landmarks. It
was as though the world had returned to
him. With growing light, his self-confidence
also returned, and with the warmth of the
sun, there carne his accustomed bodily com
fort. The day was inviting, warm, less ter
rible than the invisible realities of night.
Darkness falls over the light of day and
extinguishes it. It is like a cloak that masks
mans world, isolating him from all that
which is necessary to his existence. It is also
like a thief who steals the realities of the
world, leaving man destitute, helpless, and
at the mercy of unseen terrors.
In most mythologies, the abode of unhappy spirits was dark and gloomy. The
Greek Hades was just such a place, peopled
with monsters and strange beings. The
Polynesians considered darkness as a kind
of subterranean cavern into which the world
slips at night. The early Egyptians thought
the sun died each evening and was resurrected every moming. In the interval, the
sun was said to move with extreme difficulty
through the realm of darkness. The stars
and moon were lesser lights, partially guiding the sun through the canopy of night.
Among the ancients it was assumed that
there was a continual strife between light and
darkness. Each had its characteristics and
strove for supremacy, which was the domination of man. The two causes, light and dark
ness, were apotheosizedeach had its god.
The various gods of light and darkness were
too numerous to mention here. Perhaps the
best known are those of Zoroastrianism.
Ahura-Mazda depicted light, learning and
the spiritual qualities; Ahriman was the god
of darkness, ignorance and despair. These
two deities were continually in conflict; mankind was their hapless victim.
Evil godsgods of death, disease and calamity, have long been associated with dark
ness, or with night and the moon. In Polynesia, Congo is the god of darkness, of night,
and of the instigation of nefarious acts. More
generally, all demons, evil spirits, and ghosts
have been associated with darkness. This

Page 31

is not alone due to mans primordial fear of

darkness and the unknown. It is caused also
by still another psychological factor. Men
are wont to conceal activities of which they
are ashamed, or which may bring them the
rebuke of their fellows. When men intend
to commit a crime, or an evil deed, the dark
ness of night is favored, for it obscures their
identity. Thieves, murderers, and rapists
have always applied their evil arts more freely under the protecting cover of the shadows
of night. If, then, it be presumed or imagined
that this world is peopled with malevolent
supernatural beings demons and evil spirits
the darkness of night would be their preferred abode. The two conditions seem to
suggest to the primitive mind a relationship.
Since the primitive mind is not given to
analysis, there is little or no question of such
a presumed relationship between evil and
darkness.
Many heinous crimes committed by hu
man agencies in the past were never solved
due to the lack of methods of criminal detection. Since superficial examination would
divulge no connection with a mortal or nat
ural cause, the usual assumption was that
the crimes were committed by supernatural
beings. Since, as well, such crimes were fre
quently committed at night, it took only a
very little stretch of the imagination to credit
them to malevolent forces or entities who
dwell in the darkness of night. Since dark
ness, both of earth and the underground, was
the milieu or center of demons and spirits
of the deceased, they could not have their
dwelling in light. In other words, evil beings
of supernatural origindemons, devils, and
the likewere conceived not to have merely
chosen darkness as their habitat, but it was
thought in some way to contribute to their
existence. Darkness was thought to have a
destructive, malefic quality of which the
demons, and their kind, had to partake. Thus,
they were continually confined to such a
realm, and could not subsist in light. It is
for this reason that many superstitions and
mythologies go at length into an explanation
of how light in any formthe rising sun, or
a lampwill dispel nefarious influences. The
spirits of the deceased are made to flee in
abject terror, back to their graves when the
veil of darkness is torn asunder by the first
rays of light in the eastern heavens. Conversely, the gods of virtue and goodness can-

Page 32

not exist but in light, for light is part of their

substance, together with morality and benevolence. We can see that light and darkness have been made to have certain moral
properties in themselves a kind of substance
upon which their respective gods or forces depend. The Babylonians held that in the day
there existed safety and happiness and that
in the night there must lurk danger and woe.
The peoples of antiquity having this terror
for darkness, possessed an exceptional num
ber of lamps as archaeological excavations
have disclosed. Notably in Palestine and belonging to the Semitic period light became
the weapon by which darkness could be combatted. If man was to become the victim
of a conflict between light and darkness, and
if he desired victory for light, he must give
his support to it. Lamps, or light in any
form, invoke the beneficent powers of light,
it was conceived. Thus, lamps became a fetish
and eventually a symbol of the light of visin
and understanding and also of the irradiance
of the spiritual self. One of the duties of the
priests in the temples of ancient Egypt was
to attend the numerous lamps and torches.
The torches were not tended solely for phys
ical illumination, but also for the symbolism
attributed to light.
So impressed were the ancients with the
importance of light and darkness that they
assigned to days, months, and even to directions, terms which related to them. The Hebrews called the north safron, meaning obscure or dark place. South was named
darom9 bright, or illuminated place. The
east was known among the Egyptians, Hebrews, and other ancients, as the place of
the rising splendor, or by a phrase of
equivalent meaning.
This symbolism of light and darkness has
descended to us. In the higher religions even
those extant in our times, the beneficent or
lofty gods are connected with light and dwell
in the sky. They dwell in eternal brightness. Satanic and malevolent forces dwell
in the darkness of the under-regions.
Are there actually so-called dark, or evil
forces? In other words, are there destructive
forces which are indigenous to darkness?
Most assuredly not! Such beliefs are the
grossest kind of superstition. They are an
atavistic return to the primitive reasoning
which we have been considering. In the
first place, there are no natural forces which

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

are imbued with an intentional purpose to

destroy. All forces and powers are of the
same Cosmic order. The manner in which
they function and the results may be at
times contrary to what man has established
ps his own ends or necessity. An earthquake,
or seismographic disturbance, is a quite nat
ural phenomenon. It is not a teleological
cause, that is, a conscious or purposeful cause.
It does not willfully seek to destroy, or is it
a manifestation by any mind with such a
purpose. Since its function may often destroy
life and counteract mans conception of what
is good, man is inclined to think of an earth
quake as being evil; those who are superstitious would interpret it as being directed
by evil forces.
Man, alone, can be an evil forc. Man
has set up certain vales, and when he intentionally acts, or seeks ways which oppose conscience, such deeds constitute evil.
The forces he employs are not evil in them
selves. The hammer which is used to slay
a man is not intrinsically evil, but the intent
behind its use is evil. Obviously, there are
many physical laws which man exerts for
evil purposes. Such men are evil, but they
have no special malevolent dark forces at
their command. When we refer to the opposition of the dark forces, we are merely
borrowing an archaic term and applying it
to mean the misuse of natural forces and
powers by some one person, or group of per
sons. The forc which some men use for
dark purposes can be used equally as well
for light, for constructive and benevolent
ends. There is no greater example of this
than the application of the atomic forces,
which are so much talked of today. The
nuclear energy of the atom is not a dark
or a light forc in the moral sense. It is a
natural energy of the Cosmic. Man may use
it for whatever light or darkness has come
to symbolize to him.-X
(Reprinted during absence of the Imperator)

Is Birth Control Mystically Wrong?

A soror arises to ask this Forum: Does
the practice of birth control constitute a violation of any Cosmic principies? Do those who
do so, interfere with the Cosmic law of com
pensation or karma?
The entire problem of birth control is a
complex one. It involves economic, social,

OCTOBER, 1953

and religious factors. It is therefore very

controversial. It may be said that ones agreement, or disagreement, with the practice de
pends upon which of the three factors is the
most closely related to him. The term birth
control is a common one, the actual meaning
being control of conception. It is a mechani
cal, or chemical, means of limiting births,
rather than abstaining from relations leading
to conception. Those who favor birth control
are usually not advocating abstinence from
sexual relations but rather the prevention of
the birth of undesired children.
In modern times the first public utterances
upon this subject were met with violent rebuff, on the basis that it was a subject unfit
for public dissemination. An extensive pam
phlet on the subject was written by Dr.
Charles Knowlton in the late nineteenth
century, entitled Fruits of Philosophy. Annie
Besant, the prominent Theosophist, favored
Dr. Knowltons work and assisted in its distribution, for which she was persecuted.
Margaret Sanger was perhaps the most noted
advcate of birth control, sacrificing herself
so that the facts about the matter might come
to public light.
One of the strongest arguments in favor of
birth control has been the economic factor.
At one time it was expounded that the
worlds population increase was outrunning
the natural resources and that this would
eventually result in world-wide starvation. In
the most progressive countries where educa
tion has brought about mechanization of
farm equipment and the processing of food,
the food supply has kept abreast of the in
crease in population. On the other hand, in
countries such as India, the increase of the
population is a serious menace; the methods
of planting and reaping crops are most primi
tive and laborious. The fertile lands under
cultivation are not sufficient to supply the
increasing masses. The results are periodic
famines. The argument is advanced that in
the most advanced civilized lands in modern
times, the adequacy of food is not merely
caused by improved methods or products,
but is caused, also, by the holding down of
the birth rate. Long tables of statistics have
been prepared to show the rate of birth and
infant mortality according to economic levels
of society. The following is but an example:

Page 33

BIRTHS PER THOUSAND

1921
Upper Middle Class.................... 98
Intermedate Class...................... 104
Skilled Workers...........................141
Unskilled Workers...................... 178
INFANT MORTALITY PER THOUSAND
1921
Upper Middle Class.................... 38
Unskilled Workers...................... 97
This would show that those who are less
economically preparedthe unskilled work
ers whose income is lowesthave, in fact,
the most children. Among this same group
the infant mortality is the highest. This, it is
said, is due to malnutrition, and to lack of
proper sanitary conditions in the home and
community. The general conclusin formed
from such statistical tables is that the more
prosperous the social class, the lower the
fertility.
Is there a mean as to the number of chil
dren a family should have in order to maintain the worlds population so that it will not
decline too rapidly and yet not cause an eco
nomic burden to the family? One sociological calculation is that there should be no
fewer than three children to a family. There
have been those who have been alarmed by
the declining birth rate in England. Such a
decline might be evaluated as a military
hazard. From the economic point of view, it
was discovered that in normal times the de
cline gave greater assurance of security of
income. Further, it provided an equalization
of opportunity for education. It must be ap
parent to any thinker that unless business
and commerce can provide increased oppor
tunities, a rapidly increasing birth rate would
presage an employment problem. Especially
is this true in nations which are highly
mechanized, as America and Great Britain,
where one man with a machine now does
the work of what ten, or possibly one hun
dred, persons did formerly.
Where religin does not interfere and
knowledge of the control of conception is not
suppressed, the working classes desire to restrict the number of children born. Many
families just could not afford the almost annual births with their attendant expenses.
Among the indigent classes it is not unusual
to find a mother with an infant child in her

Page 34

arms, going about her duties, expecting an

other child, and with several children of preschool age clustered about her. The harassed
woman must take care of this brood, care
for her home, and perhaps assist in some
manner in providing the family income. Because of a drastic economic condition, the
mother is often undernourished and has to
resume her heavy duties before she is well
able to, following the frequent childbirths;
this causes her to suffer, sometimes permanently. It may be argued that if the eco
nomic situation were improved, the mother
could acquire assistance for her large family;
and that the cause of her distress is economic
and not due to the births of numerous chil
dren. The fact remains, however, that all
through history there have been economically
distressed classes. There is no indication
that the needy will not always be with us.
Therefore, those who find themselves in such
a status should be able to control conception
until they are better able to care for the
children.
Another reason advanced for birth control
is the prevention of the spread of disease
both mental and physical. Idiots and the
otherwise mentally deficient should not pro
duce offspring. When such persons are
already married, they should be encouraged
to practice control of conception.
One sociologist has stated that because of
the rapid increase in population the innate
bodily and mental characteristics influence
it more greatly than do the acquired ones.
Uncontrolled birth, that is, unplanned parentage, means the inculcating of many bad
characteristics, the hereditary aspects f
which become stronger influences than what
would ordinarily be the result of the indi
viduals natural selection. Where children
can be reared properly, shown adequate care,
and trained in character development, the
self-control is strong and the natural selec
tion of conduct is higher, and tends to evolve
society.
Those who favor birth control, from the
economic, sociological, and medical point of
view, are not necessarily urging few er chil
dren, but rather sufficient interludes between
births in order to protect the health of the
mother, and to assure the family recovery
from the economic burden these births entail, and to give the parents sufficient oppor

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tunity to properly care for the child, physi

cally and psychologically.
One of the strongest opponents of birth
control is religin; of the many religions, the
Romn Church is its greatest opponent. It
has been declared that the Romn Church
is opposed to birth control because it acquires
its temporal strength from the great number
of its adherents, and the early influence it
exerts upon the child. However, a cardinal
of the Church has spoken with respect to the
Churchs position. The substance of his argument is based upon religious precepts and the
dogma of the Church. He holds that there is
no law of the Church prohibiting continence
among married people; they may, in other
words, abstain from sexual relations for
spiritual reasons if they so desire without offending God or the Church. However, the
cardinal further explains, to exercise the act
of generation and to frstrate the purpose of
it is to antecede any ecclesiastical law. He
means, from this point of view, that indulgence in the sex act for other than the pur
pose of conceiving children is more than a
violation of any law of the Churchthat it
is the violation of moral law, as well. The
cardinal points out that it is not sinful to act
freely in accordance with your natural de
sires if you do so for the purpose for which
they were intended. This would mean that
sex relations are for procreation only. Any
form of birth prevention is, the cardinal contends, in effect an emphasizing of sex gratification. He concludes with the ecclesiastical
opinion that marriage elevates people to a
sense of responsibility, at least to a super
natural dignity to cooperate with God, in
peopling heaven with the sons of God.
From the unorthodox and mystical point
of view, birth control does not interfere with
the law of karma. Remember the ontological
law expounded in one of the early Rosicru
cian degrees, namely, that the Soul enters
the body with the first breath of life. Where
there is no body, there is no soul-personality
manifest! Until the body exists independentlyas at birththe Soul does not manifest
through it. Consequently, such beneficent or
other karma, as a Soul must experience, can
not come about until it expresses itself
through a separate consciousness. The mysti
cal principie is, however, different in its ap
plication in the matter of abortion, which is
the destruction of the embryo. It is a wilful

OCTOBER, 1953

tearing down of a creation of Cosmic and

natural law. However, in the event of an
emergency, abortion is sometimes practiced
in order to save a mothers life. Such an
operation is obviously not for materially
selfish reasons.
From the most rigid mystical interpreta
tion, sexual relationship should be abstained
from except for the purpose of the conception
of a child. Our natural desires are given to
us, not for personal gratification, but to bring
about higher ends. We are made to enjoy
eating, not merely for the purpose of appeasing our appetites, and pleasing our palates,
but from a natural compulsin to nourish our
bodies. On the other hand, frustration creates
subnormal beings, unable to further moral
and Cosmic principies. Likewise, when chil
dren become neglected, because of unplanned
or uncontrolled childbearing, and become
criminis, or diseased, it is a Cosmic viola
tion. There is only one middle path. It is
the conformity to the highest moral reltionship which ones marital and economic
circumstances permit. This will undoubtedly
be acceptable in the omnipotence of the Cos
mic mind. In other words, all circumstances
with respect to whether one should have chil
dren, or as to how many one may rear to be
worthy of life, would be weighed on the
Cosmic scale of righteousness.X
(Reprinted during absence of the Imperator)

Suggestion and Autosuggestion

A frater of New York State requests of
our Forum, Will the Forum please discuss
the difference between suggestion and auto
suggestion? Some persons use them interchangeably, but can we definitely distinguish
what suggestion is?
To reduce a psychological phenomenon to
a simple and homely definition, I would say
that suggestion is a ready-made idea. I
think we are all quite aware of the fact that
our ideas are either directly formed from
our experiences, the impressions of our
senses, or they are the result of a process
of reasoning. Simple ideas are of the former
kind. They correspond directly to what we
may see or hear, for example. The idea of
red arises directly as a result of our eyes responding to certain wave lengths of light
which cause the color sensation of red. On
the other hand, the latter kind of idea is the

Page 35

result of a process of reasoning, of combin

ing ideas had by the senses into more com
plex ones. When we perceive or conceive
something which gives rise to an idea other
than itself, that is suggestion. For analogy,
if I perceive a fiery red wallpaper and am
obliged to gaze at it for some time, I begin
to feel warm and perhaps believe that the
temperature of the room has risen. Under
such circumstances, I am experiencing the
influence of suggestion. The simple idea of
red has engendered in my mind ideas of heat
and temperature increase which do not exist
in the wave lengths of light that reach my
eyes or in the color red itself.
We can also say that suggestion is the
acceptance of any idea not arrived at through.
an intentional, cognitive process. This means
that suggestions are eisolved ideas, but we
do not evolve them consciously. They bring
about their own development.
Just how do certain stimuli produce ideas
apart from themselves? In other words, what
is the basic cause of suggestion? There are
several explanations. Here we shall offer
some of the better-known examples. We are
susceptible to conditions. We tend to adapt
ourselves to physical conditions such as en
vironment and the behavior of or fellows.
This adaption is often a mimicry, which is
the attempt to share in the behavior of others.
We like to do what others do. We do not
want to feel isolated or strangewe want
to emulate or copy others. Words of others
have a profound and genuine effect upon us.
When we hear the comments made by per
sons, we often begin to react unconsciously
to the ideas which such comments cause to
be formed within our subconsciousness. A
word heard may cause the association with
it, in our subjective minds, of related ideas,
drawn from our own personal experiences.
Finally, we begin to act in response to such
ideas. Printed words and designs in advertisements accomplish this effect. On a warm
summer day, you may see a billboard which
has an illustration of a large thermometer
at one end, showing a temperature of ninety
degrees. At the other end of the board is a
realistic painting of a cube of ice with a
bottle of a soft-drink protruding. The whole
background of the board is done in a pal
ice-green, with a little frosty white along
the edges. Shortly thereafter you begin to

Page 36

feel thirsty and even more conscious of the

heat of the day.
Compound ideas are composed of sensa
tions and the lesser ideas which they form.
Perceiving just one of the lesser ideas may
cause us to experience all the others which
have been formerly associated with it. Suppose you are so constituted that you become
faint and quite nauseated when walking
along a ledge at a height or when balancing
on a tall ladder. Just seeing another person
clinging precariously to a high telephone or
telegraph pole would cause you to have a
recurrence of all the emotional disturbances
and physical effects of being in a high place.
You would feel nauseated, your heart would
palpitate, your breath would be labored, and
you might even feel faint. You have begun
to mimic involuntarily what you imagine is
the behavior of the one on the pole and what
would be your own behavior under such cir
cumstances.
When we imagine a thing we often stimulate ourselves just as effectively as if we
were seeing or hearing an actual event. By
creating an image of some event in our minds,
we suggest all the conditions related to it.
The ideas of our imagery associate with
themselves all experiences of memory which
have a relationship. We recall sensations had
under similar conditions. Just say to certain
persons, Imagine scratching your fingernails along the surface of a slate. They im
mediately will shudder at the thought of
the sensations.
Considerable of our suggestions are entire
ly unconscious. The ideas formed are re
sponded to by the individual, who is aware
neither of his response to them or of their
cause. In experimental psychology a subject,
while standing erect, has had a small pin
hooked into the collar of his coat without
his being aware of it. From it a thread was
led to a recording drum. Any movement of
the subject was therefore registered on the
drum. At first the individual would be
standing quite still. However, when he was
told to stand still and avoid any swaying,
the drum would indicate a perceptible sway
ing thereafter. The suggestion to avoid sway
ing produced the reaction of the behavior of
actual swaying. The idea was implanted in
the individuals subjective mind and the
relative motion of swaying resulted.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Another example of suggestion by mimicry

is to have a subject accidentally see the
test of another subject. The second subject,
in other words, as if by accident sees the
first one, who was blindfolded, being instructed to reach for some object in front of
him and only succeeding after several attempts. When blindfolded, the second sub
ject imagines that he too will be told to reach
- for such an object. The recording drum
shows that mimicry has caused him to sway
forward in the direction where the object
was. A subject told to remain rigid but to
imagine himself swaying backward and for
ward, will actually begin to do so physically
even though very slightly. There is a mus
cular response to the thought of swaying.
The suggestion, as an idea, has caused a sub
jective behavior.
Sounds and lights as external stimuli pro
duce emotional accompaniment. Persons have
suddenly begun whistling a tune when in
the surrounding of a particular combination of colored lights. The lights as a stim
ulus released the memory experience of a
theatrical performance when the stage was
similarly lighted, and a popular tune which
was sung on the occasion impressed itself
upon the memory of the individual. The
person was conforming to a behavior pattem
of recalling the musical number when ideas
associated with it were recollected. Sounds
that have been identified with unpleasant
experiences will cause emotional responses
which accompanied the original experience.
A person who has been in a severe automobile accident and who suffered shock may
shriek and tremble when subsequently he
hears the loud sound of crashing glass. We
all develop certain behavior pattems. Anything which causes a recurrence of ideas as
sociated with them finds us responding to
the familiar pattern of conduct.
Thus we conceive that suggestion is that
which gives rise to ideas other than the
stimulus itself. However, the external stim
ulus does not create the other ideas. It merely starts a chain reaction. The mind must
first have available a variety of ideas, the
content of which is related to what is perceived, or there is no suggestion. If the mind
reasons about what it perceives and eventual
ly comes to a conclusin, that is, establishes
complex ideas, we repeat, such is not a sug
gestionthe idea of a suggestion must ap-

OCTOBER, 1953

pear ready-made. It must seem to arise

out of what is perceived. The wider the
range of experience, the greater is the pos
sible adaption of ideas to the external stim
ulusto the cause of the suggestion. The
person with a large and varied experience
will find many of his observations suggesting former experiences which he has had.
Certain sounds may suggest, for example,
a steamers whistle in the fog. Certain scents
will remind him of new-mown hay, and so
forth.
There are also what are technically known
as contrary suggestions. These consist of the
arousal of ideas which oppose or are contrary
to the conten of the suggestion. This is
explained by the fact that the pattern of be
havior to oppose the idea, which is aroused
by the suggestion, is stronger than the one
to conform to it. Let us use an analogy. It
is a warm spring night. The air is sweet
and fragrant with the scent of flowers. The
heavy air causes the sound of distant
laughter and conversation to be easily heard.
The suggestion is to forget ones obligations
and luxuriate in the pleasantness of the
evening. However, there immediately arises
a strong determination to persist in ones
scheduled study hour. This is an example of
contrary suggestion. It discloses that the
pattern of determination is greater than the
tendency of avoidance of responsibility.
We must not fail to mention the pregnance
theory of suggestion. This is the tendency
of the mind to complete an idea or a symbol
of an idea which in itself suggests completion. If we look at a circle that is threefourths complete, the mind will fill in the
gap; it will think of it as a complete circle
rather than as anything else. By pregnance
is meant that the thing which we perceive
is pregnant with the possibility of an idea
and that we cannot escape that idea even
though the thing itself doesnt conform directly to it. Thus, the three-quarter circle
isnt complete, but it suggests completeness.
What of autosuggestion? Autosuggestion
is ideational, that is, strictly a mental pro
cess; it does not arise from anything ex
perienced outside ourselves. We fix certain
ideas in our minds by autosuggestion. We
will, and then give emphasis, causing them
to draw to themselves all related ideas and
behavior. For example, repeating of affirma
tions is a form of autosuggestion. If I con

Page 37

tinually repeat that I hate John Jones, who

is known to me, and do so with sincere conviction, I associate with the affirmation all
the emotional responses and behavior of
hate. I come to sneer at his ame and feel
contempt for his presence. I act belligerent
when he approaches me. Finally, when I
merely repeat the affirmation, I am aroused
to anger and the behavior of hatred.
Autosuggestion is a continual application
of certain ideas to ourselves. It behooves us,
therefore, to have no prepossessed ideas.
Ideas to which we give credence should first
be weighed to find whether or not they are
false. These fixed or persistent ideas which
we have may become autosuggestions. They
may establish behavior within us which
might be quite detrimental to our whole
lives. The person who says, I cannot do
this, even before he has actually tried or
fully rasoned about it, is giving himself an
autosuggestion. By saying he cannot do
something, he is inhibiting and dispersing all
the powers and faculties which are necessary
for its accomplishment. The boy who says
that he cannot jump the hurdle before he
has actually tried to do so is suppressing all
the will necessary to command the strength
and tensin of his muscles so he may clear
the hurdle. Consequently, by such autosug
gestion he would fail if he tried. Autosug
gestion is the function whereby you create
the suggestion or the idea by your own arbitrary decisin instead of ideas being aroused
within you by an external factor.
Temporary physical distractions may often
cause autosuggestion. Common colds often
affect the hearing temporarily. Inattention
results during the affliction. Even when one
has recovered from the affliction, one ceases
to pay attention to sound stimuli for some
time. One thinks one cannot hear. This
suggestion causes us not to pay attention and
consequently we do not hear.
Cou, the French psychologist, a few years
ago advocated a system of autosuggestion in
connection with what is known as psychotherapy. He suggested to certain patients
that they suggest to themselves their improvement by repeating the affirmation,
Day by day in every way I am getting bet
ter and better. Psychologically, this method
has been questioned as to its practicability.
The suggestion would be effective if it could
engender any supporting ideas in the mind,

Page 38

which would give it conviction. If the patient

can associate with the idea of his improvement any slight actual changes in his condi
tion, then the suggestion has tremendous m
petus in the encouraging state of mind which
it produces. On the other hand, if the affirmation only causes the patient to become
more conscious of his disability, the affirmation becomes ineffectual by its obvious falsity. An autosuggestion must have realism
or it becomes nothing but an empty affirmation.
We must not overlook the fact that our
own Rosicrucian monographs treat quite
thoroughly the nature of suggestion in con
nection with habit and the processes of our
objective and subjective minds. One of our
monographs, which treats of these subjects,
defines suggestion as . . . a request, a wish,
an order or law of ones objective mind to
the subjective mind. This we can under
stand to mean that the objective mind has
some experience, perceives some particular
which it passes on as a definite wish or re
quest to the subjective mind. Since the latter,
we are told in our monographs, reasons
deductively, it accepts the emphatic wish or
order from the objective mind and develops
it into a general idea. It then puts into effect
all the involuntary actions, movements, im
pulses, sensations, and emotions which such
a general idea had produced when it was
formerly conceived by the objective mind.
An illustration is given in one of the mono
graphs that makes this principie quite clear.
A subject experiences heat when he places
his hand in a box in which he previously
had seen a lighted candle but which has
been removed without his knowledge.
The subjective mind normally obeys the
commands of the objective mind. If the sug
gestion is emphatic enough, it will be acted
upon, the exception being that the subjective
mind will not oppose what constitutes the
dictates of the inner self. Moral convictions
and conduct which are of our spiritual and
psychic being, and which we have estab
lished in response to them, are a part of our
inner consciousness, and they cannot be altered by suggestion. One who would not
consciously steal cannot be caused to do so
by a suggestion. The fabric of self and of the
subjective mind is stronger than the ideas
arising within the objective mind.X
(Reprinted during absence of the Imperator)

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Fear of Death
Now comes a frater from British Guiana
and addresses our Forum. He asks: Why
is it that many persons fear the earthly
mass, the body of one who has passed
through transition and which lies before
them inert?
An exaggerated fear or horror of death
and the dead is known as necrophobia. Such
is an abnormal state, and we presume that
that is not what the frater refers to. We be
lieve he has reference to the usual repulsin
displayed by the average individual toward
human mortal remains. It is with this that
we shall concern ourselves.
Three great mysteries have plagued the
mind of man; they are birth, life, and death.
For untold centuries primitive man could not
even explain the biological process by which
birth occurred. Even today we have not
mastered all the complexities of embryology,
nutrition, and growth. However, primitive
man was long unaware of even the process
of reproduction and its relation to birth. The
pregnancy of a woman was an awe-inspiring
miracle. The cause of the event was left entirely to the speculation of primitive reason
ing.
The conscious state, or interval, of life
was the next great mystery. What was man?
What was his relationship to his surround
ings, to things both animate and inanimate?
The immanent forces and feelings, which
we now classify as emotions, instincts, and
psychic functions, including a realization of
the duality of being, made life a strange and
adventurous experience to the primitive man.
Early manand man todaywas often as
afraid of himself as of anything apart from
him. Something occurred within him at
times: moods, and sentiments which alarmed
him. That which is unknown evokes fear.
The unknown precipitates a sense of hopelessness and helplessness. How can we cope
with something that is intangible and not
comprehensible? Death appears as a truncating of existence. The transition is quite
apparent to even the simplest intellect. Here
was a being of vitality, with mental and
physical powers of accomplishment. He acted
and responded, generally, as did his fellows.
Then, next, all those attributes associated
with life, such as consciousness, locomotion
and self-expression, were absent. What hap-

OCTOBER, 1953

pened to these personal powers? Did they

depart or were they seized, snatched from
the very bosom of the living body?
No normal person wants death. Yet death
is inevitable. It steals upon man as the
shadows of evening creep up the slopes of a
mountain. Man desires life. It was presumed that some entity must exert this
paralyzing influence of death. Therefore,
that which imposes death upon man seems
to be an enem y, a thing or condition to be
feared. No man has successfully countered
death and remained eternally upon earth.
Therefore, man is helplessly exposed to
death, the cessation of life on earthat least
it ends his current existence here. Further,
what occurs to the intangible element of self
which departs or is removed at death? Does
it fare well in another existence? It is presumed that it has another existence, for no
trace of it is found here after death.
The conscience of man informed him
whether or not his conduct in life was com
patible with what is accepted as morally
right or good. If he had reason to believe that
his mortal behavior was evil, then he feared
judgment in the hereafter and consequent
punishment. What this punishment might
be, the fertile imagination of man has caused
to be expounded in his various religions.
Death, then, exposes man to a life hereafter
which may, according to his religious con
cepts of it, be fraught with great uncertainty.
Perhaps, too, he may be subject to severe
tests and triis, in which he may be found
wanting.
This afterworld, this life beyond, is not
objectively perceivable. All those who reside
therein must then, according to elementary
reasoning, be invisible. Further, it is the
place of unlimited powers, forces which exceed mortal abilities and intelligence. Man
is in the precarious position, when living, of
being at the mercy of them. When one dies,
his body immediately has an affinity with
this afterworld. It has been thought that
the spirit that goes on may preside over its
own body, that a nexus is established be
tween the body in this world and the de
parted personality. Any abuse of the dead
body is considered an offense against the
departed spirit. Likewise, any contact with
the body of the deceased is likely to conjure
up forces and powers of the world beyond
because of its direct connection with it.

Page 39

Again, there is the fact that most deaths

occur in an atmosphere of horror. Many
deaths are violent, due to accident, murder
or other tragic events. Thus, death becomes,
to the simple mind, a symbol of grief, of the
mysterious and the fearsome. It develops
and arouses emotions of fear and repugnance.
These psychological reactions have become
instinctive in man and even in the lower
animals. Dogs and primates are curious
about their own dead and generally fear
someunless they kill their kind in a rage.
It takes an enlightened man, with a broad
philosophical and mystical conception of
death, to be able to combat the fear of it. It
is first necessary to understand death in the
sense of the physical law of change. Departure of life from the human form is not
unlike the transition of other material and
immaterial objects of our environment. The
seasons change. Flowers droop and seem to
wither away, to be rebom in the spring.
Matter is constantly undergoing a change.
There is no constancy in any thing. Form
has no permanence. Nothing iseverything
is only becoming, as Heraclitus told us many
centuries ago. Consequently, the human
existence can be no exception. Death is not
mysterious, but an expression of natural law.
Our grief, if there be need of any, should
not be because of death but because of the
loss of that particular kind of relationship
which we have had with the personality
while it resided in material form. For anal
ogy, when a friend goes on a long joumey,
we miss his presence. Yet we do not consider
him forever lost. Death is a journey. The
soul has departed from one state of existence
to another. Whatever of the mortal was in
destructible and not corruptible remains so.
Since, in the Cosmic, there is no such condi
tion as place, the soul doesnt go to reside
in some distant land. Each part of the
Cosmicif we may use the term partis as
cise to one as to another, for it is complete
unity. The soul contines, but it manifests
differently.
To use another humble analogy, when we
tura off the electric switch, we have not de
stroyed the light which a moment before
radiated from the lamp; we have but altered
the conditions so that the electrical energy
does not now manifest as light. So, too,
death changes the relation between the body
and soul, so that the personality, the result

Page 40

of them, does not manifest as before. You

will find that those who think of death in
this, or a similarly enlightened, vein do not
have a fear of death. Even the most mys
tically evolved, however, often reveal sorrow
upon the transition of a loved one. They
realize that the consciousness of the de
ceased has crossed a threshold from the
chamber of life into the Cosmic and thus
has been initiated into a higher Degree. How
ever, the immediate loss of that intimacy of
physical companionship, the former smile,
the handclasp, the familiar speech and footstep, does affect the emotions. The character,
the personality and mannerisms of the liv
ing are part of him. It is difficult to dissociate them from the soul. It is these things
that the mystically enlightened may grieve
for.
Those who actually fear death itself and
the dead are those who labor under superstition and the impact of primitive instinct,
as explained above. If many of those who
profess to fear death were to be interrogated,
it would be found that it is not death but
the pain and suffering which often precede it
that they fear. They are intelligent enough
to understand that when consciousness departs, when death has actually occurred,
pain and suffering no longer exist. They
likewise have no fear of what may occur
after death because of their enlightened mys
tical or philosophical conception. These
same persons will admit that they would
not fear death if assured that it would not
be preceded by severe pain or tragic ex
perience. Consequently, it is the state of
living and suffering which they fear and not
the departure itself.
Let us recall the words of Epictetus, the
ancient Stoic philosopher: What is death?
A tragic mask. Turn it and examine it. See,
it doesnt bite. The poor body must be separated from the spirit, either now or later,
as it was separated from it before. . . .
Pass, then, through thy little space of time
conformably with nature and end thy
journey in conten, just as an olive falls off
when it is ripe, blessing nature who produced
it, and thanking the tree on which it grew.
X
(Reprinted during absence of the Imperator)

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Measuring Yourself by Others

In a recent interview a soror said, in the
course of her conversation, I am greatly
discouraged with my progress. I meet other
Rosicrucians at our lodge who seem to have
accomplished much more in their studies
than I have, during the same length of time
of membership. My membership has not
been perfunctory, I have diligently studied,
yet I have not had the experiences of some
of these other fratres and sorores. Conse
quently measuring myself by them, I have
made no progress.
The soror was making a serious mistake in
the manner in which she sought to determine
her personal progress. She wrongly pre
sumed that each person is equal, that each
has the same latent talents, abilities, and is
subject to like development. If that were so,
of course, each being exposed to equal opportunities and training should make the same
personal progress. The fact remains, how
ever, that we are as unlike psychically as we
are physically and mentally. Without going
deeply into the psychological and physiological aspects of mans being, we do at least
know that the association areas of mans cerebrum greatly differ. These areas are responsible for the many natural talents which
we display. They account for our having, for
example, an outstanding memory for ames
or faces, or our having a great aptitude for
music and for mathematics or, perhaps, for
mechanics instead of literature. Two indi
viduis may be coequal in intelligencethat
is have the ability to discem and to learn
alikeand yet one will be more responsive
to a certain subject than will the other. Re
call your own school days. There were several boys and girls who excelled in their
studies in your class. All received excellent
marks. Notwithstanding their nearly equal
application to their studies, each displayed
some exceptional ability in one or more
topics. One may have received better marks
in grammar, another in history, and so forth.
The Rosicrucian studies are so prepared
that their subject matter touches upon nearly
every aspect of mans complex nature. They
aid ones physical being, they stimulate men
tal faculties and as well awaken and release
the Cosmic powers resident within man. You
will find that the teachings devoted to heal
ing may actually help one individual far

Page 41

OCTOBER, 1953

more than another. Certain exercises given

the student may be just what is needed to
correct a malady with which he is suffering.
He would therefore respond immediately.
Anothers ailments may be more complex.
Perhaps he is not quite certain of the nature
of his affliction; therefore he does not apply
the most effective Rosicrucian treatment.
Patently, then, his recovery would be much
slower. This would not indicate that he had
failed in the teachings. Then, again, some
individuis begin their Rosicrucian studies in
a cycle of greater advancement. Consequent
ly, with the same effort, they will be able to
accomplish more. Each of us is in a various
degree of evolvement of our soul-personalities. If some are a number of incarnations in
advance of another, they will be able to
master certain principies more easily. They
are not, however, making any more rapid
progress for their own cycle of soul-person
ality than is one who is in a lower cycle.
Each is progressing in accordance with the
unfoldment of his personal consciousness.
Let us look at it in this light. There may be
several flights of stairs in a building; one
man is on the first landing, another is on the
fourth. Both begin to walk up the stairs at
the same time. Each will be making the
same progress on his particular flight of
stairs, yet the man climbing the fourth flight
will be three flights above because he began
at a higher level.
Measure your progress by yourself, not by
that which others may be making. Take
stock of yourself as you are now, after having
been in AMORC for several months or years.
Were the thoughts which are now commonplace to you endemic to you before you were
a member? Could you at that time, give in
telligent answers equal to what you now
can with respect to subjects such as soul con
sciousness, Self, habit, and the functions of
the objective and subjective minds? Think
of the subjects and the techniques of con
centration, memorizing, and projection that
have been taught to you. Once these subjects
were either unknown to you or were mysteries which perplexed you. You cannot but
admit, if fair to yourselfand to AMORC
and if you have studied with a degree of
consistency, that you are now rid of many
false beliefs which once possessed you. You
will further admit that many ideas which
have become fearsome superstitions to others

are now known to you as natural laws and

Cosmic principies. There is no Rosicrucian,
I believe I am safe in saying, who has consistently studied his monographs and who
has followed the experiments provided, who
is not conscious of having advanced from his
former nonmembership status. If you are
aware of any advanced knowledge, of selfconfidence, better health, a broader and more
tolerant outlook on life, or new personal
power, which you did not have before your
AMORC affiliation and which is the consequence of the membership, then most cer
tainly you have progressed!
You are a Rosicrucian member, not to
match your progress with others or neces
sarily to be as others are, but rather you are
a member for personal improvement and that
you may better serve the Cosmic on this
plae. Be unto Self what you will; let
others be as it is decreed they shall be.X
(Reprinted during absence of the Imperator)

Why Do Dreams Recur?

A frater from the State of Florida rises to
address our Forum. He says: I would like
some information on the subject of dreams,
particularly those which recur occasionally
during a long period of years. Though my
business experience ended a number of years
ago, I have dreams that I am still in business,
but apparently unable to accomplish anything.
My brother, who is a pharmacist, tells me
that he frequently dreams that he is back in
his store trying to put up prescriptions, with
the store full of waiting customers. There
are no clerks around and no clean utensils
to be had for use in the making up of the
prescriptions.
Dreams are perhaps one of the oldest mysteries of man. Perhaps they were likewise
the first experience that man had of the
duality of his own being. In fact, some authors on the subject of primitive religin and
the psychology of religin believe that the
idea of soul and of the inner self carne to man
from his dream experiences. To the primi
tive mind, dreams were as actual as the waking state. The acts which occurred in dreams
were considered as being those of another
selfan ethereal being that departed from
the body to perform the acts of the dream
during sleep. It is not strange, therefore, that

Page 42

superstitions have developed about dreams,

many of which persist today.
In modern times, as a result of psychologi
cal experimentation, we have come to learn
much about the causes of dreams. We know
that dreams are not of supernatur al origin.
On the other hand, we are still not certain
as to the exact cause of every type of dream.
We do know that all objects and actions
which are set forth in a dream are symbolic;
they stand for some subliminal, some sub
conscious thought or experience. The difficulty exists in finding the relationship be
tween objects of a dream and that which
caused them. A certain thing or conduct in
a dream is a symbol of some antecedent
thought or experience, or at least associated
with one. But which one? Why do I dream
that I am falling? What is the cause of my
dreaming that I am flying merely by flapping
my arms? The superstitious person attributes
omens to the elements of his dreams. In
other words, he relates them to some incident
of actual experience from which he tries to
draw a meaning. However, the psychologist
knows that the actual stimulus which caused
the dream may be quite different from the
one which the thinking mind attributes to it.
Many of our dreams are the result of
sensory stimulationthat is, the stimulation
of our receptor senses of feeling, smelling,
and hearing, while we sleep. Such dreams are
caused by external agents. The stimulation
of the senses during sleep will not generally
produce the same results as when awake.
Only random ideation occurs, causing dreams.
The body may be slightly touched while the
subject is asleep. The stimulus will not be
sufficient to awaken the sleeper. The ideation
or the ideas which he has, as a result of such
a sensation, will not be exactly the same as
if he were awake. Such ideational processes
have a low degree of integration, that is, the
ideas are not tied together in as orderly a
fashion; they are haphazard, resulting in the
peculiar nature of a dream. In a waking
state, if you experience certain sensations
from which ideas would follow, you would
be governed by the law of probability; you
would logically reject certain ideas that carne
to mind as being highly improbable, as being
the cause of such sensations as you experi
enced. In the dream state, where this low
integration, or joining of ideas, exists, the law
of probability would not exist and whatever

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ideas would follow from the stimulation

would constitute your dream.
Let us cite a few examples. Auditory sen
sations, while one sleeps, like the rumbling
of a distant truck, may be elaborated into a
dream of a battle or a storm. Cutaneous
(skin) sensations sometimes give rise to
dreams of wading in water or lying in the
sun. Some persons suffer from head noises.
These, or sensations arising from circulatory
changes in the ear, are interpreted during
sleep as thunder, and the elaboration of the
dream adds lightning and wind.
In an analysis of seven hundred fifty
dreams made for psychological tests, gummed
paper, an inch square, was placed upon vari
ous parts of the sleepers anatomy. Various
dreams were the result of the sensations had
from this mild form of stimulation. A
gummed slip placed upon the sol of the
foot caused a dream of dancing. Why did it
cause a dream of dancing? Perhaps because
of a similar antecedent sensation arising from
the sol of the foot after dancing. At least
there was some association between the ideas
as a result of the test stimulus and others had
from some previous experience.
Stroking the hand of a sleeper with absorbent cotton has produced a dream of a
cow licking the hand. A bottle of asafetida
held to the nostrils brought dreams of a dead
horse. All the excitation of dreams, however,
does not originate externally. Many dreams
are directly caused by strong subliminal
stimuli, such as aversin, fear, and hope.
These are very often firmly planted in our
subconscious minds, even though we may not
be consciously aware of them. Some experi
ence of childhood, which cannot be objective
ly recalled, in later years may frequently
produce fearful dreams. Certain elements as
sociated with the original incident will
always appear in the dream.
A young and innocent boy became at one
time almost guilty of an act of sex per
versin. Several years later, the full realiza
tion of his near act dawned upon him. The
memory was very revolting to him. There
was also the fear that such inclinations
might be latent within him; though, in fact,
they were not. He consciously abhorred and
avoided all conduct which might reasonably
lead to or be construed as improper sex rela
tionships. The aversin became more than
normally established in his subconscious

OCTOBER, 1953

mind. It became a deep-seated fear. Fre

quently he would thereafter have dreams of
revolting sex acts, the very conduct toward
which he had such a strong aversin. During
sleep any intemal or organic stimulation
which might arouse sex ideas would immedi
ately cause dreams, having the nature of
the fear complex.
Let us take the specific case of the brother
of this frater who has addressed our Forum.
The brother is a pharmacist. He has dreams,
as we are told, that he is in his store which
is crowded with waiting customers and he
is unable to serve them. This man is un
doubtedly very conscientious. He has striven
to build his business upon the foundation
of excellent service. He has abhorred having
people waiting unattended for a long time,
causing them eventually to leave unserved
and dissatisfied. He has felt that this would
be a great blow to necessary public good-will.
Such a state of affairs was one he was, in all
probability, striving to avoid. He was ever
concerned lest this circumstance come about.
Certainly, too, in a pharmacy cleanliness is a
trade mark of the profession. Carelessness in
cleanliness might suggest negligence, and
this, in turn, would be damaging to the reputation of a pharmacist in whom accuracy
is essential. It can be easily understood,
therefore, that this pharmacist was most exacting in the cleanliness of the utensils used
in making up prescriptions. These thoughts
became habits of fear, deeply implanted
ideas of concern within his subconscious. Any
stimulation, external or intemal, which
would cause a chain of ideation related to his
store and his profession, while he slept, would
obviously cause dreams of these latent but
dominant fears.
As to why such dreams recur, they cannot
fail to do so when the elements of which
they consist are continually aroused. Most
thoughts that we have are complex. They
are made up of a compound of many simple
ideas. Sometimes we do not realize all the
ideas which enter into a thought that we
have. A thought may consist of the simple
ideas of colors, tastes, and sounds, or a combination of these with other ideas, as the result
of reason and reflection. Take the idea of a
church. If it is analyzed, it may be found
perhaps to consist not only of the visual ideas
of the edifice itself, its belfry and its Gothic
windows, but of the sound of its bells, the

Page 43

heavy perfumed scent of flowers mixed with

an odor of varnish, and the mustiness of a
place not properly ventilated. Consequently,
any sense stimulation, which may be related
to one of these ideas of the church, would
cause the whole idea to recur as a dream
embodying the church. One time the stimu
lus might be merely the sound of bells; an
other time, a scent, similar to that of an
association.
Why are most dreams unpleasant? This
has been one of the problems of psychiatrists
and psychologists. I think we can advance a
logical theory, but confirmation by future
experimentation is needed. That which pro
duces the greatest emotional reaction makes
the most lasting impression in the subcon
scious mind. This is an established fact.
Fears, aversions, and profound hopes are ac
companied by deep emotional mpetus. This
in itself will result, in most instances, in
having dreams that are unpleasant. Where
the desires are the instigation of dreams, the
dreams are frequently pleasant, because they
concern the satisfaction of the desires.
Again, as said previously, dreams consist
of a low order of integration of ideas. This
means that the ideas are not united in a con
sciously rational manner. Consequently, the
elements of the dream are often distorted,
unnatural, and therefore, unpleasantly disturbing.X
(Reprinted during absence of the Imperator)

Air Pressure in the Nostrils

A member from Florida asks whether he
was correct in understanding one of our
monographs to the effect that the rise and
fall of tides affects the air in every locality
and affects our nervous system in such a
manner that in breathing through the nose
we can tell whether the tides are high or
low. The statement in the monograph in
this regard is absolutely correct. A little ex
perience on the part of every member living
near such waters as rise and fall in tides
will show that if one stands still and in a
normal manner closes the mouth and takes
deep breaths through the nose, one will find
that one of the nostrils seems to take in more
air than the other. In other words, there are
times when one or the other of the nostrils
seems to be more open or permits more air
to enter it and go into the body. By inquir-

Page 44

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ing regarding the tides one will soon be able

to determine whether the left nostril takes
in more air or less air when the tides are in
or out, and the same as to the right nostril.
I have talked with many men who are constantly on the waters, and they have said
that they have noticed this but have no ex
planation for it.
We must remember that man is essentially
a water creature. He is composed very great
ly of waternearly eighty percent of his
weight being water or moisture. He is born
in water and loves to live in water or near
it, throughout his life. He is now gradually
evolving toward being a perfect air animal
but still retains many of the qualities that
belonged to him when he was wholly a water
animal or nearly so. For this reason his
nostrils are constructed in some way to enable him to adjust his breathing according
to water and moisture conditions and the
magnetic effects that produce these changes
in tides or changes in the atmosphere. This
is a matter which is interesting for experimentation, and opens up a very wide field
for speculative thought if nothing more. But
remember in your experiments that with
one person it may be the left nostril that
seems to breathe more freely when the tides
are high, while with another person the left
nostril may breathe more freely when the
tides are low. Or it may be that a person
living in certain localities will have the same
identical experience. These are matters which
have not yet been definitely determined.
(By Dr. H. Spencer Lewisreprinted from
Rosicrucian Forum of June 1936)

Accidents and Suicides

I want to have a serious talk for a few
moments with all of our members, and I
hope this appears in the Forum magazine
for everyone in our large circle of Forum
members to think about. Recently one of
the larger magazines (Ladies H om e Journal,
June, 1935) published an article with the
headline Accidents Dont HappenThey
Are Caused. I want to speak about acci
dents and suicide. It would seem at first
thought that these two things do not go together, but you will find that most accidents
are as deliberately created in our lives as are
suicides, and that by our actions day by day
we are virtually bringing suicide into our

lives. When persons walk across the busy

highways of the cities or the country and
unheedingly step into automobile traffic
without caution and without good sense, it
is equivalent to committing suicide.
I wish our members would think of just
a few figures in connection with this matter
and perhaps talk about it at the family table
as one of the interesting subjects for dinner
discussion. Speak of it in the Sunday schools,
the public schools, the church and every
where. Let us all work together to wam
ourselves and others of the sad condition that
exists in this country.
During the year 1934, every fifteen min
utes of every twenty-four-hour day through
out the whole year saw the sudden transition
of a man, woman or child through accident.
Think of a great clock high above our coun
try ticking away the minutes and as each
quarter hour of the gong struck, a man,
woman, or child paid the penalty for our
recklessness in traffic. In no other nation in
the world and in no other time and through
no other system of man-made ways of living
has there been such a sacrifice of human
life. At the end of several years, it equals
the loss of life in the greatest wars. We are
all united in trying to prevent wars but we
think little about the slaughter of human
life through accident and carelessness.
In every family of three personsthat is,
father, mother, and childthe law of averages of the present time takes one of the
three in accident. In other words, if there
are three in your family or three in your
neighbors family, you can count upon it
as almost a certainty that before very long
one of the three in your family or one in
the neighbors family will more than likely
pass through transition in a horrible period
of suffering as the result of a terrible
accident.
It is a terrible toll that this country is paying for its madnessits madness in many
things. It is not only madness in our wild
rush with automobiles to get around in the
quickest possible time; it is not only madness
to rush through the highways of the coun
try at the greatest speed possible with the
utmost indifference to traffic signis; it is
not only madness to attempt to cross the
streets in front of these madly rushing vehicles; but it is madness to drink or to allow
others to drink intoxicating liquors and then

OCTOBER, 1953

Page 45

let a half-sober, half-sane, half-intelligent

body sit at the wheel with one foot on the
accelerator and mow down the human fig
ures before it like a huge machine mows
down the stalks of rye and wheat. It is madness to go to the seashore, the mountains,
the valleys, the lakes for a days outing, and
stay late in the evening and then attempt
to hurry home in the darkness; it is madness
to return home on congested and crowded
highways and attempt to make speed with
safety; it is madness to try to keep apace
with the fast-rushing life all around us and
forget that every fifteen minutes one of us
must drop to the earth mutilated, disfigured,
and destined to pass through transition at an
untimely period in our lives.

and go to bed and not risk the lives of others

as well as their own.
Teach your children to be very careful
and remember that while you are listening
to or reading what I have said here, the
clock has slowly moved on to the next
fifteen minutes and another person somewhere in your neighborhood has been struck
down or someone in an adjoining city has
been killed and one family of three has been
reduced to two. Let us all unite in fighting
this unnecessary evil in our midst.

It is an absolute fact that 99 percent of

the accidents in traffic are preventable. All
means of prevention, however, include the
cooperation of both the driver of the car and
the pedestrian on the Street. Every means
that has been devised to cut down the num
ber of accidents depends for its success upon
the cooperation of parents as well as chil
dren, upon young and od, and upon those
who are the deliberate murderers and those
who are the victims.

A number of our members have written

to us from various parts of the country stating that the young Houdini, eminent stage
magician and entertainer who is attempting
to take the place of the eider Houdini in
the amusement world since his transition,
has made many kind and pleasant references
to the A.M.O.R.C. and its activities in various
cities where the question has arisen. In some
cases persons have said that Mr. Houdinis
very kind comments have left the thinking
persons wondering whether the A.M.O.R.C.
was an association of great Magicians or
whether there was some other reason for
Mr. Houdinis comments.
The original Houdini, who made himself
famous throughout the world for many years
as a master magician and unique character
with astonishing abilities, was a member of
the Rosicrucian Order in Europe. I do not
know whether this younger Houdini is a
member of some foreign or American branch
of the organization or not. But we can thoroughly understand why Mr. Houdini would
say the kind things he has said about
AMORC, and we want to thank him and
state that we appreciate his kind thoughts
and kind remarks. While I hope that every
one of our members who can do so will go
to visit any place where Houdini is giving
an exhibition of his work, and will praise
him in the proper manner for his exhibitions,
I hope that no one will attempt to get in
touch with him and ask him for any ref
erences or favors merely because he has a
kindly attitude toward AMORC. Do not do
anything or say anything at any time that
would lead anyone to think that you are

A large portion of the automobile and

traffic accidents are due to someones becoming incompetent at the wheel or starting out
in an incompetent condition generally
through alcohol or the drowsiness slowly
produced by alcoholic drinks. Make it a law
in your family, with every member of your
family and with all of your friends, that
not one of you will enter an automobile if
anyone who is to drive at all or conduct the
car in any manner has been drinking. And
if you find anyone driving on the highway
or streets of your city or town who has been
drinking report it immediately to the nearest
plice officer or warn the one who is about
to drive or is driving to hesitate for his own
sake and for the sake of others. In every
part of the country more stringent laws and
rules should be adopted, and those who are
found driving while under any degree of
influence from alcoholic liquor should not
only be fined and arrested but their driving
license should be taken away for one year.
If people must be crazy enough to put them
selves under the influence of liquor even to
the smallest degree, they should stay at home

(By Dr. H. Spencer Lewisreprinted from

Rosicrucian Forum of August 1935)

Houdini, the Magician

Page 46

making use of your membership in AMORC

to secure preferences with persons who are
before the public and earning their livelihood in this manner.
(By Dr. H. Spencer Lewisreprinted from
Rosicrucian Forum of June 1936)

The Change of Appearance

Soror Messer of Iowa rises in our Forum
now to ask how and why it is that certain
persons seem to change in their appearance
as you sit or stand looking at them. She
says that often in the presence of a group
of persons and sitting quietly they suddenly
seem to be standing in front of her appearing more aged or younger and often dressed
differently, even to wearing poor and worn
clothing or having on silks and satins, while
as a matter of fact the person is still seated
in his or her chair across the room and has
not even moved.
Now this is an interesting matter that is
easily understood by the members of the
higher degrees and is difficult to explain to
those in the lower degrees, but the fact is
that the personality or, shall we say in this
Forum discussion, the psychic self of the
individual, projects itself or leaves the phys
ical body and ventures into space across the
room and this psychic self or inner person
ality is often of the previous incarnation or
of a previous period of this incarnation and
shows the individual as he once waseither
younger in this incarnation or older in an
other one. Such projections can be wilfully
made and are sometimes unconsciously made
when a person is in a relaxed and concentrated mood.
As to how these projections can be made
wilfully, deliberately, and systematically, I
can only say that the matter is treated in
detail in the higher degrees and is not some
thing that can be discussed in this Forum
or published in our Forum magazine; first,
because it could only be properly understood
by those who have the previous lessons and
experience, and second, because it would take
more time and space than we can devote to
any one subject. In fact, it covers a large
number of monographs in different parts of
the upper degrees.
(By Dr. H. Spencer Lewisreprinted from
Rosicrucian Forum of October 1934)

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Sanctifying a New Home

Occasionally members have written to us
stating that they are about to move into a
new home or new house, or that they have
just built a new home or house and wish to
have some form of ceremony for dedicating
and sanctifying it.
We do not have any special ritual or cere
mony for such a purpose, but it certainly is
an excellent idea and should be carried out
by every real Rosicrucian. I would suggest
that the Sanctum be one of the first things
completed in the house, so that on the oc
casion of moving in permanently for the
first nights residence therein, and after
everything else is placed within the rooms
and before the first hours of sleep are at
hand, the member go into the Sanctum and
in a prayerful attitude and with burning incense and lighted candles ask the Cosmic to
bless the home and everyone who is to live
within it and to permit continuous peace,
happinss, health, and prosperity to reign in
that home.. I would then go into each and
every room separately and slowly and reverently, while standing and holding a burn
ing candle in the room, utter a prayer to the
Cosmic to bless that individual room and its
occupants. I would then retum to the Sanc
tum and offer a prayer of thanks and appreciation for the blessings already enjoyed
and for the privilege of having this new
home or new dwelling place.
Such a method of sanctifying the home
and thanking God for everything in it, and
that may occur in it, is the only proper way
to dedicate a new home. It should be dedicated to the good service, good-will and love
that will radiate from it. It should be dedicated to Gods principies and universal
service.
In many of the Oriental homes there is a
custom of adopting rules and regulations for
the conduct of the home and in all of these
regulations about eating, sleeping, the conduct
of business and pleasure, the first rule laid
down is God is the first law. That should
be the attitude of the Rosicrucian. Every
thing that is planned in life in connection
with the new home or in connection with
the individual should be considered from the
principie that God is the first law.

OCTOBER, i 953

This would mean that God and Gods prin

cipies and ideis would be given consideration before everything else. If the Rosicru
cian concept of God is carried out and God
is looked upon as being loving, kind, merciful, just, the kind Father of all human be
ings, and as the real Father of the home,
and if it is understood that God loves smiling
and happy countenances and approves of
joyous music, singing, frivolity, fun that is
clean and wholesome, and likes everything
beautiful or colorful, sunshiny, peaceful, and
uplifting, the home can be made a place of
attraction and an inducement to young peo
ple and others to stay within its walls and
find all of the great joys and benefits of life.
Such a home should have among its other
pictures on the wall certain inspiring productions of the Great Masters as lift the
thoughts upward. In the midst of all of the
modern and foolish music of the present
time, there should be some of the good and
inspiring music of the Great Masters of the
past, along with some of the simple, sacred
melodies and folk songs that quicken the
pulse of human experience. There should
be flowers when they are available, plenty
of sunshine and fresh air, a reverential atti
tude each day in the appreciation of the
blessings of life, a thankfulness for life it
self, for sleep, for physical activity and
ability, for the food and water, and for all
of the great inventions that have been inspired in the minds of men and which con
tribute to our conveniences and comfort.
There should be the occasional reading of
sacred thoughts whether from the Christian
Bible or other books. Once a week at least
a paragraph of Unto T hee I Grant should be
read to all assembled with a few minutes
discussion of its meaning so that it may become fixed in the mind. Some of the thoughts
expressed by Jess in the New Testament
should be analyzed in the same manner. If
the members of the home are members of
any one of the Christian denominations, the
principies of that denomination should be
emphasized from time to time. If there are
young members of the family, they should
be sent to Sunday School or some school of
sacred and spiritual thought. If the members
of the family are associated with any other

Page 47

denomination or religin than Christian,

their religin should be maintained.
One night of the week should be set aside
for the Rosicrucian Sanctum hours and for
study, experimentation, prayer, and concen
tration. No one should be allowed to visit
the home that evening or during such a
period except those who are attuned with
and in sympathy with the Rosicrucian work.
Sunday should be held sacred in regard to
material activities, but there should always
be song and music that is uplifting and in
spiring, for God does not intend us to maintain a pious attitude of despondence or of
sadness.
Just as the sun laughs and sparkles on the
waters of the brook and sings with the music
of the spheres, so there should be a joyous
lilt in the heart of every Rosicrucian all the
time, except when he is impressed with the
sorrows of those around him and sympathizes
with them. Even then he should try to bring
a note of hope and cheer into their lives.
Avoid in every way a false religious attitude
or anything that is hypocritical. Do as you
believe is right to the best of your under
standing, but seek light and guidance in that
understanding so that if you are wrong you
may be corrected in your attitude. Do not
assume an attitude that is not genuine and
do not make the mistake of thinking that lip
reading of the Bible and lip service in pray
ers constitute a truly religious attitude.
Make your home of that quality and na
ture that God and the Great Masters might
step into it at any moment unannounced and
find you prepared and worthy of meeting
them. Make your life so that if any mo
ment of it is the last in this incamation, the
thoughts in your mind, the motives in your
heart, and the spirit that animates you, will
be such as you are ready to carry across
the borderline into the kingdom of Heaven.
In this wise, you will make your home one
continuous dedication to God and the spirit
ual world, and you will be living the life
of a real Rosicrucian.
(By Dr. H. Spencer Lewisreprinted from
Rosicrucian Forum of December 1934)

The

PASSION
of
MATTER

The Cosmic Influence

of Magnetism
S ABOVE SO BELOW. Like repels like and
^attracts unlike. Myriads of minute particles
A
dance in frenzy about each other on the point of
a pin. Overhead, whirling stars race through the
infinite reaches of space to find their affinity
drawn by an irresistible attracton. What is this
invisible fieldthis aurawhich surrounds all
things, causing them to embrace one moment and
perhaps repel each other the next? It is a passion
which grips the atom and the star alikebut to
serve what Cosmic purpose?
In the study of this energymagnetic forc
we learn the secret of polarity. We come to un
derstand the orderly procession within the uni
verse. Moreover, we find that the same laws account for our mutual attraction and the subtle
influence which things have upon us. Just as the
course of ships depends upon terrestrial mag
netism, so, too, does the path of our lives depend
upon mystical magnetism.
By means of simple home experiments, you can
explore this fascinating phenomenon of magne
tism. You can learn the useful fundamental laws

of this realm of nature which has intrigued scientists and philosophers for centuries.
Demnstrate to yourself how magnetism is introduced into objectsand the ways it can be
destroyed. Make your own compass; investgate
the relationship of polarity to the magnetic poles
of the earth.

Rosicrucian Laboratorium
HOURS OF FASCINATING EXPERIMENTS
Unit Number One of the Rosicrucian Laboratorium
has been created to make it possible for you to perform
all of the magnetism experiments in the Rosicrucian
teachingsand many more. No scientific knowledge or
training is necessary. Anyone using the devices and
simple instructions of this unit can spend many enjoyable and profitable evenings at home.
You receive: 25 pages of instrucC O M PLETE

pieces of equipment; 16
W IT H A LL
E Q U IP M E N T ,
basic experiments; and
DIAGRAM S,
supplementary electroE X P E R IM E N T S ,
magnetic experiments.
and
There is no greater
IN S T R U C T IO N
teacher than nature.
Send your remittance
and order for the .Ro**( 1 /8 / 7
crucian Laboratorium.
sterling)
Unit One, to the adPO STPA ID
dress below.

$4.00

The

ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY RUREAU, SAN JOSE, CALIF.

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF A M O RC,
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER
Entered as Second Class M atter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1 1 0 3 of the U .S . Postal A ct of O ct. 3 , 1 9 1 7 .

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Vol. XXIV

DECEMBER, 1953

No. 3

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Carolings
A consciousness attuned to light
Hears oyous carols in the night,

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The clear-toned bells of many chimes

That ring in lands of many dimes!

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And too the bells one seems to hear

Are from no earthly tower near,

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But have their towers and their stairs

In elevations of fine prayers!
V. Bruce Chilton, F. R. C.

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY
OTHER MONTH) BYTHE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OFTHE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $2.25 (16/1 sterling) ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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Page 50

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

W H A T IS Y O U R MISSION?
Dear Fratres and Sorores:
It is an od axiom that Life is to live.
This is not to be strictly interpreted in the
biological sensethat is, to be but animated
or merely to vegetate. To the human being,
to live is to be dynamically purposeful. The
animal, in propagating his kind, has fulfilled
his biological function. The human being,
however, cannot deny the attributes of reason and his moral impulses. Man considers
the producing of offspring as but one at
tribute of his complex natural powers.
The intellect must live as well as the
body. To live, the mind must be active;
it cannot stagnate. A mind which continuously employs reason only for the furthering of physical existence is retrogressing. It
is being placed in competition with the instinctive drive of an organism for self-preservation. The intelligent man sees himself as
possessing a hierarchy of powers, the mind
as superior to the body. The latter is but
the vehicle of the former. Health is basic,
for thereby the mind may be set free upon
a course of its own choosing. The mind, the
will, must facilitate health by disciplining
the physical self. However, if it is contin
ually bound to concern for the physical wel
fare, it loses its status of superiority and
independence.
The intelligent being, as man, is able
to discriminate and to analyze his own selfconsciousness. He sets the ego, the self,
apart from all else, from the world and all
it contains, of which he is conscious. There
begins, therefore, early in life a process of
evaluation of everything in relation to the
self. Each experience is appraised as to its
contribution to the satisfactions of life. These
satisfactions or pleasures are graduated.
Some are purely physical; others are those
which gratify the intellect or the moral sense
of right-doing. Consequently, life becomes
purposeful to the human being. The indi
vidual seeks to create those conditions which,
in his experience or opinion, will result in
satisfactory living. The Creative mind is

one that desires to master its environment,

to direct it and its elements as it prefers.
The artist, the musician, and the writer are
those who visualize a thing or state which
they hope to objectify, make a reality. They
do this because they conceive or know that
such things will afford them personal satis
faction. Even the one who creates the
seemingly impersonal does so because he de
sires intellectual or moral satisfaction from
so doing. The leader who, in good faith,
endeavors to change the thoughts of a peo
ple or bring about a transition in society is
doing so because of a Creative impulse. What
he brings forth may not always be appreciated as progressive or constructive by oth
ers; yet it is motivated by the Creative im
pulse.
A mission in life, then, is a purpose toward
which the individual conceives that all his
powers and functions should be directed. It
is rather an all-inclusive ideal in comparison
to which all other interests and objectives
are to be subordinated. This mission, or
all-inclusive ideal, will vary with the educa
tion of the individual, his aesthetic tastes,
and the environmental factors to which he
is exposed. One who was denied by cir
cumstances the opportunity of an education
and believes himself thus handicapped may
think it his mission to adequately edcate
his children. Another whose moral sense
may be offended by the conventions and
conduct of modern society may be convinced
that his mission is to bring about a reformation in the moral standards of his time.
There is no universal mission to be pursued by all mankind alike, unless one thinks
of this mission in the broadest of philosophi
cal and mystical terms. It is, of course, the
mission of every human being, mystically,
to put himself consciously into oneness with
the Cosmic. This is done by harmoniously
relating ones objective finite life with the
Infinite Order or what is said to be Cosmic
Law. Such an interpretation is too broad
to be universally accepted. It must be reduced to those components which lie within

DECEMBER, 1953

the understanding of the individual. In

other words, the general ideal must be analyzed by the individual in terms of what
it may mean to him. Thus, if the universal
mission of mankind is to be construed as the
advancement of mankind, then each indi
vidual must, within the scope of his ability
and understanding, have as his particular
mission that which he believes will further
mankind. Some may comprehend this to
mean active participation in charities; others
may feel their work is in educational programs; and still others, in childrens wel
fare, world peace projects, mvements for
cultural expansin and the like.
Most of us know what our mission in life
is because it is that which we enjoy doing
the most and which represents likewise the
highest aspects of our being. As said, the
individual, whose whole activity is devoted
to sensual pleasures is damning his other
capabilities. His potential mission in life is
circumvented by the more finite functions
of his being. Those who cultvate the expanded self, that is, the interests of an enlarged self, and who concntrate upon them,
have a worthy mission. Anyone whose per
sonal activities, for example, bring happi
ness, understanding, and comfort to others
to any extent, is pursuing a worthy mission
in life.
Unfortunately, there are many individuis
who labor under the impression that there
is a pre-determined or pre-destined mission
for them. They conceive it as being Cos
mically ordained. They do not know its
nature but are certain that it must transcend
the homely simple missions that others pursue. Working with cultural groups, educa
tional or charitable societies, or mystical
bodies seems too mundane for them. It is
their belief that they have been singled out
for something spectacular, mysterious, or
unique. Consequently, they pass by all other
missions which bring satisfaction to other
people. The things which other people pursue, to them do not seem purposeful living.
They devote themselves to a search for some
thing that does not truly exist. Forget the
idea of a specially ordained mission in life
or the belief that there is a universal one
whose content has eluded you. Analyze
those ventures or pursuits that bring deep
satisfaction to you, no matter how humble
they may seem, and which cause you to

Page 51

have a sense of rectitude. What conscience

tells you is a noble and unselfish pursuit
and from which you derive a profound sense
of well-being, that, then, is your mission in
life.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Im perator
Psychic Sounds
We have an interesting letter from Frater
Raum of California, which constitutes a good
theme for our discussion this morning, calling to our attention something that members
frequently mention in their reports and
letters. It relates to sounds of a psychic
nature that often come to our members
while they are asleep at night or in a very
relaxed state, or on the borderline of sleep.
He says that at times, especially after midnight, and generally between one and four
oclock in the morning, he has heard his
ame called very distinctly, and that his
more intmate ame of Rob is called rather
than Robert, indicating that it is a familiar
contact of some kind. He says that the calling of his ame awakens him, and upon instant recollection it seems as though it wer
a womans voice, but after awakening com
pletely and listening for more of the voice
there appears to be nothing else, and the
experience is ended. He says this has happened a number of times.
In addition to this he has been awakened
by the sound of a telephone ringing. In
such cases he awakens with a definite reali
zation that it is his telephone ringing sharply and clearly in its distinctive manner,
and yet after waiting for a long period it
does not ring again. Then, it gradually
dawns upon his consciousness that the sound
of the bell was not precisely that of the
material bell itself, but of a psychic representation of it, or that it was produced in a
different manner. He says that this, too,
has occurred a great many times, and other
members of his family have stated that they
do not hear the ringing of the bell.
Frater Baum states that he is not frightened by any of these strange occurrences, but
merely wants some explanation of them.
First, I want to say that sounds that are
produced psychically or through Cosmic
principies very often have such an excellent
resemblance to natural sounds produced in a

Page 52

material way that it is difficult to distinguish

quickly between the psychic sound and the
actual, material sound. I have in my Sanc
tum a very wonderfully made piece of glassware, in the form of a little bowl, that I
picked up in Europe after testing a number
of them. It is so balanced in its form and
strctural nature that the slightest little tap
upon it gives a very beautiful bell sound,
and yet it is so excellently balanced in its
electrical and atomical structure that psychic
vibrations of almost any kind, especially di
rected by the mind or extending from the
rays of the hand, will also cause the glass
to give off a ringing sound.
I have kept this little glass bowl well protected. Often during my psychic experiences
with members, after placing it on a piece
of velvet or velour upon my Sanctum altar
so as to give it a cushioned foundation dur
ing my concentration periods, I have heard
this delicate glass bowl ring a number of
times. And while the tone or pitch of the
tone is always the same, and is almost equivalent to the correct vibrations of the pitched
tone of A in the first octave above Middle
C, still the strength or amplitude of the
tone vares very often. In other words, it is
as though sometimes something struck the
glass very sharply and strongly, and at other
times delicately. On some occasions I have
placed this little glass bowl on a cork so
that it would be perfectly balanced, and if
anything struck its side it would cause the
bowl to rock on the delicately balanced sup
port afforded by the cork. I have noticed
on such occasions that when some loud notes
were produced Cosmically or psychically on
the glass bowl it would rock as though there
had been actual physical, material contact
with the bowl. At other times there have
been softer notes produced without rocking
the bowl the slightest degree. On some oc
casions I have placed a few ounces of water
in the bowl and noticed that when a sound
was produced in the glass slight vibrations
like little waves traveled across the surface
of the bowl, just as they would if the edge
of the bowl had been struck with a pencil
or some other device.
Some of my co-workers in experiments
living at a distance have caused this bowl
to produce a sound or a note at a definite
time previously arranged, and when no hu

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

man being was nearer to the bowl than eight

or ten feet.
But a glass bowl of this kind is not the
only object that can be caused to give forth
a sound through Cosmic contact or psychic
laws. For some reason that we have not
attempted to analyze thoroughly, a tele
phone bell is very susceptible to psychic
and Cosmic influence, and is often caused to
ring when the person who produces the ef
fect did not intend to ring the telephone
bell. If you will examine the principie of
the telephone bell, you will find that the
little balls which strike the bells are delicate
ly balanced in relationship to a magnet, and
that it does not take much pressure of any
kind to cause them to strike the bell and
produce a sound. Whether the psychic ener
gy flowing in waves affects the magnet and
causes the bells to ring, or whether the
psychic waves overcome the effect of the
magnet and allow the bells to balance so
easily that another form of psychic wave
can cause them to strike and produce a
sound, is a matter for further investigation.
But the fact remains that the telephone bells
seem to be very susceptible to such psychic
influences from a distance or cise at hand.
Certain piano strings in a piano will also
hum at times from psychic influences. I
have found that my cello when properly
tuned and standing in the comer of the
room will give off some harmonic sounds as
though something of a very soft and pliable
nature had pressed one of the strings and
released itself and allowed the string to vibrate very softly. A Hawaiian guitar stand
ing in the comer of my Sanctum for months
also seemed to give off certain ringing sounds
from one of the higher strings. Various other
objects from time to time have manifested
their susceptibility to these influences. And
strange as it may seem, I had in a little
art room adjoining my Sanctum a roller
window shade that had the tendency to sud
denly release the spring contact and wind
itself up with great rapidity. During many
psychic experiences with members I would
pul the shade down to its full length and
then at a formerly arranged minute of the
hour the shade would suddenly rattle and
slide up to its closed position.
This shade was tested in many ways. It
was found that by rattling or shaking it
when it was pulled down its full length

DECEMBER, i 953

there was no more tendency for it to fly

up and roll itself up again than any other
shade, but on the other hand there was
something about the catch on the spring
that was so delicately balanced, or the spring
itself was so attuned in vibrations, that the
slightest psychic effect in the room or near
the shade would cause it to rapidly wind
itself up even if the person producing this
effect happened to be many miles away and
simply projected the vibrations.
Our members should not be surprised,
therefore, that in experimenting with Cosmic
principies, especially with the principies in
the higher grades, various sounds may be
produced at night or at unexpected times.
The same is true in regard to human voices.
Very often a voice will resound in a room
that is typical of a human voice, and it will
be in the nature of a ame, or a command,
or a cali of some kind that is easily identified.
Sometimes these sounds give the impression
of a feminine voice only because of the pureness of the tone, and of course at times the
effect may be produced by a female and not
by a male. But we have not noticed in any
of our tests that the psychic effects produced
by females are any different in their nature
than those produced by males except when
a message or thought is definitely intended
to express itself in the form of the human
voice.
As to why these effects should be pro
duced at night after twelve oclock is another
interesting subject for analysis. For several
centuries the Rosicrucian manuscripts dealing with experiments have plainly indicated
that more psychic effects were produced be
tween two and three oclock in the morning
than at any other hour of the day or night.
The next most effective hour appears to be
between three and four, and the next hour
is that between four and five. Taking the
entire day into consideration it would seem
that the are of time from one oclock in the
morning to five, or up to sunrise, is the
most successful and efficient. I have found
from other statistics that this period of the
early morning is also the time when a great
many transitions occur, and when a great
many persons in illness reach a crisis of their
condition and a change for the better or the
worse takes place.
Physicians have told me that from their
experiences in hospitals and with patients

Page 53

in homes, the vitality of the human body

seems to be in the most passive, relaxed, and
inactive state during the two or three hours
preceding sunrise, and that immediately
after sunrise a great change takes place in
the vitality of the average body, and additional strength seems to come at sunrise,
and if the person has not passed through
transition before sunrise, there is little likelihood that transition will occur until near
noontime or in the afternoon, and probably
not until the following morning between one
and five oclock.
Other comments made by mystics and
psychics and physicians in the past indicate
that the positive vibrations of Nous and the
positive magnetic conditions in the atmosphere around us are at the lowest potential
or lowest degree of strength between two and
five in the morning, or approximately around
three oclock. This applies to each and every
locality where any person may be living,
for three oclock in the morning in one part
of the world or one part of the United States
is not three oclock in an Eastern or Western
part, and so the time is based upon the local
sun time, or clock time.
It would seem to the average person that
since noon seems to be the time when the
sun is at its highest and greatest strength
that midnight would be the weaker period
of the day, but it is not true that the sun
is at its greatest strength at noontime, even
though it is at its highest point in the
heavens. After all, the astronomical position
of the sun is purely an optical illusion, for
the sun is not cise enough to the earth for
anyone to say that at any one hour of the
day it is directly over any one particular
place of the earth. Furthermore, as the sun
rises early in the morning, it begins to increase in strength and vitality, and in a few
hours has reached as high a degree of radia
tion as it can possibly reach at any hour of
the morning or afternoon.
In other words, so far as the sun rays
and Nous are concemed, six or seven oclock
in the morning in any locality has brought
to that place as much of the full power of
the suns vitality and Nous as it is possible
for the sun to give, and throughout the remainder of the day up to the time of sunset the sun is maintaining almost an equal
degree of vitalizing radiation. Certainly by
ten oclock in the morning the sun is radi-

Page 54

ating its full vitality, and so we can see that

between seven and ten in the morning in
any locality the sun is giving forth its new
and vitalizing power to the locality in which
we live. The very opposite hours from these
on the clock would be from one to four in
the morning, and this may explain why the
positive phase of the suns power would fall
in the morning from seven to ten, and the
negative phase from one to four in the
morning.
There is another point to be considered
and that is that the average human being
becomes more relaxed, restful, and more receptive during the early hours of the moming, especially from two to five. Even those
who retire before midnight may rest the
physical body to a great degree before one
oclock in the morning, but it is not until
two oclock in the morning that the average
person has become completely negative in
rest and in the operation of many functionings of the body, and therefore in a deep
degree of relaxation. This is the period
of the morning when most persons sleep
very soundly, and it is perhaps because of
this deep relaxation and the lessening of the
suns vitality that so many transitions occur
at this time.
But this same relaxed, negative condition
of the individual between the hours of two
and four, or one and five in the morning,
makes each individual more receptive to the
positive psychic vibrations that may come
toward him. We must consider all psychic
vibrations as positive in their potential na
ture. If this is so, then we can understand
that such waves of positive energy or vibra
tions would travel more easily through the
negative atmospheric conditions of the early
morning hours than during the daytime
when the atmosphere is so heavily charged
with the positive vibrations of Nous from the
sun. Positive vibrations will more easily
flow or travel upon sound through a negative
condition than through a positive one. I
believe we have an excellent demonstration
of this in the fact that radio waves will
travel a longer distance and with greater
strength each successive hour after sunset
than during the sunlight of the day. Such
radio emanations are positive, as sent out
from the broadcasting station, and ride easier
and more efficiently through the negative at
mospheric conditions and magnetic condi

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tions than through the positive of the

daytime.
(By Dr. H. Spencer Lewisreprinted from
Rosicrucian Forum of June 1936)

Postal Regulations
The higher cost of living, necessitating
salary increases to postal employees in most
of the nations throughout the world, has resulted in a very substantial increase in
postage from the United States to foreign
countries. The United States Government
is a member of what is called the Postal
Union, which Union includes Latin-American countries, the British Commonwealth,
and the like. This increase in postage to
the countries of the Postal Union amounts
to an additional 60 percent on all AMORC
overseas mail.
Now, this is a further burden which
AMORC just cannot assume. It may seem
that several pennies more on an envelope
is not a big item, if one is considering only
one letter or one monograph. However, when
this is multiplied by thousands of pieces of
mail weekly, it amounts to many thousands
of dollars annually. It is not the intention
of the Grand Lodge to increase the mem
bership dues to compnsate for this postal
increase. Other arrangements will have to
be made.
It has been decided that in the future all
monographs being sent to members, with
the exception of these members residing in
the United States and Caada, will need be
sent by third-class mail, instead of first-class.
This plan will materially reduce the postage
costs. However, third-class mail does not
arrive with the same degree of regularity as
does first-class mail. There is usually a
period of three to four days, or even a
weeks delay in delivery. This delay can
by offset by AMORCs extending in advance
to each member overseas an additional mon
ograph at the time this change is put into
effect. Consequently, each member will have
one monograph in advance to hold over for
the following week; during the interim, the
other monograph will have reached him. In
other words, having one monograph in ad
vance, such members will not be delayed as
a result of the slower transmission of the
third-class mail.
Since this will result in a considerable
saving of postage costs to the Grand Lodge,

PECEMBER, 1953

it wishes to pass on some of this saving to

the fratres and sorores overseas. Whereas
now only three monographs a month are forwarded to these members, with this new
plan, four monographs, or one each week,
will be sent. I am sure that our fratres and
sorores will be pleased by the increase in
number of monographs sent to them, and
also in knowing that this method will greatly
assist the Grand Lodge of AMORC which
has been burdened by numerous administra
tive increases.
It is interesting to note that in 1927,
twenty-six years ago, members in the United
States were paying monthly membership
dues of $2.00. Today, in the United States
and Caada, their dues are $2.75, which is an
increase of less than 33 percent. On the
other hand, statistics show that present-day
general costs of commodities and services
average about 150-165 percent over those of
1927! So, AMORCs increase in dues
throughout the years has been substantially
less than the general increases of all other
things. In operating, AMORC has to pay
all of these higher costs. Thus, we are tak
ing this measure with our postal changes
to avoid increasing dues.
Domes tic mail, or mail in the United
States traveling first-class, has not yet been
increased though there is a threat to do so.
Consequently, mail to members in the United
States and Caada will continu to go firstclass, unless there is a postal increase there,
as well. If that does happen, then the thirdclass mail plan will need to be adopted for
them also.
Before making this decisin, overseas
members were contacted for their opinions.
Of course, not every member was questioned,
but the Grand Treasurer, Frater James R.
Whitcomb, who accompanied the Imperator
on a journey to lodges and chapters over
seas, recently brought these matters to the
attention of members in the principal cities
in Australia and in South Africa. The mem
bers realized that it was the only thing to
do and encouraged the Grand Lodge to pro
ceed with its plan. The exact time when
this change-over will go into effect has not
yet been established. It is very likely to be
started in the next thirty days, or possibly
by the time you are reading this article.
However, each overseas member who will be
so affected will receive a full notice of ex

Page 55

planation with the first monographs going to

him as the result of this change.
It is to be expected that problems will
arise in certain countries in connection with
this change in mailing. Of course, these
cannot all be anticipated. We will work for
their solution, with your cooperation, as they
arise. Just as this article is being prepared,
we have been notified of another serious
postal increase affecting our publications,
such as the Rosicrucian Digest and the El
Rosacruz; the postal rate on them has been
tripled. We are not contemplating, how
ever, any change in the mailing arrangement of these Rosicrucian periodicals, and
there will be no increase, of course, to our
members.
We are calling these matters to the atten
tion of our members, and especially those
who live outside the United States and Ca
ada, because our arrangement does affect
them in a favorable manner. They will
receive more monographs than they now do.
It is our wish also that you know some of
these problems with which the administrationyour officers of the Grand Lodge are
confronted in these changing times, and to
let you know that we are thinking of your
interests.X
Is Smoking Harmful?
A frater now asks a question which comes
frequently before this Forum, though in va
rious forms. He wants to know: What is
the effect of the use of tobceo on the psychic
self? How does it affect ones spiritual
growth?
The broad answer to this query would be
that that which has a detrimental effect
upon the physical being inhibits the normal
functioning of the psychic self and ones de
velopment of the higher or spiritual con
sciousness. The whole question as to the
effect of smoking upon health is now reciving serious consideration by physicians and
research institutions. These physicians and
research bodies are not prompted by any
fanatical moral precept. With them, it is
not a question of smokings being a moral
wrong, but rather its depositing of dangerous
impurities into the lungs, and thus in the
blood stream. The general public concern
about smoking is the result of several pronouncements by medical physicians and

Page 56

pathologists working independently. They

have stated that, in their authoritative opinions after considerable clinical tests, smoking
contributes to lung cncer. This is a bold
and, of course, alarming statement. Only
the reputation of the researchers warrants
considering such a declaration.
There is statistical record, which cannot
be refuted, of the startling increase, especially in men, of lung cncer. This appalling
malady could be, and undoubtedly is, caused
by numerous factors as, for instance, the
polluted and contaminated air in large in
dustrial cities and where automobile traffic
has become extremely heavy. What cannot
be overlooked is that the increase in lung
cncer seems to be proportionate to the in
crease in smokers. The effect of this publicity has been to seriously decrease the sale
of cigarettes in the United States recently,
notwithstanding the intensive newspaper,
radio, and televisin advertising. The very
nature of cigarette advertising at present in
the United States and Caada indicates that
the manufacturers are trying to combat the
findings and announcements of the therapeutic researchers. The copy of their advertisements is mainly directed to showing
how the particular manufacturis brand
filters out all the harmful ingredients in
the tobacco. This is, in fact, a tacit admission that the tobacco smoke, when inhaled, can be harmful because of injurious
chemical properties, unless this or that is
done to remove them. There is also some
question as to the accuracy of claims of
eliminating the harmful ingredients.
Some of the manufacturers have even
taken the positive stand that their product
is good for the throat, clearing the nasal
passages, and so forth. That much of this
advertising may be false and misleading is
evidenced by the fact that it is reported that
the Federal Trade Commission of the United
States is to investgate such claims. Where
this advertising is found to be false, a cease
and desist order will be issued to the manufacturer with severe penalties for violation.
A sad commentary on the avarice of some
commercial enterprises is that certain of
these cigarette interests are protesting the
researchers announcements of their findings
with respect to smoking and lung cncer.
Certainly, if the manufacturers are allowed
to set forth their claims of the innocuous

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

effects of smoking on health, then likewise

physicians and therapeutic clinics should
have equal right to publicize their conclusions and findings on the same subject.
I fand we emphasize iffor we do not
take a stand on this controversy which as
yet is undecided, smoking is harmful to the
health, it will restrict the psychic functions.
Extremely poor health, such as the malady
(lung cncer) claimed to be due to smoking,
would place the psychic faculties and ob
jective self out of harmony with each other.
The objective self would be so negative that
all the positive energy of the psychic power
would be diverted to an attempt at rehabilitating the destroyed tissues. The pain or resultant suffering would make one insensible
to the finer impressions or psychic impulses
from the psychic centers and sympathetic
nervous system. True meditation, necessary
for attunement with the higher aspects of
self-consciousness, which we cali the psychic,
would be most difficult. When one is ill,
it is difficult to relax sufficiently to become
conscious of the subtle psychic impressions.
What would be the effect on the spiritual
growth to which the frater refers, if heavy
smoking eventually does affect the health in
the manner claimed? A brief consideration
of what is meant by spiritual growth is nec
essary to answer this question. Ordinarily,
this means conformity to ones moral dictates
or what is commonly called conscience. It
means behavior which stems from a sense
of rectitude which the individual believes
brings him into closer attunement with the
God of his Heart. Spirituality is thus objectified in ones habits and character. To
some of us, spiritual conduct as interpreted
by others seems fanatical. However, what
ever a man does in accordance with his
most noble and divine promptings is conceived as spiritual to him. The way in
which he acts is not divinely prompted. His
actions are in conformity with his education,
his intelligence, and his environment. If
ones health is seriously affected, he is not
able to think as clearly or to have that
illumination which amounts to spiritual
growth.
Let us make one point clear. Whatever
you do to your body can in no way contaminate the divine essence of your being.
It is impossible for one to degrade the soul
essence. Fortunately, such is beyond the

DECEMBER, 1953

reach of our somatic influences. However,

ill-health can and does restrict to a great
extent the flow of the psychic and divine
power, such as inspiration or intuitive ideas,
into the objective consciousness. Rather, we
should say that serious illness can prevent
ones having consciousness of the transcendent aspects of self. To better understand this,
let us use a homely analogy. No ones
blindness can change the symmetry of a
rose, its beautiful form and shape, or the
wave bands of light which it gives off and
which are realized as magnificent color by
one with normal sight. Blindness does, how
ever, prevent one from being conscious of
these qualities of the rose.
From the Rosicrucian point of view, there
is no immoral or sinful quality attached to
the habit of smoking, as is often proclaimed
by religionists. These persons declare that
that which is sought for pleasure in itself,
which satisfies an appetite and which is not
absolutely essential is, consequently, a vice.
From their point of reasoning, that which is
sought as pleasure must always be of a
spiritual or divine quality. Such is absurd
and unnatural. The body must have a har
mony of its feelings or we have distraction.
With distraction, contemplation and medita
tion upon spiritual vales is impossible.
These same religionists, who renounce smok
ing, will, for example, seek out a comfortable
chair because of the ease and pleasure it
affords their body. They will embellish
foods with spices because this enhances the
flavor and adds pleasure to their eating. In
fact, they enjoy confections which are not
essential either to nourishment or health.
There is, therefore, no evil content in seeking pleasures unless they destroy the body,
inhibit the mind, or menace society.X Recognize the Humanitariati
Two general types of news domnate the
press today. The first is crime. The crim
inal is both individual and organized so
ciety. There is the thief, the murderer, on
the one hand; and, on the other, there is
the outlaw nation that defies all decency
and dignity in its tyrannical oppression. The
behavior of these criminis is sensational and
commands reader interest in the press of the
world. The second general type of news
is the acclamation of spectacular events and

Page 57

personalities. These personalities may be

called heroes, prominent industrialists, or
others whose activities have a particular ap
peal to the imagination.
Unfortunately, entirely unsung or per
haps given only mediocre space in the daily
journals, are those men and women who
have contributed to the welfare of humanity
in simple and less spectacular ways. Their
kindness and sacrifices, their desire to help
and to advance mankind often goes unnoticed. In many instances their services for
humanity are more far-reaching than those
of the personalities whose activities have
commanded several columns in the local
press, and a photograph as well. These
other persons perform their multitudinous
deeds for neither reward or fee but merely
because they are prompted to do so for love
of their fellows.
What are the deeds these true humanitarians perform? They may be instrumental
in establishing nonsectarian youth centers in
their communities to keep teenagers off the
streets; they may help to organize care for
unwed mothers and their children. Perhaps
they give considerable time to victims of
the alcoholic habit or carry on educational
campaigns in various ways to arouse public
interest in mental hygiene. These people,
humble and often unheralded, are the fabric
of any real civilization. There is no glamor
surrounding them, or any medals, waving
of flags or playing of bands to acclaim their
accomplishments.
How much worse would society be if it
were not for the percentage of such selfsacrificing people in each community? Most
of us do not have the time, or preferably
ux>rt take the time to do what they do.
Indirectly, we hear of their work, sometimes
through some inconspicuous article in a
newspaper or joumal. We then nod our
heads approvingly as we read, but do we
let them know what we think of what they
have done? They are human. Their satis
faction is not just in a job well done. They
would like to know that others admire and
respect them for their unselfish accomplish
ments. Some recognition would inspire
them to greater attainment. If they leam
of our approval, they then would know that
they have our moral support.
The Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, is a humanitarian organization. We are striving

Page 58

to enlighten mankind, to advance society,

and to make the world better because man
has lived. It behooves us, then, to encourage
all true humanitarians, whether Rosicrucians
or notand regardless of race, nationality
or creed. In line with this principie, about
a year ago, we prepared a certifcate of rec
ognition to be conferred upon all whom we
cali Humanists. Every man or woman
who has performed some outstanding service
in his communitya service which displays
an impersonal desire to alleviate suffering
or generally to raise the moral standing of
societyhas received that small but beautiful certifcate from AMORC. Accompanying it is a personal letter, commenting upon
the achievements and stating that, as a hu
manitarian organization, AMORC honors
the recipient as a Humanist. These certificates, issued both in English and Spanish,
have been presented to worthy individuis
throughout the United States, the British
Commonwealth, and the Latin-American na
tions. Fine letters of appreciation, express
ing happinss in being so recognized for
their undertakings have come from almost
all of those who received certificates.
How do we learn of these Humanists?
Our fratres and sorores have advised us. At
first, we asked only a limited number of
Rosicrucians, as for example, our District
Commissioners, to suggest the ames of those
who met our qualifications for such recog
nition. Now, we ask every Rosicrucian liv
ing anywhere to inform us of any man or
woman whom he or she thinks has so served
humanity recently as to warrant this meritorious certifcate as a Humanist. Here is
how you may help:
(1) In reading your daily newspapers, note any act, no matter how small,
of any individual who is conducting
any cultural, charitable, or otherwise
unselfish service for humanity, and who
lives in or near your city. Do not select
those who are paid employees of some
institution carrying on that type of
work, or clergymen whose duty it is to
perform such acts.
(2) Send us the individuals complete
ame and address, also all particulars
available to you as to the service he is
rendering.
(3) This information, of course, may
be obtained from other channels to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

which you have access, such as radio

announcements, televisin programs,
periodicals, bulletins, etc., that are
brought to your attention.
(4)
Do not provide ames and ad
dresses of persons who are distinguished
in the performance of their regular occupation or profession. We want the
ames of those who are doing things
that go beyond the scope of their usual
obligations, jobs, etc. It is one thing
to make good in your trade or profes
sion, but it is still another to do some
thing in addition to it, or from which
you could expect no corresponding bene
fit. The latter are the true Humanists.
Any ames yu send from time to time
will be acknowledged to you, as well as
the forwarding of the certificates and letter
direct to the individuis themselves.X
Catholicism vs. Rosicrucianism
It is necessary at times, in the defense of
right and of freedom of speech and thought,
to make unpleasant circumstances public.
The Rosicrucian Order throughout its long
history, and especially in modern times, has
not been a sectarian fraternity. It advocates
no particular form of worship of the deity.
It leaves worship to the individual conception
of God had by the member. It urges the
Rosicrucian to affiliate, if he can do so with
justice to his own conceptions, with some
church of his preference. The Rosicrucian
Order expounds no dogma or procedure for
the salvation of the individual, again leaving
those matters to the varied realms of theology. It pays homage to no single messiah
or religious founder, again recognizing the
right of the individual to evalate the virtues
of each of the traditional adepts of the nu
merous living world religions.
The Rosicrucian Order, as a philosophical
movement, has long contended that a uni
versal religin is not possible unless there
be also a universal spiritual awakening and
comprehension on the part of humanity. A
mans religin cannot transcend the level of
his spiritual consciousness and the breadth of
his mental visin. Thus, each individual
gravitates to an objective expression of his
subjective spiritual inclinations. Each re
ligin serves in its way those who gravitate
to it. Consequently, as Max Muller, the

DECEMBER, 1953

famed ethnologist, has so succinctly stated:

There never was a false god or was there
ever really a false religin, unless you cali
a child a false man.
With this tolerant attitude, the Rosicru
cian Order has had cross its threshold, in
almost every land, thousands of men and
women of nearly every religious sect and
an equal number who had no church affiliation. Obviously, many of our philosoph
ical doctrines are contiguous to subjects
also embraced by religious doctrines. This
in no sense has made of the A.M.O.R.C. a re
ligious body. For analogy, almost all the
leading universities and colleges have courses
in comparative religin and yet such are not
religious institutions. A comprehensive study
of Western and Oriental philosophy would
embrace topics which also approach those
of the religious domain and yet schools of
philosophy or university courses in the same
cannot be correctly defined as religious in
stitutions.
It is to be expected that the Rosicrucian
consideration of such subjects as morality,
conscience, ontology, and related topics
would not be compatible with the views of
some of the religious sects. If our doctrines
were to parallel or in every respect confirm
those of some religious sect, obviously, then,
there would be no need for the existence of
the Rosicrucian Orderor of any philosophi
cal organization. Where our concepts have
differed from theological views, it was an
honest difference of opinion not intended to
attack, criticize, or deride the views of others.
We can say with assurance and with pride
that the Rosicrucian Order has never, in its
manuscripts issued to members, in literature
for public consumption, or in any of its
periodicals, attacked any religious movement
or group.
Down through the centuries, the Rosicru
cian Order has been the victim of persecution by the Romn Catholic Church. This
persecution has taken the form of false and
misleading articles by the Church, through
its religious orders, appearing in periodicals,
pamphlets, and newspapers. Though some
of the periodicals were not published in the
ame of the Church, they were journals approved by the Church. Almost all such ar
ticles were signed by clergymen of the
Church, from priests to bishops, and by
members of the Society of Jess.

Page 59

The majority of such literature purports

to admonish the Catholic layman about the
evils and dangers of Rosicrucian member
ship. What is malicious in connection with
such activities is not their disapproval of
Rosicrucianism, but rather the distortion of
facts, constituting absolute falsehoods.
The Jesuit Society, which prides itself on
being the intellectual spokesman of Catholicism and which has access to reliable sources
of information, is most guilty in its attacks
on the Rosicrucian Order by presenting a
fabrication of misstatement. It is generally
conceded among persons with a normal sense
of justice that the suppression of any fact,
which alters the statement being made, con
stitutes malice aforethought. The Romn
Church literature on the Rosicrucian Order
and its activities, or that issued in its ame,
is replete with such omissions. As a result
the Rosicrucian Order, we say, is intentionally placed in a false light to Romn Catholic
readers who accept the Churchs literature
as authoritative and accurate.
Every organization, cultural, philosophical,
and religious, has its enemies of this the
Romn Church has personal experience particularly in Communist countries. The Rosi
crucian Order is no exception. Individuis
and groups have maligned and vilified it.
Their charges have been as acrimonious as
they have been unfounded. The Romn
Church or its spokesmen have seemingly delighted in taking these malicious and mendacious charges and publicizing them as
though they were facts. It has published
allegations by individuis which have never
ventured to a court of law. It has made
such charges appear as current events. To
Catholic readers it would seem as though
the matters were pending and, further, as
if the Rosicrucian Order had been proved
guilty of the charges. There would be no
mention of the defense made by the Rosi
crucian Order in repudiating the charges
even though such information were readily
accessible from the same sources as the
charges.
In other instances, critical and sensational
attacks made in isolated periodicals upon the
Rosicrucian Order have been published in
Catholic literature. No mention was made
of the fact that the attacking periodical had
gone out of business years ago and had
failed in any way to substantiate its charges.

Page 60

Recently, a new series of such attacks

has been made upon the Rosicrucian Order
without justification, except that the Rosi
crucian Order exists. The attacks are beneath the level of principie and decency of
any Christian sect. They are more what
would be expected of an unscrupulous merchant who was envious of what he thought
to be a competitor for his clientele. It is
most amazing that the Romn Church,
which is itself crying out in alarm to the
world about its persecution by Communism,
indulges persecution of others in its own
ame. In the democratic countries, as the
United States, the Romn Church, in its
public proclamations, would appear as a
staunch supporter of democratic principies. It
speaks of bringing back to the countries be
hind the Iron Curtain religious freedomit
prays that it may once again flourish in
such countries as Czechoslovakia and Poland.
Conversely, however, the Church viciously
attacks the Rosicrucian Order in those very
democratic countries in which its own free
dom has been assured by Rosicrucians and
non-Catholic citizens.
Also in some of this literature by the
Romn Church in which the Rosicrucian
Order is the principal target, there is an
assiduous polemic to prove that the Rosicru
cian Order is a religin. It is pointed out
that, regardless of our statements and our
traditional history, we are nevertheless a
religin. Having then come to that conclu
sin, they condemn us. In other words, in
the West where religious freedom is a domi
nant precept of all the constitution of those
countries, we are attacked because we are
thought to be a religin. Is it not rather
inconsistent to advcate the need for religious
freedom in countries dominated by Com
munism and, on the other hand, for the
Church to make a vice of what they con
ceive as our religious difference?
We have consistently refused heretofore to
acknowledge these attackswhich are increasing in numberbut feel that our mem
bers should now hear the other side. In
literature issued by the Romn Church all
Catholics who are members of the Rosicru
cian Order are threatened with excommunication, for to be a member of the A.M.O.R.C.
is marked as a deadly sin. Whether having
an open mind and receiving truth wherever
it may be found is a sin, the Catholic must

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

decide for himself. He may be free in his

thinking or be restricted to predigested opinions issued by medieval authority, whichever he prefers. We cannot, however, remain
silent when, accompanying such attacks,
are false statements about the history,
purposes and functions, of the Rosicrucian
Order. We have never attacked those of a
different opinion but we will always be militant in our own defense as long as the prevailing laws of the countries in which the
A.M.O.R.C. flourishes, tolerate freedom of
conscience and expression of opinion.X
Three Phases of Rosicrucian Philosophy
We can apply the law of the triangle to
many things, and basically also to the Rosi
crucian teachings. They are, after all, the
foundation upon which we try to build a
personal philosophy. We must necessarily
contribute to that basis or else it would have
no particular valu for us insofar as an in
dividual application of the teachings is con
cemed.
Readers of the Rosicrucian Forum and stu
dents that have carefully studied the mono
graphs hardly need to be informed that the
Rosicrucian teachings have three specific
phasesthe intellectual, the practical, and
the psychic. In many courses of study, in
many systems of thought, and in many
forms of teaching, one or two, or even occasionally all three, of these factors will be
found, but it is within the philosophy of the
Rosicrucians as it has been devised in our
monographs of the present time that a prac
tical application of these three phases has
been utilized and the ability of the individual
to comprehend that which is taught is made
possible through these three channels.
It is not a new concept for us when we
repeat that fundamentally these three fac
tors must enter into the composition of the
individuals mental outlook. Or, to put it
in another form, these three factors are what
brings about a philosophical and mystical
concept within the consciousness of the in
dividual. It is impossible to elimnate any
one of them. There are many people who
try to do so; they try to base their whole
concept of learning, their whole basis of
belief or experience, upon one or two of
these factors, thinking that it is unnecessary
to follow through and to apply all three.
Actually, balance is needed; it is essential

DECEMBER, 1953

that each of the principies and each of the

things which contribute to the particular
concept involved in each be applied specifically to the individual enabling him to
grasp that which he wishes to attain.
The first of the concepts, the intellectual,
is of course, to a great extent, fundamental.
We must learn a great deal from all that
we are able to grasp in consciousness through
the physical sense faculties. In other words,
it is necessary for us to bring into the ob
jective consciousness much of the knowledge
that we are to utilize in any form. The
gaining of knowledge is fundamental to any
system of thought or philosophy. This in
cludes languagethe formulation of words
into phrases that make sense. Intellectually,
we must grasp the principies that are taught
to us, mainly as they have been devised
through the experience of other individuis.
Without the intellectual background, we
would be unable to even read the things
that other people have studied and have put
into a form which we may be able to grasp
more quickly than we could if we had to
formlate the whole system ourselves.
Therefore, while everything upon the in
tellectual level is purely in the sphere of the
objective and something to be primarily
learned in the objective consciousness, it is
no less important because of its objectivity.
Objective knowledge is important because we
must grasp it insofar as consciousness is con
cerned.
Second to the intellectual concept is the
practical. The practical phase of learning
applies to experience. What we may gain
in the intellectual sense becomes worth while
only insofar as we are able to utilize it.
Our acquisition of knowledge is not of itself
anything to be used for a purpose that may
bring benefit or enjoyment to us. The prac
tical application or use of that knowledge is
what makes it effective in the life of the
individual.
Intellectual factors, therefore, have no
valu until they are applied. Knowledge in
itself is worthless. It is conceivable that
we could memorize great units of knowledge
and yet be unable to do anything with those
same units unless we made the effort of
putting them into use.
Intellectually and practically, the human
race has advanced to a high level. When
we consider the youth of the country, those

Page 61

who gradate from high schools and colleges,

and see the tremendous amount of intel
lectual material and the practical application
that has been made of that material, we
realize how effective our modern system of
education has become in equipping the aver
age adult with knowledge and the means for
its utilization.
But if we are to give our attention pri
marily to a philosophy, to a practical psy
chology of life, or to the understanding of
those principies which are on the basis of
a mystical concept, it is important to go a
step beyond the intellectual and the prac
tical. The final grasp of a philosophy of
life, the inner development and growth of
the self that is resident within consciousness,
comes through a third factor which is neither
complete in an intellectual sense or can it
be completely utilized in a practical sense
until it is felt. This factor is the process of
psychic development, and it is through the
feeling that comes in the utilization of mans
emotional experience and abilities that he is
able to intimately make as part of his own
consciousness those things which intellect
ually and practically may be drilled into
him through a system of instruction.
It is what we know and what we are able
to utilize potentially that contains all the
attributes of those things which contribute
to the necessities of life in the physical
sense; that is, the knowledge and the use of
that knowledge makes it possible for us to
eam a living, to drive a car, to enjoy our
selves, or to do anything that requires knowl
edge and experience. The possession of
knowledge and experience has meaning and
inspires confidence, happinss, and peace of
mind. There must also enter into or be
added to consciousness the feeling that comes
to the individual when he is able to encompass within his own being those factors
which cause him to realize that there is
more to life than the mere accumulation of
knowledge within the mind and the applica
tion of that knowledge as it applies to the
physical world in which he lives.
The emotions are as much a part of the
human being as are the physical senses or
the physical organs of the body. We change
everything that comes into consciousness
through the influence of the way we feel
about things. Even what we learn is modified by how we feel, and our ability to learn

Page 62

is definitely modified by our approach and

feeling toward any new idea or subject.
It is through the process of ritual and
initiation that the psychic factors of the Rosi
crucian philosophy become known to us. We
have stated many times, and will probably
do so many times in the future, that the
Rosicrucian teachings, the monographs which
constitute the form in which we receive the
teachings, could be read repeatedly and continuously by any intelligent adult and a cer
tain amount of intellectual and practical
knowledge be gained, but that which changes
the individual from a mere machine, learn
ing by rote or fixed knowledge, to an indi
vidual who senses that he is on a different
level from the physical animal or on a level
above a mere accumulation of intellectual
facts is due to the feeling that accompanies
the knowledge which we are able to learn
and to apply. This is best expressed by the
performance of ritual.
Ritual tends to bring into the conscious
ness of the participant or to him who witnesses the performance of ritual all the emo
tional overtones, all the feelings that come
through seeing the grandeur of pageantry,
the perfection of trained movement and ac
tivity. When these activities present allegorically certain principies that the individ
ual is trying to achieve, then ritual, in all
its forms, becomes an initiation in the sense
that the individuals consciousness is lifted
above the level of a mere acquisition of
knowledge and is put into effect.
Purely objective or material things need
be approached only in the intellectual fashion; that is, we can conceivably exist successfully and cope with the various princi
pies of the external world if we have the
proper objective and intellectual capacity
and knowledge to deal with them. But
when we wish to go beyond anything of a
purely objective or material nature, when
we wish to raise our consciousness to a point
where it may come in contact with prin
cipies and conditions that lie beyond the
material world, then comes the realization
that the intellectual and the practical are
not enough. The most intelligent individual
that ever lived, the individual most efficient
in the use of that intelligence, cannot solve
the problems that eventually confront every
individual at some time in life.
Spiritual or psychic evolution requires the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

emotional approach to all problems. It is

through the emotions that we become per
sonally able to experience those things which
raise us above the level of a mere intellectual
entity and give us the basis where we can,
through other mdiums of perception, gain
an outlook that goes beyond the view of the
physical senses and carries us into the con
cept that is encompassed by Cosmic Con
sciousness.A.
Is Intuition Reliable?
Here are two fratres, one in Caada, and
the other in the State of Washington, rising
to ask similar questions. The frater in
Washington says: I would like a clarification of the matters of intuition, impulses,
the Voice of the Guardian, and reason.
Then, the frater in Caada asks: I would
like to know if ones intuition can answer
any question asked? I have been practicing
exercises for developing this intuition and it
seems to be working less accurately than
when I first started.
From the broadest, metaphysical point of
view, intuition is synonymous with Cosmic,
or Universal Mind. This expounds that the
Universal Mind as an Intelligence, permeates every cell of our being and is thus accessible as an infinite wisdom. From this
contention, if one is capable of making con
tact with this sublime source of knowledge,
he has an infallible guidance. Continuing
further with the metaphysical conception of
intuition, it is held that all things are allpotential in the Cosmic Mind, and are of it.
Therefore, there is nothing conceivable by
man that is not already a perfected reality
existing in the Cosmic Mind. Consequently,
by referring to his intuition, he would here
have an answer to any question, even if the
elements of the question did not have any
correspondemos in the objective world.
This conception of Cosmic Mind and in
tuition, though fundamentally correct, does
need further qualification or the student is
likely to become confused by failure in prac
tice. The Cosmic Mind does not contain
within it all the particular things or details
of human knowledge and experience. It does
not consist, for example, of a vast reservoir
in which all technical terminology and facts
may be had as one would find in a textbook
dealing with a specific subject. In other
words, the Cosmic Mind must not be com

DECEMBER, 1953

pared to an invisible library of source in

formation. When referring to, or seeking
intuitive guidance, it is not comparable to
Consulting a book upon a shelf, a book in
which would be found the complete knowl
edge we desire.
For analogy, we may liken the intuition
to a superintelligence or higher judgment.
It does not contain the elements of human
experience, the particulars of some science
or art; but, rather, it is an exalted form of
evaluation. It determines for us whether
our reasoning is sound and it confirms it
if it is so, by a sense of conviction. It
likewise inspires, and the result is what we
cali hunches. These take the form of a reorganization of our ideas or conceptions,
a new association of thoughts which has such
self-evidence that they impel us to action,
and in the majority of instances result in
success.
For better analysis of this functioning of
intuition, we will liken it to a human counselor to whom one may refer regarding some
technical problem. Perhaps one has two
plans in mind for a certain enterprise. His
reason is unable to convince him sufficiently
as to which plan is proper. So, he confers
with this wise counselor. The latter looks
at his plans and selects one, advising him
that this is the proper one. The counselor
does not necessarily go into a long explanation as to how he arrived at his selection
or conclusin. One is content to accept the
counselors conclusin upon the basis of his
authority. So, too, it is with intuition.
For further analogy, one may have a prob
lem for which he has no solution. He goes
to a learned technical adviser; the adviser
listens to the explanation of the difficulty.
He then may say that this, or that, should
be done. What he relates may not be com
pletely a new knowledge to the one who
consults him. It may consist of things al
ready known but which had not been re
lated to the problem at hand by the one
who consulted him. Consequently, the one
who sought consultation is left to work out
the details himself. He has had suggested to
him how he may marshal his own ideas and
experiences so as to compose an effective
plan. Again, we say, so also does intuition
function.
Reason must precede intuition in most in
stances, and must follow it as well. If we

Page 63

were to resort constantly to intuition with

out referring to our reason, this latter faculty
would soon atrophy. It is part of our psy
chological process that intuition rarely func
tions without reason first having been ap
plied. It appears that reason stimulates the
latent subsconscious processes of the Cosmic
Mind within is. It is only when reason labors
without success and is finally temporarily abandoned that the unfinished work is
carried on by the subconscious processes of
the Cosmic Mind, or intuition. It is like
referring a legal question to a higher court
for an ultimate decisin. When intuition
floods the consciousness with illuminated
ideas, reason is required for its subsequent,
intelligent application. Since intuition is an
exalted or super kind of judgment, obviously
it would not oppose any rational procedure
for its application. One cannot abandon good
common sense in putting into effect the in
tuitive ideas.
There are those who say: My intuitive
ideas were completely counter to my reason.
If I had followed my reason, I would have
failed. This is true only when reason has
failed and intuition takes over. // reason
had been correct in its conclusions, one
would not have a counter idea through intui
tion. Of course, one can obstinately shut
out intuition or fail to heed its impressions.
Thus, one may be working on a problem,
trying to rationalize it, which we should do,
and suddenly there is flashed into conscious
ness a conception which discloses that the
reasoned idea is erroneous. One may be obdurate enough to insist on his objective con
clusions, completely abandoning the more
lucid intuitive impressions. In such in
stances, of course, one would fail.
It would seem that intuition is the func
tion of superior reasoning, a more profound
faculty that transcends the finite reasoning.
Intuition can correlate, associate, and project
ideas which are given it in a much more
effective manner than can reason. It is also
apparent that a pre-work must be accom
plished by reason. Intuition will not begin
with an unformulated conception. It must
be set into motion by the sincere effort of
conscious thought. Then, it proceeds to find
a harmonious relationship between ideas, and
it is for this reason that intuitive ideas seem
so self-evident and arouse no doubt.
Unless one has really labored with reason

Page 64

upon a problem, it will not stimulate his

intuition. Petty matters which are not of
great concern, or which just arouse our
curiosity, will not evoke the intuitive proc
esses. At times the individual will confuse
thoughts arising out of his free association
of ideas with intuitive impressions. He may
follow these thoughts, only to be disappointed; he may wrongly conclude as a result
that intuition has failed him. Thus, a person may be thinking of a particular problem
and a different idea will come to the fore
of consciousness. He immediately concludes
that this new and different idea is intuitive.
It may be ineffectual, and he having be
lieved that it carne from intuition, thinks
that intuition has failed him. An intuitive
idea is not just that which is different or
even one which suddenly appears on the
horizon of consciousness. The true intuitive
idea may be truly likened to illumination.
The mind is freed of all doubt. It is sud
denly enlightened. It is instantly relieved
of tensin. All other thought upon the sub
ject not only appears radically different but
erroneous by comparison. There is such
clarity associated with the intuitive impres
sion that it imbues one with absolute con
viction. Unless your impressions are of this
kind, they are not from an intuitive source.
Intuitive impressions may be called at
times: the voice of conscience, the inner
guardian, the. Cosmic Mind, or, the unfinished work of the subconscious mind, but
in effect, these are all of the same procedure.

_X

Self and Selflessness

Each conscious entity strives toward the
realization of self. By this we mean that
every entity that thinks tries to understand
its own existence. Someone who has given
considerable thought to the subject of self
and its position in life and environment has
asked whether this process of attempting to
realize self could, in the final analysis, be
the real purpose of life; in other words, is
it true that we live primarily for the pur
pose of realizing our own being?
The most complex of all psychological
factors is that which is included in self. The
whole of the study of psychology concerns
the relationship of an entity, that is, of a
self, to its environment. Also, it concerns
the means by which the entity relates itself
to an environment, as well as the continuity

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of reason that is established within the ex

istence of the self. In a sense we might say
that self has to be related to self. This,
upon first examination, does not seem to
make sense, but a little analysis makes s
realize that every thinking human being is
making an attempt to reconcile his own
thinking -to his own aspirations, wishes,
hopes, or desires. All of us live with the
hope to succeed in an understanding of what
our situation in life is, what we are here
for, and how we can best accomplish that
which we believe to be a worthy aspira tion.
To become completely familiar with that
which is in us or makes us an individual
entity, the I that we refer to ourselves as
being, is a long step in realizing the purpose
of existence and the ultimate end or destiny
of all being. In the consideration of self
and selflessness, we must not necessarily in
terpret these two terms insofar as they might
apply to selfishness and altruism. These
concepts do not necessarily fit into the psy
chological discussion of self and selflessness.
The word selfishness is taken from the
word self; or, rather, it is a modification of
that word, having to do with an entirely
different behavior pattern or system than
does the psychological realization of self as
a developing and conscious entity.
It is difficult to isolate self. When we
refer to self, we think vaguely of the whole
pattern constituting the consciousness within
our own being at the moment. The mental
content of our mind, the attitude, the char
acter, the behavior that makes us what we
think we are in the sense that we are in
dividual entities is all included in what
might be referred to as self. Self, then, is
a word which encompasses such a vast
complexity of behavior, of thinking, of mem
ory, of the various pattems making up the
totality of individual existence, that it is
little wonder that the word has been given
different interpretations by almost everyone
who has ever attempted to define it. Re
gardless of the viewpoint with which the
word is approached, be it psychologically, religiously, philosophically, or purely biologi
cal, there exists no definition of self that is
acceptable to all points of view.
At any conscious moment, we are aware
of self. We are incapable of realizing how
consciousness would be possible without self.
Regardless of where we may be or what we

DECEMBER, 1953

may be doing, in the center of consciousness,

even though not necessarily always at the
center of attention, there is the awareness of
the existence of self. Everything that we
perceive, our every thought, or in other
words, every change that takes place in our
minds is related to the existence of self. We
live as individual self-units, consciously or
unconsciously, measuring every phenom
enon, or occurrence, in terms of that self
because, after all, it is the thing in which
we are the most involved or interested.
There is danger of overdoing this. We
can live to the point where self becomes so
much a conscious burden to us that we can
think of nothing else. As long as we are so
involved in self that we cannot take into
consideration anything else, nothing very im
portant can happen to us or nothing of
significance can occur in our environment
that will add to our pleasure of living or
to our general advancement.
Selflessness is a state of being in which
one does not consider himself as the most
important factor in existence or as the center
of the universe. Because we are normally
so conscious and aware of self, we seldom
think of selflessness aside from an absolute
state of dreamless sleep or a state of unconsciousness. We are constantly placing emphasis on self, and obviously everything that
we do and everything that we consider is
in those terms. If we approach the subject
of self and selflessness from a mystical rather
than from a purely psychological viewpoint,
we may cast some light upon the subject of
whether or not self should have the continued undivided attention that it so fre
quently has during the time that we are
conscious entities, or if it should at times
be subordinated to a secondary consideration.
The self is referred to in many sacred
writings. In some it has been made an
important factor in the development of the
individual human being or consciousness. In
others it is referred to merely in the sense
of being another or a synonymous word to
take the place of I. The religious and
mystical interpretations vary greatly in var
ious places and at various times. Just as
psychological terminology is always subject
to the viewpoint of the individual using it,
so the word self is used in different ways.
There is an interesting tradition, or it
may be a myth, concerning self and selfless

Page 65

ness related in the Chandogya Upanishad.

In this ancient document the story is told
of two individuis who sought to realize self.
This story is somewhat of a parable in the
sense that it is similar to the parables of
the New Testament with which Christians
are so familiar. The story tells of two in
dividuis who carne to a teacher with the
idea of gaining a full understanding of self,
and thereby be able to find their place and
purpose in life and in the universe. The
story tells that when they first approached
the teacher, who was to guide them, they
were enthusiastic; and, as any student might
be, they were primarily concerned with becoming teachers themselves once they
learned the truth of self in the human
scheme of things and how the self is related
to the Absolute or to God.
Their teacher instructed them to go to a
lake and look at themselves in the water.
They did this and reported that all they
saw was their reflection. Then the teacher
told them to put on the finest clothing, the
finest things that they owned or to which
they had access, and look again in the water.
They did this and, of course, saw themselves
adorned in the finery which they had been
able to assemble for this purpose. They
were impressed because their reflection was
that of all the glory which they physically,
or at least financially, were able to secure
for themselves.
And so, after admiring their reflections in
this form, they left the teacher and set off
to retum home. One of the individuis, one
of the students as we might cali them, was
completely satisfied. He believed that he
had found the self, that the self is the re
flection of our physical entity, that this
bodily self could be decorated, be enhanced,
and made great and wonderful, and there
fore it could be worshiped. His message to
the human race would be to adom the self,
to satisfy the physical needs of the body, to
satisfy its cravings and its appetites; and,
in so doing, man would gain that which he
sought.
Enthusiastically he repeated these ideas to
the second student, but more and more the
second student thought about it and realized
that what the first had learned might not
be quite true. In fact, the second student
said, As this self seems to be well adorned
when the body is well dressed, so too will it

Page 66

be blind when the body is blind, lame if

the body is lame, deformed if the body is
deformed. This same self will die when
the body dies. There is no good in this
knowledge. The individual saw, or reasoned, that the self which was perceived in
the reflection in the lake was no more than
a temporary entity, one which was subject
to the various vicissitudes of being and in
which an individual could not find permanent satisfaction or gain.
So the second student retumed to the
teacher. The teacher was indulgent; he
saw that at least one of his pupils had
thought beyond the reflection of a physical
object. According to the story, the teacher
required him to live not far from his
school for thirty-two years while he studied.
During this time, the teacher instructed
him in the various principies that would lead
to a fuller comprehension of self. The teach
er revealed to the student that in dreams
an individual might find self, but the stu
dent carne to the conclusin that this self
too was not true since in its dreams it was
still conscious of pain and pleasure; or was
the true self realized in sleep without dreams,
since such a condition is the equivalent of
annihilation, and annihilation of self would
be of no valu and would not contribute to
realization.
But after further study, the second student
carne to a more important realization, and
in the ancient scriptures we read, This body
is mortal, f orever in the clutch of deth, but
within it resides the self, immortal and with
out form. This self through its association
in consciousness with the body is subject
to pleasure and pain, and so long as this
association contines no man can find free
dom from pain and pleasure. But when
association comes to an end, there is an end
also of pain and pleasure. Rising above the
physical consciousness, knowing the self as
distinct from the sense organs and the mind,
knowing the Absolute in the true light, one
rejoices, and one is free.
And so the second student carne to realize
that the real self is not a physical entity, but
something that resides in the physical, and
that only as long as the self is associated
in consciousness with the body it is subject
to pleasure and pain. When the association
is ended, then both pain and pleasure end.
These feelings, these responses to environ

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ment, are purely a measure of physical standards. And so, in the end, this student learned
that Having realized his own self, man becomes selfless. Through selflessness he has no
part in pleasure or pain but attains absoluteness.
Selflessness is the realization that we are
more than what the objective consciousness
causes us to seem to be. This means that
as we are able to expand consciousness be
yond the limitations of our objective mind,
we mingle with the forces that reside on a
plae higher than that of which we are
familiar while physical human beings. Man
is therefore body and soul. The body is
physical; the soul is spiritual. The self is
the consciousness of the physical body; the
inner self is the consciousness of the soul.
To attain dominion over this physical self
is to expand our consciousness to include at
least some awareness of the inner self. The
inner self is a part of the forc that transcends all physical being, and through it we
can attain a degree of selflessness because
of its relationship with that power or forc
which is greater than we as individual entities can hope to be in this physical uni
verse.A.
Rosicrucianism and Psychology
A frater from Florida now addresses our
Forum. He says: Permit me to bring be
fore the Forum a subject I feel is appropriate in these times. To mention the sub
ject of psychology today is to mention a
spectrum, as it were, of psychological sub
jects. It seems to parallel the all-inclusive
and most general term science, in point of
definition at least. These facts prompt me
to apologize in advance for what may seem
a loose usage of these terms. Will you
please make a comparison between psychol
ogy and Rosicrucianism from the standpoint
of developing the mental and physical potentials of the individual?
Psychology says, Follow me. I will clear
your beclouded mind of mental blocks, neuroses, complexes, repressions, aberrations and
illusions, and your body of toothaches,
asthma and constipation. Let me make of
you a whole individual from your divided
parts.
Rosicrucianism says, Follow me. I will
show you the road to understanding the uni
verse. And on this road there may be

DECEMBER, 1953

found ways of developing your every po

tential and mastering the deterrents of your
mind and body. One course promises a
method to edcate the ego; the other, the
way to illuminate it.
In my opinion, the frater has an excellent
conception of the essential functions of both
academic psychology and the doctrines of the
Rosicrucian Order. The essence of the sub
ject is to elucidate the relationship which
Rosicrucianism and psychology may have to
each other and the valu of such relationship
to man. Primarily, the purpose of psychol
ogy is a study of the human mind so far
as its function is concemed. Psychology
cannot fail, of course, to also include a work
ing knowledge of the physiology of the ner
vous systems, the receptor organs, and the
brain itself. Though natomy and physiology
are separate sciences, psychology leans heavily upon an understanding of the structure
of those organs which are related to the
functioning of the mind.
The normal mind is a statistical conclu
sin rather than an absolute pattern. It can
only be arrived at by careful observation of
a great number of persons under similar cir
cumstances, such as the impact of more or
less the same environmental factors. We
know that certain influences adapt or con
dition one to a particular kind of behavior.
Persons exposed to a like environment would,
therefore, develop a norm of their kind.
Such a normal, however, would obviously
not be consistent with the normal of a dis
similar body of persons. Psychology, never
theless, must accept such averages and then
determine what causes deviations from them.
When the deviations are extreme, they con
stitute the mental blocks, aberrations, and
neuroses to which the frater refers.
The norm might be advanced, the func
tioning of the mind accelerated, or at least
not inhibited, if the conceptions had by the
masses of the people were to be changed.
The psychologist is not necessarily a philosopher, a theologian, or a sociologist. It is
not to be expected that he will enter into
abstraction on what constitutes the ideal so
ciety, or the philosophical interpretation of
good and evil, or the nature of the Cosmic
and mans place in it. However, these con
ceptions do definitely affect the state of mind

Page 67

of large masses of people. They produce a

norm which often is the result of deep inhibitions by fears, arising out of religious
misconceptions and false notions of lifes
vales and relationships. Numerous persons
have been greatly distracted, for example,
by the fear of death induced by religious
concepts. They have had severe guilt complexes for acts committed and for which they
believe they cannot make adequate compen
sation until after death. In comparison with
people of different mental views, these unfortunate persons may be said to be ab
normal. Their minds are, however, not
functioning properly if one takes into con
sideration the factors which becloud their
thinking and unnecessarily agitate them
emotionally.
It is the obligation, the avowed purpose
of the Rosicrucian Order, as a philosophical
fratemity, to disclose the false notions which
thousands of persons inherit as religious or
social traditions. There are many words
which, standing alone without proper qualification, create illusions which confound and
inhibit the individual. These misconceptions
frstrate the individual. They restrict the
full potential of his powers. These concep
tions often descend to him with an aura of
tradition and he may even believe it would
be a sacrilege to renounce them. Psychology
often includes among its teachers and researchers those who have not too definite an
understanding of these very relationships,
because they lie beyond the frontier of their
own science. Then, too, these teachers and
researchers are often dependent upon finan
cial. support from those very institutions or
sources of our modern society whose expositions and notions are at fault. The remedy,
then, so far as removing detrimental factors
in human relations is concerned, must rest
upon others.
The Rosicrucian Order, as a philosophical
system, does not seek to concntrate upon a
single field of knowledge or science. Its
valu is the unifying or the integrating of
many factors. It seeks to coordinate all
major human experiences. It desires to put
in order mans understanding of his own
ego, the world in which he lives, his obligations to his fellows or society, and to show
him his dependence upon nature. It further

Page 68

seeks to help man to form an intelligent

healthful interpretation of his moral im
pulses. If these three, God or the Cosmic,
nature, and man, are so related that the
mind can move freely to a consideration of
one or another of them and live in harmony
with each of them, the task of the psychologist can then he made much simpler.
The Rosicrucian Order endeavors to show
that the human ego is not confined to the
immediate person, though its function lies
there. The ego is an extensin of Cosmic
forces upon which man is dependent. What
man is, even his personality, is a construct
of the elements of the world in which he
lives. It consists of that which is visible
and invisible, animate and inanimate, finite
and infinite. Further, the ego is not only
dependent upon extemalities but it also extends itself to create factors which may react
upon it favorably or otherwise. Our think
ing, our notions about ourselves and of the
universe and God, create conditions that we
have to live with. If they are fearsome,
brutal or unrealistic, they return to us as
unpleasant experiences and circumstances
which mold our personalities and restrict the
pleasure of living.
The Rosicrucian Order embodies many ele
ments of academic psychology in its teach
ings. In fact, many topics included for years
in the Rosicrucian psychology have only in
comparatively recent times been accepted by
outside psychologists. Our views with regard to these topics were at one time
thought too fantastic, too speculative.
Now they are confirmed by the modern research of departments of psychology in leading universities. These departments did not
seek to vindicate the Rosicrucian teachings,
but their parallel findings have proved what
we have taught and have demonstrated.
There still are several principies of Rosi
crucian psychology which remain in the category of the speculative to our contemporary psychologists.
Psychology, as taught in the universities,
is much more comprehensive than that
taught by the AMORC. This is because
their purpose is to present a specialized
science, a single branch of knowledge. Much
of what is so taught, however, would be of
no practical valu to a Rosicrucian member,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

unless he sought a degree in psychology for

the purpose of teaching it or practicing it.
Only those elements of psychology which are
necessary for the all-embracing philosophy
of the Rosicrucian teachings are taught by
AMORC. Those points essential for the
Rosicrucian members understanding of
how his mind functions, in relation to the
important experiences of life, are incorporated in the teachings. This same method is
employed, for example, in our Rosicrucian
teachings on biology. Enough of the de
velopment of life and the functions of living
matter are taught to cause an appreciation
of mans affinity with living things every
where. To go beyond that would be, again,
to specialize and also to deviate from the
objective of coordinating human knowledge
into a philosophy of living.X
Grief at Transition
A frater of the Southern United States
now says: As a Rosicrucian, I am familiar
with the laws of changebut why, in Gods
supreme wisdom, was it necessary to cause
such grief and loneliness on the occasion of
a loved ones transition? In the Divine
scheme was it necessary? If so, why?
We are taught about the divinity of pur
unselfish love but, mystically, we are taught
that it is wrong to attach too much love to
material things. Is it wrong, then, to have
so much love for Gods mansin of the soul
(the body) as to cause such grief and despair
in parting? Surely among the profane it
must cause much uncertainty in their be
lief s.
Grief at death is not instituted by God
or the Cosmic, but rather it is a mortal weaknessand an entirely understandable one
since we are human. We are given emo
tions essential to our feeling of lifes relationships. In fact, without emotions man
would have no spiritual or even moral im
pulses. As psychosomatic beings, we know
that our thoughts can affect our feelings,
emotions, and our physical well-being.
Therefore, limited or negative views can
emotionally disturb us by their restrictions.
Let us look at this question both from the
philosophical and psychological point of
view. Man is capable of a variety of loves.
Regardless of the exalted poetic conception,

PECEMBER, 1953

Page 69

love is an impelling desire. It is a desire for

that which will gratify some urge or appetite
of our composite being. Thus, passions are
a lower form of love. The scale of love ad
vances upward in accordance with the more
expanded self of the individual. All love
is selfish. By this we mean, love is a desire
for that which will satisfy self. In the lower
order, love is limited to the immediate physi
cal pleasures. Then it advances toward those
things which affect that part of the self
which it embraces as its own. The love of
a mother for her child is not psychologically
impersonal any more than a mans love for
his dog. Even the sacrificing love for a
friend is not impersonal. What we enjoy,
what we want, acquires for us the characteristics of intimacy, of a possession. That par
ticular object belongs to us; it is ours, it is
part of our self because of our desire for it.
We do things for our body because of the
pleasure to the physical being; and we do
things for the ego, because they provide us
with confidence and contentmentor, in
other words, a satisfaction of the larger self.

In theory at least, if ones love of the

Divine is profound and is accompanied by
sufficient illumination of the Cosmic order,
then no deep grief would be felt upon the
occasion of the transition of a loved one.
However, men are mortal; their illumination
is not absolute. There is much which they
do not understand. As a result, the severance
of those bonds with loved ones, who are
psychologically a part of themselves, results
in grief. However, there are variations of
grief or rather some forms of it may be
prompted by different conceptions. One
my, for example, grieve for the transition
of a loved one because of fear and ignorance
conceming the afterlife. He or she may
believe that this endeared person may have
to undergo some severe judgment in an aft
erlife and be subject to a great punishment.
This grief then is partly engendered by the
emotion of fear. Others may conceive the
separation at death as a complete severance
with the departed personality, a complete
and final end; in other words, that there
is a permanent loss.

The love of Divinity, of a Supreme Being

or God, is again a desire to gratify the highest and most extensive inclination or urge of
the self. If, as religin and mysticism expound, the exalted self is the soul, then that
which satisfies this aspect of our being, or
the love of the Divine, is a self-love. There
is certainly nothing detrimental in wishing
to gratify an impulse that stems from the
higher aspects of self-consciousness or soul.
The Islamic mystics taught that mans love
of God is Gods love of Himself, for it is the
Divine impulse in man that causes him to
desire a unin with the Infinite Mind. We
have, then, at times conflicting loves or de
sires, even though some should in their relative importance be given preference over
others. The love of ones children, father,
mother, wife, or other members of the family
is a desire to retain them in a possessing
sense, as part of the self. They are essentially a part of our being, once a cise
love has been established for them, as are
the limbs of our body. If we sacrifice our
own existence for a loved one, it is only because we love that part of self best. In other
words, we are moved by that desire more
strongly than by the preservation of our
physical existence.

There is also the more natural grief of

the enlightened individual. Such a person
has the usual emotional shock of separation
from the physical and mental companionship of the departed, and from the earthly
joys he shared with the loved one. This indi
vidual, however, knows that death is not
horrible or the end of the beloved. It is
merely the radical change in the relationship
that is causing his sorrow. Such a persons
sorrow may be likened to the mother who
sheds tears when her little boy leaves for
the first day at school. She weeps not because she has lost a child but rather lost a
baby for the child is now ascending toward
manhood. She soon recovers and finds new
happiness in her childs greater attainments.
So, too, the one with mystical understanding
grieves for a while the loss of the physical
companionship but comes to find that he is
bound even more closely to the memory of
the departed personality. There is a tremendous peace in the quieting influence of
that memory. He even comes to be happy
in the realization of the great initiation
which his loved one has experienced. Rosi
crucian membership does notor could it
exelude sorrow for the transition of a loved
one but it does make that grief much more

Page 70

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

bearable and heals it rapidly with deeper

feelings which supersede it.X
Memory of the Soul

devices which, in effect, retain the impres

sions, sometimes indefinitely, and at other
times for intervals of just a few seconds, as
does the organ of brain.

A soror rises to ask our Forum: Does the

soul consciousness make an extra effort to
record certain happenings for the future, or
possibly for the next incarnation? I have
had this sensation a number of times which
leads me to believe so. It is like the ob
jective self which wishes to impress on the
mind a certain picture for recall in the near
future and makes an extra effort to do so
by repetition if necessary.

All memory impressions do not orignate

externally, or are they of our immediate
existence. We may, in thinking and in rea
soning, combine a series of simple ideas so
as to form more complex ones or, at least,
gain conceptions that have not arisen directly
out of some experience which we have had.
These, then, if forceful enoughthat is, if
accompanied by a sufficient emotional stimu
luswill also impress themselves upon the
memory cells.

For instance, I lock the door. I can go

out without unlocking it, but I cannot come
back in without the key. So, I make a
mental note to be sure to unlock the door
before I go out; or, perhaps, I wish to keep
the door locked. Then, I make a mental
note to take my key with me. After a while
each procedure becomes a habit.
As to the soul consciousness, a happening
occurred several times. Now there seems to
be the wish to record it firmly, so it is
brought to my attention again and again.
That is why I am asking about the memory
of the soul consciousness.
The psychological process of memory as a
function of the organ of brain is mosy fa
miliar to the average, educated person today.
Though the process in part is still theoretical
to physiologists and psychologists, neverthe
less, it is generally taught and, for practical
purposes, serves us. Various impressions re
ceived through our sense organs as sensa
tions, and thence ideas, are recorded as
impulses in the brain, not greatly unlike im
pressions recorded upon a magnetic sound
tape. In the brain, the tape consists of
neurons, or brain cells, whose electrical or
vibratory field is altered by the impressions
being received. These mutations, or alterations, of the memory cells are retained. It
would seem that all new vibratory impulses
which are of a similar rate or frequency to
those which are recorded engender the re
lease, or the transmission into consciousness,
of the original memory impressions. Elec
tronic calculators used in working out complicated mathematic equations function similarly. They use sensitized tapes and other

In our Rosicrucian teachings, we speak

of the subjective aspect of mind as being a
storehouse of memory. From that storehouse impressions find their way into the
objective stream of consciousness from time
to time. It is further said that consciousness
itself retains memory. Let us quote a part
of one of our Degree monographs: Conse
quently, the center of mans life is poised
between two worlds, and naturally open to
both. It is, as it were, the point or moment
between the mundane or Cosmic, having a
memory of the former moment and being
prophetic of the moment to be. In other
words, the thread of memory permits con
sciousness to transport itself into the past
and the thread of the imagination permits
consciousness to sense, anticpate, or project
itself into the future.
The question is: where does the subjective
aspect of mind get its memory impulses if
they do not all orignate from immediate or
objective experience? Many of the memory
impressions are truly of past lives but can be
explained by the natural laws of genetics
or heredity. Biologists, through considerable
controlled experiment and research, have
learned that the gene, a small portion of the
germ plasma of living matter, transmits the
hereditary characteristics. This vital life
forc, with its divine consciousness, retains
impressions which have been made upon it
by one or many previous generations. Its
intelligence or consciousness is mutated, al
tered or changed, by the impact of continuous
vibrations of a specific kind. In the new
organism to which these genes are trans
mitted, their characteristics influence its

PECEMBER, 1953

physical, mental, and psychic construction.

The offspring is thus strongly inclined to
ward the hereditary characteristics.
This m em ory of the genes is reflected not
just in physical characteristics of the ancestors, but also psychologically. The indi
vidual may have vague impressions of dislike for certain elements of his experiences.
This dislike he cannot trace to incidents in
this life. He is perhaps greatly disturbed
by certain music or colors, or even kinds
of behavior, as though he had some previous
unfavorable experience with them which he
cannot quite remember. These memory im
pressions will continually recur under sim
ilar circumstances.
It may be said by some that such memory
impressions are of physical or biological
origin and are not associated with the soulpersonality itself. It must be realized that
our soul-personality is the aggregate of the
divine consciousness or Nous, which is taken
in with our breath, and the vital life forc,
which is transmitted to us by our parents.
These two, the inherited consciousness of the
cells of our organism and the Cosmic intelli
gence in the air we breathe, or the universal
soul, fashion our personality. We react or
continuously respond to the impressions of
the divine consciousness and to the inclinations of our organic being, and to that extent
we are a distinct soul-personality.
Needless to say, all hereditary memory
impressions are not favorable. The organism
may inherit characteristics which would best
be suppressed, or changed by the exerting of
our will; in fact we can change our in
herited inclinations in many ways: by our
thoughts, actions, and habits. In turn, we
then transmit these new, positive mutations
to our children. In our past life, there may
have been, for analogy, a struggle between
moral impulsesthat is, the divine sense of
right or conscience, on the one hand, and
some somatic inclination or desire on the
other. The higher consciousness may have
tried to intercede, to guide us against submitting to these bodily inclinations which
would have been to our detriment. This
divine intervention of the soul intelligence
may, or may not, have been successful; nev
ertheless, whenever in our existing life, events
or circumstances occur which parallel those

Page 71

of the original conflict, we will experience

a strong memory impression of the conflict.
Perhaps it will be in the form of an admonishment in consciousnessan order, seemingly from out of nowhere, telling us not
to do this, or to do that. This admonishment would be so forceful and lucid as to
be startling, as though it were spoken by
another person, only of course we will realize
that it is an immanent intelligence.
Such recollections from another past may
also come as visual impressions which with
most persons are not distinct. One may, on
the screen of his consciousness seem to per
ceive a personality uttering the very words
which he hears within himself. Or, he may
seem to see in mind a scene where some
incident, associated with the advice he hears,
took place.
Many persons have had the strange, al
most uncanny, experience in visiting a place
to which they had never been before in this
life to find that it was remarkably familiar
to them. They even knew what to look for
when inside of the dwelling which they had
never visited before. They would then confirm their impressions of what they would
find there. Others have proved this memory
impression by referring to records on file in
local govemment offices concerning the vis
ited premises, or by Consulting neighbors;
they have found that what they seemed to
know about the place, what they recalled,
was actually true in fact. This is a kind of
association of ideas. The actual experience
of seeing the place arouses the memory im
pressions that have been recorded within the
deeper consciousness and which have been
transmitted by the genes. In other words,
the experience arouses, by its connection, a
memory of the soul.
Memory impressions of things we have
seen or heard are more forceful or more
easily recollected if they were originally accompanied by some emotional stimulus.
Likewise, memory impressions of the soulpersonality, or of the consciousness within
our genes, are more easily recollected if they
were forcefully recorded at the time. The
frequency of these recollected impressions
from the depth of consciousness depends on
what we do or what we thinkwhich by
association will arouse them.X

cM ental
cPoisoning
Thoughts That Enslave Minds . .
Tortured souls. Human beings, whose self-confidence and
peace of mind have been torn to shreds by invisible darts
the evil thoughts of others. Can envy, hate, and jealousy be
projected through space from the mind of another? Do
poisoned thoughts like mysterious rays reach through the
ethereal realm to claim innocent victims? Will wishes and
commands born in hate gather momentum and, like an
avalanche, descend upon a helpless man or woman in a series
of calamities? Must humanity remain at the mercy of evil
influences created in the minds of the vicious? Millions
each year are mentally poisoned are you safe from this
scourge? Mental Poisoning is the title of a book by
Dr. H . Spencer Lewis, which fearlessly discloses this
psychological problem. It is sensational in its revelations. Read it and be prepared.

An E xce p tio n a l O ffe r

...

Forewarned is forearmed! Therefore, this neatly

bound, well-printed book has been economically pro
duced so that it can be placed in the hands of thou
sands. It is more than a book; it is a daring message.
Order yours today. Postpaid at $1.95 ( 1 3 / 1 1 sterling).

Rosicrucian Supply Bureau

Rosicrucian Park

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A .

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R O S IC R U C IA N
FORUM

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A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER
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Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
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under Section 110 3 of the U .S . Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1 9 1 7 .
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FEBRUARY, 1954
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No. 4

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INVITING SLEEP

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Till I shall fall asleep;

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Then lead me to rest's soothing pool

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With waters cool and deep.

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There let me bathe my aching wounds

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Inflicted by the day,

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That with the rising sun I may

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Again be on my way.

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Raymond E. Binder

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Page 74

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

T H E BALANCE O F LIFE
Dear Fratres and Sorores:
Geometrically, a straight line is the shortest distance between two points on a fat
plae. Such lack of deviation or variation,
however, is not advisable in the course of
life. We may set for ourselves a goal that
appears to be the epitome of all our interests
but, in the pursuit of it, if we hew to a
straight line, we are likely to bypass many
other attainments and satisfactions. There
is no more appropriate analogy than that of
one who has made wealth his principal ob
jective in life. When he realizes it, he finds
it difficult to extract lasting pleasures from
the wealth. He soon exhausts all the super
ficial and sensuous gratifications which it
can provide. He is compelled then to pursue
one particular after another, hoping that
each will remove the ever-increasing ennui
which he experiences. The same may be
said of one whose whole life interest centers
in a particular limited occupation or profession. When such an individual retires, life
becomes monotonous and dull. He is unable
to conceive of other outlets for his mental
and physical energies which would com
pnsate for the loss of his former occupation.
With most persons, their consciousness,
their attention, and their interest is focused
upon a single sphere of activity. They wilfully devote certain of their powers and fac
ulties to some single realm of experience.
All other experiences that are had are considered as incidental. As a consequence, they
are not properly evaluated, or are disregarded as being a distraction from the main
interest. It is necessary for us to realize
the diversity of our composite being. We
have often been told, and usually accept the
statement with little reflection, that we are
spiritual or psychic, emotional, intellectual,
and physical beings. We have likewise been
told that there is a hierarchal order to these
aspects of our nature. The commonly expounded idea is that the spiritual or psychic
self, using the word self in the composite
sense, is of paramount importance in the
hierarchal order of our various selves. The

physical self is relegated to the bottom of

the scale, with the emotional and intellectual
parts vying with each other for preferred
in-between positions.
To the psychic or spiritual self, we assign
all matters related to our conceptions of the
Divine world and particularly such behavior
as morality. The one called spiritual devotes
his thought, idealism, and behavior to the
religious life, whether it be sectarian or a
nonsectarian mysticism. Figuratively speak
ing, he compresses all the other aspects of
living into what he conceives to be the
sphere of the spiritual self alone. As a result,
the individual frequently becomes a fanatic.
He distorts all other experiences which he
has of life. He disparages other incidents,
happenings, feelings, and ideas as obstructions to his spiritual life, if he cannot see
them as directly contributing to that end.
By personal compulsin, such an individual
often becomes a social, emotional, and intel
lectual misfit.
The eccentric intellectual who, figurative
ly, places reason on a pedestal to be worshipped likewise neglects the balance of life.
All human experience cannot be judged as
intellectually good. There is not always
present an immediate logical or cogent basis
for the satisfaction which we derive from it.
There is not always known the cause of our
emotional enjoyment of lifes experiences,
but a stoical suppression of them for that
reason is not justifiable. In fact, from a
broad point of view, the rationalist who derides the emotional nature is not exhibiting
thought worthy of his intellectual ideis.
The truly intelligent, educated, and unbiased
individual admits the natural function of
the emotional nature and does not, like the
ancient Stoics, think of it as a disease.
The physical self, in its desires and urges,
has a threshold in consciousness lower than
the other selves. In other words, most of
us are more easily affected by, and aware
of, our appetites, passions, aches, pains, and
somatic gratifications than we are of the
inclinations of our other selves. The aspects

FEBRUARY, 1954

of the physical self are less easily diverted

by other interests. Their stimuli dominate
the consciousness and impel our response
to them. We are, therefore, very easily conditioned to give the physical-self preference.
We compel our intellectual, emotional, and
even our spiritual nature to serve the physi
cal, or at least we meliorate their functions
so that we are not physically disturbed by
them.
A philosophy of life is a program of life.
It is an attempt to classify human experi
ence, to understand the particulars of which
it consists, and then to put them into the
best possible relationship to the whole of
ourselves. Life, death, birth, matter, soul,
reality, God: these are elements of conscious
life. They are either subjective notions or
are perceived external realities. They can
not be escaped without discomfiture to our
selves because they actually persist under
one idea or another. An expedient as well
as a rational philosophy of life requires the
mapping out of a program for the full ex
pression of our beingto prepare for a balanced life.
To begin with, let us consider the intellec
tual life. With most persons, thought consists
of those immediate judgments that we are
obliged to make with reference to our daily
affairs, such as, Shall we purchase that or
sell this? Shall we go here or there? It is
merely the evaluation of experience in ref
erence to what seems the best, meaning the
furtherance of our interests. There is little
concern for the essence, the inherent nature
of things. The why or wherefore of the
content of our experiences concems most of
us very little, if it is not related to a physical
or emotional satisfaction. The weight of ex
perience might be said to be thought of only
in connection with its particular valu to
ones material welfare. Even the studies of
most people are confined to their utilitarian
contribution to their lives. They are not
interested in knowledge as such and the exercise of the reason, but rather in gaining,
as Francis Bacon said, a tool with which to
grub. To assist in establishing the balanced
life, each person should conscientiously set
aside a brief time weekly, even a half-hour,
to be devoted to abstract thought, to pur
reflection. First, take the notions we have
of things and which ordinarily constitute, as
Hegel says, our unanalyzed knowledge, and
truly look upon them. How do such ideas

Page 75

as, for example, quality, quantity, space, and

even God, arise in the human mind? Forget, or at least temporarily disregard, the
traditional conceptions which are associated
with such notions. What do you think of
them? As you arrive at personal conclusions,
whether they are confirmed by traditional
opinion or not, you will know, for the first
time, intellectual independence and that you
have actually an individual intellectual ex
istence. Take the mist out of some of the
mysteries of your daily life by a weekly
period of abstraction. You will experience a
personal satisfaction you might never have
thought possible.
What do you do to cultvate your aesthetic
life? Have you ever tried to transform your
subjective inclination, your emotional feel
ings, into things? Have you a sense of har
mony in color and proportion? Do you readily
respond to sym m etry of form and the
blending of colors? Why not try to objectify these inner feelings? Take a sketch pad
and pencil and, when opportunity affords,
express your ideas of the beautiful in form.
It may be a design for a dress or what you
would like your new home to be. If you
discover in the landscape an emotional stim
ulus which you interpret as beautiful, try to
give it form, to capture this feeling in water
colors or oil. Never mind, at first, the tech
niques involved. The most important thing
is to give expression to your emotional ideal
ism. Does music arouse you? Does an orchestra provide a pattern of sound which
corresponds to the inner harmony of your
psychic nature? If so, indulge it as often
as possible. Try to progress the form of the
music which you enjoy. You would not read
for enjoyment just one type of literature at
all times, so likewise advance the nature of
the music to which you listen. It is not advisable to bring about a radical transforma
tion in your musical progression. If popu
lar music has been most enjoyable to you,
then next try that kind of classical music
whose theme to you is similar to the music
you have preferred. Thus you expand your
emotional expression and accordingly intensify the pleasure you derive from it.
To persons of middle age, a modified pro
gram of physical exercise might seem unnecessary. Their normal duties in the home,
the field, shop or office, seem quite adequate.
They base this conclusin on the fatigue
which they usually experience at the end

Page 76

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of the work day. Frequently, however, much

of that fatigue is psychological. It is the
weariness of routine, conformity to habitual
duties. These same persons would find a
half-hour moming or evening, two or three
times a week, spent in some sport or calisthenics, quite unlike their usual occupation,
most exhilarating. To their amazement, the
half-hour exercise, even following the work
day, would cause them to feel refreshed.
When muscles which are not ordinarily used
extensively are exercised, it relieves the
tensin of those which are. The psychological
factor of employing the body in sport, or
formal exercise for a purpose other than
the habitual one, contributes considerably to
the resulting exhilaration. It removes the
prevalent idea that physical exercise is just
another kind of work.
The balance of life is thus anything but
a static existence. Rather, it is movement,
a rotating of self. It is the expression of the
various phases of self in realms of activity
most akin to them.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator
Obstacles to Progress
It is usually best to consider every phase
of life, its problems, its joys, and its disagreeable parts, in as positive a way as pos
sible. We know from experience that it is
better to tell a person what to do rather than
try to tell him what not to do. When we
approach a problem with a positive attitude,
we are in a better position to master it. Our
being positive puts us in a frame of mind
where we are better able to control the facts
that we have assembled and apply the prin
cipies which we have assimilated through ex
ercise and experimentation. This does not
mean, however, that a negative approach is
never in order.
Although it does seem incongruous, we
might say that it is occasionally necessary to
approach a thing in a negative way with a
positive attitude. While this may seem like
an absolute contradiction, it nevertheless
means that sometimes we should consider
obstacles to our own progress and openly
face them, but do so from a point of view
that will help us to better direct our future
activities. To speak of obstacles to progress

is, of course, to speak of a negative thing;

that is, we are considering those things which
interfere with the positive development we
hope to achieve.
Everyone who begins a course of study,
such as the Rosicrucians offer through their
degrees, must have enough of the attitude
of a student to cause him to direct his atten
tion toward what the teachings are meant to
accomplish. He must have the ambition and
the necessary self-control to apply himself to
the study of the teachings which are offered.
The things which impede progress or stand
in the way of the development that the in
dividual hopes to achieve might be placed
under four classifications.
The first of these, we will cali misdirection. I remember distinctly a secondhand
textbook which I bought while in college because I could not afford a new one. The
book appeared to be in good condition; in
other words, it was a good book that some
student had used the previous semester or
the previous year in the same course that I
was then taking. As I began to study the
assignments that the professor made in this
book, I was somewhat disappointed to find
that its former owner had been a little too
free with a pencil. Passages in the book
were repeatedly underlined or marked. I prefer to read a book that is clean, not only
from the standpoint of being fastidious but
because I wish to see the authors presentation without anyone elses comments added,
in the form of underlined sentences or in
any other way.
But it was not long before I discovered
something else. I found that I was not doing
as well in this particular class as in others.
I seemed not to grasp the points which the
professor was emphasizing, and which ob
viously were the most important points of
the course. It took me a few weeks to discover that the individual who had previously
owned the book which I was studying had
misdirected his or her efforts; that is, the
underlines were under the wrong phrases.
The important points, the meat of the sub
ject, had escaped that individuals attention.
I do not know whether the individual successfully passed the minimum requirements
in that course or not, but I do not see how
he could have done so.
Every secondary thing, every unimportant thing, every descriptive phrase of the

FEBRUARY, 1954

text was underlined, and the outstanding

points were left in their original form. I, in
disgust, threw away the book, and did better
in the course. This individual in some
way had misdirected his application. He had
not been able to pick out the meat of the
subject; he had overlooked those things which
were worth while and had given time, ef
fort, and attention to the parts of the text
which were of secondary importance.
Every student must leam how to study.
He must learn how to read the entire assignment, whether it is a textbook in school
or whether it is a monograph in a Rosicru
cian degree. Then, with the help of the
summary that we provide, the individual
must be able to select the important points.
This includes the facts, the experiments, the
application that constituted the real, main
purpose of the monograph which he studied.
Therefore, the first obstacle to progress is
to avoid waste of time and waste of effort.
Study and remember the important things.
We have done everything we can in the
preparation of the monographs to eliminate
secondary material except where it is of in
terest to add as an illustration to the basic
principie. We have even summarized the
monograph for the individual so those par
ticularly important points may be picked out,
and as a last resort, the member always
has the opportunity of writing to the De
partment of Instruction to clarify any misundrstood portion of the particular lesson
that he has studied. From the first, then,
in becoming a Rosicrucian student, avoid
misdirection of time and effort.
The second obstacle to progress is an obvious one. It is the lack of study and prac
tice. The individual who applies himself
will obtain benefit in proportion to his ap
plication in the right direction or through
the right channels. It is so easy to fail into
a habit, regardless of what that habit may
be. It is easy to put a monograph aside
and say I will not read it until tomorrow ;
or to postpone the study to the day after
tomorrow, or the next week. After that is
done a few times the habit is established,
and the individual finds that he is behind
in his studies by not reading the monographs
as they come. It is just as easy to form a
habit of studying at a certain time each week
after the monograph arrives. Very few ex*
ceptions to this habit will be made once it

Page 77

is established. A time of day can be selected when the individual is reasonably sure
of not having an interruption except in an
extreme emergency. Early in the morning
and late at night are two ideal times.
Each member should, if it is possible, set
up his own Sanctum and read the mono
graphs, together with the simple rituals in
connection with his study, in this formal
manner. That is the ideal way to do it.
But it is obvious to everyone that one can
not do the ideal thing all of the time. There
fore, a member can be excused when occasionally he is unable to study the mono
graph in the formal sense of following
through a complete Sanctum period, but there
is no excuse for not reading the monographs
at a selected time once a week. Lack of
study is an obstacle to progress for which
you have only yourself to blame. Lack of
practice will cause the student to forget
what he has studied or how to apply what
he has read.
Many of the exercises that are presented
in the Rosicrucian teachings can be done at
various times and they should be done consistently. The simplest exercises require lit
tle preparation or few arrangements. Most
of them can be done whenever we have a
few moments. Consistency in practicing is
the means by which we gain the techniques
and abilities that will make it possible for us
to apply the principies that we are most seeking to master. Therefore, do not forget to
study and to utilize what is learned. Bear
in mind that benefits will come in direct
proportion to the amount of time and effort
that is put into study and practice and that
such can be utilized by the individual.
The third obstacle to progress is to reallize that natural growth is a gradual process.
In all of nature, sudden change is not the
general me. Most things in nature take
place gradually. The seed sprouts, and the
plant grows over a period of time. Every
living things goes through certain stages of
change which take place as the individual
develops. Development and growth is a con
dition that nature provides for. It is a con
dition that we have to gradually realize
and fit ourselves into if we are to benefit
by the potentialities which are within us.
There are few sudden or rapid changes
which come into our personal life. Most
things which we gain, most abilities which

Page 78

we possess, are the result of our study and

practice. We do not become a pianist overnight. We do not gain any specialized tech
nique without practice and without study.
Therefore, do not look for sudden change or
rapid achievement. Bear in mind that directing your attention toward the unexpected
and the unusual are obstacles to progress,
that going along on the basis of planning,
care, and study will bring the progress that
you expect.
The fourth obstacle to progress is what
we might cali a search for a miracle. The
individual who hopes to find a magic formula
or a magic key which will unlock the door
to open the way to the solution of every
problem and every question that may arise
is doomed to disappointment from the beginning.
Throughout mans history it can be re
corded that individuis, one after the other,
have looked for such a key. Men have spent
their lives and fortunes looking for the fountain of youth, for gold, wealth, and fame,
and for some simple, easy way to attain
these things. This organization receives requests from all over the world (and some
of these requests come from what are considered the civilized countries) for magic
charms, amulets, or some other thing that
will be the means of solving a problem.
Everyone who makes such a request seems to
believe that a magic wand may exist somewhere after all.
To devote your life to trying to find such
a nonexistent solution to all your problems
and to all conditions is one of the greatest
obstacles to advancement; the effort and
time that is directed toward that end is absolutely wasted. Such time could be used
in study, in developing our natural abilities,
in promoting the type of living that would
bring about the achievement for which we
hope.
There is no magic key. Nature and the
Cosmic are not created that way. Man
throughout his biological existence and
throughout his individual life is an evolving
creaturephysically, mentally, and psychically. Our obligation and duty is to do all
the things which we can possibly learn to
do that will contribute to this three-way de
velopment. There is no use trying those
things that impede it. Such are obstacles.
To learn to apply what we have learned and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

to develop a philosophy of life is the way

that leads toward the development which we
seek. There is no other solution. We are
what we think, what we make ourselves to
be.A.
A Historical Record
There have been times when certain parts
of AMORC history have been questioned by
those who would imply that its traditional
history has no foundation in fact. To anyone who has made a serious study of human
record, it is obvious that the only thing that
can disprove a historical statement is further
historical proof to the contrary. It is easy
to say that a matter of history is imagined,
but it is much more difficult to prove a con
trary fact that can be substantiated and
leave no margin of doubt. History, in its
most elementary form, being a record of
human activities in different periods of time,
is subject to the same idiosyncrasies as is
contemporary human behavior. Actually, it
is remarkable that we know as much of
human history as we do when we take into
consideration how comparatively small is the
average individuals fund of knowledge as
to our current events. If history of the pres
ent time depended upon you, for example,
how much of it would be carried over to
posterity? In spite of the limitations of in
dividual knowledge, however, history is quite
complete; and we have a general record of
mans attempts to civilize himself down
through a long period of time.
A contention of the Rosicrucian Order has
been that its fundamentis are concepts
which have been developing with all periods
of civilization. Traditionally, we base our
history upon the progressive thought of those
ancients who were ahead of their times and
whose ideas and philosophy could be accepted
by only a small portion of people who probably were considered more or less radical.
The momentum which has carried on the
thinking of an organization of this kind has
been due to those comparatively few indi
viduis in history who have not hesitated
to stand ahead of the general level of human
thought.
It is always interesting to find confirmation, in rather unexpected places, of things
which we already believe in and upon which
we have based our convictions and opinions.
From time to time, I have had the experience

FEBRUARY, 1954

of coming across items of historical interest

that verify the Rosicrucian history which we
publish. Such a verification was recently
written to me by Frater Simmonds in England. He had found a copy of Dyches Dictionary published in 1737, containing the
following statement concerning the Rosicru
cians: ROSICRUCIANS, a Sect of Men,
called also the Enlightened, the Immortal,
and Invisible, that appeared in Germany in
the Beginning of the 17th Century. Those
who are admitted, called the Brethren, swear
Fidelity, promise Secrecy, write hieroglyphically, and oblige themselves to observe the
Laws of the Society, which proposes the reestablishing of all Disciplines and Sciences,
especially Physics, which according to them
is not understood, and but ill practised; they
boast of excellent Secrets, and particularly
the Philosophers Stone; they affirm that the
ancient Philosophers of Egypt, the Chaldeans,
Magi of Persia, and Gymnosophists of the
Indies, taught the same Doctrine with them
selves.
Evidently this definition was typical for a
reference book of those times, but considering that the definition is considerably more
than two hundred years od, it points out
some very significant facts that have more
recently been claimed to be debatable.
Even in the present century, there have
been those who have come forward with the
claim that the Rosicrucians are a modern
organization; and that, furthermore, they
were merely what might be classified in
todays language as another religious group.
I would like to point out a few significant
facts in this more than two-hundred-year-old
reference to the Rosicrucians. At the be
ginning of the definition, there is the refer
ence that the Rosicrucians appeared in Ger
many in the Beginning of the 17th Century.
This has been an accepted belief for a long
time because as we know, with the invention
of the printing press and the publicity given
to the organization at the time, it may be
said to be the first time that knowledge of
the Rosicrucians became general public in
formation.
Another significant point of this definition
is that the society proposes the re-establishing of all Disciplines and Sciences, especially
Physics. Certainly, in a popular definition
which we are quoting, references to the fact
that the early Rosicrucians were interested

Page 79

in the physical sciences is another proof that

the organization was not even at this early
date considered primarily a theoretical or
religious group. This supports the contention
that the Rosicrucians have always been in
terested in a balanced philosophy and that
they gave due consideration to the arts and
the sciences as well as mysticism.
In conclusin, the definite reference is
made that this philosophy was related to the
Eastern school of thought and specifically to
Egypt. Here again is confirmation of the
organizations traditional history and shows
that it was an accepted fact in 1737 that
the Rosicrucians were not of modern origin.
There is no doubt that this definition was
written strictly from the standpoint of a
compiler of facts who was not prejudiced for
or against the organization. There is no
opinion expressed on behalf of, or in opposi
tion to, Rosicrucians, but that the above
points were brought out in such a definition
is even more substantial proof that in the
early part of the 1600s, the Rosicrucians
and the fundamental purposes which are in
corporated into the modern Rosicrucian
teachings existed.A
The Nature of Things
A frater of Michigan now asks our Forum:
Is it possible to see things as they really
are, through the interpretation of the Cosmic
mind? Is this the goal of philosophy, to see
things as they really are, without the inter
pretation of the human brain? Does any
individual ever have this supreme experience
during a lifetime and what is it like?
In answer to part of the fraters question,
we may say that it is the goal of philosophy
to discern the true nature of things. Of course,
philosophy has also questioned the content
of reality. In other words, what is real? Are
our impressions of externality the real, or
are there actual particulars apart from our
mind which are quite unlike what we per
ceive them to be? Berkeley, the English
philosopher, held that perception is the es
sence of reality. What we perceive an ex
perience to be constitutes its reality to us.
This, then, would make man, as the Sophists
declared centuries ago, the measure of all
things. We presume, however, that there
are realities other than the human mind.
We cannot be so presumptuous as to be-

Page 80

lieve that the only existence is the human

consciousness and that reality, with its ap
parent attributes of substance, quality and
the like, is wholly a thought construct.
It is an established fact that our receptor
senses, receiving impulses from without as
vibrations of different kinds of energy, transform such into sensations which cause us
to experience what we cali the realities of
the world. There do not exist, apart from
our mind, the kind of realities which we ex
perience. The colors of red, blue, and green
do not exist as a part of any substance or
do they have independent existence. We do
not see colors. We do, however, perceive
different wave lengths of light which are
interpreted as sensations or the colors we
experience. The same may be said of the
dimensional qualities of objects and the tactile sensations we have of them, as hard,
soft, round, and square. We can never know
these realities first handthat is, their
causesfor their real nature is always sub
ject to a transforma tion in our consciousness.
There are two kinds of knowledge which
we acquire as the result of experience. One
appears to have immediate perspicuity, and
the other does not. The first kind is where,
for example, I visually perceive something
and there instantly arises in consciousness
the idea that it is round and yellow. I no
longer question such knowledge unless a
later experience discloses that what I saw
was an optical illusion. There is also the
other kind of knowledge which is not of an
immediate nature and which should be subjected to further analysis. Our ideas of space,
essence, dimensin, time, cause and effect,
order and many other such categories, which
we associate with our world, arise out of
experience and cause us to conclude that
these things exist. Actually, we do not per
ceive these things directly. With thought
we come to learn that these notions have
not the reality we presumed that they had.
Since philosophy is the love of, and search
for, knowledge, it seeks to reduce human ex
perience to that which is indubitable. It
endeavors to remove the probability of error
in experience. Even though we may not,
because of the conditioning limitations of our
faculties, know, objectively at least, true
reality, philosophy hopes to remove errone
ous interpretations or the errors of false
reasoning. All true philosophy seeks, as well,
for unity of knowledge. It generally sup-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ports the idea of homogeneity, of a single

nature universe. There is not a multiplicity
of particulars in the universe but only mans
interpretation of the variations of a single
essence. The different systems of philosophy
try to establish this unity on different
grounds, on theories and doctrines. This orderliness makes for human understanding
and efficient living.
We return now to another phase of the
fraters question: Is it possible to see things
as they really are, through the interpreta
tions of the Cosmic mind? We presume that
the frater means, Can we surmount the
limitations of our sense faculties and the
conditioning of our habitual thinking, and intuitively gain an insight into the Cosmic
nature? Can we go beyond human objective
perception and bring our consciousness into
harmony with the reality of the Cosmic it
self? From the Rosicrucian point of view
and conforming to the findings of our own
scientists and those outside the Order, there
are no things in the universe. We must
never expect, through the deeper conscious
ness of self, to penetrate a veil where we
will discover a collection of realities which
the eyes, ears, and the sense of smell have
never perceived. It is the basis, in fact, of all
mystical doctrine that in the Cosmic there
is oneness, not separateness, not a myriad
of particulars. If we are to have a Cosmic
understanding, we need to be brought into
contact with something that is ubiquitous
and amorphous, that is, without beginning
or end and formless. The human mind must
not expect to comprehend a state of intricacies, of an infinite mass of things.
What constitutes an intuitive knowledge
of Cosmic reality is a self-evident knowledge
that our interpretations, our objective rea
soning and conclusions, are right. For ex
ample, one may have carefully analyzed in
a laboratory some phenomenon of nature.
He may believe that he has found a perfect
natural law, an orderly expression of the
one Cosmic reality. As a result of medita
tion upon his findings, he then has an in
tuitive flash that what he has found is true,
is clear, is realistic, and is undoubted. He
is then emotionally and psychically convinced that the conclusions, the results of his
observation, are sound. This constitutes an
interpretation of reality by the subjective
aspect of self. It is really an attunement
with the Cosmic mind. Every great scientist

FEBRUARY, 1954

has had these intuitive insights and resultant

personal convictions. Many have been led,
or perhaps we should say been inspired,
to an empirical search for material facts
which would ultimately confirm their in
tuitive experiences.
What do such intuitive impressions mean?
They must not be construed as meaning
that there is actually an object, a form or
a substance existing in the Cosmic that corresponds to our objective observations and
analysis. It does mean, however, that the
interpretation which we have of some ma
terial reality is in harmony with the nature
of the Cosmic. It means that our finite conceptions are in accord with the infinite prin
cipie and function underlying them. We
may say that, Cosmically, we have integrated our reaction to our understanding
of the material manifestations of the Cosmic
as efficiently as it is possible for the human
consciousness to do in its present evolutionary stage. Even with such insight we are
still dealing with only the shadows of Cos
mic reality, but we are given a Cosmic assurance that such, though illusionary, are
not inconsistent with our spiritual and
physical natures.
We may use a homely analogy to make
this point more comprehensible. A parent
permits his small children to indulge in the
fantasy of Santa Claus. In his greater wis
dom, the parent knows that there is no such
reality, that Santa Claus is but a figment
of the imagination. However, the child, in
believing that there is such a kindly, benevolent, jovial, and charitable being trying
to make mankind happier, is thus brought
into harmony, in a simple way, with virtues
which he is not yet able to comprehend intellectually. The moral and ethical reality
of the virtues, the child cannot perceive or
apperceive. But when these virtues are
translated into form and given a personality,
he is able to appreciate their significance
and he acts according to his interpretation.
His subsequent behavior, then, constitutes
the true reality rather than the Santa Claus
which he imagines or sees symbolized.
Our reality is a world of symbols. It represents Cosmic influences but not things.
The more profound our meditation upon
these symbols, the more we are brought into
accord with the Cosmic influences which
lie behind them.X

Page 81

Must W e Be Reborn?
A frater of California, addressing our
Forum, says: In a recent dissertation on
reincarnation it was stated that constant incarnation had the purpose of permitting the
individual to begin in a new life where he
ended in the lasthowever, it is well within
the scope of my Rosicrucian understanding
that escape from earthly confinement dur
ing any one of the recurring incarnations is
theoretically possible.
Escape from the tuming of the wheel,
or cyclical rebirth, is the ideal of the Buddhist. From the Buddhist conception, all
suffering is the immediate consequence of
desire. The desires of the body are so dominant that they impel the consciousness into
courses of action from which arise bodily
and mental afflictions and the consequent
suffering. Freedom of the consciousness
from earthly existence liberates the spirit
from this yoke. A similar liberation of the
soul from the body was the ideal of the
Orphic teachings of ancient Greece which
are echoed by Scrates.
In all these doctrines, however, death was
not the complete liberation. The soul, the
intangible self, would return unless the con
sciousness of self had evolved to a state
where it could remain in harmony with the
Absolute. To use a homely analogy: if a
stream is likened to the Absolute, the uni
versal consciousness, and the soul to an ob
ject freed from the bottom of the stream,
then, unless the soul rids itself of weighty
substances so as to become buoyant and at
one with the true spiritual essence, it would
not remain on the surface of the stream. It
would soon sink again to the bottom.
The object of the philosophies and religions teaching these doctrines was to sublimate the consciousness of the self, to make
it less susceptible to the foibles of worldly
existence. The gradual elevation of the
thinking would liberate the self from the
immuring influences of the body. From a
practical point of view this consisted of a
method of self-discipline, of noble thought,
and of the relegation of the lower nature of
man to its proper function. When this was
attained it was proclaimed, then, that per
sonal mastery had been established. The
divine purpose was fulfilled, the soul had
completed its cycle; it had progressed from

Page 82

the infinite to the finite, and had returned

again to the infinite. It had gained selfconsciousness because it had realized its true
nature. The soul had not completed its cycle
until it knew the limitations which had been
placed upon it by earthly existence, and then
through aspiration attained its liberation and
true state of conscious unity with the uni
versal soul.
Being the basis of reincarnation, this doc
trine, like many Oriental and many Chris
tian doctrines, has been exaggerated out of
true proportion to its meaning. Among some
of the Oriental sects this led to practices of
self-mortification and self-denial of extreme
types. To show utter contempt for physical
existence and the mortal world, all rational
and necessary hygienic methods were often
disregarded and the body subjected to abuses.
It was as if the soul could by such means
be forcefully wrenched from the body and
its ultimate refinement or supreme self-consciousness thereby accelerated.
This conception discloses a lack of under
standing of the relationship of the finite to
the infinite. The finite is not evil, but a nec
essary vehicle, at least in certain stages, for
the evolvement of the soul-personality. The
neglect and abuse of the body is a violation
of divine principie, and consequently actual
ly hampers the liberation of the soul. Most
ascetics today continu to make that mistake in their philosophical thinking.
If we understand the fraters thought correctly, it is that he believes that there can
be escape from earthly confinement during
any one of the recurring incarnations. In
other words, that there is not necessarily any
pre-determined number of in ca rn a tio n s
through which the soul must pass. In any
single incarnation the soul-personality might
attain that final state of Cosmic awareness
which would free it from the necessity of
rebirth.
To this, all advanced mystics, and most
certainly all Rosicrucians, would agree. The
recurrence of birth has no significance in
number, but only in the contribution which
each earthly existence makes toward the
awakened consciousness. In our Rosicru
cian teachings we speak of the planes of con
sciousness, or the states of realization through
which the soul must pass in its retum to a
oneness with the universal soul, or the Cos
mic. There is, however, no specific number

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of incarnations which correspond to these

stages of awakening. For example, each step
in the development of the soul-personality
does not represent a similar numberor any
specific number of rebirths. It could be,
and the lives of some of the great avatars,
masters, and mystics confirm it, that one or
more of these planes of consciousness could
be attained in one lifetime.
It is apparent to any observing and
thoughtful individual, from the manner in
which some persons live, the experiences to
which they limit themselves, that they must
of necessity have many more rebirths be
fore they will realize a fully awakened spir
itual consciousness. It would seem, if we may
inject a personal view, that there is far too
much concern about the life we may need
to live on this plae. Most of us cannot say
with certainty what incarnation is our pres
entthe ffth or the twenty-fifth. What
matters it? Let us accept the present life
for the opportunity it affords and make the
most of it. To ourselves, at least, we will
readily admit, I believe, our gross ignorance
of much which we should know and our
inadequacies to cope with many experiences
with which we are confronted. Each of us
is all too aware of his weakness and the
inability of his respective self to meet the
challenges thrust upon him daily. Therefore,
there is work to be done here and now. From
each conscious moment we can extract some
little insight into Cosmic law as it is manifested in nature and in ourselves. We know
that we are learning and that we are unfolding each day. What matters it if there
be other lives for us to live? This present
life may very well be the one about which,
in some past, we wondered as to whether we
were to live it! This life has arrived. Use
it for its worth.
Why wish for a last incarnation? You are
only surmising a knowledge of the sublime
state, the ecstasies that it might afford. For
what you now conceive as that future exalted existence is but a view from a plae
of perspective quite unlike the one which
you will experience when the final incamation has arrived. Everyone who has set a
goal for himself which he thought would
provide him with some great attainment
and satisfaction has, when he arrived, found
that the progression toward it contributed
more in this regard than did the end. The

FEBRUARY, 1954

end is but a pinnacle set upon

pinnacle embracing the nature
and being nonexistent without
your life. Live it!X

Page 83

a basethe
of the base
it. This is
'

Spiritism and Related Phenomena

That for which we have acquired a devotion usually has our staunch loyalty. This
loyalty we believe to be a necessary consideration in exchange for the benefits we
actually receive, or imagine we do, from
that which evokes it. Consequently, any
criticism or skepticism of the object of ones
loyalty is apt to arouse hostility. There are
an untold number of people who have now
made the speculative doctrines and practices
of spiritism (popularly called spiritualism)
their religin. In fact, spiritism has become
one of the modern, organized religious sects.
To consider analytically the phenomena of
spiritism will therefore, unfortunately, bring
forth severe criticism from those who con
sider the statements which might be made
an attack on their faith. However, we be
lieve no further apology for our intention
need be offered.
Spiritism is the belief that it is possible
to communicate with the dead. This com
munication is in the form of messages which
are intelligible. Such Communications are
then accepted as proof of the survival of
the personality after death. The psychologi
cal premise underlying spiritism dates back
to antiquity and has its parallel, as well, in
practices of primitive society. The apparent
existence of a dual nature of the human is
perhaps one of the first psychological discoveries of man. It seemed evident to the
primitive mind that there was something
which animated the corporeal substance,
gave it locomotion, made it articlate, and
caused it to have a kind of ethereal existence
during sleep. While asleep, one could journey at a distance; one could hunt, run and
fight. Yet, when one awoke he had retumed
to where he had lain down the night before.
It was evidential to these primitive persons
that it was not their physical bodies that
had gone forth and done these deeds of
their dreams. Some entity, some other ele
ment of their being having all the characteristics of the physical self except its mass
and its visibility, had done these things.
Thus, there were two of man: the body and
that mysterious other being.

Death saw the departure of all the attri

butes which were related to this intangible
self. The most noticeable phenomenon which
appeared to cease at death was the breathing.
This was, of course, associated with the inhalation of air. The air itself was invisible,
and it would seem that it was not subject
to those influences which affect material
substances. The correspondence between the
spirit essence of man, the ethereal self, and
air was thus early established. Since, to the
primitive mind, air has the quality of infinity and universality, it became apotheosized as a divine essence, or world soul. It
was not just thought to be a mdium for the
transference of spiritual elements; it was
actually identified with them. To these early
thinkers, the spirit in man, with its life forc
and soul, was air. In most of the ancient
cultures there is a word which, though
meaning soul or spirit, likewise corresponds to air or breath.
At death, then, this spirit entity, this
air self, or soul, would detach itself from
the body. There was no question but that
all the attributes associated with life, soul,
and breath, departed at death. Since air is
not destructible in ordinary experience, then
the spirit self whose constituency was thought
to be the same, or related to it, was likewise
not destroyed. The spirit was either ab
sorbed into its related essence or, like a jet
of steam, kept its form though most often
it was invisible. To this form, like a fragrance, clung its intellectual properties, its
memory, reason, and even personality.
Long after knowledge and logic made no
longer acceptable the idea that the content
of soul is identical with the properties of air,
man nevertheless continued to cling to the
belief that it survived death. Not only did
the soul exist after this life but it retained
its identity as a supernatural being. To this
being, man attributed many of the characteristics of the living. The soul could re
member, and it retained an appearance like
that of the body in which it was formerly
enveloped. It possessed mental faculties by
which it could communicate ideas to other
soulsand to mortals.
Among men and many of the lower ani
mals, there is an insiinctive fear of death
and of the dead. Though man has long presumed to know the nature of the afterlife
there is a certain mystery and uncertainty

Page 84

which surrounds it. Death, he knows, means

the cessation of all his physical powers and
loss of fame and positionof all mortal attainments, in fact. His urge to survive, to
have a continuation of existence, to avoid
these losses, is very strong in man. There is
the hope that another life transcends this
existence. Death, then, for all the religious
doctrines and philosophical speculations
which glorify it, or associate with it a great
future, has a certain terror for most men.
It is a closed door to one existence and leaves
most persons with a doubt as to what lies
beyond the threshold in another. Therefore,
all those whose rites or practices brought
them into cise contact with the dead were
feared, or at least held in awe, by the masses
of men.
Certain men in their religious capacity
were assigned, in priesthoods and cults, the
duty of preparing the dead for the next life.
It was thought that these men could transfer
powers to the dead. Conversely, the dead
that is, their spirits or soulscould communicate with these specially endowed living
personages. The spirits of the departed were
believed to enter into, take possession of, or
express themselves through these living in
termediarles. It is interesting to note that as
man normally fears to leave this life, so too,
it is often conceived that the departed soul
likewise has a strong attachment to earthly
existence after death. It is believed that for
many years, and for an indefinite time, it
will haunt its former dwelling and seek to
communicate with loved ones or friends directly or through some intermediary.
All of this may seem to be merely supposition and abstraction; yet spiritism, like
other religions, has a voluminous record of
phenomena which it postulates as proof of
its tenets. Whether all of these are apodictical from the scientific point of view is the
crux of this consideration. To deny them
without further thought is a prejudice as
severe as the bias that accepts the phenomena
without further question or empirical in
vestigation.
Modern spiritism, with the theories of
mediumship, is an attempt to establish a code
for spelling out messages from departed
spirits. It at least began the partial scientific
approach to the question as to whether de
parted personalities can communicate with

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the living. Instead of having a mdium or

intermediary relate what she may declare
is a communication had by her, the code
would make it possible for others, as sitters
or spectators, to receive the same transmitted
intelligence. These codes consist of signis
for spelling out the messages.
This code method was first attempted in
1848 in Hydesville, New York. The family
of John D. Fox of that town, heard mysterious knockings which appeared to be in
telligent. One daughter suggested, and it
was finally agreed, that a code should be
used. Three raps would indicate Yes, one
No, and two doubtful. Communication was
then established with what appeared to be
a spirit. The three Fox sisters thus became
the first mdiums. They formed a mediumistic circle, or a seance, during which at
tempts were made to communicate with
spirits by means of raps, table tilting, and
phenomena interpreted as signis from the
world after this.
This fascination which the probability of
life after death and communication with the
dead has for most men led to considerable
interest in spiritism. The report of the phe
nomena occurring during seances throughout
the world attracted the attention of science.
The natural skepticism of science, one of its
proper though often abused properties, led
it to come to certain conclusions with reference to spiritism. The phenomena were clas
sified into two main divisions: psychical and
physical.

Psychical includes such phenomena as

the various forms of automatism in speaking
and writing; of visin, as crystal gazing; of
obsessions, impersonations, predictions, and
hyperesthesia, and also the variety of supernormal knowledge as veridical dreaming and
monitions and premonitions all of these be
ing claimed in favor of a spirit.
The second definition of the phenomena
was the physical. Under this heading are
telekinesis, as the movement of chairs, tables,
blowing of trumpets, writing on slates, materialization of objects and of humans, levitation, and the imperviousness to pain. It
is obvious that the two classes, that is, the
psychical and the physical, are not com
pletely separate since some of the phenomena
overlap.
The investigators immediately carne to the
conclusin, and of course justifiably, that

FEBRUARY, 1954

most of the seances provided excellent op

portunities for fraud and charlatanism. They
likewise confronted considerable religious
bias which greatly hindered any truly scien
tific inquiry, particularly at first. The m
diums, whether sincere or trying to conceal
fraudulent practice, protested that such a
skeptical and coldly analytical approach ac
tually interfered with the phenomena. To an
extent, and from a psychological point' of
view, such a protest was partially true, as
we shall later consider.
The first fact observed by the early investigators was the great lack of knowledge of
common psychological principies had by the
mdiums, and those who attended the
seances. These mdiums were not able to
distinguish between hallucinations, the work
of their own subliminal consciousness, and
that which they readily attributed to spirits.
Many of these mdiums were sincere but
ignorant of the psychological and physiological causes which they were identifying with
the supernatural. The often crude behavior,
which the mdium would relate as stemming
from some departed personality, indicated
that he or she believed that death would
not necessarily in any way change the char
acteristics or habits of the deceased. At
times, there was an almost complete transference of the habits and personality of the
former living individual to his departed spir
itthe mdium acting as though the per
sonality had but stepped into an adjoining
room and that death had brought about no
transition in his character, mental perspec
tive, or appearance. This, in itself, had a
demoralizing effect upon many of those who
wished that the next life was to transcend
this one in idealism and behavior.
Not everyone is qualified for spirit mediumship; it would appear that certain charac
teristics are necessary, although these cannot
be clearly defined for they are not fully
known. According to James H. Hyslop,
Ph.D., noted psychical researcher, A mdi
um is a person whose mind or bodily or
ganism is apparently accessible to influences
from a spiritual world. This would mean
that the subliminal consciousness of the in
dividual, the deeper levels of his conscious
ness are more susceptible to varying sensitive
impressions or impulses of some kind of
energy emanating from the next world.
These impressions assume an intelligence in
the mind of the mdium not experienced

Page 85

by most other persons. It would be like one

having abnormal sight or hearing, or a super
natural extensin of the faculties of the
mind. Dr. Charles Richet, eminent research
er, has given the word cryptesthesia to
apply to the particular sensitivity which
mdiums display. He defines it as: a hidden sensitivity.
A brief consideration of some of the phe
nomena falling into the classifications of
psychical and physical should prove inter
esting. At one of the seances attended by
the eminent physicist, Sir Oliver Lodge, who
devoted much of his life to the investigation
of spiritism, two young women held hands
to establish a kind of joint sensitivity. He
relates that when questions were directed
to them about incidents or events of the past
of which they could not have had personal
knowledge, they answered with a high de
gree of accuracy. If, however, their hands
were separated, their answers were quite
unfavorable. There appeared to be a mental
attunement between them by which some
forc or power was exchanged and thereby
gave them a kind of visin not possible organically. Of course, the one asking the
questions did know the answers to them. He
knew of the events about which he asked.
A telepathic communication was possible
which is a psychological phenomenon and
not a supernatural one.
A similar type of experiment was conducted by Sir Oliver Lodge with a child of
thirteen years, known to be a sensitive.
Cards taken from a pack were shown to
Lodge who was across the room from the
child. She was then asked what card he
had seen, and her replies had a high ratio
of accuracy. Again, the explanation of men
tal telepathy may be given by those who
now hold it to be an established, demonstrable fact.
Automatic writing is one of the most mystifying things to its practitioners, and often
one of the most dangerous related to the be
lief in spiritism. The commonest and oldest
method used in this practice, is the use of a
planchette (popularly termed ouija board).
This consists of a small, smooth board upon
which there have been inscribed the letters
of the alphabet. Upon this board is placed a
smaller, triangular-shaped board, raised
slightly upon three pegs, one at each point
of the triangle. The devotee places the fin
gers of one hand lightly on the small, tri

Page 86

angular board. After a few minutes, the

muscles of the arm contract slightly, the
fingers seem to stiffen involuntarily, the
hand, then, without the conscious effort of
the individual, pushes the triangle across the
surface of the larger board, spelling out
words and even complete sentences. They
may, or they may not, have significance to
the one so operating the board. These messages are thus interpreted as Communications
from another intelligence, most frequently
from the next world.
The practitioner defends his practice by
stating that the content of many of the
messages, which he involuntarily spells out,
he has never known, or had never given
thought to; thus, he concludes that it must
be the consequence of a communication to
his mind from another. The fact that the
movement of his hand is effortless, and that
he watches with equal interest what occurs,
seems to be taken by him as further substantiation of the supernatural cause of his
act. Dr. Richet, an empirical investigator of
the phenomena, refers to automatic writing
as involuntary, unconscious, m u scu lar
movements, organizing themselves by some
kind of synthesis.
Many cases of automatic writing are the
effect of a secondary personality. This per
sonality, the conscious self, does not realize,
but it dominates when the individual enters
into a partial subjective state. Its impres
sions actvate the muscles through the ner
vous systems, causing involuntary writing or
speeches. The secondary personality con
sists of our fantasies and our imaginary life.
For example, we may ordinarily have an
unexpressed interest in the romance of me
dieval knighthood; we may not discuss this
with others, but when alone, we may give
our imagination play in the instance of that
period. In fantasy, we may think of our
selves as living in the times and engaging
in its customs. The fantasy can continu
as an unconscious activity in the subliminal
mind when we are not given to thought
about it. In the instance of automatic writ
ing, the formerly unexpressed or unrealized
ideas of the fantasy would come forth as
strange sentences or words related to the
fantasy.
All experiences do not register upon the
conscious mind. We may see or hear things
at times of which we are not conscious. The
impressions are not intense enough to make

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

us aware of them, yet many of them do

become impressed upon the subconscious so
as to be realized in the conscious mind at a
later time. When subsequently they are
realized, they are entirely unfamiliar and
are not associated in memory with any ex
perience. When, for example, one walks
along a busy thoroughfare while having an
interesting discussion with a friend, he is ap
parently unconscious of others passing him
or of what is in shop windows, as signs or
displays. Nevertheless, experimental psy
chology has shown that he does see and hear
many of these things and that they are re
tained in the subconscious mind to reappear
later as strange, unfamiliar mental images.
The dangerous aspect of this phenomenon
is the inclination of the individual to subordinate his or her will to these unorganized,
subliminal impressions believing that the
messages received are the guidance of an in
telligence of another world. Continuous resort to the practice may make it eventually
impossible for the individual to confront re
ality and to come to a conscious decisin in
reference to it. In some instances, amazing
revelations of facts about incidents in the
lives of persons actually unknown to a mdi
um have been revealed through automatic
writing. In verified cases, the facts were of
persons who were deceased and would seem,
therefore, to substantiate communication
with intelligences in another world. The
impersonal, scientific investigator will nei
ther deny that such phenomenon has a supernormal basis, or will he fully agree that
it is absolute proof of it. It may be possible,
it is speculated, for a sensitive, a mdium,
to have some extrasensory attunement with
living intelligences from which these facts
could be perceived. Relatives and friends,
cise to the deceased, upon whose minds the
facts reported in the messages made strong
impressions could be brought into sympa
thetic mental harmony with the mdium.
There would then be a transference, by a
subtle transmission, of the intelligence. At
least, this is a logical presentation of a
hypothesis. The mdium, however, is usually just as certain that there is no psychologi
cal mechanism involved as the scientific
investigator is ssured that there is.
Crystal gazing is likewise a common prac
tice with mdiums. This practice of gazing
upon polished surfaces, either brilliantly illuminated or dark, dates from antiquity. It

FEBRUARY, 1954

has included in its modus operandi polished

stones, pools of water, black mirrors, and
highly burnished surfaces of copper, bronze,
and other metallic substances; in the Orient
it has included the expedient of gazing upon
a black spot painted on the back of the hand.
All of these different methods are intended
to induce super or inner visin. Dr. Richet
recalls a number of cases which support
the psychological principies involved, In one
case, a woman was doing her accounts. She
left her papers to obtain an article from a
desk drawer, and in doing so casually glanced
into a small, crystal bowl she had placed
upon the desk. She saw, emblazoned within
it, a number consisting of four digits. The
number had no particular significance to her.
Later, in completing her accounts, she had
occasion to refer to her bank book and was
surprised to find that its serial number cor
responded to the one seen in the crystal.
In another case, a woman gazing into the
crystal saw a place she did not recognize. A
few days later she remembered she had
passed it long ago. Another individual states
that she has found crystal gazing a convenient way to recall things she had forgotten to do. There is also what is technically
referred to as coincidental crystal visin.
This is crystal visin which represents some
fact or event at a distance. Obviously, this
is not normal perception. An example of this
is the case where the individual saw a
stained glass window of a familiar church.
The next day she received an invitation to
a function at the churcha church she had
never attended.
The visin that seems to appear within a
crystal or upon a pohshed surface of any
object used for this purpose, actually does
not occur there: the visual images are assembled upon the screen of consciousness.
Gazing intently upon a polished surface in
duces a subjective state, the degree of which
vares with the individual. Such a practice
gives freedom to the psychic functions and
furthers hyperesthesia. First, the bright light
of the crystal arouses attention. It focalizes
the visual attention; one sees nothing else
but it. By the domination of this one faculty
through concentration upon its stimulus, the
other receptor senses become relatively dormant. In other words, one is not as aware
of sounds, odors, and the sensations of his
other faculties. With one faculty alone ac

Page 87

tivesightthe subject is almost entirely in

a subjective state of mind. Gradually, the
unchanging stimulus from the bright light
causes visual fatigue through monotony. The
eye seems to no longer see a bright field;
but a small, dark area begins to develop.
Simultaneously, in this black area, a movement begins to take place, a development into
images and colors which the mind interprets
as being external. These are really impres
sions realized within the subjects own sub
conscious. As one subject said, it affords an
excellent opportunity to recall much which
the will cannot ordinarily extract from
memory.
Crystal gazing prepares the subject for
attunement with the minds of others, as
well. A subjective receptivity is established
accounting for the related experiencesexplaining, for example, the seeing of the
stained glass window coincidental with receiving an invitation to attend the church.
We admit that this explains the majority
of cases of crystal visin; on the other hand,
where instances about the lives of the dead
are unknown to the mdium, there are fac
tors involved which still challenge science.
Perhaps the most impressive phenomenon
of spirtualism is telekinesis. This may be
defined as the movement of objects without
contact. In other words, there appears to be
no material object or physical forc being
applied as the cause of the movement. Into
this category come such phenomena, as table
tipping and moving, levitation of objects,
and rappings. Perhaps the commonest ex
ample is where several persons are seated
about a table, all slightly pressing their fin
gers upon it. The table will suddenly begin
a slight jerky movement; perhaps it will
slide gently across the floor in the direction
of one whose fingers are pressed upon it. It
may move so rapidly that the other sitters
will rise in order to allow it free movement,
with the one individual seeming to draw it
in his direction without effort as he walks
backward.
The usual explanation by analytical re
searchers is that it is due to muscular contraction, conscious or unconscious, and that
an individual is applying forc to draw it
toward him. However, some observers frankly admit that this theory is not entirely
satisfactory. The pressure of the finger tips

Page 88

(not the palms of the hands) upon a heavy

oak table is not sufficient exertion of forc
to move the table easily about the room.
In fact, in some instances, the table would
have required a man of considerable strength
to move itif it were being moved by
physical forc. It is usually very obvious
that such physical strength is not being
applied.
The writer has given demonstrations of
this phenomenon in connection with lectures
at the Rose-Croix University on the subjects
of psychical research and parapsychology.
To his own amazement, he has caused a
heavy table to slide about, not over a smooth
hard floor, but over a carpeted surface. This
was accomplished by just a firm pressure of
the finger tips upon the surface of the table,
which would invariably move away from
the others who were participating in the
experiment. Muscular contraction in ones
arms and hands was not the only factor in
volved. The table seemed to be responsive,
as though it were metallic (which it wasnt),
and as though it had been magnetized in
some manner. The writer accomplished this
feat on several occasions only by intense
concentration upon the idea of having the
table respond to his will and to move in the
direction he chose. It required a visualiza
tion of the movement which would then be
followed by a slight muscular tensin, tending to pul in the desired direction. However,
this actual muscular pul was in no way
adequate to move the large table merely by
the pressure of the finger tips.
Only when an emotional state was even
tually attained, as a kind of feeling of ex
citement, would the attempt be successful.
The table would then seem to jerk as if it
had become animate, and to start moving
toward the one willing it. Once the move
ment began even less pressure or physical
forc of the fingers upon the surface was
required. It was also noted that the concen
tration upon the idea, the purpose of the
movement, needed to be constant. If there
was any termination of this or if the
emotional intensity was reduced, the table
movement ceased. At the end of the demonstration the writer would be physically exhausted because of the emotional tensin.
In the experiments noted above, the writer
at no time had any thought that he was
eliciting the aid of any external forces or
agencies or did he think the results were

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

caused by them. Certain theories have been

advanced by the writer as to the results of
his own demonstra tions. It would seem that
the intensive concentration upon the thought
of moving the object inducing the emotional
state, produces an effusion of an unknown
forc. This forc, however, is generated with
in the human organism itself; it is a forc
not yet known and which may mitigate the
gravitational pul upon the object to be
moved. The forc, to use a simile, constitutes
a kind of magnetic attraction drawing the
object to the hands. In one experiment conducted in a Rosicrucian laboratory, objects
to be moved by telekinesis were placed upon
a scale to determine if when the attraction
was established there was any lessening of
their weight. The findings were not conclusive and would require further experi
mentation.
Sir Oliver Lodge reports that in one of
his investigations, a noted European mdium
caused a glass and a water bottle to be
moved from a table and to remain suspended
in a lighted room for a minute before resuming their former position. As incredulous
as it may seem, Sir Oliver Lodge reports
that after careful investigation, he failed to
disclose any mechanical means for moving
or sustaining the object in space. There was
no indication of trickery on the part of the
mdium. Accounts of further investigation
of telekinesis during seances revealed that
there was a corresponding tensing of the legand-arm muscles of the mdium with the
movement of the objects. When a fairly
heavy object was moved there would appear
to be effort upon the part of the mdium,
who was seated across the room from the
object. It was admitted by reliable investigators, several of them being physicists and
physicians, that often in the phenomenon of
telekinesis the objects being moved with ap
parent ease were actually beyond the nor
mal physical strength of the mdium to
move them. In one case a heavy grand piano,
weighing approximately tw elve hundred
pounds, tilted so that one leg was a foot off
the floor, a feat impossible for the mdium
to accomplish physically. Seances were often
conducted in the prvate homes of such
eminent men as Doctors Hyslop, Richet, Sir
Oliver Lodge, and others. This obviates any
possibility of fraudulent prearrangement.
Several French investigators, men of sci
ence and letters, members of the French

FEBRUARY, 1954

psychical research societies, in their bulletins,

related that an effusion was seen at times
extending from the mediums body toward
the objects being moved. It was a sort of
luminous substance extending from the
hands or feet, or sometimes from the ab
domen. Like a cantilever, it would appear
to apply a forc to the heavy objects which
it contacted. After the phenomenon was
completed, the effluvium was seen to withdraw again into the body of the mdium.
All the investigators assrted that this was
no mechanical contrivance.
The rappings, loud knockings, or creakings
often heard during spiritist seances, or attributed to poltergeists (noisy ghosts), are
usually discredited by the skeptics as having
physical causes, such as thermal conditions
or slight earth movements, causing a dwelling to settle, etc. That these physical causes
may account for some of the phenomena
experienced is indisputablethat it cannot
account for them all, a careful investigator
will also assert vehemently. According to
authoritative reports, crepitations in tables
and walls in so-called haunted houses and
during seances, have been quite violent at
times. The noise has been sufficiently loud
to enable its recording on devices outside
of the dwelling and to be felt as very strong
vibrations. The sounds often appear to be
caused by a heavy blow of a fist, or made
by a hammer. The blows, if actually mechanically produced, would be of sufficient
forc to have splintered table tops from
where the sounds often seem to emanate, or
to cause large cracks in walls or ceilings.
However, in a number of such cases, subsequent examination showed that not even the
slightest marring of the surface occurred.
A theory can be advanced that the mdi
um or person with hypersensitivity has the
ability to become accessible as a channel to
forces or powers not as yet known to science.
Through the mediums subliminal conscious
ness these forces are directed, or perhaps
focalized, so as to act upon a material sub
stance producing actual sounds or move
ments as in telekinesis. Though these forces
may be caused psychically , they must not
be construed as being of supernatural origin
or necessarily as emanating from intelli
gences in another world. They could possibly fail into those octaves of Cosmic energy
which man has not yet been able to discem
objectively by quantitative means. Such a

Page 89

direction of forces could possibly produce a

field of energy that would react upon the
molecular structure of a substance so as to
liberate it from influences of the commonly
known physical forces such as gravity.
What man now does by means of electrical energy, as for example, micro-wave
frequency, or radar, in directing guided
missiles, would have appeared to be a super
natural phenomenon to men of over a century ago, for they would not have known
the underlying causes. It behooves us today
not to ridicule such practices, but rather
with open mind to investgate them. A word
of caution must be interjected for those who
disdain investigation and who are credulous.
They encourage charlatanism which discredits the gaining of further knowledge about
forces and powers yet not known to man.
To think of them as being divine, in the
sense that any sincere objective, scientific
inquiry into them would be a sacrilege, is
false reasoning. All phenomena are of
divine origin, if we mean by divine consisting of Cosmic or universal law. The ma
terial, or the physical, is that aspect of the
Cosmic reducible to perception by the physi
cal senses. More and more, the so-called
immaterial is reduced to the level of human
understanding, but, by that means, the im
material has lost none of its grandeur or
efficacy.
From the mystical point of view, which
means as well the Rosicrucian conception, if
a departed personality desired, because of
the great bond of love which existed between
him and his loved ones, to communicate with
them, it would seem most plausible and mystically right that he would not resort to the
selection of a strangerthe mdium. Cer
tainly such a departed soul-personality would
not intentionally select an often ignorant,
superstitious, and unkempt person to be the
intermediary for a confidential communica
tion with loved ones. Further, the love, the
great emotional nexus between the departed
and his dear ones, as Dr. H. Spencer Lewis
has often stated in his writings, is a closer
attunement of consciousness than exists be
tween an outsider and the departed.
Let us assume that the hyperesthesia, the
extreme psychic sensitivity of the mdium,
alone, makes such communication possible,
that the very love between a departed intel
ligence and one remaining on earth is not
sufficient. We then ask the question which

Page 90

Dr. H. Spencer Lewis often postulated as

an officer of the New York Psychical Research
Society: Why does the soul-personality need
to resort to brummagem display in the seance
room? Why does it perform ludicrous acts
beneath the dignity of the individual when
he was living, such as beating on tambourines, moving tables, inanely knocking on
walls, making absurd remarks through the
mdium? Such antics are not worthy of an
intelligence which has presumed to have
entered upon a plae of Cosmic intelligence
transcending this one.
The entire subject of spiritism is too extensive, too complex, for anyone to make
emphatic statements pro or con about it.
The thinking and inquiring mind can only
declare that which is known to have an
actual organic and psychological basis and
then conscientiously conduct further research
into what remains unknown, as is being
done in the realm of psychic research and
parapsychology. As Rosicrucians do, the investigator should have an understanding of
the mystical aspects or principies involved or
else he will hamper his search by prejudices.
All phenomena, even though basically of
natural law, cannot be approached just from
what we cali the objective level. Conscious
ness is a stream whose depths man has only
begun to fathom. Each of these depths is
related to octaves of forces and powers which
have their own peculiar manner of ex
pression.X
The Administration of AMORC
It is not surprising that new members, as
well as those affliliated with the organization
over a period of time, should ask how the
organization is administrated, how it is made
to function, and what the various purposes
of its procedure may be. To begin with,
the administration of AMORC is dedicated
to one fundamental purpose. This purpose
is to provide the Rosicrucian teachings to the
individual member; and, at the same time,
to perpetate their idealism, so as to bring
the most possible good to the largest number
of people possible. With this fundamental in
view the administration of AMORC works
primarily to make the Rosicrucian philoso
phy a dynamic forc in the life of its indi
vidual members through the presentation of
the teachings in a form which are applicable
and usable by the individual. Also, an at

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tempt is made to promote those activities

which will present a cultural and philosophi
cal background to the thinking of people
who see more in life than the mere material
components that go to make up the world in
which we live.
This purpose involves a high ideal and
it takes a complex physical structure to carry it out. Obviously the ideal is far more
perfect than any physical structure that
could be prepared to perpetate it, but as
all material things are hampered by the very
material limitations that are inherent in
matter, so it is that we work with them
constantly in utilizing to the best of human
ability and to the best of our knowledge the
material means by which Rosicrucianism can
become a useful and dynamic forc in the
life of the individual and in society,
The rights and privileges of individual
members of AMORC are defined and set
forth in the Constitution and Statutes of the
Grand Lodge. It is incumbent upon each
individual member to be familiar with this
document, to use it as a means of determining the process of the administration of the
Order, and to determine his own rights and
the benefits that can come as a result of his
association with the organization. The indi
vidual member realizes that it is mainly
his desire to better himself, to provide a
better adaptation to his environment and
thereby gain a degree of happiness and un
derstanding, that prompts him to become a
Rosicrucian. This can best be done by the
utilization of the philosophy which is pre
sented in the teachings and by understand
ing the process by which these idealistic
concepts are made available and useful to
him.
The members should know then that the
structure of the organization is based upon
the best methods that we can devise with
the advice of as many sources as possible
to carry out these aims. With that idea in
mind, many years ago the Supreme Grand
Lodge was established as the highest ad
ministrative function of the organization. It
consists of five members; included are the
Imperator and the Supreme Secretary as its
officers. This body functions to hold the
property, to conserve the resources of the
organization, and to direct it so that its operations carry out the purpose already mentioned.

FEBRUARY, 1954

Besides the Supreme Grand Lodge, there

was set up, as a subsidiary body, the Grand
Lodge with its three officers, the Grand
Master, the Grand Secretary, and the Grand
Treasurer. Of this body, with these three
officers as its head, the individual members
become a part. Each sanctum member is a
member of the Grand Lodge and functions
as a member partaking of the benefits that
the organization can give to its associated
members.
At conventions, at rallies, and through correspondence, the individual member can ex
press his opinion, offer his suggestions, and
make any necessary comments that he
thinks will aid in the welfare and benefit
of the organization. The organization, with
its members, forms a constructive whole, a
society of individuis dedicated to the higher
purposes of life and to the understanding of
the expressions of a divine forc as it manifests in man and nature.
To become familiar with the Constitution
of the organization is to assist the individual
member to fit as best he can into this arrangement so that his membership privileges will truly become privileges to him and
that he can draw upon them for the benefit
of himself, of his family, and of the society
of which he is a part.A
Mind Universal and Individual
A soror, addressing our Forum, states:
A recent monograph relates that the Uni
versal Mind is composed of the minds of all
living things, and suggests also the minds of
those who have passed through transition.
I do not question that this is true but there
must have been a Supreme Mind before
there were living things on earth. It could
not then have been composed of the minds
of things now living or which have passed
through transition. Therefore, how could it
function creatively?
In referring to Supreme Mind as including mortal or human intelligence, one must
not think of such as being a collection of in
dividual intelligences. The Supreme Intelligence does not encompass or endose the
minds of human beings as we would put
objects into a basket. Rather, the minds of
human beings are a function, a manifesta
tion, of the Supreme Intelligence. To use a
homely analogy, the sunlight that beats
down upon the Libyan Desert and upon
the parched lands of Northern Africa is of

Page 91

the same source as that apparently feeble

radiation that periodically shines upon the
polar caps. Notwithstanding our knowledge
to the contrary, when we travel extensively
and view the moon from remte lands under
diverse conditions, it becomes difficult for us
to realize that it is the same celestial body
that we are looking upon. There is an
inclination to allow the circumstances under
which we see the moon to detract from the
singleness or unity of the phenomenon. So,
too, the various expressions of the human
mind do not make of it a particular, which
is separate from the Universal Mind.
The Universal Consciousness, as the posi
tive polarity of nous, enters each living thing
with the elements of the air which it
breathes. This Universal Mind, Intelligence
or Consciousness, impregnates matter, the
organism, with life and confers upon the
cells their specific duties and functions. The
organism slowly builds up a reacting mechanism, nervous systems and a brain, to
finally attain the ultimate functions of reason and self-consciousness. These functions
or states of mind we cali the mind of man,
with its dual characteristics of subjective and
objective states. Therefore, the human mind
always has been and is a potential inherent
within the Universal Mind. Always it was
only necessary that the other developments
required for the expression of the human
mind precede it. In other words, it was
simply necessary, in progressive develop
ment, that an astronomical, geological, and
biological stage be set, upon which eventual
ly human life could come forth. Once the
groundwork for living organisms was estab
lished, it was inevitable that the phenomenon
of mind in man should appear. There are
a number of phenomena which contribute
to the requirements of mind. These, too, stem
from the order, the intelligence, of the Uni
versal Mind working through the cosmos.
It is because of this that mystics contend
that the essence of mind that is in human
beings is indestructible. One cannot destroy
the probability of future development of
mind in living organisms unless he were to
destroy the Universal Consciousness of which
they consist, and that would be an impossibility. Man cannot destroy Universal re
ality for what he commonly calis destruction
is not the abolition of essence but only a
change of its manifestation.
What men refer to as soul constitutes the

Page 92

consciousness of the higher, the deeper, as

pects of the Universal Mind working through
their beings and of which they gradually
become aware. The essence of the soul, there
fore, is to be found in all living things,
contrary to theological dictum. Rather than
say that man alone is living soul, it is preferable to declare that man alone so far as
we can determinehas that self-consciousness which constitutes soul. It must be admitted that this is a pantheistic conception.
The word pantheism is abhorred by the aver
age orthodox Christian or Jew. This abhorrence is one of conventional prejudice
rather than an intimate understanding from
which would result an objection to the premises of pantheism.
We may define pantheism as God in All
and All is God. When we declare that God
is in all, we do not mean that any single
particular or collection of things constitutes
the Universal Mind. Rather, what is intended by the phrase is that Divine prin
cipie and the forces related thereto, working
as the laws of matter and also as what may
be called immaterial influences , account for
all that is. God as a power, mind or con
sciousness, is both ubiquitous and isotropic
existing without beginning or end and hav
ing the same properties everywhere. It is
patent then that nothing escapes being of
the nature of God. No sum of things alone,
of course, could equal the Universal Mind
because this Mind is also potential with that
which is as yet without discemible nature or
form.
The critics of pantheism are wont to assert that such a conception causes idolatry,
the worship of images. Only the ignorant,
those who cannot or will not grasp the beauty of mystical pantheism, would make such
an assertion. Mankind, for analogy, loves
flowers and trees. The poets have long sung
of them as being the handiwork of God and
that Divinity may be realized through their
exquisite form, coloring, and fragrance. The
lover of the flower, then, is not worshipping
it as a deity but as one of the manifold expressions of deity. In this meaning man also
is truly the mystical image of God, or what
man is, is the Divine functioning in him and
of him. The true pantheist logically could
not worship any single objector collection
of them for he realizes that God is in all
things and no one or a numbei of them
constitutes the plethora of Divinity.X

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Rosicrucians and Govemment

A soror rises to address our Forum: There
is a statement in our work that a Rosicru
cian will do nothing against his govemment
but will abide by its laws, etc. How can
this apply equally to Rosicrucians here in
America and Rosicrucians in Russia? What
I mean is: Rosicrucians must believe about
the same, no matter where they live, so how
can they support govemments with diametrically opposed ideologies?
The answer simply is that Rosicrucians
would not support the constitution or government of a nation that violated the Cosmic
and moral principies to which they sub
scribe. Rosicrucianism could never be com
patible with good citizenship in any nation
if the latter meant a deviation, for example,
from freedom of conscience, freedom of
speech and of thought. The precepts to
which Rosicrucians subscribe, insofar as
moral and ethical standards are concemed,
are equivalent to the highest idealism at
tained by man through the centuries. Such
idealism is that which every great civiliza
tion, at its highest level, had actually put into
practice or which was proclaimed by its
most advanced thinkers.
Some historians, not affliliated with the
Rosicmcian Order, have said in their works
that the Rosicrucians or allied Movements
were instrumental in causing the French
Revolution. Such, of course, is an exaggerated statement. The Rosicrucians and
esoteric affiliates, during that period of the
violation of human dignity and rights, did
issue pamphlets and did make public state
ments protesting the abuse of the French
masses by the aristocracy and the crown.
They pointed out the need for, and urged,
a reformation of social relations between the
classes to put down the suffering which at
this time was a blot upon the French nation.
If one who cries out against injustice to
humanity is to be declared an agitator and
the cause of revolution, then he must bear
that denunciation with pride.
The Rosicrucians in each country, though
the Order is definitely neither a religious
or a political body, do seek to advance the
mass conscience and knowledge. Members
are urged to uphold, in every way, those
long recognized and worthy institutions of
society. Rosicrucians always strive to pro
gress society along the lines which intelli-

FEBRUARY, 1954

gent and enlightened persons of every age

have found to be the best for mankind.
That Rosicrucians have been known for Pro
gressive and cultural methods, for moral
living, and recognition of human rights, is
indicated by the persecution which they
have suffered at the hands of those who are
tyrants. In countries in past centuries, and
at present , dominated by the Romn Church,
the Rosicrucian Order, along with Freemasonry, Theosophy, and various Protestant
sects, has been harassed and suppressed. Dur
ing World W ar II, Rosicrucians in Holland
and in lands occupied by the Nazis were
immediately imprisoned as being dangerous
to the current political ideologynamely,
as being opposed to tyranny. In countries
occupied by the Soviets, as Poland, the same
abolition of the Rosicrucian Order, and for
identical reasons, occurred.
Consequently, a Rosicrucian will, as his
oath obliges him to do, abide by the laws and
constitution of the country in which he re
sides and will do everything within his pow
er to live as a good and useful citizen. But
whenever the existing government is not
compatible with what mankind generally
accepts as social conscience conforming to
spiritual motivation, then the Rosicrucian
feels himself no longer duty bound to sup
port such a state. Consequently, as in former
Nazi Germany, Rosicrucians in Soviet-occupied lands may be compelled to nominally
adhere to government ediets but in every
other way they will not subscribe to the
principies and practices of such government.
They will promote by evolutionary means,
and not by revolution, as a result of the
study of their teachings, any change in gov
ernment for the better.
Simply put, every Rosicrucian is relieved
from the responsibility of his oath to sup
port the government of the land in which
he lives, once that government violates, according to world opinion, human rights and
dignity, and degrades the human being.X
Cleansing of an Oath
Recently, when in Kenya Colony, East
Africa, where Mau Mau terrorism is prevalent, the writer was asked whether the
cleansing of a malevolent oath is possible
from the mystical point of view. It is
thought that the subject will be of interest
to our Rosicrucian Forum and so the answer
is given at this time.

Page 93

It is presumed that those who participate

in our Forum are somewhat conversant with
what the Mau Mau and its practices are.
Mau Mau is the ame of a secret society
composed of natives, principally of the Kikuyu tribe. For various reasons, which we
shall not consider here, this secret society
has, as its principal objective, the forcing of
European settlers to depart from Kenya
and, in fact, if it could be accomplished,
from all of East, West, and South Africa.
The initiatory rites of the Mau Mau society
are awesome and primitive. They are primi
tive because they are concerned with primi
tive minds which are best impressed by such
methods and because most of the leaders
themselves are not too far removed from
savagery. The rites, which may vary to
some extent, include such elements as the
slaughter of animals, the dipping of fingers
in the blood and applying it to the person
of the candidate. They likewise incorprate
the more repulsive feature of obliging the
candidate to eat portions of the entrails and
members of the body of animals. The initiate
is also required to drink a libation of liquids
of various kinds, vile in appearance, odor,
and taste.
During the course of the ritual, a solemn
and dreadful oath is taken in which the
Mau Mau promises to kill men, women, and
children who are European (white) colonists,
when ordered to do so. He must comply
with the instructions of his superiors to murder, to steal and destroy the property of
such persons, whether they be employers,
benefactors, friends or not. The penalty for
failure to abide by the mandates of the
society and the violation of its oath is violent
death. Many of the Kikuyu tribesmen are
peace loving and, of course, do not subscribe
to these methods of remedying their social
and economic problems. However, being of
primitive culture, the theurgical method of
the ritual, and the practices of witchcraft
terrorize them. They believe they have, by
the rites in which they participate, been
placed under a spell. Under the psycholog
ical impact of sympathetic magic, therefore,
if they vilate the oath, they think that
sympathetically they will arouse Satanic
forces and powers to which the oath has, in
some way, related them. Aside from the
ever-present threat of being murdered by
Mau Mau officials, if he is disobedient, the
greatest fear the initiate has is of the in

Page 94

tangible, impending, supernatural power that

will retaliate against him.
Some Mau Maus, after being forcibly inducted into the secret society, have fled to
the colonial troops or plice. They did not
wish to commit the terrible deeds asked of
them. They are then placed in protective
custody. This, as I have seen, is often like
a huge concentration camp, an area at some
distance from a town such as Nairobi, containing simple shelters and the whole being
surrounded by a high barbed-wire fence
around which an armed guard is placed.
This protection, however, does not remove
the fear of the malevolent forces of the
oath. Many of these self-exiled Kikuyu
tribesmen think it but a matter of time be
fore some great malady will befall them as
the result of their broken oaths.
The essential point in all this is, Can
one be affected by solemn oaths which he
takes and which, according to his under
standing and culture, would evoke Cosmic
forces? Does the Christian, for analogy, who
might be compelled to say under oath: May
God strike me dead if I refuse to do thus
and thus, actually establish a condition
which he subsequently cannot escape if he
breaks his oath? Will he incur Divine penal
ty for such a statement if he fails to abide
by it? In the first place, whatever is done
under duress does not represent the exercise
of personal will. It does not constitute our
own judgment and desire. What we do as
an act of compulsin is conformity with the
will of another and not our own. If, within
his own mind, the individual takes an oath
with reservation, without full agreement, he
actually is not taking the oath at all. His
mental and moral selves have created no
obligation for him to fulfill. He is merely
uttering words, the import of which have
not become a true part of his whole being.
Consequently, such a person under an act
of compulsin has not morally bound him
self to any higher Cosmic or spiritual
obligation.
When a person, however, takes an oath
and by such phraseology invokes sacred re
lations to Divine principies, doing so volun tarily, and yet within himself has a different
motive than what he expresses, he is a
hypocrite. He is a moral and social cheat.
He, then, is lying unjustifably and such is
obviously a moral violation, the liabilities
of which increase in accordance with the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sacredness of the oath taken. The violation

of such an oath does not preciptate a series
of misfortunes like a chemical reaction. To
think so would constitute superstition. What
the individual does do is to remove himself
from a harmonious relationship with the
Cosmic Intelligence. He cannot come thereafter, figuratively speaking, with clean hands
before the God of his heart and pray for
enlightenment or Cosmic aid. The psycho
logical factor involved is that the individual
thereafter, until he expiates his act, is emo
tionally handicapped. In future Cosmic ap
peal, he is ever conscious of his previous
guilt which casts a shadow, in the nature of
a doubt, over what he asks. His whole self
is not free in his inner approach to the
Cosmic.
The method of personal expiation, where
one takes falsely an oath which he is not
compelled to take, vares with the moral
sense and customs of the individual. He
may, for example, resort to prayer to the
God he conceives, asking forgiveness. An
other may sit in meditation in surroundings
which, to him, are sacrosanct, as a church,
an open countryside or his own sanctum. He
may, as a catharsis, confess to his own inner
self the wrong he has committed and ask
for ways and means to rectify it. Since deeds
are often a greater manifestation of ones
sincerity and motive than words, the indi
vidual would need to do something which
to him represented an impersonal kind act
motivated by the most noble and virtuous
thoughts of which he is capable. Both Cos
mically and psychologically, this will help
cleanse the wrong oath.
In conclusin, one must reiterate that, as
in the case of the Kikuyu tribesmen com
pelled to take the Mau Mau oath against
their will, such cleansing is not Cosmically
necessary. These primitive minds, however,
must be given some assurance that the
bonds, which they think they have estab
lished with malevolent powers and have
subsequently broken, will not exact from
them some terrible recompense. Only rites,
gestures, and utterances, implying equal
counter efficacy, are thought by these natives to exorcise the malevolent forces. In
other words, to these minds it is the pittig
of one power against another.
Knowing this primitive psychology, the
military authorities of Kenya have obliged
witch doctors of the tribe who, of course,

FEBRUARY, 1954

were not Mau Mau, to devise a ceremony

to exorcise completely the malevolent forces
of the oaths. It matters not what the witch
doctors do so long as their patients believe
in the efficacy of the ceremony. To an ex
tent, it is like an individual in modern
society who has committed a sin and who
believes that, by communicating it to a
sacerdotal intermediary and then participating in a simple rite, which he may or may
not understand, he is Divinely forgiven. His
mind is free thereafter. His self is no longer
burdened with the relations with those pow
ers thought to transcend it. X
Its Not Too Early
Worthy things are worth planning for in
advance. As perhaps you know, the Inter
national Rosicrucian Convention for 1954 is
scheduled for the week of July 11 to 16, in
clusive. A Rosicrucian Convention is unlike
many other conventions; in addition to
sociability, fratemalism, and formal admin
istrative affairs, it is also a school. The
Rosicrucian Convention affords every mem
ber attending an opportunity to personally
participate in class instruction of his partic
ular degree and the degrees through which
he has already proceeded. He listens to a
competent instructor giving simple explanations to the more complicated and profound
principies of the Order; these are demonstrated in various ways, as well. Where the
teachings pertain to scientific principies,
equipment from the Rosicrucian laboratories
is brought in to demnstrate the natural
laws. If the subject deais with mystical or
psychological principies, demonstrations appropriate to illustrate those are presented.
Further, the member is not just a spectator, for he is given the opportunity to par
ticipate in many of the Convention functions.
There are initiations in the Supreme Temple
with a full complement of officers in robes
conducting them. Each of these occasions
constitutes an esoteric or mystical experi
ence which the Convention attendant never
forgets. Furthermore, a Rosicrucian Con
vention gives the individual an opportunity
to see how a true intemationalism can work.
Usually, all races are represented. There is
no discrimination; each is shown equal
courtesy and consideration. There are no
religious prejudices, eitherand yet the Con

Page 95

vention includes members of almost every

religious sect or denomination, as well as
those who have no religious affliliation.
Members have the opportunity to discuss
with others the problems of world affairs
and to learn something about the countries
and customs where other members reside.
In fact, during each Convention there is
usually a forum or a symposium in which
members from different parts of the world
speak, not only on membership activities,
but on world affairs, as well. Questions
which make for better intemational under
standing may be asked.
Rosicrucian Conventions do not omit entertainment, or the artistic and dramatic
activities. Preceding the evening sessions,
there is usually an introductory musical
program. Sometimes, members, who are
artists of note, perform. On the entertainment side, there are dances, comedy skits,
and the opportunity to chat leisurely in
beautiful surroundings on the spacious
grounds with others of like mind. Then,
there is the banquet that brings all the mem
bers together in a congenial atmosphere for
an enjoyable dinner and entertainment that
enhances the fraternal spirit and good fellowship.
One of the highlights of the Convention
is an Allegory. This dramatic presentation
usually concems some important historical
incident of the Order, in which the east
portray very realistically the life of prominent Rosicrucians. Cast in beautiful settings,
these allegories transport the spectator back
in time to those periods of early Rosicrucian
activity.
Some Rosicrucians have attended every
Convention. Numerous others have attended
one, two, or several. Of course, the majority
are from North America, but there are a
great number of others who attend from
such distant points as South Africa, Europe,
Central and South America, Australia, and
New Zealand. If it lies at all within your
means to attend a Rosicrucian Convention,
make the effort to do so. Consider it, if you
will, a pilgrimage. Obviously such a journey
constitutes a sacrifice in time, effort, and
expense. But if the sacrifice is not too great,
make it! It will pay you dividends in per
sonal satisfaction for many years thereafter.
Remember these dates: July 11-16, 1954.X

TRETCHIKOFF
L a rge Full-Color
L it h o g r a p h c Prints
These reproductions of some of
the artist's most famous pantings
come in large, lifelike sizes, approximately 30" x 22". They are
again available at a low cost of
only $6.50 each, postpaid. For
striking w a ll-d e c o ra tio n s, few
things excel these colorfui masterpieces. When ordering, specify
the LARGE SIZE. You may obtain
these now by writing to:
R O S IC R U C IA N SUPPLY BUREAU
San Jos, California
I.

LOST O R C H ID

ZULU G IR L

I. ZULU G IR L A challenge to all, to see the dignity of

bearing, the proud carriage of the head, and sombre passivity
of eyes of the Zulu women.
2. LOST O R C H ID One of
Tretchikoff's most celebrated pantings. Simple, yet fascinat
ing, it means something different to each viewer.
3. POINSETTIAS Here are no complications of composition, but a
simple arrangement of flowers designed to display their crimson brilliance. 4. SILENT M ODELS The artist receives his
inspiration from diverse sources. Even when their grouping
seems incongruous, his silent models produce an eloquent
harmony.
5. S P R IN G Essentially symbolic, the artist here
proclaims that a new day will dawn upon the doubts and
despairs of night. Hope springs eternal in the human breast
and the spring flower must ever come forth from man-made
destruction.
6. GISELLE Alicia Markova in a pose from
Act II of "Giselle."
7. D Y IN G S W A N The already famil
iar Markova painting, recapturing the grace and poignancy
of her interpretation of this famous ballet.
3.

POINSETTIAS

4.

SILENT M ODELS

6.

GISELLE

...........

5.

SP RIN G

7.

D Y IN G S W A N

P R I N T E D IN U . S . A.

.a

a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM

o.

A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

<

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1 1 0 3 of the U .S . Postal Act of Oct. 3 , 1 9 1 7 .

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Vol. XXIV

APRIL, 1954

No. 5

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D r. J . C. Guidero, Deputy Grand Master of the A .M .O .R.C.

for Southern California (see page 1 0 7 ) .

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

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Page 98

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V
V V
CIVIL AND MORAL CONFLICT
Dear Fratres and Sorores:

Can loyalty conflict with itself? Are there

divisions of loyalty, as a scale of them, by
which one supersedes another? Spiritual loy
alty consists of devotion to a moral code, a
series of mandates governing ones moral con
duct and religious beliefs. Such codes and
mandates may be a personal conception or
they may be prescribed by a religious sect
with which one is affiliated. Ones moral
convictions have a Divine connotation. We
think of them as having their origin in a
God-inspired Intelligence; that is, either
they come to us as a consequence of that
Divine element of our own beings, as soul,
Universal Mind, and Cosmic impulse, or
they are so proclaimed by those in whose
spiritual qualities we have faith. If we are
loyal to them, they represent to our thinking
and level of consciousness the acm of per
fection and of goodness.
Man, however, has other loyalties and
devotions which he manifests. There are
loyalties to ones family, to friends, and to
organized society, the state, or the country
in which one resides. Are all these other
loyalties to be sacrificed if demanded by ones
spiritual or religious devotions and affiliation?
At times it may seem to the individual that
the requirements of the state, the ediets of
government, the demands of society, are not
compatible with his spiritual loyalty. He
then defies the civil code or laws of the state
and technically becomes a criminal or an
anarchist.
Today throughout the world we find more
and more people inclined to rebel against
the state because they assert that its laws
are contrary to the higher authority to
which they are loyal, this higher authority
to them being their conception of religious
precepts and beliefs. These persons are at
best but nominal citizens. They are law
abiding only when, according to their inter
pretationor that of their churchthere is
no inconsistency between what their govern
ment decrees and the fat of religious authori
ty. Such citizens are actually bound first

to the opinions and decrees of religious potentatesoften such potentates are not even
citizens of their own nation. Thus a nation
may establish as a law that which is neces
sary for the health, education, and welfare
of its people. A section of the populace may
defy it, if their religious authority finds it
not compatible with the dogma of their faith.
In effect, then, the religious authority inter
cedes to impose its own will as against the
state. It mitigates loyalty to the state, if and
when the states requirements cannot be reconciled with the religious code and objectives.
This results in the sovereign rule of organ
ized religin over the state and exaets a
primary loyalty from the religious adherents.
If this practice is allowed to spread, the
power of the state is made nugatory.
In defense of this practice, the religionists
will perhaps contend that a state may often
become godless, atheistic, in its legislative
structure, that loyalty to such a state strikes
at the very heart of spiritual vales and will
destroy religin if its laws are obeyed. Such
are extreme instances and are always very obvious. Where, therefore, the multitude of the
people have a dominant spiritual motivation
and do not wish the suppression of moral
vales, they would be justified in rebelling
against such a state. This rebellion would
not be justified on the grounds of just incompatibility of belief with the civil require
ments but rather because it constituted the
will of the people. For a state to oppose
the will of the majority of its citizens is
tyranny. By the same reasoning, however,
people may unanimously decide that their
state should eradicate all religious practices.
Though such might be offensive to people
of other nations, a state could not be politically condemned for such an activity if
it actually reflected the will of its citizens.
When, however, a state advocates the
tenets and practices of a single religious sect,
even with the will of the people, it is not
being judicious or expedient. The religious
concept is an abstract and wholly intangible
factor. There are no impersonal unbiased

APRIL, 1954

criteria by which it can be determined which

conception of God and of spiritual life is the
right one. Each religious adherent has with
in himself alone the certainty of the rectitude of his belief. To advance the doctrines
and dogma of but one conception is at least
a tacit condemnation of all others as wrong.
It is a presumption by such a state that a
manor any group of menhas the perfect
conception of the Absolute. Since, then, the
realization of God is and must be a personal
experience, to deny that to any individual
is a prima facie wrong.
Though the individual should have the
right to conceive and worship his god in
accordance with his personal illumination,
there must be restrictions imposed on the
transference of those convictions to social
relations. How one defines conduct which
conforms to his conception of the Divine may
be entirely detrimental to the welfare of
others who do not think likewise. Though
the state may allow freedom of conscience
it cannot allow absolute freedom of action.
The basis of the state is its unitary quality.
No matter what the moral premise or ideal
of the individual, he cannot be permitted to
be wholly individualistic, or to the extent
that he interferes with the rights of others
as members of society. Since the state can
not justly decide upon any single moral or
religious code as the ground of human be
havior, it must resort to expediency. In
other words, it must be determined as to
what custom and experience have shown to
be the best, the best being construed as that
which contributes to the mental, physical,
economic, and social welfare of the populace
as a whole. This, then, must be rigidly enforced as against all groups in society,
religious or otherwise. Only evident improvements, based upon the same standards,
should make for any change.
In reality the intelligent citizen can, un
der these provisions, find no fundamental
conflict between his spiritual and civil obliga
tions. He is not being denied a god of his
own heart, a conception of deity understandable and acceptable to him. He will realize
that every other human being is entitled to
the same right because of the inherent differences in mortal understanding of the
Divine. He will further realize that the
state is and must be concerned with tem
poral things, with tangible realities of the
everyday world. That which to rational

Page 99

minds brings harmony and well-being into

human relations is reflecting in a concrete
form the spiritual idealism of all religin.
Any state, therefore, that is so organized and
functions according to such precepts should
exact from its citizens equal loyalty to that
of any spiritual authority. Any difference
between religious doctrines and the dictates
of such a democratic and just state does not
warrant, therefore, a secondary allegiance
by any group of citizens to organized society.
Until all men have equal spiritual insight,
no govemment should reflect a single re
ligious system. Likewise, no religious sect
is justified in opposing good govemment
simply because of the latters nonconformity
to the letter of religious doctrine.
Frateraally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator
Can Life Be Explainedt by Chance?
Although there has been growth in popularity of the theory of evolution, and its
acceptance has become more and more persistent in biological thought during the past
century, there was a time (particularly in
the early part of this period) when many
arguments were advanced to the effect that
life itself was merely a chance occurrence.
This concept was of course a part of the
theory then becoming popular that all things
could be explained on a material basis. The
idea that life is merely a chance or an acci
dental occurrence in the process of evolution
is based upon a strictly mechanistic philoso
phy, as well as a mechanical concept of
biology, which fortunately has lost popularity in the past ten or fifteen years.
Nevertheless, there is a tendency, partic
ularly in some elementary textbooks on the
subject of biology, to convey to the student
that there is no purpose in life beyond what
man makes of it. Rather than to explain
the vitalistic and idealistic theories that do
account for a cause or a higher purpose be
hind the manifestation of life, there is a
tendency to merely pass by these things as
being theoretical, and allow the student to
conclude that a mechanical theory or phi
losophy will explain everything, or if a
mechanistic theory cannot explain it that no
explanation is needed, or that the subject
is beyond the scope of human understanding.

Page 100

This extreme materialistic viewpoint has

been discussed many times, but occasionally
we need supporting arguments to fortify our
own thinking against the arguments that are
proposed in favor of such theories. Our pur
pose is to convince the readers of this publi
cation that life has more meaning than any
mechanistic theory could possibly present,
but also it is of interest to know that there
are some mechanical premises supporting a
theory that life is more vital and is conse
quently more than a mere physical phe
nomenon.
If we examine certain laws of probability,
we find that there is a vast difference be
tween what is possible and what is impos
sible. Theoretically, we might assume that
nothing is impossible if the proper forces
are at our control and the proper under
standing of the laws involved could be made
available to us, but in actual practice, to
solve any problem that is considered impos
sible would require more knowledge and
ability than the finite human being can pos
sibly draw upon. In other words, insofar
as the human being is concemed, we should
admit the fact that some things are prac
tically impossible.
If we examine certain principies that ap
ply to probable action, we are able to better
understand this principie. We know that
everyone is more or less interested in probabilities. The inclination that causes an inr
dividual to gamble, whether it be in a mild
form or the making of a living at the races
or at the roulette table, has to do with the
appeal to the individual for something for
nothing and for the possibility that some
thing may be gained according to a system
or procedure that he may have devised in
his own mind, but the chances that are pos
sible are seldom understood by the indi
vidual. Actually, from a mathematical
standpoint, these are comparatively simple.
Take, for example, the simple process of
tossing a coin to determine whether it will
land heads or tails. We know that when we
throw a coin into the air, there are two pos
sible ways that it can landon the ground
or on a table; it will be one or the other of
the two altemativesthat is, either heads or
tails. If we take these two possibilities and
divide them by the number of chances, we
secure the probability or at least the ratio
of probability of what chance we would
have to win by such a simple game. Con

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sequently, a little reasoning will tell us that

when we throw a coin into the air the chance
that it will fall in a certain way is one in
two, or the chance is one half, or fifty percent. This is a simple analysis of probability.
Every time the coin is thrown into the air,
the chance remains the same whether it has
fallen heads consecutively two or three
times or not. There is no crun of luck, pro
vided the coin is evenly balanced and the
game is played fairly.
It is therefore within the realm of possi
bility that we can toss a coin into the air
and have it land heads up twenty-five times
in succession. We know that it is possible
for this to happen, but it is not probable.
We know that each toss of a coin will con
tinu to function on a fifty percent basis,
landing one way or the other; nevertheless,
to come back to our fundamental concept of
illustrating the difference between possible
and impossible, we know that it is possible
for a coin to be thrown into the air and
land in a certain positionor, let us say,
with heads up fifty times in succession, al
though probably only few have ever seen
such a thing happen. If, however, the coin
were made of a substance that would not
stand the wear and tear of being tossed
into the air, then we would have a different
situation. For example, let us say that we
had a coin made of ice. Before it could be
tossed into the air fifty times at normal room
temperature, it would begin to melt or begin
to disintegrate, and we would know we were
faced with a problem of actual impossibility.
In other words, it would be impossible for
the coin to endure long enough to be tossed
the number of times to allow sufficient chance
for it to fall in one particular way fifty
times in succession.
The laws of probability, then, indicate
that there are certain chances and that these
chances are based upon a mathematical fact.
In our simple illustration, the chance of the
coin falling in one way for the first time
is one in two; for the second time it would
be one in four; for the next time it would
be one in sixteen, and so onsquaring each
time. Therefore, it would be almost an im
possibility to conceive of an honest game
running one way for a long period of time.
This long illustration is to convey that
there is in the concept of probability or
chance very little possibility of things acting
differently from what they normally do; in

APR1L, 1954

other words, the general law of averages,

although this itself is an indefinite term,
will tell us that the coin will land a few
times one way and a few times another, and
that over a long period of time would it
balance almost equally one way or the other.
Now if we examine life as we know it,
particularly as we are familiar with its
manifestation in the animal body, we know
that the body which is the manifestation of
life is a complex accumulation of various
physical substances. One thing that is com
mon to life is a complex combination of protein molecules. These protein molecules are
found in all forms of living things; they are
composed of atoms consisting of very com
plex arrangements. Some of them are stable,
some are unstable; that is, some break down
easily when under pressure. These mole
cules, however, are essential to life and be
ing essential to life, we find them in the
composition of any matter which is living
and existing as we know life to manifest
itself. They are so complex that it is almost
impossible for the mind of man to conceive
of their composition, and to believe seriously
that these molecules could have assembled
themselves in such a complex arrangement
by chance is as impossible as it is impossible
to toss our hypothetical ice coin many times
in the air and expect it to land heads every
time.
If life cannot exist without these protein
molecules which are far more complicated
than any game of chance that might be de
vised, then it is obvious that the possibility
of these molecules coming into existence
merely by chance is absolutely untenable.
There has not been sufficient time in the
millions of years that the earth is supposed
to have existed for these molecules to have
accidentally arranged themselves in such a
form as to be useful in the living body.
This argument may not be complete and
conclusivo; that is, we have not gone far
enough into the subject of higher mathematics to examine all our contentions. It
would seem, however, that any thinking person would conclude, upon a careful examina
tion of the nature of the expression of life
in the animal body, that there must be some
forc, something beyond the mere element
of chance that directs this composition and
has caused these complex molecules to be
arranged so as to fail into the particular
order which sustains life as we know it to

Page 101

day. Therefore, the concept or the mechanistic theory that life is a chance collection of
certain forms of matter, which now expresses
itself as a vital and living entity, is merely
a means of evading the fact that there are
forces manifested in a living body which are
not merely arrangements by chance or mere
manifestations of matter in certain arrange
ments. In other words, there is a vital quality in life that cannot be segregated from
matter; yet, matter is rendered useless as
living material unless it is there. In Rosi
crucian terminology, we cali this forc Vital
Life Forc , but regardless of what it may be
called, it is still a potent forc and a factor
to be taken into consideration when we
analyze any form of life or any philosophy
concerning living things.A
Consider Real Vales
The student of Rosicrucianism, or the
student of any philosophy based upon ideal
ism, readily appreciates that the material
world is not the final reality and that ma
terial things are not the final word in so
far as possession, accomplishment, or achieve
ment are concemed. There is more to life
than the body; there is more to the universe
than the material that composes it. There
fore, we must always have our attention
redirected to proper vales, or we will become confused and delayed in our progress
and in our attainment of peace of mind
because of constant distractions by material
things which, after all, are of secondary
valu to the individual or to the student
who accepts idealism as a philosophy.
The things to which we direct our at
tention require most of our energy. The in
dividual who concentrates upon a certain
thing directs energy toward that thing. This
forc can be used constructively, and it can
also serve as a detriment in our lives and
to our progress. That which we valu most,
naturally, is the thing to which we give the
most attention and the most energy, and in
so doing we exaggerate the thing itself. It
has been said that if the human being could
objectively analyze all his problems and all
his troubles and then rearrange the accent,
that is, the amount of attention that he
places upon each particular point, he would
solve a great many of his problems.
This means that attention is the direct
effort of the mind to bring itself in all its

Page 102

forc to bear upon a certain thing, point,

or idea. This use of attention is constructive
when we properly apply it in concentration
toward those things that are worth while
and which we wish to accomplish, but to
direct the attention toward the possession of
material things is to build up false vales
in our own minds of what these material
things are and what they can do. The false
valu usually relates happinss to the pos
session of these things and, as has often been
stated, such consideration brings them out
of proportion to their true valu, and, when
the time comes for a real test, these things
that have been accumulated or have become
possessions will not have the valu that we
had hoped them to have in a time of crisis
or when we need help.
Attention to the physical body, by letting
our thinking dwell upon its inadequacies or
its wants, also consumes our time and ener
gy. This time and energy could be directed
away from the body and toward the soul
from the transitory to the permanent, in
other words. The individual who directs
all his attention toward the body itself,
either to the satisfaction of its desires or to
lament its inadequacies, is exaggerating its
importance in his life. The typical complainer, the person who always feels that
there is something wrong with him, the
hypochondriac, to use the technical term,
is the individual who never ceases to direct
his attention to every part of his body and
to pick out and analyze every change that
seems to take place and even, as it were,
take delight in any pain that might mani
fest itself.
Pain, disappointment, and disillusionment
are functions of the material world. They
are phases that manifest in the body that
will pass with the body. They existit
would be ridiculous for us to deny their
reality. Anyone who has suffered intense
pain knows that merely denying it or ignoring it will not cause it to go away or
solve the problems related to its existence,
but to acknowledge the existence of pain
does not necessarily mean that we have to
acknowledge the supremacy of pain and dis
appointment as a controlling factor in our
lives. Those who have suffered pain realize
how much it can control ones thought and
action, but at the same time, one can look
ahead and learn that the pain is within the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

body itself, within the material mechanism

that composes that body. It is for us to real
ize that we can devote our attention and
effort to those things which endure when
the body no longer existsand with the
body will go the pain, will go the dissatisfaction, and much of the disappointment and
disillusionment that accompanies the various
experiences of life.
Direct your attention to the soul-personali
ty. Concntrate a part of your time and
effort toward its growth, its development,
and toward its realization of its true place
in the Cosmic scheme and in your life
scheme. This is the mystic path, the path
, of the individual who seeks to associate him
self with a divine or higher influence. This
can be done, and while it will not solve all
physical problems, or all the material prob
lems that confront any individual who has
to live upon the earth, it does change the
accent. This higher influence directs the
attention away from those things which
seem to predomnate in the mind as irritants
caused by physical sensation. It causes us
to lift our consciousness toward a higher aim,
toward a means of valu that will endure
when all that is material and all its partic
ular inconveniences have long ceased to
exist.
In our concentration and meditation, it
is to our advantage and well worth our ef
fort to direct our attention properly. We
should select those things that have real
valu. Vales for today must be considered
as well as vales for etemity, but they
should be carefully screened. No intelligent
person would go into a grocery store or a
hardware store and indiscriminately pick up
objects here and there without questioning
their need or their price. The intelligent
shopper selects those things that are needed
for his daily life, his food, work, or what
ever need may be paramount at the moment,
and just so should we divert our attention
to our whole life-scheme. We should not
direct attention exclusively toward those
things which are transient but select those
vales which endure, develop those virtues
and attributes which become a part of the
soul and will be carried over from incarna
tion to incarnation, and which will eventual
ly lead us to the time when our unin with
the Cosmic forces will be complete.A

APRIL, 1954

Universal Language
In our Neophyte degrees the statement is
made that music is the universal language.
Some individuis who have not had any
particular training in music or who do not
particularly appreciate it do not always
grasp the significance of this statement. In
fact, we have been asked from time to time
to explain just what is meant by the state
ment that music can be a universal language.
It is of course understood that the professional musician is interested in listening to
music in order to become familiar with its
intricacies and technicalities. Those who are
not professional musicians are usually not
primarily interested in music for the purpose
of familiarizing themselves with the techni
cal phases of its composition. The average
person is familiar with music mostly through
its contribution to recreational activities.
Music may be listened to purely for the enjoyment derived from hearing it. It is also
used to accompany the human voice, and
in this application is usually connected with
a recreational or a religious activity. Another
use of music is as a background for dancing
which illustrates the application of an art
to the recreational life of any individual who
finds enjoyment through this mdium.
Music, however, is a universal language
in the sense that it can be understood re
gardless of any spoken language with which
we may be familiar. In this sense we realize
that an individual does not have to be trained
to be able to recognize a time or a series
of tones in the same way that an individual
would have to be trained to recognize a
language. If a foreign language is spoken to
one who is not familiar with it, there is
merely heard a series of sounds which have
no significance whatsoever. The purpose of
all language is to put into sound-symbols
certain meanings and inferences.
Language is no more or less than a
combination of easily made sounds within
the vocal chords of the human being accepted by general agreement to mean a cer
tain thing. The words of a language are
those which members of the society speaking
the language have agreed upon to use, or
repeat in a certain way, so as to serve as a
symbol for an external thing or idea. Lan
guage is therefore a very complicated sub
ject. It is one somewhat difficult to learn,
particularly when we approach a new lan

Page 103

guage with the intention of becoming able

to express ourselves in that new form.
We do not have to leam a piece of music
in order to understand it. A new melody, a
new tune, can be played on an instrument
or sung by an individual, and it is immedi
ately grasped to a certain degree by anyone
who has the ability to hear it or who is not
completely tone deaf. Even a tone-deaf
person can grasp a certain rhythm and to
a certain degree appreciate it.
Music is therefore an expression of some
thing that is innate within us. It carries
out those things which are essential to
nature and creation in itself. The tones and
rhythms that go to make up music are some
thing that is not man-made; they are merely
man-combined. They are concepts that exist
in the universe and which can be put together in different arrangements that make
them attractive to the individual whose
sense of hearing is sufficient for these combinations of tone and rhythm to be grasped.
We must never forget, in the study or
the understanding of such a universal lan
guage, that everything that is man-made
must necessarily exist upon a mans or a
humans intellectual level. The reason we
cannot understand a foreign language and
yet we can understand a piece of music,
composed by an individual who speaks a
foreign language, is that the language con
sists of symbols which man has decided
upon to represent his thoughts, whereas
music consists of tones that exist independent
of the human mind and may be grasped to
a certain degree by any mind that hears
them.
Albert Schweitzer once wrote, Music does
not depict the external universe but is the
image of an invisible world which can only
be expressed in eternal tones by those who
see it in its whole perfection and can repro
duce it as they have seen it. In other words,
Schweitzer believes that music is something
that is inherent within the universe itself.
However, it is not inherent in the physical
universe, since it is not an attribute of ma
terial being. It is something that exists
within the consciousness of man or within
the universal consciousness. He expresses it
as the image of an invisible world. I think
that what Schweitzer means is that music
is inherent within the universal mind outside the field of the physical universe, outside the limitations of a material existence.

Page >04

Therefore, it can be grasped by those who

are able to perceive it, those who are able
to lift consciousness above a mere limitation
of a physical phenomenon. These individ
uis can grasp tones and are able to put
them into arrangements that will be pleasing
to many listeners and can be understood by
those who hear these tones regardless of the
language with which they communicate with
their fellow human beings.
It is interesting to consider the concept
of music as being an actual existing thing.
In this sense, music prior to physical com
position exists somewhere beyond mans im
mediate reach. If this concept is true, music
exists within the Cosmic sphere, and that
this has been acknowledged by many is accepted through the use of the term music
of the spheres. Mans physical senses are
limited and this applies to his sense of hearing as well as any other. The human ear
can hear only a partin fact, can hear only
those sounds which lie within the range of
the sense of hearing. Music as a perfect
thing then exists outside of mans experience,
but man is able with the limited degree of
his intellectual and perceptive abilities to
capture some music that may exist beyond
his physical limitations. Within the capacity
of musical instruments with which man may
work, he is able to compose what actually
is a part or only an intimation of what he
has been able to conceive from beyond the
realm of physical being.
Few musicians would deny that among
the great masterpieces of music were many
written by Beethoven after he became deaf.
It would be interesting if we could know
or sense the music that Beethoven must have
heard after he was deaf; nevertheless, Bee
thoven was dissatisfied with his compositions
because of his inability to express, through
the mdium of the instruments which he
used for composition, the music he felt or
heard with the inner ear.A
Personality and Environment
What has the most importance to the
individual in so far as his development is
concemedthat which he has inherited or
the environment in which he lives? This
question has been ever-present in the minds
of philosophers and students of psychology
throughout the history of human thought.
Various interpreta tions have been made as

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

to whether or not an individual is primarily

as he is because of the instincts with which
he is bora or the environment in which he
lives. Let us examine the viewpoints of both
these schools of thought to see if we can
grasp, for our own consideration, a clear
picture of each.
Those who claim that the individual is
composed primarily of that which is instinctive believe that every human being is at
birth potentially equipped with all that he
will ever have. By this it is meant that
there reside within human consciousness in
a sort of embryonic form all things that the
individual will ever bhis traits of char
acter, his reactions, his capabilitiesand
that even his success or failure is potentially
within him. The individual who is bad will
be bad; he who is good will be good. The
genius, the criminal, whatever may be the
character and personality of the individual
in later years is a part of that individual
when he is born if we are to accept the
standpoint of the school of thought which
believes that heredity, and heredity alone,
is the foundation of all human behavior.
This extreme point of view concems itself
primarily with only the physical part of
the individual. It is believed by this school
of thought that instincts are the basis of all
human behavior and that environment plays
only a minor part in the behavior pattern;
that is, environment tends to bring about
only the conditions through which the in
stincts may be overtly expressed.
The other point of view is diametrically
opposite. Those individuis who believe that
it is the effect of environment upon the hu
man being that determines his behavior are
inclined to believe that the individual is
bom with only the physical apparatus which
he will need to use in the course of life. The
mind is believed to be like a blank piece of
paper upon which can be recorded the re
sults of the knowledge and experience that
are received through the physical senses dur
ing the span of life. This school of thought
insists that nothing is bom within the indi
vidual except the potentialities to live.
There are, it is conceded, certain reflex
actionsfor example, the reflex that causes
the individual to rapidly withdraw his fin
ger from a hot object in order to avoid being
bumed. Most of such reflex actions, according to this school of thought, are those having

APR1L, 1954

to do with self-preservation. In other words,

they are merely the reflex actions which
cause us to protect ourselves against physical
harm or destruction. The character and the
abilities of the individual are developed as
the result of environment.
The extremist in this school goes so far as
to say that the playing of a piano, the painting of pictures, or any other professional or
occupational ability can be taught to the
individual if he is physically normal. By
being placed in an environment where he
will absorb the necessary background and
instruction for the knowledge which is desired, any individual can with proper train
ing become proficient in any field of
endeavor.
Fortunately, we do not have to accept
either of these extreme viewpoints. Both of
these schools of thought have had their supporters over a long period of time. Both have
had good arguments in favor of their par
ticular point of view. Each has claimed to
have done a certain amount of experimenta
tion in trying to prove or disprove the theo
ries advanced by it. No conclusin has been
reached that is acceptable to all who have
seriously studied the problem. There is no
final decisin as to whether the environ
ment or the personality is the predominating
factor in life. Actually, it would seem reason
able to believe that each school of thought
has points in its favor, but that neither one
is entirely correct.
There is also another point of view that
has not been taken into consideration by
either of these two schools. From the stand
point of mystical philosophy, and particular
ly from the standpoint of the Rosicrucian
teachings, there is the factor of the soulpersonality that incamates to express itself
as an individual human being. This soulpersonality is something that is carried forward from one reincarnation to another. It
forms the basis of our character, and is as
well the basis of certain emotional responses.
It also carries with it the Karma which
makes it necessary for us to have certain
experiences in order to compnsate for our
errors of the past, or to benefit from our
acts of the past which were to our credit.
In other words, we are not only a physical
set of reflexes and a composite of certain
physical equipment, we are also, within our
selves, the composite of the soul-personality

Page 105

that has existed in different forms in various

places and in different lives.
Therefore, it is logical to believe that
neither the instincts or the environment
alone is the one fundamental basis of all
human behavior. Life is more complex than
any one human being can explain. It is im
possible to tie down the circumstances of
life to one set formula and say that this one
formula answers all the questions or solves
all the problems that may occur in the
totality of ones existence. Life is greater
than either the physical apparatus with
which we are born or the environment into
which we are born. To restrict life to either
of those two things is to accept the point of
view of the materialist or the mechanist,
that would merely make life another physi
cal manifestation no different from the rest
of the material world about us. Actually
there is more to life. Life has a purpose
a purpose to provide a means by which the
soul, with its personality, the real part of
us, can evolve and become conscious of its
true being and its true place in this scheme
of all things.
*
It is very easy to blame the errors of men
upon thingsto say that one man is bad
because he was born bad is a way to excuse
the criminal. It makes society feel less re
sponsibility in trying to correct that individ
ual if it can be led to believe that he was
born with those traits and aptitudes which
would make him a criminal regardless of
what happened in the course of his life.
This is an easy way out, and, at one time,
in human society there predominated the
school of thought which believed that there
was no use in doing anything for criminis
because they were what they were and noth
ing could be done about it. This concept of
predetermination went so far as to state
that man was destined to be what he is;
that he would have certain functions in life
and at the end of that life would go to
heaven or hell depending upon how he lived,
and nothing could be done about it. This
pur fatalism is of course contrary to the
concept that God is a God of Love and Prin
cipie, with whom man can attune himself
to reach the higher levels of being.
On the other hand, it is ridiculous to be
lieve that everything that happens to an
individual is solely the result of some environmental factor. It is conceivably true

Page 106

that environment does play a tremendous

part in the whole life of an individual. An
individual living in the midst of poverty
and need and contacting associations that
are criminal will almost automatically de
velop those habits which may tend to make
him a criminal. However, it is not beyond
the realm of reason, or actually beyond
the realm of certain human experiences, for
individuis to live in such circumstances and
yet become good citizens. Furthermore, we
know that individuis who have not had
the opportunity for education in specific
fields have, nevertheless, shown interest and
aptitude in those fields.
Man, as a physical human being, is both
mind and body. He is born with certain
bodily characteristics and potentialities; he
is also born with certain mental sets already
established to a degree. These are carried
over from previous reincamations. They are
a part of our total soul experience of which
we cannot be wholly conscious in our present
life.
We must therefore conclude that life as
it exists today must be a balance between
heredity, environment, and the soul-person
ality with its impulses and its subtle memories that gradually invade consciousness. All
these things together create the character of
the individuality as it exists at this partic
ular moment in this particular earthly ex
pression. We must not try to consider life
as being the mere result of either instincts
or environment. It is a complex combination
of so many factors that enter into the total
content of human character that we cannot
isolate any one factor and say that it alone
causes the individual to behave as he does.
It is quite possible that when an individual
blames environment entirely for all that con
stitutes the total of human character, he is
merely compensating for or projecting into
the environment a deficiency weakness that
has become apparent. In other words, if the
individual blames the environment for his
shortcomings, for his failures, he is only
trying to assure himself that he is not responsible for his trouble, that his environment
produced the trouble, even though actually
the deficiency or weakness is within the think
ing of the individual. To project ones weak
ness into environment is simply to pass on
the obligation.
The question arises as to whether or not
we can change environment and thereby

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

solve our problems. There was a time when,

if problems seemed insurmountable, a person could leave the place where he lived
and go somewhere else. The world in those
days was not yet completely explored. The
pioneers that carne to a new continent, or to
a new part of a continent, were able to
leave the problems resulting in persecution
or restriction and establish themselves some
where else. As we look back upon that period
of history today, it seems ideal. Every one
who has ever lived has wished he could
go somewhere else and start again. Many
persons have wished they could get away
from the problems which seem to restrict
them at any particular moment and find an
environment more conducive to happiness,
and they hope contentment. However, those
who have moved away from existing cir
cumstances did not free themselves of all
the problems that they thought were pressing upon them. Many individuis, upon
making a move, so far as the physical world
is concemed, find that they have merely
continued their problems in another form or
have been faced with a set of new ones.
Change in environment which we are
able to make does not change the individual.
I may go a thousand miles from where I
am at the moment, and still be fundamental
ly the same person. It is true that I may
be helped with a new outlook and new
circumstances. These things may contribte
to my being different and my taking a new
slant on life, but actually I am the same
person; I have fundamentally the same likes
or dislikes, the same prejudices, opinions, or
convictions. These things which constitute
my inner self, my true character, are so
much a part of me that environment cannot
radically change them. At least, it cannot
change them merely as a result of a move
into another environment.
It is necessary for the individual to realize
that constructive change begins within the
self. We have to look at the world differently
if we are going to be different. The indi
vidual who is dissatisfied with his place in
life must begin mentally to create a different
point of view which will consistently be a
part of his mental structure and make it
possible for him to conceive of things in a
different way and thus create a different
environment for himself. That is why we
study; that is why we attempt to leam. We
are trying to find a means of expression

APRIL, 1954

that will help us to reorient our point of

view, our mental and inner self, and this
will result in bringing about harmony in our
environment.
This does not mean that we are not free
upon occasion to change our environment.
Furthermore, environment can help us. We
can intelligently utilize different circum
stances that may lie outside of us but we
must remember that to change environment
and to do nothing else does not change us.
We, as individuis, are the same. Constructive growth, constructive evolution, must be
gin within. Environment can impede or aid
your evolution, but the real work of being
you is something that has to be accom
plished inside yourself.A
This Issues Personality
We wish to introduce to our world-wide
Rosicrucian Forum some of those outstanding personalities of the Order in our times
who so unselfishly have given of their time
and talents for the furtherance of AMORC.
Each issue will present the photograph and
a brief biographical sketch of a distinguished
personality. It will constitute our lbum of
eminence in modern Rosicrucian history.
With this isse, it is our pleasure to intro
duce Frater J. C. Guidero. Frater Guidero
is a prominent optometrist in Hollywood,
California. He received his academic de
grees from the University of California.
Doc, as his friends affectionately cali
him, first affiliated with the Rosicrucian Or
der, AMORC, in 1926. He was a member
of the early Hermes Lodge of AMORC in
Los Angeles. He officiated in various ritualistic capacities in that Lodge and eventually
became its Worthy Master. Subsequently,
he was a member of various Boards of Di
rectora of the Hermes Lodge throughout the
years.
The late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis,
who personally admired the qualities of char
acter of Frater Guidero, appointed him Deputy Grand Master of AMORC, to preside in
the Southern California area. In this ca
pacity, throughout the years, he has been
the consultant and the friend of innumerable
officers of the Lodges and Chapters of
AMORC in Southern California. He has, as
well, advised hundreds of members on matters concerning their studies, in personal

Page 107

interviews and in addresses before all of the

Rosicrucian bodies in his area, which he
visits with reglarity.
Dr. Guidero has frequently led a delegation of officers and members from Southern
California to the International Convention
in San Jos. His excellent sense of humor
has enlivened these functions and added to
the spirit of good fellowship which prevails
at such occasions. Frater Guideros scientific
training, mystical insight, and human quali
ties make him a good example of what a
Rosicrucian can and should be.X
Meaning of Advancement
A frater, speaking before our Forum, says:
When I see the little labels on the member
ship cards of my fellow members I wonder
if they are as far advanced as the labels
would indcate. Does ones point in time in
the Order have anything to do with his
advance in the study of the degree monographs?
Ones length of time in AMORC certainly
does have merit. It means that the individ
ual has conscientiously subscribed for that
number of years to certain constitutional
requirements; he has faithfully met his obligations which AMORC has imposed upon
him as a member. When one affiliates with a
cause or organization, whatever its nature,
and remains loyal to it year in and year out
it speaks well for the character of that indi
vidual, his perseverance and devotion. Being
an active member of AMORC and in good
standing requires more than the mere pay
ment of dues. As members in the very
highest degrees know from their personal
experience, there comes a time when they
are obliged to do certain things, to indcate
by word and deed their active membership
in addition to prompt payment of dues. In
the event that such doctrinal stipulations
have not been met, the individuals member
ship is reverted to an inactive status regard
less of his standing as to dues. If we greet
and welcome the Neophyte in his decisin
to acquire new knowledge and understand
ing, how much more should we honor those
who have been steadfast with the Rosicrucian
teachings for years! The label on each mem
bership cardbeyond five-years member
shipis a simple method of showing the
Grand Lodges recognition of the members
years of affiliation with the Order.

Page 108

There is, however, no corresponding relation between the years one has been a Rosi
crucian member and his personal advancement in knowledge of and in application of
the teachings. It is no reflection upon the
teachings of AMORC whatsoever that one
who has been a member but five years may
actually have a deeper comprehension of
the teachings than one who has been affiliated for fifteen years. Further, one may
unfold in five years, that is, display greater
personal powers than one who became a
member ten years previous. It must be real
ized that each member does not enter the
Order with equal qualifications. We are
familiar with the fact that some have a
greater education; some are more intellectually advanced. However, of even greater
importance is the fact that the soul-person
ality of each individual is quite unlike others
at birth.
There are a number of factors involved
in this. In his personal consciousness, one
may have already attained what we term in
our monographs the second plae of Cosmic
Consciousness. This means that his psychic
unfoldment, his responsivity to Cosmic im
pressions would be advanced beyond that of
another member who perhaps was just on
the first plae. In the event that both these
individuis entered the Order at the same
time and conscientiously studied alike, the
one on the second plae would show con
siderable advancement over the other. One
may affiliate with the Order several years
later than the other, and still, in his per
sonal success with the teachings and his
understanding of them, be far more ad
vanced than the earlier student. Again, this
may be due to the degree of advancement
of his soul-personality.
We must not overlook the initiative and
the application of the individual, for these
are vital factors. One may have a tendency
to procrastinate. He may allow his mono
graphs to accumulate, always trying to justify his neglect either to the Grand Lodge or
to others on the grounds of some interfering
activity. Within himself, he really knows
that this accumulation is the consequence of
his indolence, that he has not applied him
self with regularity, that he has allowed
other things to interfere. Eventually, one
who has entered the Order several years
later may manifest intellectual, psychic, and
spiritual superiority in the teachings over

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the student who has procrastinated. The

essential thing is that the length of time one
has been in the Order can be indicative of
ones own progress, that is, to himself. One
should come to realize that each year he has
moved beyond the year before, in his under
standing, in personal power and peace of
mind. If at the end of the year an indi
vidual can find no corresponding improvement in himself, a better comprehension of
the teachings, at least, then, he has failed
in some way.
It is never advisable in mystical and metaphysical studies in particular, to try to deter
mine ones own progress in reference to that
made by another. There are two reasons
why one should not do so. The first we
have already considered, that is, one may
in consciousness at birth already have been
advanced beyond us; therefore, a comparison
with the strides he has made is not a just
one. Second, most of us are not aware of
the full lives of other members whom we
may know. These other persons may be
able to expound profusely the tenets and
teachings, yet in their personal lives they
may have had no success even with the
simplest of the experiments. If our com
parison is based wholly upon an intellectual
appraisal of such a person, as to how much
better than we they express the teachings,
there would not be an adequate analysis. We
might, in our own application of the teach
ings to our daily lives actually be further
advanced than they. But not knowing their
lives fully, we would be underestimating our
own progress.
It is best to take the position, in regard
to this matter, that time does not make the
Rosicrucian. What Rosicrucianism means,
what we are striving for, has been elaborately and comprehensively set forth in our
monographs. There is no time factor for the
realization of such objectives. Some may at
tain many of these ends in a relatively short
period; others may require their whole lifetime. There is no specific time when one
must attain illumination and personal mastery. Each year, each life, contributes to
ward that end. Each little step in that direc
tion brings its own reward as well as inner
and outer satisfaction. Further, there is no
plethora of illumination insofar as man is
concemed; that is, there is no absolute and
final wisdom and power which man comes
to attain, and beyond which he can never

APRIL, 1954

transcend no matter how long he lives. If

tomorrow you were to have that insight,
those apodictical revelations that were to
make of you a mystic equal to the great
Masters of yore, you would still have reached
no climax. You would continu to grow if
you continued to study and apply yourself.
One has only to read the inspired works of
the renowned mystics to note their confessions of ignorance. In other words, they
have come to realize that the more man
learns of the Cosmic and its myriad workings, the more humbled he becomes and the
more he realizes the relative paucity of what
he knows to what yet must be known.
Unfortunately, some members compare
the study of Cosmic philosophy with the
study of an art or science. In these latter
fields, within a given number of years an
intelligent student, under able tutelage, may
acquire a knowledge of all the currently
known principies and laws of the particular
science or art to which he has applied him
self. Thus, such courses in colleges, universities or technical schools conclude with
the conferring of academic degrees within
four to eight years. The Rosicrucian is a
student of life, of the universe of divine prin
cipies. These are never fully understood by
man because, as mans consciousness expands, he is permitted an ever-growing and
deeper insight into the subject of his search.
More and more if it becomes revealed to
him, it is like a man walking toward the
horizon. He finally reaches the point where
the horizon ivas previously. But when he
arrives, lo and behold, there is a vast area
still beyond, which is intriguing and causes
him to go on if he is an adventurer and a
true mystic. The true philosopher is always
an adventurer.
To say that man would know all within
a given period would constitute a ridiculous
assertion; it would mean that the finite,
conditioned mind of the human would be at
some time or other equal to the infinite
Universal Mind. One would think it an unintelligent remark for another to make if he
said that all can be experienced and known
about life if one lives to be sixty years of
age. This would imply that all life after
that period would provide no new knowledge
and should not be lived. In fact, we know
that each additional day brings deeper con
victions and new perspectives of previous ex
periences. Our evaluations and judgments

Page 109

change with the growth of the psychic self

and the intellect. So, since Rosicrucianism
is a study of our relationship to the Cosmic
and life, why further a false goal of a
limited period in which to master all the
teachings it expounds. Each monograph, each
year of membership, bears its own fruit
as those members of long standing can well
attest.X
Are Funeral Rituals Necessary?
A soror from England rises to address
our Forum. She says: A funeral ritualis
it necessary? After all, the essential being
is no longer within the body and the re
mains are merely disintegrating matter. The
lifeless body, to me, can be likened to an
empty house; it is not a home because there
is nothing inside.
My thoughts on this subject were aroused
because two men have died recently in our
small village. One, a monied man, had a
very impressive service at a prominent
church. The other man died a week later
a poor man, and his service of a few moments was held in the little church of the
Cemetery. If materialism makes all this
difference, why a service at all?
From its primitive beginnings and down
through the centuries, the funeral ritual has
been a highly organized religious ceremony.
It is one of the designations of change in
human status. It is one of the many passage
rites. Man is continually going through
transition: biologically, socially, politically,
economically, as well as religiously. Some
of these changes in his status are so gradual
as not to be observed. Others are so promi
nent as to constitute an apparent discontinuance of one phase of his life and the
beginning of another. Accompanying such
transitions there usually are corresponding
emotional and biological changes. Such passages from one phase of lifes activity to
another which are particularly prominent
arebirth, naming, puberty, marriage, initi
ation into social and political affiliations, and
death.
On the occasion of such passages, society,
whether primitive or highly civilized, de
vises ceremonies and rites to honor the individuals assumption of responsibility, to
proclaim his new status, or to prepare him
for what it may entail. The naming rite
gave the individual distinction as a separate

Page I 1O

entity; it likewise bound him to the family

and tribe. Puberty was related to the descent
of certain physical forces into the individual
whereby he was given the power of procreation. It was likewise considered to be preparation for a passage to the marriage status.
Marriage among primitive peoples is usually
an .occasion for initiatory rites, or the introduction to the mysteries of the physical
unin and procreation. The rites for the
young groom and the bride-to-be are usually
separate and most often quite elabrate.
Just recently, in the heart of the bush
country of South Africa we observed such
a marriage initiation for young girls of the
Domo tribe. From twelve to eighteen years
of age, these young girls participated in a
ceremonial dance which lasted for eight
days, and for several hours each day. They
danced in the torrid sun in cise formation,
in choking dust, to the monotonous beat of
drums. The drummers were older women.
No men of their own race were present ex
cept one who might be called the choreographer. He instructed them in the forma
tion of the dance and interspersed the in
struction with expostulations about their
obligations and duties to their husbands-to-be.
The greatest mystery among all peoples
has been that transition or passage called
death. The experiencing of the dead engenders an admixture of emotions as fear,
curiosity, and a reverential awe. The rites,
consequently, refiect these fears, beliefs, and
aspirations. To a great extent the funeral
ceremonies denote the conceptions had about
the phenomenon of death. If the deceased
is to make a journey to another world the
obsequies must prepare him for it. He must
be attired properly. Further, he must be
accompanied by what he may need in the
life hereafter, such as food, utensils, and
gifts to assuage the gods or the demons.
Amulets must be provided to protect the de
parted spirit against eventualities. Since the
dead were to be gone forever, or for an indeterminate time, depending on the particular
concept had, proper lamentation must be
shown at their departure by those attending.
If death is conceived as a fearful experi
ence, this would be evidenced also in the
rites. Drums are beaten and there are cries
or loud calis simulating distress and agony.
The noise is to drive off evil entities who are
thought to descend upon the soul. Also, incantations are uttered to exorcise the evil

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

forces and to prevent them, and even the

deceased, from deliberately reflecting any
harm upon the living. Conversely, if death
is conceived as an initiation to an advanced
state of living, the deceased is then honored;
the rites may assume even the nature of a
festivity. There would be dramatic rituals,
dancing, chanting, playing of musical instru
ments, the presentation of gifts to the de
parted, and eulogies by prominent members
of the tribe or primitive society. Blessings,
prayers, and well wishes are offered by those
who attend. A show of grief is not always
an indication of the fear of the afterlife but
is a respectful gesture, a display of emo
tional feeling. Therefore, professional lamenters have often been engaged by the
family. This custom still exists in the
Orient.
Social prestige always entered into these
passage rites in antiquity, just as it does to
day. A family will show their social status
and affluence by elabrate burial accoutrement and ceremony. However, all such
lavish displays were not intended to impress society. Often, as today, also, they are
an emotional reaction by members of the
family. They are an indication of affection,
a desire to show by material means and by
the symbolism of objects that a deep love
was borne for the departed. Of course, the
ceremonies of those whose economic circum
stances do not permit great expenditure
would contrast by their simple austerity.
I am reminded of a young Siamese of
noble birth whom we met in Bangkok. His
native religin was Buddhism. He had fallen
upon financial adversity. His wife passed
through transition. Because of his social
status, he was required by the customs of
his country to have an elabrate funeral
ceremony for her, ending, of course, in cremation of the body. The stipulated ritual
with all it required would have cost the
equivalent of three thousand dollarsindeed
a considerable sum for Siamese. Not having
such funds, his wife had to be kept without
any ceremony in a coffin until such time as
he could obtain the funds. At the time we
were speaking to him, his wife had passed
through transition a year previously and he
was far from having the necessary money.
He related these things to us while we witnessed the magnificent and colorful cere
mony of another noble Siamese Buddhist. He
looked upon the occasion of the moment

Page I 1I

APRIL, 1954

whimsically, for he was bound to his wife

until he could afford the ceremony for her
in accord with his station in society. Such,
of course, are the absurdities of some reli
gious traditions that attach themselves to
otherwise inspiring and noble rites.
Specifically, as to whether funeral ceremonies are necessary, that depends upon the
religious or philosophical conceptions of the
individual. According to certain orthodox
doctrines, to fail to have a funeral ceremony,
at least the performance of certain essential
rites, means that the passage from this life
into the next would not be properly consummated. The individual so neglected
would be damned; he would not be admitted
into the next world, for he would be con
siderad not worthy of the dignity of the
soul. To metaphysicians, to mystics, and to
the philosophically-minded, there is no fun
damental relationship between the funeral
rite and the actual transition of the soul or
spiritual essence of the deceased. When one
dies, the immortal element is liberated re
gardless of what man does or does not do.
Thus, one who dies in a jungle unseen by
human eyes, his transition unknown to
mortals, is none the less ensconced and
blessed by the divine elements which are of
the phenomenon of death. However, to strip
all such important passage rites of their
emotional and aesthetic qualities is to suppress the expression of mans psychic nature.
We gain our psychic and spiritual satisfac
tion by doing that which provides these
elements of our being with a channel of
expression. Suppose men were to love but
to do nothing that would display it. Suppose,
also, that men were to reverence but indicate outwardly nothing of their faith in or
respect for a transcendent power or intelli
gence. These more noble emotions would
then be inhibited and might even atrophy.
The Rosicrucians look upon death as an
initiation, for it is the greatest of all passages or transitions through which man
passes. It is the Crossing of the threshold
from this life to an exalted state of con
sciousness. It is not an end, to Rosicrucians,
but definitely a change in existence. Conse
quently, that is why the Rosicrucians refer
throughout their teachings to death as tran
sition. Our Rosicrucian funeral ceremony
is thus replete with beautiful, inspiring sym
bolism. It tells in gesture and in word what
we believe, what we know, and to what we

aspire. The following is just one short paragraph from the Rosicrucian Funeral Ritual,
but it is explanatory of the rituals purpose.
This is not a time of sorrow, and certainly
not of regret. The sorrow is to be only inci
dental, as no true Rosicrucian sorrows over
the transition of a loved one. Sorrow can
only be, because of personal loss of companionship; and while we feel a vacancy in
our hearts, knowing that we have lost the
association of a loved one, we should rejoice, knowing that this soul-personality has
been initiated into the Great Cosmic Realm
and has crossed that great threshold which
leads on to perfection.X
Influence of the Masters
A frater of South Africa rises to address
our Forum. He says: To what degree can
one that has attained mastership exert his
influence on others? We think of wars as
things to be avoided. Cannot the Masters
influence those at the helm to totally abolish
wars and rather concntrate on constructive
things like teaching the children correct ways
in life? Science has put us in the position
where the very existence of life on earth
is in jeopardy. It would seem that mass
evolvement is too slow to bring balance into
conditions and that a more drastic course
is indicated.
.
For any exalted or supreme intelligence
to assume our mentality to such an extent
that we would accept and think in accordance with predetermined pattems, it would
be necessary that we scrifice our individual
thought processes. We would then be but
an extensin of the minds so directing us
or; in other words, be puppets. Under such
conditions there wold be no logical need
for humanity or its exercise of reason. Our
intelligence would be restricted to that of the
lower animals. We would have no need for
idealism because such would always be not
our own but rather the motivation of the
minds working through us. However, it
would seem that man attains by aspiration.
This aspiration is only possible by Progres
sive development through relative comparisonit is by conceiving the improvement,
the enlargement upon that which we define
as good. In this way we grow into perfection.
We are not precipitated into it. Certainly
we know that in the realm of common ex
perience that responsibility is a consequence

Page 112

of the appreciation of the valu of something.

Valu in turn, depends upon relating objects
or conditions to some actual or imagined
need. That which is given to us and for
which we have had no corresponding desire
is thought of far less than that for which
we have struggled to attain.
History itself is evidence that vales de
velop out of human understanding and the
vicissitudes of life. Why do we cling devotedly to certain traditions and customs?
Why, even in the most advanced civilizations, do we have specific taboos or prohibitions? It is because time and experience
have proved that certain conditions, actions
or circumstances, are more favorable to the
physical, mental, and moral welfare of man.
By contrast, when an individual or a group
of them imposes a restriction upon us whose
import we cannot comprehend, or whose
valu we have not learned, we resent it.
We are inclined to ignore or evade it at
every opportunity. The best laws are those
that have the intellectual and moral support
of those against whom they are enforced.
Men say today that they want peace. Do
they understand fully what peace means?
Have they as yet truly learned its Cosmic
valu? To many men, peace means but
nonintervention with their own petty and
selfish desires. What many men would de
sire as peace today would in its effect
constitute a hardship upon others, an injustice. In society there are groupsyes, even
nationswhose very aims for peace, as they
construe it, if they were successful in attaining their versin, would engulf the world
in another catastrophic war.
If we are to know and to have the magnificent experience of divine reality, we must
maintain a certain independence; at least,
we must have the opportunity of the evaluation of altematives. Otherwise, we are no
longer an entity but are wholly absorbed
into the source from whence carne our beings.
There are enlightened personalities which
reside on this plae and whose minds dwell
on those planes of consciousness which we
term the Cosmic and mystically refer to as
Masters. Their mastership constitutes the
illumination which they have slowly at
tained. Their mastership is manifested in
their direction of Cosmic and natural forces
intelligently. They act in this enlightened
way because they have learned lessons by
their direct contact with life and reality.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

They have acquired a new set of vales

which have outgrown most of mens. Slowly
they have come to permit the higher judg
ment of their minds to function, the result
of Cosmic attunement, and they thus have
changed their visin of reality. Consequent
ly, they know which is best by test. We be
lieve that it was Plato who had Scrates say:
the philosopher chooses to be such because
he has learned by experience that philosophy
affords the summum bonum, the supreme
good in life.
Such influences as are exerted by the
Cosmic Masters are intended to keep dominant within us the impressions of our own
psychic self. They must be an urge to aspire
to finer and nobler things, to wish to display
compassion, justice, and to act for the ex
tended selfthat is, impersonallyfor hu
manity. It is we, however, who must choose
to pursue such a higher and nobler cause.
We must want to improve society, not because of some immediate and limited gain,
such as physical pleasures which will follow,
but because of a personal spiritual idealism.
It is wrong to think that world salvation
and true peace can come alone through the
efforts of a few men as leaders who have
been highly illuminated, or who are under
the direct guidance of Cosmic Masters. No
few men, no matter what their virtues or
illumination, can push or pul the whole
mass of humanity suddenly into a true
brotherhood of man. The individual in the
Street must know by personal experience the
valu of the good proclaimed by his leaders.
Unless he has some parallel insight into
such an idealism as his leaders may have,
he will not be intellectually or emotionally
able to support it. Many noble plans of a
humanitarian nature have been derided and
ridiculed by an unthinking, profane people
whose consciousness could not embrace the
concepts. Even today, altruistic ideas in ad
vance of the level of the mass mind are often
referred to by it as being crack-pot, radical,
fanatical, etc. W e are of the opinion that
the Cosmic plan of learn-as-you-go must still
persist. Many will be hurt in the learning,
lives will be lost, in fact. But is that not
better than a complete extinction of self and
of our becoming puppets and not knowing
why we act as we do?
Though the fraters question in no way
involves the following topic, it seems appropriate to discuss it since we are consider-

APR1L, i 954

ing Cosmic Masters at this time. At times,

individuis propose the most idiotic and
absurd ideas as coming to them as mandates
or ediets from Cosmic Masters. These socalled messages from the Masters in most
instances are direct violations of those Cosmic
laws and principies which men have come
to learn throughout the centuries. Such
messages which the individual proclaims
as having been transmitted to him by a
Master, are often even immoral; they suggest
extramarital relationships, the violation of
fidelity, disruption of the family, and the
pursuit of wholly sensual interests without
regard to the hurt of others.
These individuis try to put over questionable projeets, unethical business plans,
and promote ideas and inventions which are
audacious if not arrogant. Sometimes they
insist upon the publicatin of manuscripts
which have no literary valu whatsoever.
Some boldly declare: The Master K.H. told
me or Christ told me or perhaps
that a bodhisattva told me to .
There is an interesting psychological fact
behind this type of behavior. The individual,
in the majority of cases, knows that what
he proposes is questionable, if not wrong
in a moral or practical sense. He wants to
accomplish it, yet he has a strong underlying
sense of guilt and inferiority. Actually he
is ashamed of what he proposes, either because it is inferior in quality or because it
is unethical. However, he does not have the
courage to admit his real character. He de
sires to transfer the responsibility and the
censorship for his acts or producs to some
one else. He wants you to believe that he is
not responsiblethat he is merely obeying a
higher authority. Consequently, one of
the Cosmic Masters Christ, Buddha, or some
other supernatural or spiritual beingactu
ally becomes the whipping boy for the
inane and often hideous ideas such persons
advance. This type of individual is really
despicable because he besmirches the traditions and dignity of those to whom he has
transferred the responsibility for his own
weak and nefarious concepts. Ye shall
know them by their fruits. Any person
proposing that which is inconsistent with
the inspiring traditions of Cosmic Masters or
avatars of any faith, relating that such carne
to them as commands or messages from ex
alted beings, is a charlatan and a coward.X

Page I I 3

Interpreting Cosmic Guidance

A frater now addresses this Forum: How
much of an interpretation is necessary by the
member receiving Cosmic impressions? Of
what importance is personal interpretation
of Cosmic guidance? How does one achieve
proper interpretation and how may one go
astray in interpreting such messages?
It is first necessary to say that the inter
pretation of Cosmic or intuitive impressions
is very closely related to the intelligence
which receives thembut in a unique way.
The respective tongues or languages of man
kind do not exist in the Cosmic Mind; they
are man-made devices. Consequently, the
Cosmic impression is, at its first inception
or realization by us, translated into or interpreted in terms of the language with which
we are most familiar. The communication,
the intuitive or Cosmic flash of intelligence,
does not come to us couched in Germn,
French or English, for example. We objec
tively embody the Cosmic impressions in
words of a language so that it will have
meaning to us.
Another category of necessary interpreta
tion, though not a voluntary one, is the selection of ideas to correspond to the Cosmic
impressions which we have. No matter how
profound, how transcendental the import of
the Cosmic communication, it must always
be embodied in ideas which are related to
human experience and human vales. Our
minds can embrace only that of which we
have had experience, in part at least. The
synthesizing quality of the mind may be
inherent, as the philosopher Kant said, as
an a priori factor, but first there must be
had those qualities of experience with which
it can work. We think in terms of our sense
qualities, as color, dimensin, and such con
trares as hot and coid, light and dark, soft
and hard, and the like. Every impression,
every idea, to be comprehensible to us, must
incorprate these qualities. An original idea,
so abstract that it would not relate itself to
these sensations or qualities, would be meaningless.
It is often difficult for us, in daily ex
perience, to relate the sensations we have
had to ideas representing them with sufficient
clarity for others to have a realization of our
feelings. Consequently, it is even more dif
ficult for a person to express to others the
import of a Cosmic impression which he has

Page 114

had. Cosmic guidance and intuitive impres

sions cause a superrationalizing on the part
of our mind. Within the subconscious proc
ess of our stream of consciousness, these
Cosmic impressions associate with themselves
ideas or thoughts, from our fount of knowl
edge that will best express them. This proc
ess is involuntary; it is not the result of the
exercise of will. We do not reason as to which
ideas are best suited to the impressions had.
We can, therefore, say that objectively we
are not interpreting the Cosmic impressions.
However, the impressions are never realized
outside of familiar terms or ideas because,
as we have said, they would not be known
to us; they would be meaningless. The Cos
mic impressions flash into consciousness as
self-evident truths; as we all know, they
seem quite complete and comprehensible. It
is because of this preconsciousness or preobjective association of the ideas that the Cos
mic impressions or messages seem to come
to the individual out of the Cosmic just as
they are realized.
We may use a homely but, I believe, ef
fective analogy of how Cosmic guidance is
transated into terms of human intelligence.
The perforated music rolls that are used in
automatic player pianos in no way resemble,
as we look at them, the finished musical
composition that is heard. The perforations
or slits in the music roll do not visually ap
pear like the notes of the musical scale. How
ever, as you know, when air passes through
them into the piano, it actuates cqmbinations
of keys in the instrument, producing mu
sical notes and chords. We may liken the
perforations in the roll to Cosmic impres
sions. The keys of the piano shall represent
to us the objective impressions, the result
of daily experience, the qualities of our
senses. The musical notes themselves, we
shall say, depict the ideas expressed as a
consequence of the Cosmic impressions. No
matter how elabrate the perforations of the
roll as, for example, in a classical composi
tion, there would need to be keys on the
piano to correspond to them or the result
would fail far short of what was intended by
the composer.
Education does not necessarily make for
profundity of thought. Intelligence, observation, meditation, and reason do. A person
may live a simple life and yet he may be
very analytical and gain exceptional wisdom
from his daily experiences. He retains in

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

memory a fount of complex ideas, symbols

of valu and meaning, which can be reassembled in a flash by the Cosmic impressions
into a new and more enlightened order.
Actually, the perfect interpretation of the
Cosmic impressions is made in the process
itself. When you realize the Cosmic impres
sion, there have already been associated with
it the most significant ideas of your intelli
gence and of your experience. Anything that
you would do thereafter, as a matter of rea
soning or analysis, would be likely to undo
what had been done by the superior Cosmic
process.
May one person gain a greater valu or
insight from a Cosmic impression than an
other? The answer is: Yes, that is possible,
if the experience is personally had and not
related to him by another. In such an in
stance, the consciousness of self, or the plae
of consciousness to which self can penetrate,
may be deeper in one person than in another.
The individual has drawn from lifes ex
periences a more profound meaning or, we
can say, there are more keys in his keyboard
to play upon than in that of another. As a
result, the Cosmic impressions have a greater
wealth of ideas to assemble in his conscious
ness. The same blow of a mallet, for further
analogy, upon a wooden drum will be less
resounding than on a metal one.
,
It is for these reasons that we discourage
Rosicrucians from endeavoring to interpret
anothers Cosmic impressions. All one is
doing in that case is to express himself in
terms of the depth of his own consciousness
and the extent of his own experience. He
may be too shallow in these qualities for
another and would, therefore, be doing an
injustice to the others impressions. Conversely, to use a trite term, he may, in an
other instance, be speaking over the head
of the other in his interpretation. An inter
pretation that does not correspond to your
personal convictions, knowledge, and depth
of consciousness of self is lacking in intimacy.
It has a feeling of being foreign and strange.
Therefore, it does not inspire confidence and
does not motivate one to action. On the
other hand, the interpretation which is asso
ciated involuntarily with your Cosmic im
pressions has the warmth of your own
understanding. It is, in other words, selfevident.
One can go astray in interpreting Cosmic
messages when he insists upon interpreting

APRIL, 1954

them. in the light of his personal preferences

or biases. A Cosmic impression, the voice
of the inner self, as we all know, may be
contrary at times to what the decisions of
our reason would ordinarily be. If we, there
fore, seek to alter the intuitive impression
which always comes to us without the labored processes of our reasoning, we most
assuredly affect detrimentally the Cosmic
impressions. Let us again resort to our
analogy of the perforated music roll to explain this. The perforation of the roll is done
to conform to the composition of a profes
sional, or perhaps even a master musician.
If we make slits in the roll arbitrarily, we
distort the true interpretation of the master.
We can advance the valu of Cosmic guidance to ourselves only by enlarging upon
self. In other words, we must extend our
experiences through study, contemplation,
and meditation. As we do this, we become
attuned with the Cosmic Mind. We then
give it the opportunity to reorganize our
thoughts as Cosmic impressions. As a result,
they have more vital importance to us. The
person who is continually objective may
gain an accumulation of knowledge as
worthy material to be reassembled by Cosmic
impressions, but he is never passive enough
to allow the finer impulses of the Cosmic
to motvate him.
In conclusin, we would say: Do not be so
concemed about the interpretation of your
Cosmic impressionsas you realize them,
so they are. Be more concerned about the
way to attain more of such impressions.X
Is Vivisection Justifiable?
A frater, an eminent physicist and a Rosi
crucian with unusual mystical insight, brings
to our Forum a highly controversial ques
tion: Is medical experimentation on living
animals permissible? It is my conviction
that we should consider this and similar
problems dispassionately without allowing
our love for animals (which I share) to in
terfere with our reasoning.
The practice of vivisection, or rather, ex
perimentation on living beings, dates back
to antiquity. The oldest specific record of
such experimentation was that conducted in
what was known as the Alexandrian Mu
seum during the Hellenistic Period. This
Museum was unlike most institutions which
bear that title today. The most appropriate

Page I 5

comparison is that of a large university

with its numerous colleges. One of the colleges, or departments, of this museum, sponsored by the Ptolemies, Greek kings of Egypt,
was devoted to medicine, surgery, and re
search related thereto. An extensive study
of the human anatomy and physiology was
undertaken. In an endeavor to leam how
the various organs of the body functioned,
living human beings were experimented
upon. For this purpose, criminis and prisoners were made the victims of vivisection
practices. Since anesthetics, as we have them,
were not known, the screams of pain of the
subjects of this experimentation, history re
lates, could be heard at a considerable dis
tance from the buildings that comprised the
Museum.
From the rational, the scientific point of
view, free of any emotional inhibitions, the
most conclusive way in which to study the
functions of an organism is to observe it in
its living operational state. If one did not
know how the mechanism of a clock func
tioned, the removal of its cover and the observation of the many parts in operation
would be more informative than speculation
about them after the clock had stopped. From
a pragmatic point of view, we think that
there is no question that medical animal
experimentationin civilized lands, such is
not permitted on humanscontributes to
mans knowledge of the human organism
and its reaction to disease and drugs.
It is appropriate to add that though the
term vivisection literally means the cutting
of living tissue, all such experimentation
does not involve surgery. Vivisection in
cludes, as well, experimentation on body
temperature, respiration, digestin, and ac
tions of drugs. This means, of course, the
injecting of toxic fluids and the insertion of
tubes and instruments over long periods of
time through the natural bodily appertures.
Though in many instances the animals (including dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, and guinea
pigs) are anesthetized, this cannot always
be done. In fact, an unconscious animal
would not react to certain types of experi
mentation so as to produce the conclusive,
empirical evidence sought. In some types of
research, the use of anesthetics would actual
ly inhibit the functions of an organ or sys
tem, and thereby defeat the purpose of the
experiment. Therefore, the claim that ani
mals are anesthetized in experimentation

Page 116

must not be taken to apply generally. The

resulting fact is that many animals must
necessarily be made to suffer extensive thirst,
fever, and the excruciating pain of partially
removed organs or the effects of various induced diseases. Such circumstances are as
factual as the data that the researchers com
pile.
The immediate question is not the condemnation of the methods used but rather,
whether the ends justify themmorally as
well as scientifically. From the scientific
perspective, with the facilities now avail
able, no more humane ways could possibly
be applied if the results desired are to be
obtained. There is no question that through
such suffering as has been inflicted upon ani
mals in medical experimentation, man has
learned considerable of the curative effects
of particular drugs upon certain diseases. He
has also learned what causes the deterioration f organs and how this may be combatted. Most of the proved vaccines and
serums have had a history of animal ex
perimentation, implying, of course, animal
suffering and loss of life. These serums and
vaccines, however, have been and are in
strumental in saving thousands of human
lives, both adults and children.
Here again we are confronted, as frequent
ly today, with another example of the con
flict of principie with expediency. It is
expedient to alleviate human suffering and
to spare human life with whatever is avail
able, whether therapeutic or otherwise. If,
as they say in military terminology, human
life and freedom from suffering as an ob
jective, falls into the top priority category,
then all else is expendable. To accomplish
this end, if that is what man wants, all
else must be sacrificed to it. From such a
premise, all suffering to animals as a result
of vivisection in any of its forms would be
justified so long as actual sadism did not
enter into the practice.
The moral principie involves the question
as to whether there should be an exploitation
of all mans animal friends, as dogs and cats,
in particular, for his own physical welfare.
We have domesticated these animals, made
of them trusting and dependent pets. Then
we vilate that trust and dependence by exposing them to experimentation with all of
the suffering attendant thereto for the alleviation of our own pains and ills. No num
ber of cases that may be cited as to how

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

serums have saved thousands of innocent

children from dread diseases removes this
moral principie, for, as we have said, all such
applications of the results of the research are
expedient for mans welfare. Moral progress
constitutes a sacrifice of personal advantage
for principie and idealism. We use the word
personal here to include not just the indi
viduis particular benefit, but that of man
kind as a whole. Shall mankind then sacri
fice something of its material advantages
for aspiration of an impersonal nature? We
lad men who give their lives for a cause
from which they do not directly acquire
benefit. We cite such examples as being a
display of moral idealism. As a race, then,
shall we make slower progress toward the
longevity of our kind and endure more suf
fering so that we may display more compas
sion toward animals? This is the question
every individual must answer for himself.
From the rational point of view the reply
would probably be: we must sacrifice animal
life now; later, the results of our research
will contribute not only to mans welfare
but to that of animals, as well. As time
passes, it may be theorized, less such experi
mentation will be needed. Thus, for the
present, this conclusin would hold: that
animals are expendable.
There can be no fixed opinion on this
matter that would be acceptable to all peo
ple, for the approach to the problem is not
the same for everyone. If we approach it
wholly from the rational and dispassionate
view, then the experimentationwherever a
reasonable effort is made to prevent undue
suffering to the animalsis in order. Conversely, if we approach it from the view of
moral and ethical vales, we are not justified
in disregarding the higher principies for
which civilization has struggled. We can
not rightly sacrifice the faith of those higher
animals dependent upon us, for our own
physical welfare. The moralist considers
self preservation to be an impersonal drive
of nature. It is inconsistent with the con
ception of divine motive as a sympathetic
understanding of the whole life principie.
As Huxley said, there is brought into con
flict the Cosmic, or the methods of nature,
with those of ethics. He defined this Cosmic
method of nature as strife and struggle; the
ethical method he designated as sympathy
and cooperation.
In some of the leading nations of the

APRIL, 1954

world certain phases of vivisection are no

longer permitted by law. In Great Britain,
for example, the practice of dexterity in
surgery on lower animals is prohibited by
law. Organized societies for antivivisection
have taken two positions in their protests.
One group are opposed to any kind of ani
mal experimentation; the other, wish to
prohibit such practices on dogs and cats only.
Dogs, for example, have a high degree of
intelligence and self-consciousness. Of course,
this self-consciousness is considerably less
than that of man, though it does have certain
parallels. A dog has a sense of guilt which
he acquires from his environment and associations. It is a kind of code of right and
wrong behavior. He also comes to include
his friends in his own self-interest. He displays a consciousness of what will contribute
to their welfare or hurt them. He exhibits
highly developed emotions. He is able to
know the cause of abuse, that is, the source
of the suffering inflicted upon him. He is
able, by his emotional nature and intelli
gence, to display an appeal for help and to
solicit assistance from those beings upon
whom he has placed his rebanee. The dog
is willing to sacrifice his life for those humans he loves. He cannot understand the
disregard for his feelings, the suffering he is
made to endure by humans. To persist in
inflicting such suffering upon dogs requires
a suppression of those sentiments that con
stitute the moral fabric of humanity. Man
can reason his right to do what he does in
terms of expedieney but is he right in
giving his reason complete domination over
his emotional and moral sense? Are the ills
of our present world in good part the consequence of too much calculation and too
little compassion? What price shall be paid
for progress or how shall human progress
be judged?X
False Conceptions About Membership
The preliminary instructions sent to each
Neophyte Rosicrucian endeavor to explain
the relationship of the member to the Grand
Lodge. There are outlined the specific objectives of membership, that is, what the
member should seek to attain, what is ex
pected of him, and also what the Order
promises to do for him. It is reiterated in
various places throughout the teachings of
the Degrees, that AMORC cannot make one
a Rosicrucian. Such requires a personal de

Page I I 7

velopment through study, meditation, and

finally, application. The essential obligation
of the Order is to present to the member
those tried and tested Cosmic principies and
natural laws which will aid him in attaining
the true goal of his affiliation.
There are members who, notwithstanding
this elucidation on the rela tio n sh ip of
AMORC to them and the purposes of the
Order, still acquire false concepts. They en
ter the Rosicrucian Order with preconceived
notions of what it should do and will do for
them. Many of these ideas are wholly irrelevant to the actual principies of the Order.
When, after a few months time, they find
that they cannot defy natural laws or ac
quire powers to do their biddingwhich
may be inconsistent with Cosmic principies
they are disillusioned and disappointed. They
do not realize or will not admit the inconsisteney of their objectives and demands.
Instead, they become critical of AMORC
and often charge that it has failed to perform
its obligations. Of course, these instances are
very much in the minority. But it is advisable to consider their circumstances.
Occasionally, there is the member who
makes the accusation that the Grand Lodge
no longer gives personal attention to the
members. One frater in South Africa has
said that the large membership of AMORC
today means that it cannot answer personal
letters any longer and that all the correspondence is formalized or mechanically
reproduced. Such a statement is a generalization; it is unfair because it is unfactual. Dur
ing the year 1953 just past, for example,
some 85,000 personally dictated letters were
directed to members of AMORC throughout
the world! Aside from the item of postage
in connection with these letters, let us realize
the cost of labor involved in reference work,
dictation, stenographic transcriptions, and
the like for 85,000 distinctly personal letters.
Such letters were of a nature that no formal
communication or mechanized letter would
satisfactorily answer them. Obviously, if the
Department of Instruction were answering
all letters by forms, as the frater stated, we
would not need the large staff of assistants
which we have, and at tremendous cost.
We have learned that some few members
have an exceedingly impractical mind and,
therefore, have an unreasonable view of
their membership relations. They are of the
opinion that every letter which they write

Page I I 8

to the Grand Lodge or the Department of

Instruction must be personally answered.
Let us look at the matter in this way: which
does such a member want or need most, the
information about which he writes or the
personally dictated letter? After all, if it is
sociability he seeks, then the letters to him
should not even be personally typewritten
but rather, handwrittenwhich would, of
course, be an impossibility.
Let us take the example of a very com
mon question that is asked by members,
though it is fully explained in the mono
graphs. It is whether the student can con
duct his sanctum period on other nights
than Thursday nights. Also, whether the
member may establish his sanctum period
on a morning or an aftemoon instead of
an evening. The answer to these questions,
of course, is that any time is appropriate if
it is convenient to the member, though we
would like where it is possible, to have the
member observe the traditional Thursday.
Now this question occurs in our correspondence at least a minimum of fifty times a
month! What is the most efficient and eco
nomic way of conducting such type of correspondence? Certainly it would not be
efficient to dictate a separate, lengthy reply,
and personally typewrite each such letter to
each such inquirer. Since it is a common
question, the best way would be to answer
it thoroughly and then have that answer
reproduced mechanically, arranging for a
number of such letters to be available for
dissemination to all who asked that question.
This permits the immediate dispatch of the
needed information. To resent such. reply as
being unsatisfactory and not constituting per
sonal attention is an unreasonable attitude,
as most members will agre.
It is necessary, therefore, to prepare a
number of such formalized, mechanically
reproduced letters to give certain informa
tion to the member. Assuredly the individ
ual would not feel offended, for analogy, if
his church were to send him a formal bulletin of its activities instead of writing a
four-page personal letter to him about them.
Our position regarding personal letters is
this: if the question asked is unique, and
solely related to the individuals member
ship that is, if there is no other matter
already prepared that will answer it satis
factorilythen, of course, the answer will
be personally dictated.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

For further example, another common

question is: what is the difference between
black and white magic, and what is the truth
about black magic? To do justice to such
questions requires a rather long letter, some
three to four pages closely typewritten.
Imagine the time and cost if this were to be
done in just this manner each time this ques
tion was asked? Therefore, a carefully pre
pared discourse on this subject has been
reproduced and it is economically and quickly sent to the member wishing such informa
tion. It has frequently happened that a
member has asked four questions in four
separate letters over a course of the same
number of weeks, and that each answer from
the Department of Instruction to him has
been formalized instead of being a personal
communication. This signifies that his four
questions happened to fall into the category
of those which are commonly asked. Never
theless, the answer to each question would
be a very adequate and comprehensive one.
Again, a member, because of misunderstanding, may be unjustifiably offended because he has received no answer to his
question at all, perhaps receiving only a
simple statement that his question cannot
be answered. There aire a number of sub
jects which, frankly, lie entirely outside
the scope of Rosicrucian membership. They
are questions which AMORC should not
answer because they are in no way con
cerned with the Rosicrucian teachings or
the objectives of membership. The Order
just cannot take valuable time necessary
for its true work to answer questions that
may be equally as well answered by out
side authorities whose duty it is to an
swer such inquiiies. Questions of this latter
type concern, for example, the sale of real
estte, the making of inventions, advice on
legal matters, opinions on new books, controversial discourses on the merits of the
various religious sects, requests for interpretations of the Bible, questions about political candidates, advice on whether to buy
or sell various properties, and the like. To
answer these questions would take time, we
repeat, from the answering of correspondence
which is strictly of a Rosicrucian nature.
Again, a further word about the function
and duties of a Class Master is in order. A
Class Master is a duly qualifed Rosicrucian
member of the Grand Lodge staff who has
been trained to answer the correspondence

APRIL, 1954

from members of one or more specific de

grees of study. He is thoroughly conversant
with all of the subject matter, the teachings
contained within the monographs of the par
ticular degree assigned to him. A Class
Master does not write each monograph each
week before it is disseminated. The mono
graphs fail within the doctrinal category of
AMORCs activity. The Imperator is the
doctrinal head of the Order. With his special
assistants, he determines the content of these
monographs, any additions thereto, and
clarifications. The Class Master cannot, as
any intelligent person would realize, med
tate upon and individually attune himself
with each one of the members he must serve
each week. Such would mean that he could
not possibly answer their correspondence.
Furthermore, as Rosicrucians are rational
persons, they will understand that we do not
medtate at those times when other facilities
and means are at our disposal. We leave
meditation for higher functions and for that
illumination which cannot come to us from
perception and reason.
For analogy, a staff member will not med
tate upon what may be occurring in another
part of the building when he could walk
there and in one minute see objectively
what is transpiring, or learn of it by tele
phone. Such a use of our meditative powers
would actually be an abuse of their Cosmic
and exalted purpose. The staff members,
such as Class Masters, do participate in
meditations and in the psychic functions of
our rituals and convocations. In performing
their administrative duties, however, they
use the faculties adapted to those purposes.
One member was quite perturbed when
he learned that the respective Class Masters
did not medtate upon the contents of each
monograph just as it was being mailed to
the student. However, this same member
thought that more time should be given to
personal correspondence! How could these
two extremes be reconcileddevoting hours
to unnecessary meditation and at the same
time conducting added correspondence?
One reason why we have our International
Rosicrucian Convention is to give hundreds
of our fraters and sorors each year the op
portunity of personally experiencing what is
being done at Rosicrucian Park in their be
half. They visit our Research Library with
its rare books; they see the Editorial Depart
ment where a staff gives constant attention

Page 119

to our literature, as publications and books.

They then visit our laboratories and see our
Science Museum and Planetarium. They
interview technicians, who prepare science
demonstrations and others for inclusin in the
monographs, and special films for Lodges
and Chapters. They visit the large Corre
spondence Department where dozens of
stenographers and typists are answering let
ters to members throughout the world. They
see the prvate offices where the officers pre
pare special articles for the Rosicrucian Digest and discourses which are made available
to all members. They are given the oppor
tunity of examining manuscrpts, charters
and documents from throughout the world
concerning Rosicrucian authority and activi
ties. They are shown and told about all
new developments under way which are of
direct benefit to every Rosicrucian member.
When they retum to their homes, these
members can then tell others whom they
know, and who did not come to the Conven
tion or who have never been, of their ex
periences. W e are happy to relate that they
are proud of what they found AMORC doing.
We welcome suggestions. If there is any
thing within reason that we can do and
that the amount of your dues contrbutions
will permit, and that is constitutionally
proper, please advise us. It will receive im
mediate consideration. If it is possible to
incorprate it in your membership, it will
be done; if not, you will be told why. Longtime members, now reviewing monographs
and membership facilities of the lower de
grees as they are issued today, are amazed
at the development since they were students
in those degrees.
Unlike most large fraternal orders, AMORC
does not charge initiation fees of one, two,
or three hundred dollars. Further, also un
like most fraternal orders, AMORC has absolutely no additional initiation fees as one
advances. Still further, unlike most other
societies, AMORC levies no annual assessments to make up shortages or to acquire
this or that. Only occasionally have we
asked our members for donations, and those
were purely voluntary . No ones member
ship status was affected if he could not, or
would not, contribute.
These details are being given so that you
may have a better appreciation of your mem
bership relations with the Grand Lodge of
which you are an integral part.X

Com plete Laboratories

M odern C lassroom s
Extensive Libra ry Facilities
Personal Dem onstrations
Field Trips
Supreme Temple Convocations

Prepare now to be one of the happy throng

gathering at Rose-Croix University from June 21
to July 10. Write for your free copy of T h e Story
of Learning which explains in detail what lies in
store for you. Address: T H E REG ISTRAR, ROSECRO IX U N IV ER SIT Y , RO SICRUCIAN PARK.
SAN JOSE, CALIFO RN IA
(N ote: Auditors are not required to take examinations. Thei
fee is the same. N o diploma is given. M atriculation is requirec
as with regular students.)

June, 1954
Vol. X X IV

No. 6

Rosicrucian Forum
A

p r v a t e

p u b lic a t io n f o r m e m b e r s o f A M O R C

Joseph J. W e e d # F. R. C., G ra n d Councilor o f A M O R C fo r N o rth A tlantic States, U. S. A.

(S ee p a g e

128)

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 122

Greetings!
V

SHOULD H-BOMB TESTS BE STOPPED?

Dear Fratres and Sorores:

The news that H-bomb tests, recently conducted in the Pacific, have resulted in serious
injury to nonparticipants, aroused a storm of
protest. This indignation was on a worldwide scale. It was heard not only in the
capitals of the world but in the press of
many nations. Individuis showered with
protestations their respective government representatives and the United States Atomic
Energy Commission as well. The Grand
Lodge of the AMORC, being intemational in
its scope, received cables, telegrams, and let
ters from various lands urging that the Order
add its voice to the growing dissent.
An analysis of the Communications we
have received indicates that these strong objections are based on two points. The first
is the fear that man has exceeded his ability
to control, that is, direct at will, the tremendous power which his scientific researches
have unleashed. This fear seems partially
confirmed by the fact that the United States
Atomic Energy Commission authorities ad
mitted that one test had exceeded, in its range,
their calculations for it. There arse rumors
which heightened these fears. The crust of the
earth might be penetrated so deeply by an
uncontrolled thermo-nuclear explosion as to
affect the axis of the earth. This, in turn,
could or would cause serious tidal waves and
other catastrophes. Again it was conjectured
that the polar caps might be affected in such
manner as to bring about glaciation, that is,
a new series of glacial descents. Though
there was, of course, no scientific or factual
support for such theories, bordering on the
fantastic, men did fear the great forces that
a relatively few human beings had at their
disposal. It seemed as if the fate of human
ity, and even the planet itself, was at stake.
To quote a letter from a student of mathe
matics and physics: Children who play
with matches will burn their fingers and
may put the house on fire.
The second important ground on which
the protests are based is a moral and ethical
one. To quote another letter: The far-

reaching criminal error committed by those

who plan to explode further H-bombs is that
they underrate the danger for the whole
globe and think only in terms of their bombs
and of danger areas since they are now
obviously operating with the unknown, it is
necessary that they be stopped now and forever. The conclusin of the majority of
these moral protestations is that man should
not develop any instruments, no matter for
what reason, which are capable of the annihilation of most of the human race. Man
is too morally undeveloped to have such
power at his disposal. Humanity is too unstable to believe that it would or could circumvent any malicious use of such instru
ments, the moral responsibility being too
great for the generally pusillanimous char
acter of humanity, at least during this age.
It was urged that no further production of
such weapons or tests of them should be
made.
Is there a middle course? Is there any
justification for the continuation of these
tests? Government authorities and militarists as a whole are not moralists and,
unfortunately, but comparatively few are humanitarians. Their whole rule of function
is primarily expediency. It was inevitable
that such superweapons as the atomic bombs
and eventually thermo-nuclear instruments
of destruction would be devised. Military
history from the time of the ancient Assyrians has shown a race for new tactical
methods and weapons which would give one
nation or power supremacy over the others.
The Assyrians invented organized combat
with the use of the phalanx and what
amounted to the first tank, this being a huge
mobile battering ram with scaling ladders for
attacking walled cities. Warriors rod on the
clumsy but singularly effective device for
those times. The Romn legions conceived
and employed numerous weapons and maneuvers which gave them superiority in com
bat over their foes. It is to be expected that,
so long as man cannot transcend war as a
means to conclude differences in world so-

JUNE, 1954

Page 123

ciety, he will aspire to produce weapons

which will give him a distinct advantage in
any conflict.
It appears absurd to inveigh against the
immorality of the use of such weapons as
might lay a million persons in the arms of
death and not strike first against those fac
tors which cause war. What is the difference to the individual between a localized
war with orthodox weapons, in which he and
his family are killed or seriously maimed,
and a war in which hundreds of thousands
are killed or injured at one time? It affords
the injured or the family of the deceased
little satisfaction to know that in a war not
using nuclear weapons there are not as many
killed or injured. The extent of the loss of
life or the amount of destruction in no way
mitigates the effect of war to those who un
der any circumstances are its victims.
Atomic research was well under way be
fore America launched the first atomic bomb.
Much of the knowledge employed in the
actual making of the atom bomb was known
to physicists throughout the world. Germn
scientists were on the verge of the construction of atomic weapons before the cise of
World War II, though using another method
of approach which, fortunately, was not as
facile as that employed by American physi
cists. Only Nazi Germanys defeat prevented
them from ultimately launching an atomic
attack. All the combatants, through their in
telligence sources, were aware that each was
working on such secret superweapons. It was
only a question of who would attain them
first. Such a race was not morally right. It
becomes difficult, of course, to ever justify
preparation for war. However, from an expedient point of viewwhile human nature
is of such a moral and intellectual state that
it finds war a necessary means to an end
it would be suicidal not to strive to develop
weapons of a superior nature.
Out of the obvious horror of thermo-nuclear weapons may actually emerge a factor

for peace. The powerful instruments of de

struction, ironically enough, may do more
to restrain man than his own self-discipline
and moral sense can accomplish. For exam
ple, two men who are equally powerful in
physique and know it very rarely provoke
each other to actual combat. Their natural
instincts of self - preservation engender a
sense of caution. Even if they are antagonistic toward each other, they avoid conflict
for doubt of the outcomethey are not cer
tain as to the superiority of their individual
prowess. So, too, thermo-nuclear weapons
have reached such proportions of violence
that such would be an almost certain internecine venture for any nation to launch
them. The instigator would receive as great
damage to his cities and industries and as
great a loss of life as the nation he would
attack. Restraint then becomes necessary as
a preservation factor.
The important element at this time is the
psychological one. Each possible combatant,

each who has such weapons or is feverishly

developing them, must be made to know that
his rival has them. Not only must it be announced that such an achievement has been
reached but the effectiveness of it as well
must be realized by leaders of the various
nations and the populace at large. This can
only be accomplished by such tests as were
recently conducted in the Pacific and earlier
in the State of Nevada. Allied Intelligence
knows that, no matter how cise their screening of the observers admitted to the scene
of operations in the Pacific, there is a good
possibility that enemy agents were there,
under one guise or another. Therefore, they
at least had access to such displays. They
were silent observers. They saw the horror of
the tremendous forces unleashed; the poten
tiality of the weapon, its destructive power,
would not be lost on such trained witnesses.
They would know that the allied nations
have the means of striking back with an
almost unlimited power of destruction. Such

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1 1 0 3 of the U . S. Postal Act of Oct. 3 , 1 9 1 7 .

The Rosicrucian Forum s

Published Six Times a Year (every o+her month) by the Department

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Page 124

becomes a stupendous psychological deterrent .

America, unfortunately, has learned the
psychological lesson late or at least failed to
take advantage of it previously. It is our
opinion that the terrible destruction and loss
of life to noncombatants in Japan might have
been averted and the United States not have
the stigma of launching the first atom-bomb
attack in history, if the psychological stage
had been set first. If the bomb could have
been exploded where it could have been observed by the Japanese military or Intelligence agents, in a setting revealing its vast
destructive power and without great loss of
life if any, it might also have brought an
early conclusin to the war. At least Ameri
ca would have tried the humane way. That
is now history. There is no point in estimating the moral consequences of the event.
There is reason to believe that the present
tests, notwithstanding the loss of life of what
might be termed innocent bystanders, have
achieved advantageous psychological results
at least for the present. Any temporary
respite, even a few months, from a global
thermo-nuclear war affords the possibility for
men to regain, in the interval, their sanity
so as to realize the futility of such a venture.
Most certainly, the development of the
H-bomb has reached such proportions that
large scale tests will soon be impossible.
There will be no area vast enough to assure
security not only for the experimenters but
others not involved. In all probability future
tests will be but phases of the more complex
device. The full results to be mathematically
calculated from such partial experiments.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator
Pantheism or Monotheism Which?
A frater brings to our Forum an interest
ing topic. He asks: What has caused an
apparent shift from pantheism to monothe
ism, that is, what changes in man, during
ages past, have caused him to imite his gods
or to entirely change his scheme of deities
to but one supreme being?
Though pantheism, the belief that God
pervades all things, may be traced to remte
antiquity, there is reason to believe that
polytheism preceded it. This latter is the
conception of a plurality of deities. The gods

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

at times were conceived as being of equal

rank but, among some sects, they were ar
ranged in a hierarchal order. The most im
portant deity was at the top of the graduated
scale and those, whose powers were thought
to be less, were ranked beneath. This latter
system of polytheism was called henotheism.
If we consider primitive reasoning, as we
experience it today, we find therein the pat
tern of thought which most probably gave
rise to polytheism. It is difficult for the sim
ple mind to conceive unity in diversity.
The manifold expressions of the phenomenal
world in their appearance give little evidence
of any underlying unity. It would seem
almost a radical thought, not to be borne
out by ordinary observation, that all things
could possibly be rooted in related primary
causes. There must be, it would seem, a
number of independent causes for an equal
number of apparently unrelated phenomena.
The early causes which man attributed to
reality were not mechanical or, as we would
say, natural. They had to him a kind of
teleological qualitythat is, not pur mind
but as following from the intent of some
being. At least almost all the phenomena
was thought to be purposeful. The very
forces of nature were thus apotheosized; they
became gods. The results of these forces
were thought to have been planned by the
intelligence which was either resident in
them or which was behind them.
The more some phenomenon of nature
directly affected man, either beneficially or
adversely, the more importance as a deity
it would have to him. The prominence given
to certain of the gods and the rivalry for
the power of their respective priesthoods
gradually reduced their number by elimination or merger. This is particularly noticeable in the religions of ancient Egypt, for
example, where there was rivalry between
the priesthood of Amon at the ancient capi
tal of Thebes and that of Ra at HeliopoKs.
Devotees of a particular god would eventually, in their inclination toward the unity of
all reality, come to attribute more and more
of natures manifestations to him. Eventually, as in the instance of Ra, the deity became
the creator of all. From this emerged mono
theism, the conception of a single deity .
In monotheism, however, a conception of
duality may also exist. A god may be the
creator, but he is separate, distinct from

JUNE, 1954

that which he creates. He transcends the

world, both anima te and inanimate. In
other words, there is God and there is also
the world. In the latter, namely, the world,
man is included. Still another distinction
must be considered in relation to monotheism
and that is deism. In this conception, a deity
is not only thought to have created all but
he absolutely transcends the world he cre
ated. In other words, he is aloof to matter
and to man. He is not immanent within
them. He does not extend himself as a
power or as a mind to direct the developments that occur in the world. Things, as
creations, occur not by Gods direction, ac
cording to this view, but rather as the result
of causes which He once established. His
mind is not planning and directing the
phenomenal world. The theist, conversely,
is one who believes that not only is God
the primary cause of all, but that His intel
ligence is immanent within the world as a
controlling power, as a will, as a continuous
purposeful forc. God, to the theist, is the
moving factor in all events of mans life and
in material creation.
This duality of monotheism may be better
explained by simple analogies. First, a single
god is thought to be the creator of the uni
verse. All phenomena and realities of the
universe are the product of his creation.
They are like figures that a toymaker has
fashioned. Now, according to deism, once
these objects have been constructed, they
must function according to their own mechanism as originally provided by the maker.
He need not concern himself further about
them, as he originally conferred upon them
their power. The toys then are quite detached from their maker. In fact, they no
longer need his intelligence. On the other
hand, theism takes the position that the
creator does not remove himself from his
creations. Their functions are continuously
dependent upon his applying his powers to
them. We again use the analogy of the
toymaker who must wind his toys from time
to time and put them into motion, conferring
upon them the very power by which they
exist. Their actions are, then, always the
consequence of his will.
Theism is contiguous to pantheism when
the will and power of the god are thought
to pervade his creations so that the deity, in
consciousness and purpose, is one with them.
Pantheism is closely identified with monism,

Page 125

that is, a single or all-inclusive cause of

reality. Another way to put it is that this
cause is in all things. It is never separate
from its effect and is part of the effect; there
is no separation, such as god and the world,
but rather just a universal Divine principie,
expressing itself in the various ways by
which we know reality. Monism may also
be conceived as a mechanical cause instead
of a teleological one. In other words, it may
be thought of as a concatenation of material
forces without will or mind which, in its
actions and reactions, brings forth all.
Pantheism may be traced in India to 1000
B.C., and to Brahma of the Hind religin.
Brahma being the supreme creator who, as
a moving power and mind, enters into the
substance and reality of all things. Brahma
was identified with the universe; he was Cre
ative mind, all things being manifestations
of him. Plutarch, in his history, discloses
that the Temple of Isis bore this inscription:
I am all that hath been, is, or shall be, and
no mortal has lifted my veil. Here too,
then, Isis was the Creative power of all,
existing within all.
Among the Greeks in the 6th century
B.C., pantheism was extant in the philosophy
of Xenophanes, Parmenides, Heraclitus, and
Cleanthes, the Stoic. According to Stoicism,
there is a universal rational principie; the
logos or law of this principie pervades all.
In matter, this principie constitutes the very
laws of nature; in man, it is what we cali
soul. The latter enters by the breath, pneuma
or breath constituting this rational principie.
Thus God is in all things as their soul or
their very essence. God is to be found in
reality, not apart from it, according to Stoi
cism. This is pur pantheism.
The word pantheism literally means God
in all. It is said to have first been used by
the deist, Toland, in 1705 in referring to the
philosophy of Spinoza, the latter being con
sidered the exponent of pantheism in his
century. According to Spinozas doctrines,
everything is a fragment or mode of God.
Spinoza, being abstruse and beyond his time,
was execrated by the orthodox religions.
Hegel was also considered a pantheist. To
him there is a plan of development that ex
ists throughout all reality. Each thing must
not be taken by itself, but becomes real only
as we experience its connection with the
whole. God, then, is in the whole of reality.
We grow in the realization of God as we

Page 126

find his nature manifesting in each experi

ence which we have of realityexperience,
reality, and God being coexistent.
Orthodox theism, as in the Christian sects,
opposes pantheism, and in its intolerance has
even identified it with atheism erroneously
if not maliciously. The principal reason for
this is that pantheism is said to oblitrate
the personality of God. The primitive con
cept that God is humanlike in form, or at
least in attributes of mind, finds ready ac
ceptance among many peoples. It makes God
more finite to them, while at the same time
they profess His omnipotence and omnipresence. It is difficult for the average person
to embrace an abstract reality. They cannot
intimately relate themselves to a mind or a
moving principie as an underlying Divine
factor. They must feel that their attention
can be directed to an external remte power
that is nevertheless centralized, just as they
would appeal to a judge on the bench.
Behind all this lies the psychological prin
cipie of dependence. Man is conscious of his
ignorance and his fallibility. In adversity,
he wants to believe that he can put sure
dependence upon a transcendental power,
as a benevolent, forgiving being that will
protect him or bring about a solution to his
problem. If God is conceived as an allpervading intelligence that is part of man
himself and the reality of his existence,
whose function man must know and abide
by, too much self-dependence is required of
the mortal. He retreats from such an idea,
fleeing from a wholly personal mastership.
True mystical pantheism does not proclaim that the sum of all reality, the totality
of things, is God. As an Islamic mystic has
explained, God, being infinite, no collection
of particulars is He. However, all things are
of God, as a mind, not as a substance or
limited beingHis intelligence, His very
Creative power, constituting the essence of all
things. Every thing, a grain of sand, a
flower, the sea, a star, is but a ray of the uni
versal light of God. Thus God is not remte.
He is consciousness in living things and
He is the very phenomena of matter as well.
All of these things are but attributes of His
infinite nature. All the manifestations known
to man or which he could ever know are in
the whole of Divine reality. They are but
modes of expression of Him. Thus we approach God through understanding, appreciation and reverence of His nature as we find

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

it in experience, in the things we touch, see,

hear, and smell. Since we are closer to our
selves than to other things, the pursuit of our
noblest aspirations, as well as the indulgence
of our moral impulses and our spiritual inclinations, constitutes our communion with
God.
In the Upanishads there is this most appropriate reference to the universal, the
pantheistic nature of God: as the mighty
air everywhere moving is rooted in space,
so all things are in me.X
Our New Cover
When our late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer
Lewis, conceived the Rosicrucian Forum , it
was his intention that it be kept as simple
as possible in its physical arrangement and
appearance. We presume that most of our
Forum readers are aware of the manner in
which this publication carne into existence.
In those years, much of the correspondence
from high degree members was answered
directly by the Imperator. Subsequently, of
course, it was necessary for him, as now, to
have trained assistants to answer the greater
volume of correspondence. Many of the
questions he answered were intensely interesting. He thought it was unfortunate that
the answers to these questions and the information which he gave should be limited
to the relatively few to whose letters he could
personally make reply. He knew that there
were many members of the same degree or
class in the Order who might not have asked
these specific questions but would welcome,
as well as need, the information which he
gave. Consequently, he conceived the idea
that his answers and the questions them
selves be incorporated in an official publica
tion entitled T he Rosicrucian Forum furthermore, that this periodical be issued
exclusively to members. In other words, it
would be a private publication.
Dr. Lewis decided, as well, that The Rosi
crucian Forum should not be indiscriminately issued to all members but that those who
desired this additional information and in
struction should subscribe to it at a nominal
sum. So as to include as much knowledge, as
much unusual information, as possible with
in the limited number of pages, he also
decided that the periodical should be kept
free of illustrations, photographs, and adver-

JUNE, 1954

tisements. Only the back cover is used for

advertising the services or books of the Order.
The front cover and format have been
unchanged all these years. We have now
made a change, principally in the cover. It
is still conservative, it is still relatively
simple, but its appearance is now more in
conformity with modern design and type
faces. We hope you will like its appearance.
X
Sanctity of the Home
A soror rises to address our Forum. She
says: Will you elabrate on the meaning
of the term sanctity of the home, as used
in the Neophyte Oath? Discussions with
others have revealed a great difference of
opinion as to what is a proper Rosicrucian
home, what are proper marriages, and home
habits. When is a home without sanctity?
Though there is a common exchange of
the words house and home, actually there is,
psychologically, a considerable distinction
between them. A home includes a dwelling
or shelter but every house, in which people
reside, does not necessarily constitute a home.
When persons establish a home, it is intended to be more than a protection against
the elements or a place where such require
ments as privacy, sleep, and food may be
had. They intend it to be a place where the
family may engage in a certain relationship
to their mutual advantage. A home must
reflect the mental, cultural, and spiritual
interests of the individuis who reside within
its physical structure. A home, then, con
sists of the creation of an intmate environ
ment. It is an environment not dictated by
or the consequence of any external com
pulsin. If individuis are obliged to act or
behave in a place other than by their own
motivation, it is not then a home.
We may liken a home to a microcosm , that
is, a small universe of which the individual
personality is the sun, the solar point. He
radiates in a home his feelings; he expresses
them in form and color aesthetically, and
emotionally and instinctively, in accordance
with his understanding and the develop
ment of his personality. Where an individual
or family are not inhibited by circumstances
beyond their control, the home, in its atmosphere, physical order and appearance, routine behavior and customs prevalent within
it and the idealism displayed, religious or

Page 127

otherwise, signifies a specific conception of

life. To the people therein their mode of
life, which the home exhibits, is their per
sonal idea of the valu of life. It is not that
each home wholly represents the idealism
which the family hopes ultimately to attain.
It will, however, if there is agreement among
the members, indcate their mutual aims. A
home may disclose literary interests by an
extensive library. It may also reveal a love
of the arts by well-selected musical record
ings or musical instruments. Again aesthetic
tastes and love of harmony may be disclosed
by a judicious selection of fumishings and
appointments, even if inexpensive. Creative
tendencies may be evidenced by a home
workshop, a photographic darkroom or some
other hobby requiring imagination and skill.
Character is likewise evidenced in orderliness
and cleanliness. Comfortable chairs, good
lighting, and ordinary conveniences show
pleasure in simplicity and a tendency toward
introversin. A house that lacks these ele
ments fails to exhibit lived-in qualities.
Without these qualities there is an indication
that the place is but a shelter, that the real
interests are extroverted, being away from
the home.
The home that has a sanctum or a reli
gious shrine, or a prominent display of philo
sophical and mystical symbols, discloses the
spiritual idealism of the members of the
family. We all objectify in some way our
immanent feelings. We cannot completely
immure them within ourselves. We give our
ideis form in our behavior or by the creating of some object which represents them.
The home is, then, a mirror of the character
and personality of the individuis within it.
Before a place can become a home, the
individual within it must have the freedom
of self-expression. No one wants to display
his innermost feelings, beliefs and aspirations, except in sympathetic surroundings.
We will not subject that which we love, or
for which we have fundamental attachments,
to abuse or to an environment which we
believe will detract from it. We do not, for
example, place a photograph of a dear friend
on a post in front of a house where it may
be defiled. Such would constitute to us a
sacrilege of the sanctity of that friendship.
Therefore, that which represents our finer
moral and ethical feelings has a sanctity
or a sacredness to us. It is sacred because

Page 128

it has the lofty quality of goodness which we

associate with spiritual or immaterial things.
Where a member of the family is not per
mitted this self-expression by others, no home
has been established for him and there is
no sanctity. The sanctity, the sacredness, of
a home evokes staunch defense and selfsacrifice for it. A man defends his home
not just as a piece of property but as a
way of life.
Since most dwellings have more than one
individual residing within them, the compatibility prevailing among these persons
will signify whether they are truly homes.
If one member of a family imposes his whole
personality upon the others, no matter how
creditable his habits and ideis, that har
mony and exchange of personalities, that
natural freedom which connotes a home, does
not exist. Just as there are differences in
personalities which reflect different mentalities and cultural backgrounds, so homes, a
construct of these personalities, will vary.
A home may conform to the psychological
elements of which it consists and yet be not
acceptable to other individuis. W e have all
visited homes where the members thereof
were evidently quite happy in their sur
roundings, yet there was much about the
environment that was lacking in our con
ception or ideal of a home.
A Rosicrucian home is not basically dif
ferent from any true home except in one
particular characteristic. It must provide
some facility and time, in the routine of
living, to permit the individual to inquire
into the mysteries of beingthose of the
Cosmic and of himself. If the individual is
not able to find at least one hour a week
to devote to the consideration of his moral
and intellectual interests, to study and medi
tation, the home then defeats the very pur
pose of his Rosicrucian membership. A
Rosicrucian home is one whose conditions
are compatible with ones Rosicrucian inter
ests. Since all members of a family are not
necessarily Rosicrucians, the one who is must
not seek to dominate others with his interest.
He or she should, of course, provide for the
study and ritualistic requirements of his
membership. However, at the same time he
must arrange his sanctum hours so that they
will not interfere with the mutual family
interests, that is, those certain common in
terests constituting the basic requirements

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of the home, as we have noted. All members

of the family, because of difference in sex,
age, and personality, as well as experience,
will not have similar interests but they must
have some in common and respect those
pursuits of others which are different.
Where there is an intellectual and sym
pathetic relationship existing between mem
bers of a family, as love and mutual respect,
there is then a theatre for the full psychic
expression of the members of the home. Such
a home is sanctifiedit is blessed and made
sacred by Peace Profound .X
This Issues Personality
In accordance with our announced policy
in the preceding issue of the Forum , we
bring you another outstanding Rosicrucian
personality, one who has made Rosicrucian
history in our time.
Frater Joseph J. Weed is representative of
the modern mystic. He is a successful businessman, one who is obliged to meet execu
tives and professional people on a practical
plae each day, yet he exhibits a profound
knowledge of mystical philosophy and meta
physics. He is proud to declare that Rosi
crucian principies and mystical philosophy
have played no little part in molding his
life and providing him with the inspiration
and initiative exhibited in his business ac
tivities.
Frater Weed was born in New York City
in 1901. His major education was acquired
in that city, and he graduated from Fordham
College in 1923. Married and the father of
three children, his early business experience
was in the advertising-and-sales world. In
that capacity he was associated with a large
newspaper organization. Subsequently, he
entered radio broadcasting and is now the
executive head of Weed and Company, sales
agents for broadcasting stations.
Baptized and reared as a member of an
orthodox religious sect, Frater Weed began
an individual and liberal study of mysti
cism while still a young man. This inquiry
gave him a deeper insight into his religious
faith and, as well, led him to the portis of
the Rosicrucian Order in 1932. He affiliated
with the New York Chapter in 1937, later
being appointed its Master. With the passing of the years, he became a trustee of what
is now the New York City Lodge. He served

JUNE, 1954

in that capacity until 1943. A year later he

was appointed by the Grand Lodge to be
Inspector-General of the A.M.O.R.C. for the
State of New York. He now holds the office
of Grand Councilor for the North Atlantic
States.
Frater Weed is looked upon as a friend
and counselor by the officers and members
of the New York City Lodge and by the
other lodges and chapters in his area. His
sincerity and comprehension of the Rosicru
cian principies are a byword among the
members. Frater Weed has made it a point,
in his frequent business journeys to and fro
across the nation, to attend lodges and chap
ters in the cities he visits. He is always a
welcome member of any lodge or chapter
rally program, his realistic and well-delivered
talks being long remembered.X
Evolution and Growth
The entire concept conveyed in the mean
ing of evolution concems growth, but seldom
is an analysis made of the process of growth.
Growth obviously must mean that a change
is taking place from one state to another.
Evolution in the biological sense concerns the
development of plant and animal life from
simple single-celled organisms to complex
systems as found in the higher forms of life.
This phase of evolution concerns physical
growth. It is the biological history of the
expression of life in its physical form. The
details are unimportant here; they concern
theories and interpretations of the subject,
placed upon it by those who have observed
and studied it. Evolution in the field of bi
ology is only one phase of the subject and to
limit it to its relation to physical structure
is to gain only a part of the picture. Life
is more complex than the matter that limits
it. Evolution takes place in the ethical, mor
al, and spiritual phases of life as well as in
the physical. It is because evolution is pos
sible in these fields that the human being
has become distinctly separated from the
other life forms.
In so far as the physical is concerned, man
in some ways is not far removed from the
biological phase of evolution. He is not yet
a perfect organism; he is not yet completely
adapted to the physical environment in
which he lives. When compared with the
time that life has existed on earth, the cul

Page 129

tural achievements of man are not of long

duration; that is, mans cultural achieve
ments have taken place in the last few centuries, whereas the evolutionary process has
covered a period of thousands of centuries.
Man falls short and is found wanting in his
ethical, moral, and spiritual attainments because these are the most recent phases of
his evolution. He is constantly drawn back
into the physical phase of his development,
and it is through effort that he achieves a
civilization in which his time and effort can
be directed toward the evolution of higher
virtues.
In these facts, we see that at all times
there are functions within the human being
which are the result of conflicting forces. In
this analysis, man is the example of the
animal trying to be human. We are physi
cally little different from animals, but yet
we have the intelligence and ability to deviate from the pattern of mere physical or
animal development. When civilizations
have come to an end, history shows that
man has gradually moved backward to attitudes and behavior more closely associated
with the animal than with the human, because it is only among somewhat evolved
human beings that we find those expressions
which broaden the distinction which separates the biological from the ethical or the
moral.
Within the structure of the animal, instincts are deeply seated. Animals act not
so much from reason but as a natural reac
tion to their environment instinctively im
planted within their being. At the human
level, instincts become secondary; the instinct is transferred to rationalism. The hu
man being is in a position where he must
think for himself, and thereby determine his
action. He does not depend upon instinctive
urges to direct him in all the course of his
life. This illustrates the first and most im
portant step that separates animal evolution
from human evolution. Man becomes a
thinking, independent creature to the extent
that he evolves the ability to use his mind.
Accompanying the instincts in the animal,
the emotions exist in limited form. The
animal shows anger, contentment, and fear,
as means of asserting self-preservation of it
self and race. Within the social structure
of a group of human beings, these emotions
can no longer be permitted to be a spon-

Page 130

taneous accompaniment of animal instinct.

They must be developed into controlled be
haviorthat is, modified by the reasoning
which takes the place of many emotions.
We might accept, as a premise, that with
in the Cosmic scheme, there exists the brute
forc which constitutes the animal individ
uality and that this underlying forc asserts
itself throughout all manifestation of life.
The human scheme in contrast is at times in
a position to work against the underlying
tendencies of animal behavior, because when
the human being, through the exercise of
intelligence directs his concern toward the
well-being of his race and of society, he
brings into focus the ethical, moral, and
spiritual problems which are still compara
tively new in the whole scope of evolution.
Man finds that he must tenaciously hold to
these ideis or they slip away, and, in so
doing, cause life to revert to an animal-like
level.
When man plants a garden, he is altering
a certain environment where plants and
animals, including insects and all forms of
life, live within a certain community with
out intelligent human direction. Man enters
and disrupts that community; he uproots the
plants that are growing in the area which
he has selected to cultvate. He destroys
some of the lives of the insects, worms, and
small animals that live in that biotic com
munity. He builds a fence around that area.
He cultivates the ground and sows the seeds
of other plants with which he is more per
sonally concerned because of their practical
use for food or for their esthetic valu. As
long as he works with this garden, as long
as he cultivates it and relentlessly weeds out
the plants that he does not want to grow
there, as long as he kills the life forms that
might choose to live upon the plants which
he has put in place of those that previously
existed, he can, by the exercising of his in
telligence and of his strength, maintain a
new biotic community. This community of
plants and animals, even though in the small
space of a home garden, has completely replaced the life that previously existed there,
but it is maintained only by human effort.
If the man who plans and cultivates this
garden moves away or loses interest, within
a very short time, the plants that he has tried
so hard to establish are crowded out by the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

reappearance of the plants which were originally there or by others that may come in
to take their place. The area that was his
garden reverts to its so-called natural state.
The more crudelike forces of nature seem
to always be ready to take over that which
man has modified.
There are among the naturalistic philoso
phers and scientists those who believe that
the ethical, moral, and spiritual attainments
of man are like the artificiality of his cultivated gardens; that is, they are like a veneer.
These virtues wear out easily, and, lacking
the cultivation, man easily reverts to his
animal nature. History would seem to bear
this out, but that this may be a fact is no
proof of the possibility that evolution is not
still in the direction of mans ethical, moral,
and spiritual growth.
In the biological history of the earth, there
was a period of many thousands of years
when reptiles were the dominant forms of
life. Many of these reptiles were huge, and it
would have seemed to an observer that they
were the dominant form of life and had so
adjusted themselves to environment that it
would have been illogical to think that they
could be replaced. Had there been philoso
phers in that period, their conclusions would
have been that hope for any higher form
of life would have to be abandoned. That
period was a good many thousands of years
ago, and we know that for a long period
of time, reptiles have been a subordnate
form of life.
In comparison to the span of the age of
reptiles, man has dominated the life scene
on the earth only a comparatively short time.
It is therefore impossible to judge future
evolutionary tendencies by what may seem
obvious facts of the moment. One type of
life has replaced another throughout the
evolutionary scheme, and in spite of the still
existing tendency for mans more cultural
accomplishments to easily revert to an ani
mal-like scale of living, this is no proof that
the present accomplishments of man have
reached their fullest possibilities. There is
no reason to doubt that evolution cannot
proceed to a higher, a more intelligent, con
cept of living.
If human intelligence has valu in the
eteraal realities, it must be for the purpose

JUNE, 1954

of developing man in those channels which

take him farther and farther away from the
brute forces that will control him if he allows them to take the upper hand. Evolution
must be viewed from a distant point. It can
not be appraised in terms of day-to-day ex
istence. A century, or even a thousand years,
will not serve as a unit of measurement in
terms of evolution, but that evolution has
taken place is evident from any elementary
text in biology.
Evolution is always away from past tendencies. It is away from the limitations of
the simple forms of life to more involved
ones. Evolution enhances those character
istics, physical or mental, that have improved the manifestation of life, and leads
toward ethical, moral, and spiritual attainment of human beings. The method or procedure is by means of exercising the abilities
of intelligence that cause man to be freed
from the limitations of the animal drive.
This constitutes the process of the acquisition
of knowledge and, if man follows through
in this process, the next step is the applica
tion of that knowledge whereby it becomes
usable and an actual tool in his hands. A
Knowledge and Application
Knowledge in itself is impersonal regard
less of the valu we may place upon it, and
regardless of how we strive to attain it.
Knowledge remains something outside of us
until it is experienced. In a sense, knowl
edge stands passively by. It must be under
stood and made into experience. Usually it
is conveyed to us through the printed word
or the oral expression of another individual.
All the physical senses provide the means for
obtaining knowledge. They are the contacts
which we as thinking entities have with our
physical environment. Knowledge obtained
through the physical senses, those channels
which are the outlets or connections between
our minds and the external world, are not
enough. Man to accumulate knowledge and
acquire the ability to apply it to his evolu
tion desires to gain further means to that
acquisition or to gain as it were a sixth sense.
This sixth sense would be the means of acquiring knowledge intuitively, that is, from
the spiritual environment, in order that it
might complement the knowledge which
comes by way of our physical senses. We

Page 131

always realize, nevertheless, that knowledge

which is new knowledge is external. It is
something that must become conscious by
some process, and then applied and ex
perienced.
Regardless of how we acquire knowledge,
or what our concept of knowledge may be,
we must never lose sight of the fact that
knowledge in itself is not as important as
what we do with it. Regardless of how far
we may have advanced in any subject that
we study or in any skill that we attempt to
attain, application and practice are in one
sense of the word more important than
knowledge itself.
A little knowledge, properly applied, is
more important than a tremendous amount
of knowledge learned and not utilized. Ap
plication is the means by which knowledge
becomes an intmate worth-while possession.
It is our way of using the knowledge which
we have learned that brings the satisfaction
of achievement, and makes us, as it were, al
most unconscious of the knowledge itself.
And, also, there is the feeling that the effort
expended has been worth while.
In order to be able to apply the knowledge
which becomes conscious experience, we have
to develop techniques that will change it
from a collection of facts or ideas into actual
practice. We find it necessary to consistently
increase the means by which we do this;
that is, in the process of learning, we also
must be always alert to the means by which
a learned fact will add to the richness of the
experience and therefore place us in a posi
tion to gain and utilize further knowledge.
We have to practice those procedures which
make it possible for us to draw upon our
already accumulated knowledge in a more
or less conscious way and develop habits
and patterns that compose our conscious life.
It takes practice to learn the multiplication
tables, but, after they are learned and we
have occasion to use multiplication in our
business or in any other phase of our daily
life, we draw upon and apply that knowl
edge which carne as the result of the practice
that was put into it in committing the vari
ous parts of the table to memory.
Knowledge is therefore impersonal and
external. It is personalized, and, in a sense,
internalized by the process of practice. Prac-

Page i 32

tice and application, in contrast to knowl

edge, is entirely an internal thing. It is what
we do with the knowledge in our minds
that brings about the availability of that
knowledge for something beneficial, helpful,
and inspiring to us.
While this is true of anything that we
attempt to learn, the fact that knowledge
should be put into practice cannot be overemphasized with regard to the teachings that
constitute the Rosicrucian philosophy. We
must never lose sight of the truth that what
we are learning is of no more valu than
the filling or satisfying of our curiosity, and
the mere pride in the possession of additional
information, unless we learn to apply it.
Over and over again we have attempted to
impress upon the mind of the Rosicrucian
student the truth that the exercises in our
teachings are for the purpose of establishing
that intimate relationship between self and
knowledge, so that we can draw upon the
knowledge that we have learned, and the
experience of others, and apply these to the
complete utilization of our evolution and de
velopment. If we are able to properly con
cntrate, to properly meditate, to properly
draw upon the intuitive source of knowledge
that can come to us, and thereby are able
to raise our objective consciousness above the
level of the happenings and functionings of
the phenomenal world, then we are altering
our life to a degree never anticipated in the
realm of our ordinary daily experience. It is
an advance that almost leaves us breathless
when we analyze it. It takes us completely
beyond the scope of the limitations of the
material world, it releases us from the bonds
of time and space, from the social customs
that would control us, from the policies of
any man-made institution, or some other in
dividual setup under the direction of which
we find ourselves.
Escape from the limitations of the physical
world, from pain, from hopelessness, from
grief, from all those things which tend to
push us down as it were or keep us at a low
er level, is attainable through advancement
into the psychic realm of raising our con
sciousness to that degree where we may
grasp a oneness with forces which supersede
the finite and cause us to be able to grasp
and apply that knowledge which is far be
yond and above any concept that can be
limited to a material world.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

All this is attainable to the student of mysticism because the ultimate end of the study,
the ultimate purpose in our efforts, is to
evolve toward perfection and to free our
selves gradually from the limitation of our
physical world. As long as we are in a
physical body, we are to a degree attached
to the material world of which the body is
a part. We cannot completely detach our
selves from it and maintain life in the sense
that we understand life to express itself, but
if we become enslaved by matter, then our
case is hopeless because it can never be more
than material. The only outlet that man has,
the only avenue of escape from the pressure
that is inherent in matter itself, is his rising
above matter, and that can only be done
through the channel or the mdium of the
mind. It is within mans mind that is ap
plied such knowledge as is expounded by
the mystics, and that takes him away from
the limitations of the physical world.
Matter is an insignificant part of the uni
verse; it is the part that is measurable.
Even though we are impressed by the vast
distances of modern astronomical investiga
ron, in comparison to the whole of all be
ing, the universe in its entirety is no more
to the totality of existence than is a baseball
placed in the center of a huge auditorium.
All the rest of being lies beyond the ma
terial manifestations of the planets, the stars,
and the satellites that make up this universe.
Beyond that, beyond the restrictions of space
and time, is the Mind of God, the instigator
and the perpetuator of all that is. We live
as physical beings in this extremely restricted
area of the total of all being. We are limited
by the very restrictions that make up our
material composition, and we continu to be
limited by those material things to the extent that we refuse to use our mental abili
ties to raise ourselves out of the bonds of
enslavement of matter.
God is all-powerful in direct distinction
to our limited power; His is complete knowl
edge in distinction to our very small appreciation of knowledge; He is the one part of
us that is separate from the physical world
in which we find ourselves so much a part.
To reach out of this physical world, to go
beyond material restriction, is the one worthwhile aspiration of man.
Man can choose, he can exist by feeding
himself, by meeting the minimum biological

JUNE, 1954

demands of his body, and by trying to find

a certain degree of pleasure in whatever
time he has left. His lot will be as much
unhappiness as happiness; he will have
physical and mental pain; he will have grief
and disappointment; he will at times want
to aban don the physical world; he in fact
will reach the depths of despair. This is the
life that the materialistic philosophy offers
us; it is the life of the physical world, but
we have intelligence. Can we not realize intimately that these restrictions are momentary, that they are a part of our experience
and can only affect us if we consent to them?
Those things that are worth while lie be
yond physical limitation.
There is a classic story told of a man unjustly imprisoned. In the squalor of an an
cient prison, he languished away, year after
year, deprived of the friendship and relation
ship of his family, his loved ones, his profession, and his work. There was nothing
about him to inspire anything but the most
abject despair imaginable in the human
brain, and yet he lived a life of inspiration.
He lived in a world of the mind; he devel
oped the ability to raise his consciousness
above that which was immediately around
him. He experienced the ecstasy of the mys
tics; he became a mystic. His life became
two parts. He lived in the physical only
when he was disturbed by others or by
forces that might bring inconvenience and
discomfort to his body. As his life continued,
he directed his consciousness away from
those physical things, even his surroundings
disturbed him less and less, and although life
was maintained in the physical body, his
real life was completely separated from the
physical.
This does not mean that all of us must
become ascetics and try to separate our
selves entirely from the physical. Of far
more use is our aspiration to psychic things
while we still maintain a proper relationship
with the physical world of which we are a
part. What is needed by the world today
are active mystics, not passive onesthose
who will meet the challenge of the demands
of their environment and yet raise their aims
so much higher that the mere physical world
will lose its grip to the extent that their
inspiration and life may bring results to
themselves and to society far greater than

Page 133

one might believe could be possible in the

ordinary life of man.
Regardless of the degree of advancement,
physically or spiritually, that any individual
has attained, he is still a neophyte; never
theless, with the application of human intel
ligence to the situation of any individual,
he can become conscious of a certain degree
of his future evolution. That is, we can di
rect ourselves toward evolvement and toward
the attainment of higher aims and purposes.
In this respect, we differ from being enslaved by the biological urges of lower ani
mals and are able to creatively apply the
mental abilities with which we are equipped.
Our choice now is to permit the material
world to enslave us or to find more valu in
applying ourselves for a few minutes a day
or an hour or two a week to further develop
those innate abilities that have the poten
tialities of raising us above our immediate
environment.
Few of us have met people who are com
pletely satisfied with their lives. Every one
of us, if we will intimately examine our own
thinking, acknowledges that he has many
lacks and wants. We may lack what we
believe would be more satisfactory physical
possessions, but most intelligent people real
ize that beyond any physical possession,
what we most aspire to attain is happiness,
peace of mind, love, and those virtues which
seem to have an innate quality, in them
selves, of inspiring confidence which, to see
verified in any way, creates a thrill within
our being and causes us to aspire to even
higher and better things. The things which
we feel worth while to possess are those in
tangibles that add to our ethical, moral, and
spiritual evolvement. It is only through the
application of the knowledge which we have
available that we are able to make these
forces predomnate in our lives.
The principies which we can use in these
modern times are easily accessible. For ex
ample, the Rosicrucian teachings in mono
graph form are easy to obtain; they are
simple to read. Because of the ease with
which these teachings may be obtained, we
may overlook their true valu, and in the
accumulation of knowledge forget to prac
tice the exercises which are so accessible to
us. We dont have to go out and search for
them; they are brought to us in readable

Page 134

form. They are the experience of the past;

they are the keys; they are the knowledge,
but no modern convenience will ever take
the place of the application and practice
within our own mind, within our own con
sciousness. Is it not worth while to re-exam
ine our own habits, those periods that we
devote to contemplation and meditation upon
the principies which we have learned, and
the practice of those simple exercises and
techniques which will do so much to instill
the application of this knowledge within our
own being? Again let me repeat, to be freed
of the bonds of time and space, to be freed
of evil and matter and all those things which
thwart our most highly prized aspirations, is
our privilege if we but dedicate ourselves to
the attaining of them and are willing to
sufficiently practice and apply the knowl
edge which we have available to direct us
in that way. So much for so littlea new
life before us if we but make the effort to
reach out and grasp it. And what can we
lose? Nothing but the material world from
which we are trying to escape.A
W hat is Religious Freedom?
A frater in California rises before our
Forum to make a forceful statement. The
question of religious freedom, as understood
and practiced by democratic nations, poses
itself at this time for a deeper consideration
than is generally given the matter. The
reason for this consideration is the willful
and almost ruthless overriding of demo
cratic principies of freedom of some religious
organizations. For instance, one such organ
ization disdains to recognize the legality of
law and authority constituted by any state
unless the same are to be discovered in its
Bible. Another such organization allows no
technical recognition of rights or powers pertaining to anyone if same has not been
granted by itself.
To be explicit, this organization claims
for itself the sol right to reglate beliefs
and powers and rights for all the world.
In other words, it claims for itself all reli
gious and political rights over everyone else.
The question is: how can we grant re
ligious freedom to such an organization on
the same footing as with others which have
the same understanding of toleration as we
do?

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

The question of religious freedom is becoming more serious each year and espe
cially in certain democracies. The nature of
the problem is not just suppression of reli
gin by some dictator states but also the at
tempt at domination of the state by religious
sects themselves. In America, for example,
this encroachment upon the rights and
powers of the State by one of the world-wide
religious sects is evident to any observing
individual. Both politicians and the press
generally are reluctant to point out in pub
lic utterances this growing menace. The
church most guilty of these acts, and which
in effect constitutes a despotic oligarchy, intimidates by its numrica! strength both pol
iticians and the press. The former are often
members of that church, or fear to say or
do anything which might offend that large
number of their constituents who are affiliated with that religious organization. The
press is being owned or controlled by mem
bers of that religious organization, or for
financial reasons, will not venture to make
any factual statements that would cause a
boycott of it by a large block of either its
readers or advertisers.
This one religious organization has for
centuries had as its principal objective a
theocracy. In theory, this consists of the
sovereignty of God upon earth, of the gov
ernment of God in the world. According to
this theory, the Church shall dictate the
manner in which man shall be governed,
and its hierarchy shall enforce canonical
laws as being representative of the Deity.
This theory of theocracy, of the invisible
kingdom of God on earth manifesting through
the physical organization of the Church, had
its origin in the writings of certain of the
early church fathers, especially Saint Augustine. In the Middle Ages, it was declared that the clergy of this church repre
sented divinity, and that therefore temporal
powers, even princes, kings, and emperors
were bound to recognize their authority as
ultimate in any conflicts between State and
Church.
Obviously, there can be no democracy, as
the tolerant and broad-minded individual
conceives it, where any religious institution
having such objectives, seeks to enforce them.
Such doctrines cannot create a sincere re
spect for personal freedom as expounded by

JUNE, 1954

the governments of such nations as the

United States and Great Britain. It means
that the individual is more closely bound in
allegiance to his churchnot just its creed
but its temporal policies, as wellthan he
is to the decrees of his govemment. In the
event of the religious institution gaining dom
ination of the govemment of a democracy
and advocating subsequently the abolition of
all such rights and powers which the State
formerly granted to the individual, the re
ligious adherent would bow to the Churchs
mandates. In other words, he would accept
the State and its legal principies only as
long as his Church sanctioned them. The
recognized authority on the part of these
religionists is the Church.
Such religious institutions are not content
with the establishment of rules and regulations which generally inure to the benefit
of society. They seek to establish a religious
monrchy, or rather, a holy empire with a
single, absolute authority, whose word is
final. This authority gains its support from
inculcating the fear of punishment in an
afterlife if one disobeys it. As a result, it
determines to control every phase of the liv
ing of the individual what he reads, believes, speaks, his associations, education, and
that of his children. Even his views on life,
and the one that may follow this one, are
to be fashioned for him.
All these things are done under the protection of religious freedom. Attempts by
others to show that certain church activities,
such as attacks on the public school system,
the public libraries, and boycotts against
bookshops and theatres, and the control of
civic offices in city or state, are subversive
functions; they are immediately denounced
by the Church. It takes the stand that it is
being defamed and that such are assaults on
its religious freedom. The thinking person
has, however, the pages of history laid open
before him. In them is found proof of what
similar conditions have done in the past.
One may not even be obliged to consult the
past for its etemal record. The present affords alarming lessons, as well. There are
the restrictions against Protestantism and all
liberal groups in Francos Spain. In Portugal
and in Colombia are further examples of
religious tyranny.
God is a personal experience. The spiritual

Page 135

consciousness is individual. It must be quickened by the practices of the individual. In

each person it has a certain level or responsivity and understanding. Persons will gravitate to those images and ideis no matter
by whom expounded, if they are comprehensible and are intmate to them. All other
concepts will of necessity be foreign to them.
To everyone there is no God or moral precept other than that which finds response
within himself. Thus, religin has the obli
gation of awakening the sense of righteous
ness within the individual. It must provide
him with an expanding objective symbolism
which will represent his subjective idealism.
To endeavor to impose one creed or doctrine
upon all people is to circumvent the indi
vidual consciousness with restrictions. Men
are alike only in kindnot in individual
capabilities, intellectual or moral. It is presumptuous for any man or group of men
under any pretense to determine the limits
of spiritual interpretation for all men.
The Church exhorts men to follow its doc
trines on the ground of their authoritative
nature. It claims that these are, in essence,
Divine decrees which the rational mind of
men must not question. History again re
veis that much of this authority originated
in ecclesiastic high councils. Time and time
again such decrees have been altered by men
of flesh and blood who are clothed only in
the authority of vestments. Religin should
teach men only to discover the personal way
to spiritual illumination and how to objectify
subjective moral vales. Interpretation should
be left to the degree of mans personal unfoldment. There are no truly infallible mor
tals who are bathed continually in a perfect
Divine light. Therefore, there is no exclusive
way to divinityeither taught or represented
by any sect. The way is within man. All
else can be but methods designed to help
him discover it.
Religious freedom in any progressive so
ciety which strives to be democratic consists
of the privilege to expound a moral system
and tradition which does not work against
the collective welfare of society. A religious
system denouncing similar systems that have,
as well, the moral improvement of society
and the spiritual awakening of man as their
objective, strikes at the pursuit of happiness
by fomenting hatred and dissension. Society

Page 136

is man-made and is not divinely created. It

flows from the Creative power assigned to
man but its structure is humanly conceived.
If a society does not interfere with the in
herent privilege of man to understand his
Cosmic relations and to live accordingly,
then any religious system opposing the dictates of such a state is exceeding the bounds
of religious freedom. No one religious group
has the right to be the arbiter of the public
conscience!X
Spiritual and Natural Law
A frater now asks a question which is
challenging. What is the difference between
a natural and a spiritual law as mentioned
in connection with the Orders purposes?
These purposes have been set off as devoted
to the investigation, study and practical ap
plication of natural and spiritual laws.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

It is common fallacy to associate that which

is not comprehended by the human mind
or which is said to transcend it, with the
spiritual. The latter, by its apparent invisibility and infinite quality, is regarded as a
more direct product of a Divine being or
mind. The ancient Greeks in their cosmogony thought that the sky beyond the highest
mountains and beyond the limits of the seas,
as they knew them, was divine because of
its mystery and infinity. The more man
reduces the infinite to the finite, that is, to
a qualitative and quantitative nature, the
more material it becomes to him, the more
it falls into the category of what he calis
natural forces and agencies. It is then re
moved from the category of the supernatural.

Spiritual and natural laws have reference

to different levels of phenomena experienced
by man. The distinction is in human per
ception and conception, not in essence. What,
for analogy, is the difference between up
and down? The answer is: the position
which the individual assumes in relation to
an object or to a direction. What is above
our head is up and what is beneath our
feet, we cali down; neither up or down
has an absolute nature, each being relative
to our perception of direction. Natural law
consists of phenomena having periodic recurrence. These phenomena are of that re
ality, of that being, which seems to have as
much physical existence as has man himself.
When we speak of nature we mean all those
forces, powers, and substances, which man
objectively perceives and which do not find
their origin in his imagination and will. An
other way to conceive nature is to think of
it as that expression or manifestation of Cos
mic energy and order which man is able to
discern. It is that matrix of Cosmic phe
nomena which lies within range of the hu
man to perceive.

We may say that, in effect, the spiritual,

to most men, connotes the supernatural. It
implies that it transcends, or seems to tran
scend the physical universe. It goes beyond
that of which man is objectively aware. It
is a phenomena that he cannot seem to di
rect at will. With the passing of centuries,
more and more of the supernatural has been
reduced to the level of the natural. Some
men actually consider that which they comprehend as being less important than the in
tangible and unknown. The mysterious is
always awe-inspiring. It is immediately as
sociated in most minds directly with Divine
being and takes on a quality in their minds
entirely out of proportion to its true nature.
There was a time that to attempt to scientifically analyze the blood was held to be sacrilegious by some religious sects; it was considered to be an invasin into the spiritual,
into the supernatural realm. The alchemists,
in their attempts at transmutation of base
metis, were considered sadistic. God, it was
declared, had a secret process for the crea
tion of the elements. Man was presumptuous to enter the supernatural realm and to
seek to discover the spiritual laws working
therein. The same views are frequently ex
pressed by some people with respect to mod
ern physics exploring the nature of matter.

Obviously what lies beyond this range of

mans discernment is either not known to
him, or he but speculates upon it. Such un
known or abstract reality is generally not
conceived as nature, but rather as the Ab
solute. The absolute, most men place in the
category of the Divine or spiritual realm.

Today, most men are conditioned to the

exploration of physical phenomena. They
do not question, or rarely do, mans right to
wrest from the universe its secrets which
will unlock material forces. To them, the
spiritual remains related to what they term
the soul and its properties. The soul, to

JUNE, 1954

them, is an amorphous, divine consciousness

or mind, with certain attributes, as the moral
impulses which they cali conscience. The
combination, to them, is directly of God. All
principies or rules of thought and moral
codes which appear to have their origin in
soul and conscience are thus declared to be
spiritual laws. When modern philosophy and
psychology disclose that conscience is not
entirely a product of any innate spiritual
quality, it often causes resentment on the
part of those who insist in a separation of
the spiritual from the material. They are
the ones who wish the separation to be abso
lute, not merely relative. They further resent the statement that soul-personality is
also the consequence of a psychological ad
justment between our environment and our
consciousness of self.
The reason for this resentment is that
such individuis think that the relating of
natural phenomena or that which has physi
cal properties to the more intangible is a
sacrilege. It seems to them that God loses
His eminence if any function which is attributed to Him is shown to have an ex
tensin into the physical universe. Such a
conception is an extreme, dualistic one. It
is the contention that God must in every
way, at all times, transcend the world of
reality. They think he must not be im
manent, that is, in any way dwelling within
the world. Nature, or the physical universe,
is, to them, but a bi-product of God. They
conceive the world as being like a mechanism created by a craftsman, which the
craftsman may direct but in which no part of
him actually existsit being just a product
of the craftsmans hands and mind.
To the real metaphysician and the mysti
cal pantheist, as the Rosicrucian, there is but
one vast spectrum, or keyboard, of phenom
ena. It is the Cosmic, the universal or Godmind working through a sea of vibratory
energy. The laws are really the basic func
tion of this energy. There are no divisions
of phenomena in this spectrum. One mani
festation merges into the next. Man expe
riences this phenomena in dual ways:
One is wholly objective, the result of his
five receptor senses and their specific organic limitations. That portion of reality to
man has a substance, a quality which he
calis material and physical. Many of its

Page 137

immediate causes man has discovered and he

terms them natural. Other phenomena ac
tate him and are subjective, as dreams, or
even his inspirations, his emotions, his moral
idealism. He finds it is difficult to trace
these to so-called natural causes. They are
thus related by him to the primary cause,
to the spiritual. Actually, however, these
phenomena are, in essence, no more spirit
ual than the forces that cause the stately
procession of the planets or the movement
of the earth about the sun. If we come to
learn that the wonderful mystical experi
ences we have, and which transcend in their
beauty and inspiration anything objectively
seen, actually do not flow direct from an ex
ternal, spiritual source, but from the depths
of our own consciousness, are they less di
vine? Consciousness within us is like a river;
as it flows outward into the sea of the Cos
mic it becomes deeper and broader and more
extensive in the impressions that it engenders
within the human mind. These vaster ex
periences of our consciousness are but a
greater perspective of the whole divine intel
ligence within our beings.
When you look upon a flower or out
upon the sea or upon a simple chemical
element, or the human organism, you are
being brought face to face with the Divine
cause. These things are not in themselves
God, but are of His consciousness. He is in 1
them. A tree is not any one of its leaves
but to be a tree, it must include all of those
parts of which it consists. We cannot see
with our naked eyes the microscopic cells
which give the tree its life and growth;
nevertheless, it would not be reasonable for
us to cali just such cells spiritual, and the
grosser manifestation of themthe bark and
leavesthe material. Let us remember that
the manifestations of the Cosmic which are
gross enough to be objectively perceived, we
cali material by custom. We ordinarily at
tribute them to nature. Conversely, that
which for the moment lies beyond this range
we define as spiritual. Underneath, however,
their respective causes merge to form the
harmony of the onethe Cosmic. X
Does the Great White Brotherhood Exist?
A frater of Berlin, Germany, now directs
a question to this Forum. He asks: Does
the Great White Brotherhood still exist in

Page 138

Tibet despite the upheaval and unrest in that

part of the world right now, or did they
move some place else?
We have discoursed several times in re
cent years on the subject of the Great White
Brotherhood, its nature, function and ex
istence. Because of the interest in the topic
and subsequent extenuating circumstances,
further comment is now in order. It will
afford an opportunity to remove some persistent misconceptions.
First, it is necessary to reiterate that today
the Great White Brotherhood does not allude
to race. The reference to white is not in
connection with racial color. From remte
times, white has always been symbolic of
purity, perfection, and spirituality. Cleanliness and perfection are easily associated with
white because such is, to the eye, without
blemish. Psychologically, this physical cleanliness and purity was transferred to spiritual
vales and to moris and character. Eventu
ally, white birds (as the dove), white flags,
clothing, buildings, and religious accoutrements were employed to symbolize purity of
mind and the spiritual perfection aspired to.
Herodotus, ancient Greek historian, relates
that the priests of ancient Egypt were robed
in white. The Essenes of od, according to
mystical and historical accounts, also were
attired in white. Today, the remnant of that
highly evolved mystical sect is still garbed in
white. In India most of the Brahman sages
wear white and in Sikkim, Nepal, Tibet and
the Himalayas generally, the prayer flags,
adjoining lamaseries or sacred precincts, are
white. On them are imprinted, from handcarved letters on wooden blocks, prayers in
Sanskrit. Photographs of these have at times
appeared in the Rosicrucian Digest.
Thomas Stanley, in his classical history of
Greek philosophy, describes the clothing of
the students of Pythagoras at Crotona as
being of white material. Many other modem
religious sects, as well, use white for similar
significance in their ritualistic attire or ornamentation. The Islamic Sufis wear white.
The Great White Brotherhood, therefore,
alludes to the spiritual ideis and activities
of this body and not to their clothing and,
most certainly, not to their race. The term,
however, is sometimes confused with the
phrase, The Great White Race. This latter

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

is the actual ethnic grouping from which the

Aryan or white race is said to stem.
It is not necessary at this time to trace
the migration of certain bodies of mystics
and students of the mysteries to Tibet. At
the time this migration occurred, as set forth
in our Rosicrucian monographs, Tibet was
an oasis in a troubled worldfor no age
has been without its social, political, economic, and even natural cataclysms. Not
only did the rugged Himalayas, with their
narrow passes blocked with snow most of
the year, afford protection against molestation, but the altitude was conducive to mysti
cal experience as well. High altitude, with
its rarity of oxygen, has a peculiar physiological and psychological effect on the
human organism. Meditation and entrance
upon the high levels of consciousness are
made more facile. The lessening of the
oxygen has a tendency to diminish the effi
ciency of the objective faculties. Concentra
tion, especially at great height, is more
difficult. Impressions registered in the sub
conscious, or which are received by it, flow
easily when the objective mind is more dormant. The decreasing of the oxygen supply
has a peculiar effect on the psychic centers
and the glands related to them, acting as a
depressive on some and as a stimulation to
others.
This psychological and physical reaction
to high altitude has been noted and been
made a part of a scientific study by aviation
authorities during the late war. The lack of
oxygen induces a state of temporary ecstasy
during which faculties of the mind not ordinarily realized become hypersensitive. Many
cases of extrasensory perception, as tele
pathic communication, were reported by
flight crews who were flying at high altitude
with an insufficiency of oxygen. In surroundings of peace, privacy, majestic beauty,
and the impressive forces of nature, these
mystics in the Himalayas thrived. They
were truly a brotherhood. They were bound
in principie by the common end of the study
of Cosmic and natural laws and the furtherance of human enlightenment. They pledged
themselves in initiation and by solemn oath
to give of themselves to study and worship
of the Divine and its phenomena. Like the
monasteries of today, they were self-supporting communities. They raised food for their

JUNE, 1954

own simple wants and made all clothing and

utensils needed for their activities.
The Great White Brotherhood was not
pledged to an ascetic existence. It was not
a selfish but a selfless body. It did not wish
to escape the realities of the world permanently but rather to prepare its members,
under ideal conditions, to cope with the
world when they would return to it. The
knowledge acquired through mystical illumination and from such research as would
today be called empirical or scientific in
quiry was to be passed on to humanity. It
was not to be hoarded as a forbidden wisdom
for the exclusive advantage of a few. It was
a firm resolve that emissaries, high initiates,
masters of knowledge gleaned from nature,
were to return to the world with that wisdom
in the future. They were to become founders
of mystical societies or to associate with
orders having a true and noble purpose so as
to guide and instruct them. This was done.
Tradition records that some of the exalted
Rosicrucian mystics and teachers were stu
dents of these masters of the Great White
Brotherhood. Few, if any, of the Rosicrucian
mystics made the journey to Tibet.
With the passing of time and the firm
establishment of initiatic mystical orders of
renown throughout the world, as the Rosi
crucian Order (AMORC), the Great White
Brotherhood, as a select school, finally dissolved. It no longer functioned as a secret
mountain retreat for those who were stu
dents of lifes mysteries. Its members either
established mystical orders in the world or
they contributed their experience and wis
dom to existing mystical bodies. Today the
Great White Brotherhood is an association
of mystical orders and brotherhoods which
have an authenticated historical and initiatic
background. In other words, it is a federation of orders. The exalted officers, the
hierophants, of these respective bodies, collectively, now constitute the Great White
Brotherhood. For analogy, it is like the
United Nations. Individuis are not mem
bers of one of the recognized bodies of which
the Great White Brotherhood consists.
No individual can affiliate directly with
the Great White Brotherhood and receive
personal instruction from it. He must become an initiated member of one of its
member-orders. In recent years there have

Page 139

been fraudulent groups or charlatans adver

tising themselves as the Great White
Brotherhood, inviting anyone to receive in
struction directly from it. There is no such
body by that ame today, having any
authentic historical descent from the ancient
Great White Brotherhood. Numerous novis
contain glamorous tales about secluded
monasteries in Tibet where the Great White
Brotherhood functions as a strange body.
These tales are misleading and the authors
know it. Their descriptions of the customs
of the country and even of the terrain indicate that the writers have never even visited
the area. For example, they relate how lamas
of the Great White Brotherhood are to be
found journeying through the various las
or passes. The part referring to the travel
of the lamas is true except that they are not
of the Great White Brotherhood. Then these
novis go on to say that these lamas give
secret signs inviting the sincere visitor or
pilgrim to accompany them to sequestered
fantastic temples deep in gorges and canyons.
These tales are fascinating. They intrigue
the imagination but, we repeat, they are
absolutely without truth.
Our Rosicrucian party journeyed on the
frontiers of Tibet in 1948, visiting several
lamaseries or gompas as they are called. Because of our affiliation with the A.M.O.R.C.
and the Imperators association, as well, with
a renowned Buddhist society, we were accorded many privileges. We were, for ex
ample, permitted in the secret archives of
these lamaseries and even allowed to photograph the abbots or chief lamas holding
sacred scrolls. Some of these photographs
have been published in the Rosicrucian
Digest. In fact, the Rosicrucian Order is the
only mystical organization to publish such
photographsbeing the only one able to
obtain them. The majority of the lamas were
simple, peasantlike people. They were
friendly, but had little education except in
the liturgies and doctrines of lamaism. They
speak nothing but their native dialect and
mostly read Sanskrit.
The abbots were, however, learned men
and were masters, as well, of occult and
mystic lore. Most of those we met spoke
English. They gave evidence of being fa
miliar with the traditions of the once Great
White Brotherhood whose habitat was their

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 140

fundamental laws can be had by the study

of the teachings of any authentic memberorder of the Great White Brotherhood, of
which AMORC is one. That some of these
abbots and their disciples accomplish much
more with these principies than Western
students is due, principally, to the life of
simplicity and freedom from distraction
which they live and the hours of time they
give to the studies. If you would be willing
to make the same material sacrifice which
they do, if you would give your monographs
the same undivided time, then your achievements would be equal to theirs.

native land. They readily informed us that

many of the scrolls, that is, boards wrapped
with yards of cloth or parchment, bearing
inscriptions and catalogued on shelves like
books in a library, contained teachings of
the ancient masters. These scrolls were
centuries-old. Mostly, of course, their con
tent was Buddhist doctrine merged with the
indigenous and primitive religious beliefs of
the land before Buddhism was introduced
from India. Others of the works were indubitably accounts of mystical precepts and
age-old teachings descended from the mystics
of the Great White Brotherhood. Ancient
scribes had inscribed them in the od Sanskrit tongue. However, almost all of these
principies, this wisdom, have been trans
mitted to the orders and mystery schools of
the outside world which these masters of
yore recognized as worthy.

Like the masters of the Great White

Brotherhood who finally went back into the
world to serve it, it is also your duty to
serve society. This is a time for advancement
and not for retreat from the world and its
problems. It is not sufficient for one just to
hie away to a mountaintop and give his
entire time over to study. The study must
be applied as well. The romance, the appeal,
the enchantment, of tales of snow-capped
peaks and jagged crags and coarsely-clad
lamas bent over age-stained tomes, grips the
mind. However, shake off this fantasy and
realize that, within your possession, is the
heritage of these ancient times. Truth garbed
in the practical language and effectiveness
of our day and age is available to you. Your
sacrifice is not to endure freezing mountain
blasts or to wrap yourself in coarse clothing
but rather to practice self-discipline so that
you may faithfully apply yourself to the
light which has been entrusted to you.X

Today, except for these abbots and some

of their chosen scholars residing in various
lamaseries of the different lamaistic sects,
there are no individual members of the
Great White Brotherhood in Tibet. Cer
tainly there is no particular center, no ex
clusive school or fantastic temple, where
they are concentrated. Thus the Great White
Brotherhood is not in any way particularly
affected by the military conquest of Tibet
by Red China. That stupendous esoteric
laws are studied in these lamaseries, con
cepts and principies unknown to most men,
is readily admitted. This exceptional knowl
edge, however, is not now confined just to
Tibet. The same attainments from the same

REMEMBER THE ROSICRUCIAN CONVENTIONJuly II through 16, 1954

Page 141

JUNE, i 954

IN D EX OF V O LU M E X X IV (Comprising the entire Six Issues of the 2 4 th Year)

NOTEThe small letters after the page numbers refer to position on page: a , upper half of first column; b, lower
half of first column; c, upper half of second column; d, lower half of second column. Titles of articles are italicized.

A
Accidents and Suicides, 44-45

Absolute, the, 8Id, 99a, 136b

Actuality? Do M em ory and Imagination Have, 16-19

Administration of AMORC , The, 90-91
Advancement, M eaning of, 107-109

Affinity, Law of, 10c

Afterworld, 39b
Ahriman, 31b
Ahura-Mazda, 31b
Air (breath), 43-44, 83c,d, 91c
Air Pressure in the Nostrils, 43-44
Alexandrian Museum, 115a,b
Algebra, 22c, 23a
Amon, 124d
AMORC (See Rosicrucian):
Administration of, 90-91
And the Great White Brotherhood, 140c
Attacks on, 58-60
Change in Mailing, 54c,d
T iiip c A so
Expedition to Tibet, 139d
Historical record, 78-79
Houdini and, 45d
Humanist certifcate, 58a
Humanitarian organization, 57a-58b
Members of many faiths, 59a
Membership in, 41b-d, 107b, 117b
Nonsectarian, 58d
Psychology taught by, 68b,c
Purpose of, 10b, 90b
Rose-Croix University, 88a
Supreme and Grand Lodges of, 90-91
AMORC, T he Administration of, 90-91
Animal urges, 26b, 28b, 129d-130a,c
Animals, experiments on, ll5d-116
Anti-Social (individual), 26d
Appearanee, T he Change of, 46
Application, Knowledge and, 131-134
Appreciation of humanitarianism, 57c-58c
Are Funeral Rituals Necessary? 109c-lll
Asklepias, 7b
Asp (eye of God), 6b,c
Assumption, Law of, 10c
Astrology, 29a
Atom bomb attack, 124a
Atomic research, 122a,b, 123b
Attention, 101-102
Attunement, 9d, 80d, 86d, 112c
Aura, 14b
Automatic writing, 85d-86b
Autosuggestin, Suggestion and, 35-38
Averages, Law of, 30a

c
Can Life Be Explained by Chance? 99-101
Can Projection be Wrongly Used? 14-16

Cncer (lung), 56a,c

Catholicism vs. Rosicrucianism, 58-60

Cause and effect, 29b,c

Certifcate of recognition, 58a
Chance, 28d, 29c,d, 99d, 100c,d, 101b
Chance? Can Life Be Explained by, 99-101
Change of Appearance, The, 46
Change (environment), 106d
Charlatanism, 85a
Christian Philosophy, 19b,c
Civil and Moral Conflict, 98-99
Class Masters, 118d-119a
Cleansing of an Oath, 93-95
Colors, do they exist? 80a,b
Communism, 59d-60b
Concentration, 102a,d
Conceptions About Membership, False, 117-119
Conflict, Civil and Moral, 98-99
Confusion theory, 12d
Conscience, 15c, 39b, 56d, 64b, 137a,c,d
Consciousness, 14-15, 17a, 61a, 64d-65a, 66b,c, 70b-d,
81 d, 82b, 85b, 90b, 114a,c, 132a,b,c, 133b
Conscious thought, 63b,d, 64a, 68a, 75b,c
Consider Real Vales, 101-102
Convention, Rosicrucian, 95
Cosmic, the, 4a,b, 9a, lOa-c, 15a,b, 23d, 39d, 50d,
62c,d, 68a, 80c,d, 81a, 94c,d, 113c-115b, 130a, 137b
Cosmic Consciousness, 7c, 62c, 112c
Cosmic Guidance, Interpreting, 113-115
Cosmic Masters, 11 Id-112, 113a,b
Cosmic Mind, 62c,d, 63c, 113c, 115a
Cou (autosuggestion), 37d
Courtesy, 27a,b, 28d
Cover, Our New, 126c,d
Criminal, the, 57b
Cryptesthesia, 85c
Crystal gazing, 84d, 86d-87c
Cults, 5d-6, 84a

D
Dark Forces? W henee Come the, 30-32

Balance in teachings, 60d

Balance of Life, T he , 74-76
Beethoven, 104b
Besant, Annie, 33a
Bilocation, 15a
Biological growth, 129b, 130a,c

Death, 38-40, 44-45, 68d, 69c,d, 81 d, 83b,c, 109d-lll

Death, Fear of, 38-40
D egrees in Rosicrucian Teachings, 20-21
Delusion, lid, 16b
Desire, 27c, 69a, 81c
Destruction, 91 d
Digest, Rosicrucian, 55, 138b, 139d
Divine cause, 137d
Do Memory and Imagination Have Actuality? 16-19
Does Luck Exist? 28-30
Does the Great White Brotherhood Exist? 137-140
Dogs, relation to man, 117a
Dreams, 6a, 7d, 8a, 41-43, 137c
Dreams Recur? W hy Do, 41-43
Duality in monotheism, 124d-125b
Dues, 55a

Birth rate (statistics), 33c

Books:
Behold the Sign, 7c
Chandogya Upanishad, 65c
Dyches Dictionary, 79a
Unto Thee I Grant. . . , 47b
Fruits of Philosophy, 33a
Brahma, 125c
Breath (air), 43-44, 83c, 91c
Buddhist concept of escape, 81c

Economic factor in birth control, 33b,d-34a

Ego, 68a
El Rosacruz, mailing of, 55
Emotion, 2b, 7b, 8c, 9c, 20d, 36d, 37c, 38d, 39, 43c,
61 d, 62a, 68d-69, 75c,d, 11 ib, 129d, 137c
Empathy, 15b
Environment, 127b,c, 129b, 130b, 131b, 133b
Environment, Personality and, 104-107

Birth Control Mystically Wrong? Is, 32-35

Page 142

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Epictetus (on death), 40b

Epiphany, 15b
Evil, 6d, 30, 31-32
Evolution, 19d-20b, 23b, 129-132b
Evolution and Growth, 129-131
Exercises, 21a, 77d, 132a
Expediency, 122d
Experience, 131d
Experiments, 11-13, 21a, 43d, 52-53b, 87d, 88a,
on animals, 115b
Eye of God, 6b
Eye movement theory, 12a

F
False Conceptions About Membership, 117-119
False notions, 67c,d, 117-119
Familiar Places, Strangely, 7-9
Fear, 38c,d, 39a, 42d, 43c, 67c, 83d-84a, 122a,b
Fear of Death, 38-40
Fertility, god of, 6b
Fire, 19d-20a
Forum, The Rosicrucian, 126c,d
Fox sisters, 84c
Fraud, 85a
Funeral Rituals Necessary? Are, 109-111
Future (predicting the), 17d

G
God, 2d-3d, 9c, lia, 46d-47d, 58a, 69b, 92a,b, 94c
Good fortune (luck), 28d
Goodness, 30d, 31d-32a
Government, Rosicrucians and, 92-93
Grand Lodge, (see AMORC), 91a
Great Masters (art), 47a,d
Great White Brotherhood Exist? Does, 137-140
Grief at Transition, 68-70
Growth, Evolution and, 129-131
Guardian of the Threshold, 15d
Guidance, Interpreting Cosmic, 113-115
Guidero, Dr. J. C., 104b

H
H-bomb Tests Be Stopped? Should, 122-124
Healing, 6c,d, 7b, 40d-41a
Health, 7b, 50a
Hegel, 125d
Heraclitus, 39c
Heredity, 70d-71b, 104b,c
Historical Record, A, 78-79
Home: 127a,b
Rosicrucian, 128b
Home, Sanctifying a New, 46-47
Home, Sanctity of, 127-128
Houdini, the Magician, 45-46
Human vivisection, 115c
Humanists, recognition of, 58
Humanitarian, Recognize the, 57-58
Hunches, 63a
Hypnosis, 15d, 16c
Hyperesthesia, 84d, 87b, 89d
Hypochondriac, 102b
Hyslop, James H., Ph.D., 85b, 88d

I
Illumination, 4a, 64a, 69c, 112a,d
Illusions, lOd, llb-13, 16c, 67c
Illusions of the Senses, 10-14
Imagination, 13c,d, 17a, 18, 21c, 36a, 39b, 70d
Images, eidetic, 8c
Imagination Have Actuality? Do Memory and, 16-19
Immortality, 5c, 66b
Impressions, Cosmic, 113c, 114, 115a
Incarnations, 82b,d
Individual and Society, Thes 26-28

Influence of Masters, 111-113

Initiation, 7a, 40a, 62a, b, 93c
Mau Mau, 111b
Inspiration, 21a, 23d, 57a
Inspiration, The Use of, 21-23
Intellectual, 61a-62c, 75b
Intelligence, 129c, 130a,d-131a, 133c
Interpreting Cosmic Guidance, 113-115
Interpreting for others, 114d
Intuition, 21b,c,d, 22c,d, 23a, 62c, 63-64, 80d-81a, 113c,
115a
Intuition Reliable? Is, 62-64
Is Birth Control Mystically Wrong? 32-35
Is Intuition Reliable? 62-64
Isis, 125c
Is Smoking Harmful? 55-57
Is Vivisection Justifiable? 115-117
Ifs Not Too Early, 95

J
Jesuit Society, 59c

K
Karma, 23b, 29a, 34d
Knowledge, lia, 21a,b,d, 23a, 61a, 75b, 80b-d, 131, 134
Knowledge and Application, 131-134
Knowlton, Dr. Charles, 33a
Kykuyu tribe, 93-95

L
Language, Universal, 103-104
Law of:
Affinity, 10c
Assumption, 10c
Averages, 30a
'Natural, 39c
Probability, 29d, 30a,b
Lewis, Dr. H. Spencer:
Articles by, 43-44, 44-45, 51-54
Quoted, 89a, 90a
Life, 50-51, 75a-d, 81-83, 105c
Life Be Explained by Chance? Can, 99-101
Life, The Balance of, 74-76
Light, 30d-31d, 32a ,b
Liquor and accidents, 44d-45b
Lodge, Sir Oliver, 85a, 88c,d
Love, 68d-69d, 89d
Loyalty, 98-99
Luck Exist? Does, 28-30

M
Magician, Houdini the, 45-46
Man: 129c-131a
Duality of, 83b
Evil forc, 32c
Primitive, 3a, 5-6, 30d, 32c, 38a,d, 41 d, 44a, 68a,
91d, 94b-95a
Water creature, 44a
Mandates, Cosmic, 113a,b
Manifestation, 91b,d, 101a
Masters:
Class, 118d-119a
Cosmic, llld-112, 113a,b
Great (arts), 47a,b
Influence of, 111-113
Masters, Influence of, 111-113
Materialism, 99d-100a, 101c,d, 104d, 105a,d
Mau Mau Society, 93-95
Meaning of Advancement, 107-109
Measuring Yourself by Others, 40-41
Meditation, 9-10, 102d, 138c
Mediumship, 84b,c, 85-89
Membership, False Conceptions About, 117-119
Memory, 17b,c, 18b, 70b,c, 71, 83d

JUNE, 1954

Page 143

Memory and Imagination Have Actuality? Do, 16-19

Memory of the Soul, 70-71

Metaphysical Concepts, 62c

Microcosm, 127b
Mimicry, 35d, 36c
Mind:
Cosmic, 62c,d, 63, 113c, 115a
Creative, 50b,c
Function of, 67b,c, 68a
Indestructible, 91 d
Illusions, 67c
Objective, 67c
Of God, 132d
Subjective, 7d, 8d, 9d, 15c, 38b, 70c,d
Universal, 62c, 91b
Mind, Universal and Individual, 91-92
Misdirection, 76c-78b
Misfits, 74d
Mission? What is Your , 50-51
Misuse, Prayer, Its Use and, 2-4
Monographs, 38a, 133d-134a, 138c
Changes in mailing, 54c,d
Increase, overseas, 55a
Monotheism-Which? Pantheism or, 124-126
Moral Conflict, CivzZand, 98-99
Moral (ethical), 116-117a, 122b,c, 123a, 129b, 133d
Motion, illusion of, 13a
Mller, Max, 58d
Music, 103-104a
Must W e Be Reborn? 81-83
Mysteries, 38c, 41 d, 83d, 110a
Mystical concepts:
of self, 65b, 66a,c
of spiritism, 89d, 90a
Mystical pantheism, 126b, 137b
Mystics, active, 133b
Mysticism, 132c, 133b
Mythology, 5d, 31a,b,c

N
Natural Law, 39c

Natural Law, Spiritual and, 136-137

Our New Cover, 126c,d
Nature of Things, The, 7 9-81

Necrophobia, 38c
Negative action, 28a
thoughts, 15b, 76b, 77b
Neophyte, 133c

Nostrils, Air Pressure in the, 43-44

Nous, 53c,d, 54b, 71a, 91c

Now, principie of, 16d, 17a,b, 19a, 82d

O
Oath, Cleansing of an, 93-95
Obstacles to Progress, 76-78

Oneness, 80d
Order, in society, 28a,b

Others, Measuring Yourself by, 40-41

Ouija Board, 85d-86d

P
Pain, 102b
Pantheism, 92a,b

Pantheism or Monotheism-Which? 124-126

Passage rites, 109d-lll
Peace, 112
Peace Profound, 128c
Persecution, of the Order, 59b-60, 93a
Personal attention to Members, 117d
Personality and Environment, 104-107
Personality, in a home, 127b,c, 128a
Personality, This Issues, 107b, 128c
Perspective Theory, 12c
Phalanx, Assyrian, 122d

Phases of Rosicrucian Philosophy, Three, 60-62

Phenomena, 136b

Phenomena, Spiritism and Related, 83-90

Philosophy:
goal of, 79d, 80b
Stoic, 19b
Rosicrucian, 132a

Philosophy, Three Phases of Rosicrucian, 60-62

Phi-phenomena, 13a
Phobia, 16b,c
Physical:
exercise, 75d-76a
senses, 22b
limitations, 133a

Places, Strangely Familiar , 7-9

Planes of consciousness, 82b, 108a

Plutarch, 125c
Poems:
Sound and Silence, (Phelps) 1
A n Apothegm by Thales, 25
Carolings, (Chilton) 49
Inviting Sleep , (Binder) 73
Poltergeist, 89a
Postage:
Increase in, 54c,d, 55b
On Digest, 55c
Postal Regulations, 54-55
Practice of exercises, 77d
Prayer, 4d, 46c,d, 47c, 94c
Prayer, Its Use and Misuse, 2-4
Prediction, 17d
Pregnance theory, 37b
Primitive man:
See: Man, primitive
Principie of dependence, 126a,b
Probability, Law of, 29c-30b
Progress in teachings, 119d
Progress, Obstacles to, 76-78
Projection be Wrongly Used? Can, 14-16

Projection, 10a, 14a, 46a,b

Psychic:
Consciousness, 14a, 51 d, 61c
Experiences, 50-54, 86c
Projections, 14-16
Realm, 132b
Self, 46a, 55c, 57a
Sounds, 51-54, 89b
Urges, 26b,d, 27
Psychic Sounds, 51-54
Psychology, 64b,c, 67a,b, 68a,b, 83b, 94d-95a
Psychology, Rosicrucianism and, 66-68
Psycho-therapy, 37d

Questions from members, 118

R
Ra, 124d
Radio vibrations, 54b
Reality, 79d

Real Vales, Consider, 101-102

Realization of Self, 64b,c

Reason, 26b, 50a, 57a, 63a-d, 91c, 11 Id, 115a
Rebirth (Buddhist concept), 81c
Reborn? Must W e Be, 81-83
Recognize the Humanitarian, 57-58
Record, A Histrica!, 78-79
Regulations, Postal, 54-55
Reincarnation, 46b, 81c, 82a-d, 106a
Religin, 59b, 60b, 83a, 99a
Deism, 125a,d
Factor in birth control, 34c,d
Hedonism, 124c, 125b
Immortality, 5c, 66b
In the home, 47b-d
Monism, 125b,c

Page 144

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Monotheism, 124-126
Pantheism, 92a, 124-126
Polytheism, 124b
Survival after death, 83c-84a
Theism, 125a-c, 126a
Worship, 98d, 99a,b
Religious Freedom? What is, 134-136
Religious tyranny, 134-135
Reptiles, the Age of, 130c,d, 139a
Richet, Dr. Charles, 85c, 87a
Rose-Croix University, (See AMORC) 88a
Rosicrucian (See AMORC):
Adjustment to environment, 67d, 106b-d
And Government, 92-93
Concept of death, 67d
Convention, 95, 119b,c
Coordination of experiences, 67d
Defned, 79a-c
Digest, 55, 138b, 139d
Discloses false notions, 67c
Exercises, 132a
Expedition to Tibet, 139d
Membership, 107d
Objectives, 10b, 21b, 67c,d, 117a
Order, 139b,d
Philosophy, 16d, 19c, 57a, 58d, 60-62, 80a, 82b, 89d,
111b, 132a
Progress, 108b-109c
Scope of studies, 40d, 41b, 68b
Teachings, 20d-21c, 37a, 40a, 70c, 105b,c, 133d, 140c
Rosicrucian Digest, 138b, 139d
Mailing of, 55
Rosicrucian Philosophy, T hree Phases of, 60-62
Rosicrucian Teachings, Degrees in, 20-21
Rosicrucianism and Psychology, 66-68
Rosicrucianism, Catholicism vs., 58-60
Rosicrucians and Government, 92-93

s
Sanctifying a New Home, 46-47
Sanctity of the Home, 127-128

Sanctuary, 9b
Sanctum, 10a,b,c, 46c, 47c, 77c, 127d, 128b
Sanctum Meditation, 9-10
Schweitzer, Albert, 103d
Seances, 89a
Self, 27b,c, 39a, 50b, 56c, 64-65, 66c, 68a, 69b, 74b-d,
81 d, 91c, 115a
Self and Selflessness, 64-66
Sensations, 35-38, 42b-43c, 90b
Senses, Illusions of the, 10-14
Sensory stimuli and dreams, 42b-43b
Should H-bomb Tests Be Stopped? 122-124
Sixth sense, 131b
Sleep, 41-43
and accidents, 45b
Smoking Harmful? Is, 55-57
Snake, Symbolism of, 5-7
Society, 26-27, 50b,c, 98-99
Society, T he Individual and, 26-28
Sociological factor in birth control, 33c, 34b
Sorrow, 68-70
Soul, 15a, 39d, 81d-82b, 83c,d, 91d-92c, 125c, 136d-137a
Soul , M em ory of the, 70-71
Soul-personality, 41a, 71a, 82c, 102c, 105b, 106b
Sounds, Psychic, 51-54
Spinoza, 125d
Spiritism and Related Phenomena, 83-90
Spiritual and Natural Law, 136-137
Spiritual growth, 56c, 58d, 62b, 66c, 82c, 114c
Spiritualism:
Automatic writing, 85d, 86b
Fox sisters, 84c
Mediumship, 84b,c, 85, 86
Seances, 89a
Telekinesis, 84d, 87d-89b

Stoicism, 125d
Storehouse of memory, 70c

Strangely Familiar Places, 7-9

Study, how to, 77a,b,c

Subconscious, 7d, 8a, 42a,d, 63c, 64b, 86b,c, 114a
Subjective mind, 7d, 8a,d, 9a,d, 15c, 38d, 70c,d
Suggestion, 13b,c, 35b,c,d, 37a
Suggestion and Auto-suggestion, 35-38
Suicides, Accidents and, 44-45
Sun, vitality of, 53a,d
Supernatural, 136c,d
Superstitions,
(See primitive man) 30-32, 42a
Supreme Grand Lodge, (See AMORC) 90-91 a
Supreme Intelligence, 91b, 11 Id
Survival after death, 83c-84a
Symbolism, 6a, 7c, 8d, 30-32, 42a, 81b
Symbolism of the Snake, 5-7

T
Teachings, Degrees in Rosicrucian, 20-21

Teachings, practical application of, 60-62

Telekinesis, 84d, 87d-89b
Teleology, 124c, 125c
Theocracy, 134d
Thermo-nuclear, 122b,d, 123b
Things, T he Nature of, 79-81
This Issue*s Personality, 107, 128
Thought:
Conscious, 63b,d, 64a, 68a, 75b,c, 129d
Negative, 15b, 76b, 77b
Patterns, 8c
Primitive, 3, 11, 124c, 126a

Three Phases of Rosicrucian Philosophy, 60-62

Tibet, 138c,d, 139c,d, 140b
Tides, 43d-44b
Time factor in psychic manifestations, 53b-54b
Toland, deist, 125d
Transition, 38c-39
Transition, Grief at, 68-70

u
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, 122a,b
Universal Consciousness, 91c
Universal Divine Principie, 125c
Universal Language, 103-104
Universal Mind, 62c, 91b
Unknown, the, 38d
Upanishads, 126c
Use and Misuse, Prayer, Its, 2-4
Use of Inspiration, The, 21-23
Using principies to help others, 10b,c

v
Vales, Consider Real, 101-102

Vibratory energy, 14b, 53c,d, 54b

Violations of Cosmic Law, 113a,b
Vital Life Forc, 14b, 101
Vivisection Justifiable? Is, 115-117

w
War, 122d, 123b
Weed, Joseph J., 128c-129a

What is Religious Freedom? 134-136

What is Your Mission? 50-51
W henee Come the Dark Forces? 30-32

White, worn by mystics, 138b,c

W hy Do Dreams Recur? 41-43
Will, 37b,c, 50b, 88a, 125a
Word patterns, 12d
World, the, 125a
Worship, 98d, 99a,b

Y
Yourself by Others, Measuring, 40-41