The Rosicrucian Forum

August 1957 - June 1960

August, 1957
Volume XXVIII

No. 1

Rosicrucan Forum
A p rv a te

p u b lic a to n fo r m e m b e rs of A M O R C

TED S O U Z A , F. R. C.
Inspector G eneral of A M O R C fo r Central California, U. S. A.

PAGE 2

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

AM ORC WORLD-W IDE A C T IV IT Y

Dear Fratres and Sorores:
In a world of increasing materialism and
emphasis upon technical development, that
a movement devoted to philosophy, metaphysics, and mysticism is able to survive is
encouraging to idealists. The Rosicrucian
Order, AMORC, has more than endured in
various sections of the world; it has made
exceptional strides. Where publicity has
made it appear that the physical sciences are
the salvation of mankind and the sol preserver of lifes vales, it is obvious that functions such as those of AMORC are confronted
with great obstacles.
The Rosicrucian Order, far from being
hostile to science, has in its history included
in its membership some of the world-renowned scientists. In fact, as every modem
Rosicrucian knows, the teachings of AMORC
include aspects of the various sciences which
have kept abreast of the times. We as well
pride ourselves that in our research we have
anticipated years in advance many principies
now heralded in the mundane world as new
discoveries.
What we do deplore is the relative disregard of the humanities today. Such studies
are necessary for that true refinement of the
nature of man which constitutes civilization.
The world is now engaged in having a race
in a vast armament. As a result, all indus
tries and sciences essential to such a program
are called necessary and utilitarian. The
most unfortunate thing in this activity is
that the current young generation is given
a false conception of lifes vales and of those
things that contribute to it. Education is
made to appear solely as a feeder for engineering and technical professions and that
which is immediately related thereto. Edu
cation more and more takes on the aspect
of a utilitarian significance.
It is apparent that it is the task of such
humanitarian, philosophical, and nonsectarian organizations as AMORC to keep alive

an interest in the immaterial motives and

ideis in life. If such is not done, even the
fine arts will sufferas they have suffered
in past civilizations. The United States is
obviously the wealthiest and most economically powerful nation in the world. From a
strictly monetary point of view this means
that the average American has more money
to indulge his interests than persons of less
fortnate nations. Actually, however, the
growth of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC,
in the United States percentage-wise, considering the population, is less than in other
nations that are not so engrossed in ma
terialism.
When our fratres and sorores read this,
the writer will be in Asia Minor with two
other fratres. He will be gathering unusual
material for a series of Rosicrucian Digest
articles and for other publications. The fra
tres accompanying him will be taking a
series of professional cinema films of the sites
of those ancient civilizations which had their
origin in that regin. These films in color
and sound will eventually be shown to members in various areas of the world. Also the
fratres will take a series of still photographs
of historical and archaeological sites to finally
appear in Rosicrucian publications.
Of all the esoteric orders, AMORC has
been the most diligent and outstanding in
rendering this service, that is, in presenting
photographs and articles concerning the sites
of ancient mystery and initiatic schools, as
well as the places where the great philosophers, mystics, and scien tists lived and
taught. By this means AMORC has united
the past with the present, and this unity
has made possible a rational approach to the
future, by providing as guidance the great
preceding thoughts and deeds of mankind.
The Imperator and these fratres will then
attend a special conclave of members and
oficers of the Order in London (August 31 September 1). Not only will Rosicrucian

PAGE 3

AUGUST, 1957

members throughout the British Isles be present at the conclave but dignitaries of the
A.M.O.R.G. in Europe. The following eminent personages have declared that they will
be present on this auspicious occasion:
The Grand Master and the Deputy Grand
Master of Sweden; the Grand Master of
Denmark and Norway; the Grand Master
and Grand Secretary of the Netherlands; the
Grand Master of Italy; the Grand Master of
Germany; the Secretary of the AMORC of
France; the Deputy Grand Master of the
London area who will represent the Grand
Master of Great Britain. Each of these men
will be introduced to the assembly of mem
bers and make a brief address.
Following the general conclave which will
be similar to rallies of subordinate lodges and
chapters of AMORC throughout the world,
there will be an international symposium of
these officers directed by the Imperator. The
result of this meeting will be far-reaching in
its beneficial effects for the Order as a whole
and for the individual Rosicrucian in par
ticular. Any active Rosicrucian member of
any jurisdiction or any degree is eligible to
attend the conclave in London upon presentation of m em bership credentials and
registering for the occasion.
The Imperator, and the fratres from
America accompanying him, will then have
the honor and piivilege of attending the
annual Rosicrucian Convention in Skalderviken, Sweden, at which Frater Albin Roimer
will officiate. This event is always a memor
able one and a tribute to the activity of that
jurisdiction of our Order. The Imperator and
his associates \yill then depart for Copenhagen where they will address a convocation
of the Grand Lodge of Denmark and Norway
in its temple. This convocation will be under
the direction of Grand Master Sundstrup.
From Denmark, the Imperator and those
accompanying him will joumey to Paris.
There the Imperator will spend some time
in conference with Frater Raymond Bemard,
the Secretary of the Grand Lodge of AMORC

of France, at the Orders administrative office.

A special conclave of Rosicrucian members
from throughout France has been called for
Paris. The Imperator will address them
there. The Jeanne Guesdon Chapter of Paris
will act as host upon the occasion to other
officers of AMORC from throughout France,
Belgium, and Switzerland.
We must not fail to mention the very
gratifying progress that the Rosicrucian Or
der is making in Brazil. For years there were
subordinate chapters now lodges in that
country. Just a little more than a year ago,
however, the Grand Lodge of AMORC of
Brazil, as a subordinate body to the Inter
national Supreme Grand Lodge, was established. The teachings are now issued in the
Portuguese language directly from Rio de
Janeiro. The issuance of the teachings in
the language of the Brazilian people has increased the membership and scope of the
Order in that country considerably. Tribute
for this activity must be paid to Soror Mara
Moura and Frater Jos de Oliveira Paulo,
members of the Board of Directors of the
Brazilian Grand Lodge, for their tremendous
efforts.
In Germany, under the leadership of the
Grand Master, Frater Wilhelm Friedrich
Mueller, AMORC has become well established in new quarters. Re-organization has
taken place which assures a sound future
for our Order in that country. The Rosi
crucian Order, AMORC, in Italy has now
passed the first formative stages of its new
cycle of activity. The Grand Master, Frater
Gieuseppe Cassara di Castellammare, has
issued attractive literature which is being
disseminated throughout the nation. Monographs in the Italian language are now available to fratres and sorores. The Italian
Grand Master will also confer with the Imperator in Rome during the latters joumey
en route from Asia Minor.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 of the U. S. Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of the Supreme Council of A M O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $2.25 (16/6 sferlng) ANNUALLY FOR MEMBERS ONLY

PAGE 4

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

This Issues Personality

Frater Ted Souzas kind and affable per
sonality is winning many more people to
Rosicrucian ideis and practices in Central
California. There his work as Inspector Gen
eral for AMORC goes tirelessly on. When
not working with the public, he spends
nights and weekends helping nearby Rosi
crucian chapters and pronaoi in their affairs.
In his home chapter in Fresno he has served
as Master, editor of the chapter bulletin, and
currently instructs Rosicrucian degree classes
at the chapters quarters.
Frater Souza, bom February 1 in the small
town of Atwater, California, is one of those
fortnate peoplein this day of exceedingly
great urban developmentwho have spent
their early years on a ranch. There in the
quiet of the countryside he had ampie time
to think about God and nature. In his own
mind, and without theological benefit, he
was able to catalogue his position in the
Cosmic scheme. Since then, and especially
since he crossed the threshold of AMORC,
he has tried to emphasize a good balance
between the esoteric and the exoteric. He is
a firm believer in the practical aspects of
Rosicrucian study.
It was Frater Souzas wife, Nadine, who
brought him and herself to the portis of the
Rosicrucian Order. This ideal unin of man
and wife has resulted in a family of Rosi
crucian adherents. Their three children are
being raised with a liberal knowledge of
Rosicrucian philosophy. The entire family
greatly enjoys cise contact with the beauties
of nature, and summertime often finds them
picnicking in the Sierras, or swimming, fishing, or beachcombing along the shores of the
Pacific.
Since early childhood, radio became Ted
Souzas province of endeavor. He received
his amateur radio license and his cali letters
W6FKL in 1932. Later, he joined the Mer
ced County Sheriffs office where he directed
the purchase and installation of the Countys
first two-way radio system. From these
beginnings, he worked his way into commercial radio broadcasting. Even during a
tour of duty with the U. S. Coast Guard at
the time of World War II, he served in the
field of radio installation and service. Since
then he has made great strides in the industry. He now is studio engineer for the

largest broadcasting company in Central

California. This enjoyable position provides
Frater Souza with an extensive outlet for
his special talents, his love of people, and his
dedication to AMORC.
The Rosicrucian Order is indeed proud to
number among its ardent workers this frater
from Fresno, California.B
Psychic Sight
Throughout the degrees of the Order, there
are many references to psychic sight. We
likewise use the phrase, psychic eyes.
Exercises are given in the monographs for
the development of these. Members are
sometimes confused and ask, Just where are
the psychic eyes located in relation to the
psychic self? We have answered that psy
chic eyes is really a figure of speech, that
the more propier term would be psychic
sight, and it is that which should be developed.
To begin with, we must realize, as has
been pointed out, that psychic impressions
(that which is transmitted Cosmically and
received by us psychically) are extremely
high vibratory rates. These vibrations are
not in the octaves of our receptor senses.
They transcend all such vibrations as those
which we objectively discern. They do not
have the same quality as sound or do they
have the wave lengths of light such as we
experience as color, or do they include such
sensations as we associate with touch. In
fact, they are in extreme ranges or octaves
beyond the physical forces. Each Rosicru
cian, who has attained the Fourth Degree,
is familiar with the Cosmic Keyboard. Therein he will note that we have shown scientifically that the phenomena of the cosmic are
all arranged mathematically according to a
scale, that certain manifestations and phe
nomena occur in various octaves. We are
able to discern objectively only a comparatively few of these octaves. The psychic im
pulses are far beyond the rates of electrical
waves, radioactive mattr, and cosmic rays.
Yet we are able to discern them.
Psychic impulses can be translated into
objective sensations which we can experi
ence. The psychic impulses are not reduced,
their nature is never altered, but we do
interpret them, under certain circumstances,
as having visual characteristics namely,

AUGUST, 1957

form, dimensions, colors. At other times they

are perceived as being auditory, as a voice
or message. Or they may seem tactile, that
is, as producing waves of feeling, warmth or
coldness.
The psychic impulses are received by the
sympathetic nervous system. It is this sympathetic nervous system which is attuned to
these higher frequencies. It is responsive to
them. The psychic centers, then being acted
upon, induce into the spinal nervous system
impulses of lower octaves. We may look at
it in this way. The sympathetic nervous
system receives the psychic impulses. They
are carried to the psychic centers. Within
these psychic centers, vibrations are set up
which are far lower in the scale than the
psychic ones, just as every musical tone in
the scale has a harmonio in the octaves far
below, or above it. These lower vibrations,
then, are transmitted as energy impulses
along the spinal nervous system. Finally,
these impulses enter the brain where they
actate certain areas of the cerebrum and
produce in these areas sense data or sensa
tions which are related to one of the objective senses.
The brain area which is most responsive
at the time the psychic impulses are received,
produces, as we have said, results which are
related to it. If the most responsive area is
auditory, then we experience the psychic im
pulses as sounds, as voices, or as music. On
the other hand, if the area which is acted
upon in the brain is related to the visual
sense, then the psychic images are of a visual
naturethings seen.
Now we know that for objective impressions, those of which we wish to become particularly aware, we must concntrate. We
must direct our attention to that which we
want to see or that which we want to hear,
and the other senses are accordingly suppressed. Even when we are not concentrating, when we are not making one of our
senses particularly sensitive to stimuli, one
of the areas related to our objective senses
may predominate. If a psychic impulse
comes through at that time, it will be translated in terms of that particular objective
sense which is dominant.
The transmitters of psychic impulses, those
who are trying to send a message to us
through the Cosmic, may have certain pref-

PAGE 5

erences. They may desire that we receive

the message in a visual form or they may
wish us to have it in an auditory or in an
olfactory sense, such as the smell of incense
or the fragrance of flowers. Though one may
desire us to experience the psychic impressions in a certain way, we may have the
experience in an entirely different manner.
The reason for this is, as we have stated,
that one or another of the areas related to
our objective senses might be particularly
sensitive at that time and thus the psychic
impulses would be interpreted in the qualities of that area. Consequently, if we want
our psychic impulses to have a visual nature,
to appear to us as something to be seen, then
we must quicken or stimulate the psychic
sight. This means that we must stimulate
that area of the brain by which the impulses
are interpreted in a visual sense.
We know that the body often generates
more energy than it consumes. We are told
in our monographs how our bodies consist of
two polarities of energy and how these polarities are replenished in our body, one
through the food we eat and the other
through breathing. A normal person will
generate excess energy, that is, more than
he usually expends in his physical or mental
activities. This excess energy radiates from
the nerves of the thumb and the first two
fingers on each hand. To conduct experiments in psychic sight, it is necessary to use
this excess energy to stimulate or awaken
that area of the brain which translates psy
chic impulses into that which has a visual
nature.
This should be accomplished by sitting relaxed with the feet apart. In this particular
exercise, one takes the first two fingers, after
the thumb, on each hand and presses these
fingers together. He then places the two
fingers of each hand lightly against his
temples. The pressure should not be great
enough to cause discomfort and one must be
certain that the thumb and other fingers do
not touch the temples. A slight warmth will
be generated and, after a few minutes, a
magnetic sensation, as a tingling, will be felt.
Next, the eyes should be closed and a deep
breath taken and held as long as comfortable.
The eyes should then be opened and, as one
exhales, one should try to look toward a drk
area in the room, or at least at an area that

PAGE 6

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

is dimly lighted. If you have been successful

in stimulating psychic sight, images will
seem to form. You will be interpreting the
psychic impulses you may have received at
that time as visual forms.
Let us be clear on one point. As the monographs have pointed out, what you see on
this occasion is not occurring theurgically
that is, as strange phenomena outside of you.
It is not happening within the space of the
room. What is occurring is occurring on the
screen of your own consciousness. Remember that you are stimulating an area in your
brain wherein the impulses transmitted along
your spinal column to that area are being
experienced as visual sensations.
This, then, is what is meant by developing
psychic sight. We must point out again that
psychic impulses are formless. They have
none of the determinate qualities of sounds,
forms, or any sensations which we objective
ly know. They produce these things within
us. You can channel these psychic impulses
through any one of the five senses. When
you quicken your psychic sight, you are
making them assume a visual form.
Many persons have had the experience of
smelling a strong scent of incense in their
sanctum or in some room of their home
where no incense had ben bumed recently,
if ever. Such is definitely a psychic impression. It does not mean that the scent of
incense was transmitted to them but rather
that the olfactory sense of their objective
consciousness was dominant at the time and
the psychic impression was translated as the
fragrance of incense. If at that particular
time they had tried the exercise of quickening the psychic sight, in all probability the
same psychic impression would have assumed
some visual form.X
' (From Forum, Oct., 1948)
Cosmic Masters
There is no greater wrong, or more dangerous practice than the negligent or wilful
distortion of a truth. There is an od philosophical axiom which says, There are no
half truths. In other words, that which is
stated as a law or principie having veracity
is either so in its entirety, or not at all.
It is indeed most unfortunate when students of Rosicrucianism, mysticism and oc-

cultism read a simply presented mystical

principie and then make out of it a harmful
misconception. It is hardly necessary to re
cite here that our monographs, in certain of
the degrees, explain about The Holy Assembly, The Cosmic Hosts, and The
Celestial or Esoteric Hierarchy. It has
simply been presented in our teachings that
these intelligences, of which there are but a
few, by virtue of their spiritual development,
constitute an intermediary for defining for
man the Cosmic decrees and the divine revelations which he has from time to time.
These Cosmic Masters are often mentors
only in the sense that they aid us in establishing contact with the Cathedral of the
Soul, and in properly understanding the
Cosmic impressions which we receive as our
consciousness is quickened by the practice
of the exercises contained in our Rosicrucian
teachings.
We first want to make plain and emphatic that there is not an individual Cosmic
Master for each individual human being, as
a sort of ethereal shadow behind or light
that goes before man. The same limited
number of these Cosmic hosts may assist
millions of mortals. Over and over again
we have recited in the pages of the Forum
and in the Rosicrucian Digest, and in mono
graphs and special letters that it is not in the
province of these Cosmic Masters to become
personal guides of mortals in that they super
vise their every human act. Such conduct
would be in violation of the powers which
the Cosmic has decreed man should have,
and which he personally should exercise.
If we were continually to be guided in
everything and in all things, man would
need no soul, with its means of determining
right or wrong in the Cosmic sense. He
would not need will, or the agency of choice.
He would not need to reason, or to analyze,
or to consider the voice of self, in fact, self
as an ego would not need to exist. All that
man would become would be a puppet, a sort
of flesh and blood robot, who would be actuated by these masters to do and not to do
certain things. Mankind would be as a person in a hypnotic state, who loses all selfinitiative and objective powers, and whose
actions are subject entirely to the commands
of the operator under whose influence he is.
To intelligent men and women, belief in
personal Masters, in the sense described

AUGUST, 1957

above (and as believed by some), is most

objectionable as it attempts to negate the
Divine faculties with which man has been
blessed. Further, it is most dangerous to
harbor such a thought, for the person who
so believes suppresses his own objective
powers almost entirely. Though the Cosmic
Masters are not continuously directing every
simple, homely little personal human affair,
such persons are wont to believe that every
idea, every impulse that flashes into their
objective minds is not merely the result of
the psychological functions of their mental
selves but the voice of the Master commanding them to do thus and thus. Such ridiculous beliefs are not founded upon Rosicrucianism, as taught in the official monographs
of AMORC, or on the true principies of
mysticism, as expounded by the great
teachers throughout history. It is an abortive
conception that, if persisted in, eventually
leads the believer into the realm of mental
aberration, and to the door of a psychiatrist.
The worst type of these cases, or, we
should say, a logical development from them,
have the delusion that their personal Master
has made them a mdium by which to decree the conduct of others. They thereupon
begin issuing and proclaiming fearsome
edicts, attempting to reglate the lives of
those most credulous people with whom they
associate, or who come to listen to them.
At first they confuse their friends, for
they speak with such words of assurance, in
such a positive manner that the unthinking
person is inclined to respond to their suggestions. He is apt to think that they are
gifted with some power which the ordinary mortal does not possess. As time goes
by, however, suspicion creeps into the minds
of the well-meaning and trusting friends and
associates, for each week finds their personal
lives, their own wishes and desires encroached upon. This invisible Master is constantly compelling them, through the ipouth
of this mdium, this third party9 to do this
and to do that. They can see that if this
relationship were to continu, their own
souls would be in bondage to this person,
who claims to be in constant communion
with this or that Master. Further, from the
nature of the edicts, when they begin to
think about them, they can see how uncosmical they are, how nonsensical some of
the comments appear, and how unlike what

PAGE 7

would emanate from a great, true Cosmic

Master.
I have had letters come to my attention
which are worded somewhat alog the fol
lowing lines: Mrs. John Jones tells me that
she is constantly attuned with the Master
Blank. This Master has ordered her as number 55 (?) to tell me that I should cease
living at home, that I should cease studying
this philosophy, or my soul development will
forever be thwarted. Mrs. Jones further says
that Master Blank has declared that my
number is 71 (?), and that I must report to
her each week for further Cosmic orders
which she alone will receive and issue.
Moreover, some of these innocent victims,
such as the one who wrote the above type of
letter, have the Cosmic truths which they
have gleamed from a concentrated study of
long traditional and well-established sources
of knowledge, tom to shreds, which leaves
them bewildered, mentally upsets them, and
affects their health. The person who is deluded into thinking he or she is a mdium
for Cosmic inspiration for all other persons,
injects all of his personal opinions on every
profound, mystical topic irito these so-called
messages which he passes on. He is apt to
give ridiculous definitions and interpretations
of the nature of soul, of the Cosmic, and of
the functioning of the laws of nature. His
conceptions are often such that, if followed,
they would prove ruinous to the health,
moris, and sanity of those who believe
them.
It is not always that those who claim to be
in constant communion with the Cosmic
Master, who is giving them messages for
everyone and the world at large, are malicious in what they are doing. It is, in fact,
often that they are ignorant, sometimes men
tally deranged. Frequently each impression
which enters their objective consciousness,
and about which they form a conclusin, is
not conceived by them as a personal opinion
which they have arrived at by a normal
mental process, but they conceive it as a
Cosmic message from the Master. It has in
it all of the flaws of their illogical reasoning,
often their lack of experience and education,
and yet they try to compel all others to guide
their lives by such words, as if they were
the declaration of a Cosmic pundit.
When, fratres and sorores, the Cosmic
Masters find it essential to enlighten you, it

PAGE 8

will not be on the petty, common affairs of

lifewhere you should go, what you should
do, and whom you should meetrather it
will be the interpretation of some Cosmic
experience about which you are not certain,
and from that interpretation you will gain
personal power and knowledge. You will be
able to think clearly, and, most important,
you will be able to direct the Mundane af
fairs of life yourself, as the Divine Mind
intended you should. Beware of individuis
who proclaim themselves mdiums for a Cos
mic Master, with the intent of diffusing their
impressions and opinions hither and yon,
and imposing them upon others. T he Cosmic
Masters need no other individual to attune
with in order to deliver a message to you.
The psychic self we each possess is the bond,
the Divine bond, with these Cosmic Intelligences. It is the assurance that we can personally attune ourselves with them, and that
we do not need the channel of another
human.
Do not be intimidated by the dire threats
made by these persons, who have set them
selves up as channels for the Cosmic Masters.
If the voice within has not spoken to you, no
message at the time is intended for you; no
message has been given another for you,
thus you do not need to accept what others
say was intended for you, and you will suffer no punishment for refusing to heed them.
No ill will befall you, I repeat, if you do not
heed the words of these self-proclaimed Cos
mic mdiums. If you once believe that the
threats they utter might actually invoke a
destructive power, you are making yourself
subject to the oldest fear known to man
the superstitious belief in black magic.
The Cosmic will inform you direct, or
personally through a Cosmic Master what is
intended for your consciousness to comprehend, what is needed as a stimulation or inspiration for you, and will not use the deluded minds of mortals who believe they
have been chosen as messiahs by the Cosmic
Masters. Also beware of the teachings, the
doctrines, the exercises, and any and all
things which emanate from such persons, or
that which they ask you to do or perform
under any circumstances, if you valu your
health and your sanity.X
(From Forum, Dec., 1948)

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

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 statement: 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.
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 conscious of his inability, most of the time, to
direct these Cosmic powers to his own advantage. 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, instills 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

AUGUST, 1957

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 function of human judgment. We cannot escape
the evaluation of our own experiences as
well as those of others. We 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 result will be quite the opposite from what it
would be, if we followed another course.
Then, too, we know that will, as desire, can
precipitate us into a preferred direction.
Why this human mechanism o f 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 follow 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 extemal power.
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 conditions, 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

PAGE 9

in different sections of the world. Such

statistics are founded upon empirical conditions, 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.
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 greater 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 governed
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 such a manner even-

PAGE 10

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 probbility. 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 probbility,
however, is not a series of ordained events.
Further, probbility 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
(From Forum, Dec., 1951)
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 reincamation? 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

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

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
extensively treated in this Forum recently.
Let us presume that the practice is agreed
upon and that it is not Cosmically wrong.
By 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 humanitarian 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 conditions 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 intelligent 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 most of mankind would reach such a
pinnacle of understanding, then patently
there would not be need for so many cycles
of rebirths or reincarnations. 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

PAGE II

AUGUST, 1957

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,
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 inter
preted 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
content is still valid, different prcticos must
be observed to express them. Consequently,
in an advanced society of one or more centuries 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 eyele on a
higher plae of consciousness. This would
reduce the number of incamations 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 synonym ous with moral enlightenment. Poverty and the social conditions 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 bom 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 environ
ment freer from moral problems.

Overpopulation prevens 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 understanding of self that results in spiritual unfold
ment. Education eliminates much of the
superstition, and consequent fears that follow, that are an obstacle to the expression
of the higher aspeets of self. One who, for
example, fears, as a supematural act, every
natural phenomenon which he cannot comprehend, can never 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
(From Forum , Feb., 1952)
The Akashic Records
A frater of Iowa, addressing our Forum
for the first time, says: I should like additional information on one point in my recent
lessons. The Akashic Records are said to
contain knowledge of all the past, present,
and future. Is this to be modified in such
a manner as to indicate that this is merely
true of natural laws of manifestation? Or
are there records of human individual
destinies as well? If this second be true, does
it not indicate an essential corollary belief
in predestination?
Then a frater from California also rises
to speak upon the same subject. He states:
After studying my last monograph in which
I learned of a subject which is called the
Akashic Records, my mind has been in doubt
as to whether all things are predestined or
not. Many things in my own experience
have caused me to suspect that they were.
I wonder what opinion the Rosicrucian
teachings have co n cern in g this subject?
Could a little light be shed on this matter
for me, possibly in our Forum?
At first, it is advisable to relate a part of
what has appeared in our monographs with

PAGE 12

respect to this subject. The Akashic Records

are an abstract principie. They must not
be construed as meaning a material record,
a writing or inscription of any kind in the
ordinary sense of the word. Now, as to the
word Akashic, it is derived from the Sanskrit
word akasa. In the sankhya philosophy of
the Hindus, the akasa is one of the five
elements of that system of thought. In fact,
the akasa represents the primordial substance as space, ether, sky, oras we Rosicrucians sayspirit, out of which all ma
terial form is manifested. This, then, is the
key to our whole understanding of the Aka
shic Records. Spirit, we know, is a substance
or element which in itself is amorphous, but
out of which come any and all things that
have reality to our consciousness. However,
in our Rosicrucian teachings, we are shown
that spirit is but the negative polarity
of the universal forc. It is only one attribute of it. So behind spirit is this Cosmic
universal forc, dual in its polarity. We
refer to this Cosmic universal forc as being
mind.
From a more analytical point of view,
perhaps mind is not a wholly appropriate
definition of the Cosmic. Most certainly we
will agree that the Cosmic does not display
all the teleological causation of the human
mind. In other words, it does not exhibit all
the imperfections of our own minds. How
ever, we confer mind upon this universal
primary naturein other words, the Cosmic
because we seem to perceive in it certain
functions which at least resemble our own
minds. For example, it appears causative,
as having purpose, as having order, as displaying justice and the like. If we were
still more critical in our analysis, we would
perhaps not even assign such things as pur
pose and order (as we ordinarily think of
them) to the Cosmic. However, it is neces
sary for us to conceive some nature for the
Cosmic in order that it have a reality to us,
so the word mind seems most acceptable.
In the Cosmic there can be neither past
or present, or future. It is just Absolute
Being. The appellations of past, present, and
future are mans designations of the movements of his own consciousness; they are
ames for the various states of his conscious
ness. For example, that which seems to be a
static experience, we are inclined to cali

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

past; that which is most dominant in its im

pression, we think of in terms of the present;
and that which the mind creates within its
own processes, independent of the senses,
such as the faculty of imagination, we think
of in terms of the future.
Consequently, all that has occurred, all
that man conceives as being of the past, is
nevertheless still rooted in the Cosmic. It is
just as active now as it was in any year that
man can conceive. It consists of those laws
by which it had its manifestation. The nature
of what has occurred is never a reality such
as we objectively experience. In other words,
Cosmically, an experience does not consist of
a day or of a series of colors or of a form
or a sound. These are but our perceptions
of the manifestations of the nature of the
Cosmic. The Cosmic, the primary nature of
all, is not static. As being, it is a constant
ceaseless motion. We experience the changes
of this etemal motion. That which causes
any manifestations we experience, or the
change, never ceases to be. After all, a
portion of the Cosmic cannot escape from
itself and disappear. Thus, that which caused
a past experience of man contines to be
of the eternal nature of the Cosmic.
As for the present, what is of the essence
contines as of now. As we stand upon the
beach and look at the breakers rolling
majestically inward, each appears, in some
degree, different from the others. If we were
to remain upon the beach for etemity and
have our full powers, of consciousness, we
would perhaps never perceive exactly identical pattems of breakers. Nevertheless, the
primary source of those breakers, the cease
less ocean itself, would be the same. Each
breaker is part of that vast, ever moving,
body of water. Each breaker seen by man
and that which will be seen by him, originates in the action of the sea and its relation
to the shore.
Likewise, every human event, every
thought and deed is potential in the Cosmic.
It is written in the Akashic Records, in the
Cosmic mind, that all that which manifests
shall come from the matrix of laws of which
the Cosmic consists.
It is stated in our monographs, From
these records, the thing is fulfilled and completed at the time when best done. Cosmi-

AUGUST, 1957

cally, nothing is impossible except the negation of the Cosmic itself. The Cosmic
cannot cease to be, for nothing cannot be,
except as it is related to something. Since
nothing never preceded something, some
thing cannot retum to it. Therefore, out of
the Cosmic anything can eventually be materialized if it is in harmony with the Cosmic.
We can so direct Cosmic intelligence, the
motion of its being, that it will create conditions that will have a nature, a substance,
or form such as we wish to realize. Again,
we repeat, it is written in the Akashic Rec
ords; that is, it is possible for anything to be
as we conceive it. We must conceive it,
because we are the ones who really give
form to the formless Cosmic by our senses,
our reason, our state of consciousness.
We refer in our Rosicrucian teachings to
the God of our Hearts. We mean by that
term the god that we, as individuis, can
conceive, of which we are conscious and
that has understanding to us. Now, obviously, there cannot actually be as many gods
as there are concepts of God on the part of
human beings. However, God is potential
within any form that the mind can conceive.
In other words, God can assume, by the
nature of His being, any concept the human
mind chooses. So, too, the Cosmic is capable of assuming any kind of reality that
our minds and selves can bring about. We
give out a thought that we wish would
eventually materialize. It is already written
in the Akashic Records that that shall be
done. In other words, it is possible for it to
be done, if we are consistent with our wishes.
We must begin to make ourselves selective
of only those aspects of the Cosmic as will
bring it about. By our thoughts we must
draw to our inner selves that Cosmic inspiration and those powers that will make
possible, through our human talents, our
abilities, and relations, what we want. That
which we seek is wholly in the Cosmic in
essence but, in relation to our human lives
and our notion of time, it will manifest in
a future.
Another way to look upon this subject is to
think of the Cosmic as being a plstic sub
stance such as soft clay. From this soft
clay may be created multitudinous forms.
Within the clay, within the primary sub
stance, all things which the mind can con

PAGE 13

ceive are wholly extant. We must, how

ever, to realize a particular form, mould
the clay, cause it to correspond to our ideas.
The clay must become a counterpart of our
concept, our idea, before it is what we want.
Therefore, in communing with the Cosmic
and in petitioning for what we seek, we
must adapt the Cosmic forces to the mould
of our own intellect, our own personal
powers, and our psychic consciousness. We
thus put ourselves in attunement with those
qualities of the universal nature, the Cosmic,
as will quicken our consciousness in the
direction of the end which we wish to attain.
We make the attributes of our being re
sponsive to those Cosmic vibrations which
will develop them. As a consequence, we
find ourselves drawn to people and to conditions as will make it possible for us to
realize objectively that to which we have
aspired.
It is thus written in the Akashic Records
that man can be or have all that of which he
is capable. We are, then, truly the masters
of our lives. The Cosmic is the supply house.
The assembly of these supplies and the realization of them is our responsibility. Though
clay is possible of any form, it requires the
application of the individual powers of the
sculptor. Though the Cosmic can provide
the substance for anything, it is man that
must learn how to mould that substance to
conform to his concept.
This does not mean that there are already
predetermined in the Akashic Records, as a
form, as a substance, as a condition, the in
dividual things of our lives. Not at alljust
as in a mass of clay there are not pre
determined all the things that the sculptor
is going to bring out. There is only in the
Cosmic all that can be, if we will it to be by
applying those powers with which we have
been endowed and then by drawing it forth,
through self.X
(From Forum, April, 1950)
Attunement with the Planets
A soror in Caada addresses our Forum:
I have been interested in impressions that
keep coming through to me recently. These
are that our familiar planet is very near
destructioninsofar as life is concerned,
anyway. Can these impressions come from

PAGE 14

the minds of human beings now living on

earth that have accepted the thoughts of
atomie destruction, or can they be true
Cosmic impressions? Recently also, I eel
that we, in our inner consciousness and be
ing, have passed beyond the aura of this
planet and the moon into Cosmic space,
becoming adjusted to a superior planet altogether.
Is it possible that advanced consciousnesses in human form can thus progress
from planet to planet in Cosmic space, and
am I right in thinking that our present Earth
may be coming to a final end?
An increasing number of persons are hav
ing dreams amounting to nightmares in
which they experience intemecine atomic
warfare. They wake with a vivid recollection of the horror of vast cities laid waste
before them, and of structures and human
forms, alike, tom asunder. Some have realistic dreams of hearing jet planes which fill
the sky, and which, although beyond the
range of sight, appear to them at the time
to be hostile. In these experiences, the per
sons dreaming have seen whole cities bathed
in a sudden, unnatural glare of light and
then have felt a terrific paralysis creeping
over their being as if from an invisible
radiation; and finally they sank helpless to
their knees.
It can be related with assurance that the
majority of such experiences are wholly a
consequence of mass suggestion and hysteria.
The numerous published accounts detailing
the holocaust and cataclysm that will befall
humanity, if it is so unfortunate as to indulge
in an atomic war, have a tremendous effect
upon the mind. The individual needs little
imagination to visualize the scenes depicted
for him in these written and verbal statements. Moreover, he is inculcated with a
sense of helplessness, a feeling that he cannot
adequately prevent such statements from
becoming a reality. If the individual could
conceive of a proper defense or the develop
ment of amiable international relations, he
would reject these accounts as exaggerated
and most improbable. Unfortunately, the
trend of events only confirms the deteriorating of diplomatic relations between the rival
powers.
There is, then, on the part of millions of
persons, a latent fear of what seems to them

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

to be the inevitable. They do not express

a defeatist point of view, or do they resort
to any hysterical conduct. The fear, how
ever, is so firmly planted in their subjective
minds that the anxiety finds expression in
the uncontrolled or random ideas of which
their dreams consist.
This fear can be psychically transmitted,
as well, so as to be sensed by others as an
impending disaster of ineffable proportions.
In other words, those who do not speak of
their fears or of their dreams which follow
from their anxiety, nevertheless radiate a
disturbing, negative vibration from their
auras. Other persons become conscious of the
accumulative impact of these depressing
psychic radiations. In fact, they are contagious; they spread throughout the whole
of society. Some persons have not been able
to associate this depression with any idea as
to the imminence of war, but, rather, it is an
emotional pall which hangs over them and
which they cannot seem to shake off.
This condition will continu until there
are positive, constructive events which act as
a stimulus to the morale of the masses, and
until there is a retum of individual confidence in the immediate future. The layman
has noted statements made in the press of the
United States, for example, by noted military
authorities, that the nation must expect severe destruction of one or more of its large
cities in the next war and a severe loss of
life in those areas. Still others emphasize that
if the nation were to expend double its pres
ent annual outlay for defense, it still would
not provide America with any immunity
from attack in the next war. These remarks, then, are most conducive to the nega
tive type of mass hysteria now being experienced as weird dreams and states of anxiety.
As to whether some of these impressions
being received are directly from intelligences
residing on other planets, we are inclined to
think not. Of course, there are occult schools
that have expounded for some time the
theory that the soul-personalities of humans
progress from one planet to another after
death in accordance with their development.
According to this theory, assuming that the
earth is of the lowest order in this hierarchy
of habitats for man, the soul, after transition,
inhabits a planet where the plae of con
sciousness is higher. After a series of births

AUGUST, 1957

and deaths on the second planet, if the soulpersonality contines to evolve, and reaches
a certain point of development, it then moves
on to the next higher planetary plae.
In this doctrine, the planes of conscious
ness to which the soul-personality evolves,
become identical with celestial bodiesactual
planets. To use an analogy, it is like a
schoolboy who, with each advancement in
his learning, actually ascends a flight of
stairs to a classroom higher in the school
building.
The Rosicrucians have never held that
there is any such necessary hierarchy of
planets, namely, that there is a Number One
for the highest intelligences, a Number Two
for those less evolved individuis, and so on
down the scale. In other words, the Rosi
crucians do not contend that there are
planets especially ordained as theaters for
certain degrees of evolution of the human
consciousness, or soul-personalities. Any
planet, any Cosmic body in ours or other
universes, which has been capable of supporting for thousands of years intelligent
beings, would eventually become the home
of highly evolved soul-personalities.
Further, from the Rosicrucian doctrinal
point of view, the soul consciousness permeates the whole Cosmic. It is resident in
all living thingswhich is, of course, a mystical, pantheistic conception. However, only
when a living organism becomes complex
enough to have a self-consciousness is that
being aware of its divine or universal
properties. Wherever, then, life could be
sustained for a great period of time and
grow into such an organism as man is
complex in nervous systems and brainit
would have a consciousness of soul; there
would be self as we know it. It is absurd to
think that in the whole cosmos, the earth,
alone, is the only planet exhibiting the phenomenon of life.
As Giordano Bruno, philosopher of the
Renaissance, said: Only one bereft of his
reason could believe that those infinite
spaces, tenanted by vast and magnificent
bodies, are designed only to give us light, or
to receive the clear shining of the earth. . . .
What! is a feeble human creature the only
object worthy of the care of God?
If it is possible that life could exist elsewhere, then it is equally as probable that in

PAGE 15

the myriads of worlds beyond our galaxy

there are several where the life forms have
an intelligence and a state of consciousness
exceeding ours. Most certainly worlds far
older than ours exist, where for much longer
periods of time there have been conditions
conducive to life, and where highly evolved
forms must exist as a result.
If minds exist elsewhere in the Cosmos,
whose ramifications psychically and in mechar^ical achievement far exceed our own,
they would be aware, then, of our existence.
Just how they would communicate with us
we do not know. There truly might not be
a meeting of the minds; their faculties, because of their physical environment, might
be quite different from our own.
To presume that such intelligences could
invade our consciousness with their ideas, we
should have had a more general indication
of it before now. Certainly, if they are
altruistic beings and possess such a farreaching sense of perception, they would
have sought to alleviate the suffering of
mankind long before this atomic age. Why
would not they have told us of the fate that
would befall us in the events of the past?
In their earliest struggles long before the
atomic age, men have almost exterminated
themselves without warnings from space.
Even if these Super Beings could not penetrate our consciousness then, and can only
do so now, causing the vague impressions
some seem to have, it would require a huge
portion of our population to experience this
kind of attunement before men would respond, alike, to such subtle suggestions.
There must be an almost miraculous enlightenment come to mankind in the immediate future, from some source, if it is to save
itself from its own folly.X
(From Forum? April, 1950)
The Subject and the Object
Have you ever asked, What are the most
important attributes of human existence?
The attempt to answer this question is an
expression of a fundamental principie of duality. The reason is that there is no one fun
damental attribute of existence aside from life
itself. Whenever life exists in a form that
we can be aware of, then its expression is

PAGE 16

in a form that is more than a unitary incident. It is expressed in a dual manifestation

indicating that human existence is more than
any one factor. To place this principie, or
rather these principies, in expression we can
say that the fundamental attributes of ex
istence are in the existing subjects and
objects. In the most simple analysis, a sub
ject is self. The object is everything else
that exists outside of self or in addition to
self.
The individual insofar as his ability to
comprehend, to leam, and to experience is
concemed is himself the subject. Everything
that exists is also the result of this subject
insofar as the individual is concemed. This
does not mean that he, the subject, is the
cause of everything else, but without the
subject there would be no awareness of any
type of existence or of any manifestation of
phenomena or being; and, therefore, being
itself is subject, insofar as its being a State
of awareness of a subject which perceives a
group of objects which constitutes environment. Man, therefore, lives in two worlds.
He is the self, the entity that perceives
everything else, and the environment which
exists outside that field of perception and is
the direct cause of all perception.
If only one self existed in all the Universe,
then the explanation or awareness of ex
istence of subject and o b ject would be
apparent. If I were the only self, then I
would be the subject by which all things
other than myself would be registered upon
consciousness. There would, consequently,
be nothing in the Universe as far as I was
concemed except myself as a subject and
the phenomena that I perceived as objects.
If we could simplify this situation even more
and say that I was the only subject and that
only one object existed, then the total experi
ence which would be mine as an intelligent
entity would be the actions and reactions
taking place as a result of me as a subject
being aware of the one object that existed
outside of me.
This situation would be the most simple
subject-object relationship that could possibly
be conceived; however, it is highly hypothetical and completely impossible. In such
a situation I as the subject would ^become
aware of a thing which existed outside of me.
That object, whatever it was, let us say a

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

piece of stone, would register impressions

upon my consciousness as I perceived it.
These impressions would cause me to build
up certain ideas that were the result of the
interplay between myself as the subject and
the stone as an object. I would arrive at cer
tain conclusions as to what the stone actually
was, and I would probably speculate as to
why it was. And as a result of my percep
tion and speculation, I would attempt to
explain myself and the object which was my
environment because my total experience
would be nothing more than the perception
of this simple object.
Under such circumstances we might inquire as to what the relationship between the
subject and the object would be. It would
seem obvious at first that there would be an
expression of two distinctly different things.
I as the subject and the stone as an object
would be two things existing separately
from each other. However, as a subject,
would I ever perceive the stone or would I
merely build up impressions of that stone
which affected my reasoning and conscious
ness? The stone, having certain attributes
revealed through my perception, would cause
me to reach certain conclusions as to its
nature such as, for example, that it was
hard, that if I tripped over it, it might injure
me, or that if I needed something as a weight
or something to hang on to, it would be
useful.
Various impressions would be created in
my consciousness that would be the basis of
my reason and philosophy because of the
experiences I had with this object, the stone.
It might be interesting to know what kind
of a philosophy of life would be evolved if
only one subject and one object existed.
Such an illustration is too simple. There are
many subjects and objects and the constant
interplay between them builds the opinions,
ideas, prejudices, and philosophy of all who
constitute the human race and therefore are
the subjects in our particular field of consideration.
The relationship of subjects and objects
gives us a glimpse into the potentialities of
the mind. We are subjects placed in an en
vironment made up of something other than
ourselves so that as a result of this interplay
we may gain experience and knowledge. The
subject, then, is an evolving entity placed in

AUGUST, 1957

a situation where it should gain certain

evolution. The purpose of this evolution
should be to complete the experience of that
subject, because the object would have no
endurance in a world where objects no longer
needed to be perceived in order for the sub
ject to have such experience and growth.
The conclusin, then, is that the subject
exists for itself while the object exists for
the subject. The subject is therefore the
phase of all creation that may have permanent valu and may be a part of an immortal
forc that goes on through all time and
space, while the object is only an incident
which exists merely for the convenience or
the benefit of the subject at one particular
time. Generally speaking then, the subjective
and the objective worlds are the worlds of
valu and of transitory material. The sub
jective world is the world of self, the world
we cultvate. This is given to us as an ex
pression of the ultmate manifestation of life.
It is the segment of the essence that is life,
that is the forc and power behind all mani
festations having its origin in the mind of
the Creator. The object on the other hand
is purely an accompaniment of this forc,
one which is placed in existence as a means
of permitting the subject to be able to ex
perience certain activity and to arrive at
certain conclusions.
If this analysis is valid, then true valu
lies in the subject, and we have at our disposition a great potentiality to evolve because
in the evolution of ourself, of our awareness,
we are working with the forces or with the
forc which will perpetate itself in time
and existence, and which re-relates itself to
the forc which caused it to be in the first
place. The objects will deterirate and vanish and have no valid existence except as
they have accum u lated experience and
knowledge within our consciousness and
within the soul, the seat of the subject, which
will endure beyond the limitation of any
objective phenomena.A
Realms of Being
The supematural has always held a
fascination for man. In defining this idea,
we must also define the natural; and, in so
doing, we realize that these terms are highly
artificial. We actually cannot find the divid-

PAGE 17

ing line between what is natural and what

is supematural. These terms have been
applied in different ways by various indi
viduis. In the terminology of philosophy
and of religin, we find that barrers have
been set up in the attempt to separate the
natural from the supematural, but when we
attempt to analyze and establish an actual
line of demarcation where the two differ or
where the two separate, we find that the
line cannot be finely drawn.
We know that we accept certain things
in the phenomenal world in which we live
as natural occurrences; yet, we also know
that the miracle of life, the miracle of a seed
sprouting and growing into a plant or a tree,
cannot be definitely said to be either natural
or supematural except from the standpoint
with which we look at the occurrence. This
means that life is continuous, that what is
natural and what is supematural is primarily
based upon the concept with which man interprets the world in which he lives. Our
tendency is to accept things with which we
have become familiar as being natural phe
nomena; those things which we cannot
readily explain, we classify as supematural.
We can also approach the subject on the
basis that all creation is a continuitythat
God has created a universe with many facets
and that man is merely an observer of, and
a participant in, this universe. Man understands a part of it, but a part of it he does
not understand and may never understand
within the limitations of his finite comprehension. The fact that these two orders exist
is convenient for mans classification of
knowledge because he is aware that there
are, in a sense, two orders of realitythat
is, the world which is physical and in which
he functions to a certain degree, and the
world which consists of powers and forces
which underlie the manifestations about him
and of which he cannot be completely sure
in explaining their existence, their purpose,
or their being.
.
Man is constantly attempting to adjust
himself to these two orders of reality. Science
attempts to explain as much as possible in
terms of the phenomena with which it deais.
The individual who accepts a teleological in
terpretation of the world, who believes in the
existence of a divine forc or a divine mind
directing all these phenomena, is often con-

PAGE 18

tent to merely say that certain things are

not understandable by man and are known
alone to God. The mystic is not satisfied
with such a simple faith; he is the indi
vidual who attempts to live intelligently in
the world in which he is a part and at the
same time strives to raise his consciousness
to a level whereby he can come into contact
with the source and first cause of all phenom
ena to build a philosophy upon his understanding of God. The mystic interprets God
in a pantheistic sense; that is, he accepts as
a basic belief that God is immanent in the
world and at the same time transcends it.
Belief in God is related to mans wish to
know to what extent God participates in the
affairs of the physical world and to what
extent man may approach God. The question that man has asked since he has been
an intelligent creature is to what extent he
can contact God, or does God contact him?
Can we come to know God and can we un
derstand, to a degree at least, this phenomenal universe of which God is a part, yet
in many ways so far removed?
The answers to these questions are to be
found in our awareness that there are two
orders of reality. There is the material
order and there is the spiritual or, we might
say, the psychic orderor to use our common
terms, there are the natural and supematural
orders. If we are to use these terms, we
should accept certain principies in regard to
their meaning and among them the concept
that the supematural order is something that
is completely real and exists just as surely as
does the natural order. Also, this supernatural order must be accepted as being
perfect and that the natural order is morally
imperfect. The eternal reality which is the
supematural order is related to the natural
orderthat is, God is immanent in this
order and also transcends it. The nature of
the relationship between the two orders depends, at least in part, upon the living souls
who poplate the natural order.
The supematural order is not susceptible
to the same methods of investigation that are
effective in the natural order. Mans knowl
edge of the supematural must either be based
upon divine revelation or sought by submission to special laws that are not found in the
physical order. The supematural order may,
from time to time, manifest itself in natural

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

phenomena, but these manifestations are not

predictable or controllable in the same way
as are the manifestations of physical events.
Divine re v e la tio n s that is, information
which comes to us from a supematural order
are consistent with reason and may find
the support of reason, but such knowledge
cannot be obtained by the operation of reason
alone.
I fully realize there are many difficulties
in this explanation because it touches at the
very heart of the order of reality. Any ex
planation that is attempted to be made by
any individual will be subject to controversy
and criticism. It seems to me that we must
accept these two orders of reality, and we
must accept the fact that God is both of a
transcendent and an immanent naturethat
God functions in the universe by a process
which may be called the transcendence-immanence relationship. This concept, ad
vanced by the English philosopher C. M. E.
Joad, can be com prehended by many
through the understanding of the natural
order by sfudying physical phenomena and
by approaching the mind of God through
mystical attunement.
It is somewhat difficult to illustrate this
concept, but possibly the following illustration will convey the idea to some extent.
Consider the movement of a sonata or a
symphony; it is a collection of musical
sounds, notes, and phrases, which science can
analyze as being nothing more than vibra
tions in the atmosphere. Such analysis does
not fully explain a musical composition, for
it is also a series of notes and phrases
arranged in a particular pattern. When we
listen to music, we are more concemed with
our conscious reaction to it than with a scientific explanation of sound.
The musical pattem prescribes the order
in which the notes are arranged and the
intervals between them. The pattern is imposed upon the sounds by the mind of the
composer; the sounds are arranged in a
pattern that is at once the expression and
the embodiment of the musical idea which
the composer has conceived and is trying to
make immanent in the world of physical
phenomena. The sounds as they are ar
ranged in a pattern constitute a unity or a
whole. In using such an expression, we
understand that the whole composition is

AUGUST, 1957

PAGE 19

more than the mere sum total of the different

sounds. Furthermore, the sounds when heard
as a part of the whole composition are dif
ferent from what they would have been had
they been taken out of their context and
heard in isolation.
In other words, it is because of the immanence of the musical idea that the sounds
are arranged as they are and the whole com
position sounds as it does. If it were not for
the immanence of the musical idea in the
composition, the arrangement would not
occur and composition would not be achieved.

thing into existence that did not exist in the

mere individualization of the notes. Even
though these illustrations may be inadequate,
they attempt to show that in many ways,
man is led into two orders of reality. Man
lives at all times subject to the influence of
the effects of the transcendence-immanence
relationship through which God manifests.
God is related to the earth and its crea tures
by being at the same time both immanent
in all creation and by the transcendent function toward which man may direct his con
sciousness.

In a musical composition, we find an

illustration of the transcendence-immanence
relationship. The idea of the composer tran
scends the musical note and the composition
becomes something more than a combination
of various sounds. The immanent idea of
music is not exhausted or used up by any
particular sounds and particular combinations. When a musical composition is composed, it does not prohibit the re-use of the
same sounds in a different arrangement to
produce a different composition. The musical
idea is more than any particular rendering
of it, more than any number of renderings
of it. It would still exist in the composers
mind even if the music which embodied it
were never written. In this sense, the musical
composition transcends the actual physical
composition of music.

My purpose has been to attempt to show

that man is the resident of a sphere in which
he is subject to two realms of beingthe
mental and the natural, the physical and the
spiritual, the material and the psychic. In
these realms of being in which we have con
sciousness, God manifests through a tran
scendence-immanence relationship. God is
therefore infinite and beyond all things that
man can measure; yet He is immanent and
manifests Himself through the mdiums that
are accessible to man.

To use another illustrationwe might say

that the universe is the stuff with which God
works. He is immanent in it and His combinations of material are made known to us
and can have meaning beyond the fact that
they have actuality. A stone, a piece of
wood, or any other material thing, can be
brought into use when the human mind
realizes the potentialities in matter which, in
turn, are due to the immanence of a higher
forc within it. Whenever we utilize physi
cal things, we are utilizing not only the
physical matter itself but rather the poten
tialities which lie in it just as the musician
is utilizing the keyboard of a piano, and the
various vibrations that constitute each sound,
by putting the tones together in a way that
manifests something more than the mere
combination of individual notes.
To thump on a piano and make individual
unrelated sounds is utilizing the piano, but
to execute a composition is to bring some

By being somewhat isolated in a universe

of matter, man attains freedom to the extent
that he leams to cope with matter and also
that he realizes the potentialities of his
spiritual evolvement. Man can transcend the
physical or material world. Also, man can
become aware of Gods immanence. There
is a point at which the mind of man may
become aware of his own soul and through
that mdium have direct communion with
God. Man is confined to the physical body,
God transcends the universe, but God is also
immanent in the universe and man is
capable .of transcending the limitations of
his physical body through the development
of his mind and the spiritual attributes of
his being.
As man transcends his physical limitations
and perceives material things in their proper
perspective, he reaches a mental state where
he becomes aware of Gods immanence in all
things and at this point the two orders of
reality can meet and unity can be achieved.
This unity is the means by which man becomes aware of God; it is the mystical cul
mina tion.-A

PAGE 20

The Meaning of Tolerance

Many questions come under what might
be defined as being in the why category. We
live in an age that is referred to as being
enlightened. In the free world most people
have an opportunity for an education and
can in theory make progress in accordance
with their abilities and their determination
and application of their own efforts directed
in proper channels. Yet we know the world
seems to reflect much imperfection. We find
that many of the problems with which we
as individuis and as nations are faced lie
fundamentally through to errors created by
individuis. The consequence of these facts
are in part the reason so many people ask
questions preceded with the word why.
There is, of course, a legitmate use of
the word w hy in the seeking of useable and
worth-while information, but many of the
questions that begin with the word why are,
in part at least, unanswerable. The real
meaning behind the question does not always
become apparent and the circumstances
necessary for its answering and solution lack
transparency. A typical question of this
nature is concerned with the application of
intelligence to the achievements and abilities
which the human race has attained in the
period of modem civilization. Why are so
many people intolerant? Why do so many
conditions exist that cause friction and irritation among men when there is no reason
for those conditions to exist if tolerance were
practiced?
The fact is that in theory tolerance is a
simple concept. For example, let us visualize
three average homes in a ordinary com
munity. These homes are typical of a residential community and in good repair. They
are in a comfortable section of the com
munity, the community might be anywhere
in the civilized world. These three homes
indicate that the owners are of probably
equal mental ability and have an approximately equal economic and social level of
living. In other words, even though I dislike
using the overworked expression, let us say
that these three homes are occupied by three
average individuis and their families. These
individuis making up the three families are
examples of the average family of today as
I have already implied. They are individually different, of course, as are all human

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

beings, but yet they do not have any outstanding characteristics either to the good or
to the bad.
Now, let us examine their individual differences. Let us say that each head of a
home has different mental concepts. Let us
presume that the man in house 44A is a
Romn Catholic, and is a devout member of
that church. He is also a member of the
conservative political party in his country.
He is a firm defender of the principies of
that party, and much of his life is built
around his religious and political concepts.
Many people in the world today do live with
their whole behavior pattern modified by the
social implications of these two concepts.
Religin and politics do to a greater or lesser
extent modify the behavior and the thinking
of many individuis.
In house C we find a man with other
ideas and concepts. He belongs to a Protestant church and is a member of the liberal
political party. He is a devoted supporter
of both. Therefore, religiously and politically
as well as socially, the individuis in house
A and C are in a sense diametrically
opposed to each other insofar as tlieir outlook
upon life and their interpretation of vales
are concerned.
Now, suppose that I live in house 44B, the
house in the middle. I do not belong to any
church. I do not subscribe to the literal
doctrines and dogma of any religious creed
or denomination. I do not consider myself
irreligious because I believe in God. I also
believe that every man has a right to approach that God in accordance with his own
way of thinking. Also, I am non-partisan.
I do not give my support wholeheartedly to
any political group. On the surface, I would
sound like a rather innocuous, harmless creature. I have no axe to grind, as it were. I
am not promoting any religious doctrine. I
am not advocating any particular political
form of life, but nevertheless my social life
is affected by my opinions and beliefs.
The social life is so closely associated with
strong beliefs in religin and politics that
one with a lesser belief would live in a
different social world. In other words, my
neighbors, 44A and 4C, would move in a
different world from mine. But the important question here concems our getting along
with one another. We three live side by side

AUGUST, 1957

in a neighborhood. Is it not reasonable that

we can still be human beings, that we can
respect each others viewpoints and permit
one another to express those viewpoints as
each sees fit? Is there any reason whatsoever
why the three of us cannot live happily side
by side without interference, respecting the
God-given right of every man and woman to
choose for himself certain principies of belief
and practice?
The answers to my questions are, obviously, yes. There is no reason why we
cannot live together in peace and harmony.
The same concept should be applicable not
only to three individuis in a normal com
munity, but should be applicable to three
families, three states, three countries, or even
three worlds. The question, then, that any
intelligent person would consider is why
dont people live together in peace and
harmony under such circumstances? There
are very few cases where they do. Whether
I and my two hypothetical neighbors could
do so or not, I cannot answer because I do
not actually live within such circumstances,
and I could only know by experience. But
according to reason, we could and this is
the crux of the whole situation. Tolerance
is not based upon reason. It is based upon
emotion. While we talk of tolerance as if
it were something amenable to reason, actu
ally tolerance is a condition that is affected
far more by feelings than it is by reason.
As already pointed out in these comments,
we have advanced a great deal in this civilization of which we are a part, but not to
the point of knowing the full meaning and
use of emotions, as well as their control and
development. If the world and the people
in it could live together in a perfect era of
reason, then the problems that now face the
world would probably be solved very shortly.
It would be very simple for reasonable
human beings to get together and by reason
and judgment settle their differences to the
point where one could carry on without interfering with the other and still adhere to
those principies in which he was placing the
greatest of vales. But, unfortunately, while
reason has come to the front in the develop
ment of knowledge and its application, we
have not equally brought to the realization
of thinking people the facts that we are
dealing constantly with emotional situations

PAGE 21

and emotions lie deeper than reason. Emo

tions are elements that are inherent within
the consciousness of man.
Emotions existed before reason. Individ
uis could feel and have reactions to those
feelings before they even knew how to talk,
let alone how to record their thoughts in
written form. The greatest field of develop
ment of the human race is not in projects
conceming the atom or any other physical
substance, or even in increasing the worlds
knowledge and its application, but rather in
increasing the ability of individuis to dovetail their emotional reactions, to realize that
emotions are the deep responses of the
human mind to circumstances both within
and without.
When individuis awaken to the fact that
emotional responses must be based not alone
upon principies established by social prestige
or social custom, but upon our awareness of
a power or forc which is resident within us
or upon God, if we prefer to use that word,
then man can begin to develop a psychology
of life which would acquaint him with the
physical reactions associated with emotions.
He would leam how emotions can be directed
toward constructive as well as destructive
channels. In this way men will live to
gether in tolerance, sympathy, and understanding. But until we realize this situation
as being an emotional problem rather than
an intellectual one, men will go on talking
about tolerance, but the results will not be
practical unless they are felt.A
Time and Environment
To the new student of Rosicrucian philos
ophy, one of the apparently complex factors
in becoming familiar with the philosophy is
the concept of time as it is presented in some
of the earliest phases of the teachings. So
many neophytes ask as to how the Rosicru
cian philosophy deais with time that it is
difficult to select any specific question for
further elaboration upon the subject. Most
of these questions have been elaborated upon
through letters from our Correspondence
Department and in the Rosicrucian Forum,
as well as in supplementary material provided in the Rosicrucian monographs them
selves.

PAGE 22

To the individual who has not considered

time from a philosophical standpoint, the
impact of the concept presented in the early
teachings of the Order seems to be in com
plete contradiction to the students previous
experience with the understanding of time.
To reiterate briefly the underlying philos
ophy of the Order, insofar as it concems
time, is that time is the duration of con
sciousness. This seems vague to an indi
vidual until he is able to experience that
concept.
Gradually as the student proceeds in the
study of the Rosicrucian philosophy in its
application and comprehension within his
own life, that concept becomes more and
more real. Through experience, the indi
vidual tends to realize that many things
with which we deal in our physical environ
ment take on a different complexin; that
is, they become different in terms of our
experience with the phenomenon of time and
with other factors, as far as that is con
cerned, because of the expansin of our own
horizon, of our own concepts.
To the individual who thinks of nothing
but his daily physical welfare, time is noth
ing more or less than a guiding factor toward
the events of each twenty-four hours that
constitute the day. One who lives exclusively
in the physical world, whose entire thought
and efforts are related to those things of a
mechanical and physical nature, gives no
more consideration to time than is necessary
to adjust his sequence of daily living; that
is, he has a time at which to arise to do the
things necessary to permit him to report at
his job or position, or whatever work that
he does at another fixed time.
For example, it may be necessary for him
to get out of bed at six oclock in the moming
in order to take care of his personal affairs
and to arrive at his place of work at eight,
eight-thirty, or nine oclock in the moming.
Then his entire day is more or less governed
by time.
If he is an employee, he has to devote a
certain number of hours of his effort to that
employer. Consequently, as he goes through
the day of carrying out his routine, his con
cept of that routine is based upon the movement of the clock from one hour to the next
until that clock reaches the point indicating
by the measurement of the dial that he has

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

given the valu which he has agreed to give

to his employer in return for the compensation agreed upon.
The rest of his day then is more or less
his own. He has obligations. He has certain
requirements to meet in his personal life,
and he has time available for his own recreation or to suit himself, but, nevertheless,
from the time he quits work, let us say at
five oclock in the afternoon, the balance of
his time until he again reports for work must
be divided between eating, sleeping, resting,
taking care of personal affairs, and recreation. How he divides that time is more or
less his own personal problem. He has less
interference in that area than he has in the
hours set aside for his employer as a retum
for compensation which constitutes his livelihood.
It is very easily seen from this analysis
that an individual, under such circumstances,
is more or less a slave of time. To a certain
extent, we all have to heed this physical
measurement of time; otherwise, we would
find ourselves completely out of touch and
out of harmony with our environment. Also,
we might be unable to make the necessary
livelihood which is essential to our physical
existence.
This typical situation is an illustration of
the individual^ tying his life so closely to
his environment that he is dealing constantly
with vales which do not endure beyond the
terms of the physical world. If the individual
never thinks of anything besides the physical
world of which he is a part and the time by
which the units of that individual world are
measured, then his life never takes on valu
other than that of the physical world to
which he devotes himself.
As soon as the individual begins to speculate as to what his real purpose is, what life
is for, and what he is to do with that life,
then he immediately begins to extend his
consciousness into an area that goes beyond
the demands of the material world. As soon
as he gives any consideration to the realization that the material world is of secondary
valu, he immediately becomes aware of the
fact that time itself is simply one of the
factors of that world. Consequently, time
has no valu whatsoever insofar as his permanent growth, advancement, and true self
are concemed.

AUGUST, 1957

In other words, man is an immortal being

and time has no bearing upon immortality.
To realize the philosophical implications of
time, we must constantly be aware that time
exists primarily because of our measurement
of it and our attention to it. Actually, there
are many simple illustrations proving that
time is not a fixed measurement in itself.
If we do something to which we are devoted,
time seems to pass quickly. If we do some
thing that bores us, time is on our hands;
it drags, and never seems to reach the point
that we hope it soon will. Actually, there is
no difference in these experiences in con
sciousness. Man has measured the duration
of his consciousness. But when the mind is
alert and active, then many things occupy
our attention and physical time makes little
impression upon us.
Probably in this modem era where rapid
transportation and communication have cut
down so much upon the utilization of physi
cal time, many of us have had experiences
bringing to our consciousness this awareness
of the rate at which time seems to pass more
potently than it could have in any other
circumstance.
A few months ago I flew from San Fran
cisco to Chicago. The actual flying time is
less than six hours, but it so happens that
the units of time by which the events of life
are measured in San Francisco and Chicago
are different. The time observed in San
Francisco is Pacific Standard Time; in Chi
cago, Central Standard Time. The difference
is two hours. In other words, when it is ten
oclock in the moming in San Francisco, it
is already noon in Chicago. Consequently, I
left San Francisco at approximately eight
oclock in the moming, and when in approxi
mately six hours I arrived in Chicago, my
watch said it was 2:00 p.m. In other words,
according to this dial on my wrist, I had
measured physical time and found it to be
six hours, but when I walked through the
air terminal in Chicago, I noticed the clock
said 4:00 p.m. Of course, what I observed
is a fact known even to a child who has
studied geography; that is, there is a differ
ence in time zones. However, each time I
experience such a circumstance, it always
causes me to ask myselfWhat time is it?
Is it two oclock, or is it four oclock? If I
had flown directly to New York, the time

PAGE 23

would have measured a difference of three

hours.
Actually, it makes no difference to my
consciousness what the clock says. The clock
is merely a simple guide to the people who
live in San Francisco and the people who
live in Chicago. They use their docks to
measure their day, which consists of work,
recreation, eating, sleeping, and other activities, as I have already mentioned. What the
clock actually says makes little difference.
It is the events that are related to that clock
that have importance.
In the Waiting Room of the air terminal
in Chicago, I took off my watch and ad
vanced it two hours, then took a taxicab or
some other form of transportation to a hotel,
and oddly enough, by the time I arrived
there, my consciousness had adjusted to the
new time factor. It no longer seemed to be
two oclock or a little after two. I had
adapted myself to the circumstances of Cen
tral Standard Time, and it was four oclock
or after by the clock as well as in my con
sciousness.
In other words, my relationship to en
vironment quickly makes it possible for me
to qualify myself in being adjusted to it; and
so it is, that if we tum our attention to those
vales which endure beyond the limitations
of the physical world, if we think in terms
of eternity instead of finite existence, then
the clock of our soul (if I may use such a
phrase) will adjust itself to the realization
of those vales which are equally impressive
upon our awareness. We can become accustomed to the vales of eternity as we can to
the difference of two hours between Pacific
time and Central time. It is a matter of
adjustment. It is a matter of opening our
realization to the concepts with which we
have to deai. If we are going to deal only
with the physical world, we will adjust our
selves to the concepts of its method of regulation. If we are going to deal with our
souls and their eternal valu in their rela
tionship to God and the Cosmic scheme, then
we will, figuratively, set our docks in accord
with those vales which go on forever. Such
vales permit us the possibility of growth
and free us from the restrictions of material
factors.A

lite (y
cieptce
cu fu u s u a S M
PERSONAL INSTRUCTION - BY THE SPOKEN WORD
f*oncentration, Contemplation, Meditation. These three techniques
^ embrace our whole existence. Every successful endeavor in the
material, mental, or spiritual world depends upon the effectiveness
of application. These techniques, with the added emphasis of the
spo\en word, may now be a part of your home and sanctum.
Ralph M. Lewis, Imperator of the Rosicrucian Order, speaks to
you with mastery of his subject and with the full clarity of a perfect
recording.
You can use this recording time and time again with benefit. It con'
tains simple, practical exercises by which to attain these
techniques.
Beautifully appearing high fidelity over one'half $ y W
hour instruction. Postpaid at..............................................
wm
Double-Sided, 12-inch Recording

By Ralph M. Lewis, F.R.C.

October, 1957
Volum e X X V III

No. 2

Rosicrucian Forum
A p riv te

p u b lic a tio n fo r m e m b e rs of A M O R C

R A Y M O N D BERN A RD, F. R. C.
Secretary of the G ra n d Lo d ge of A M O R C , France

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 26

Greetings!
V

T H E AGE OF FR U STR A TIO N

Dear Fratres and Sorores:
Without entering into a series of technical
phrases, we may define frustration as a state
of mind arising out of a blocked desire. We
are motivated to act by instinctive, organic,
and mental desires. Such motivations as the
appetites and passions are a common experi
ence.
Mental desire is the impulsation of will.
It is not organic as is an appetite. Rather it
is the consequence of reason. We evalate
a condition or a thing in terms of its contributing valu to ourselves. We know or
imagine that it will bring us satisfaction and
we accordingly desire it. When one, for ex
ample, believes he needs a new car and that
it will bring an added pleasure, he is then
experiencing a mental desire.
There is a notable distinction between
organic and mental desires. One has an
appetite and the desire to gratify it before
he experiences any image that will fulfill
that appetite. It is only through habit that
we come to associate certain objects or con
ditions as seeming necessary to satisfy an
appetite. When we look upon articles of food
in which we have indulged with pleasure
previously, they may by association arouse
the appetite. Other persons whose diet never
included such articles of food may find they
make no such appeal. The appetites compel
the desire to find that which will bring about
their temporary gratification.
Mental desires most often create, that is,
imagine, an object or condition that will add
a pleasing stimulus to the body or mind.
One, for further example, may dream of an
adventure that will substitute for a relatively
uninteresting life that neither excites the
body or the mentality. He may come to
leam, however, that his image was but an
illusion and that it results in an aggravation
rather than in a satisfaction.
The continual concentration upon some
ideal which is assumed to be essential to

happiness strengthens the mental desire. It

may become as intensive in its aggravation,
in its insistence for satisfaction, as a natural
appetite. Until the desire is fulfilled or until
it may be discovered that it is not possible
of realization, it can torment the individual.
As long as the individual believesor actu
ally realizesthat he is achieving the end
of his desires, he can live with himself in
some degree of tranquility. When he is
equally conscious of the insistence of his
desire, however, and its obstruction, he then
comes to know the pangs of frustration.
We eventually come to certain terms with
our desires. We either, for one reason or
another, wilfully suppress them, unconsciously repress them, or determine to press
each to its fulfillment. Organic desires as
the appetites are not successfully suppressed.
They are essential to our organic being.
They are not a product of the mentality, a
creation of reason or imagination. They
have necessary and fundamental functions.
They are so related to the organs and systems of our nature that interference with
such desires can have a detrimental influence
upon health.
At times we feel disposed to substitute for
these organic desires. In good faith one may
believe a natural desire should be suppressed
and supplanted with a mental one. The inordinate moralist believes that in his code of
celibacy, for example, and the mental grati
fication he derives from his sexual abstinence, he has found a satisfactory replacement. Such behavior often only results in
conflicts. The natural desire contines with
uabated aggravation. To endeavor to submerge its sensations, the substitute mental
desire must be heightened by the individual.
This frequently accounts for religious fanaticism. In pursuit of mental desires, in such
instances, one may go beyond the bounds of
rationality in endeavoring to extract the unnatural and to substitute satisfaction.

OCTOBER, 1957

Page 27

The repressed desire is the unconscious

obstruction. It is where one is holding back
the expression and fulfillment of the desire
without a realization that he is doing so. As
the psychologist and psychiatrist know, one
may not even be conscious of the repressed
desire. Its urges may never reach the frontier
of the conscious mind. The drive of the
desire, the impulsation of its energy, being
obstructed in its natural channels, perhaps
early in childhood, seeks and finds other outlets. As a consequence, it stimulates emo
tions which are not directly related to it.
It causes a disturbing chain of ideation and
thoughts in the conscious mind which the
victim of the frustration does not at all associate with the cause.
To avoid excessive frustration and its contingent evils, an intelligent analysis of our
desires is necessaiy. Ask yourself what is
behind your desires. If they are natural de
sires, as the appetites, then gratify them
within the bounds of enlightened society. An
enlightened society is one that teaches, in its
schools and universities and by dissemination
of information, the causes and needs of our
functional urges. It can and will explain
what constitutes their natural purpose as well
as their abuse. An enlightened society will
also explain the need of morality, and for
this reason a degree of self-discipline is required in the exercise of our appetites. Such
a society will point out fanatical moral restrictions which may conflict with nature
and cause frustrations.
Much of the frustration in modem society,
in the so-called advanced civilizations, is of
mental origin. It lies in the appeals to the
ego and imagination. Modera advertising,
with its alluring appeals, is psychologically
prepared in its physical design and word
conten. It creates mental attitudes of selfinsufficiency and infeiiority. It causes an
individual to measure his success in life, his
very individuality, in terms of possessions
and social standards. It principally creates

these standards of living and then causes the

individual to feel inferior if he does not conform to them.
Man is a gregarious being; he is a social
animal. The modera person does not want
to feel isolated or ostracized from society. He
wants to belong. Belonging is not construed
by most men as a mere association with oth
ers, as living and working in a community
with their fellows. They want to share what
is held to be the common good. What society
has accepted as the beautiful, the afluent, the
distinguished, the progressive, they want as
well. Anything less affects the ego. It causes
the individual, who is ambitious, to think of
himself and his family as being placed in an
inferior status. It has a tendency to diminish
the ego.
Modera advertising spells out, in attractive artwork, colors, forms, and language,
sentient appeals which are made to represent happiness and fulfillment of life. These
appeals crowd in upon the consciousness of
the individual constantly by way of the
press, radio, televisin, and a myriad other
advertising media. They establish in the
minds of people a multitude of m ental de
sires and the images which are supposed to
satisfy them. It becomes an economic impossibility for the average person to realize all
such created desires. These desires vie with
each other for indulgence. There is a realiza
tion of neglect by the individual of some
desires which seem to be essential and, as a
consequence, frustration ensues. Frustration
is psychologically experienced as inadequacy.
The individual considers himself inept in
some manner in realizing that which he has
been conditioned by the times to think of as
essential to his welfare and happiness.
These frustrations can be greatly mitigated
by the application of reasonor even of good
common sense. You cannot have everything;
you cannot do everything. What activities,
mental and physical, from your experience
contribute to your greatest happiness in life?

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 of the U. S. Postal ct of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of the Supreme Council of A M O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $2.25 (16/6 sferlng) ANNUALLY FOR MEMBERS ONLY

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 28

Are these activities in any way related to

your natural abilities, talents, and opportunities? For example, one would not aspire
to be a concert singer if his voice qualifications were quite ordinary or mediocre. Does
what you desire also lie within the realm of
your economic status? If it will seriously
disturb your financial seeurity and independence, it is then a futile desire, unless
you have some assurance that it will com
pnsate for such present sacrifice.
It is also rational and expedient as well to
ask oneself whether that which is wanted is
the paramount desire. In other words, does
it compete with some satisfying habit which
one will not forego? One can have a hierarchy of desires, and most of us do. As we
advance in life, our interests change with
experience. We discard previous desires and
indulgences and replace them with others
which we think, and which may be, superior
in their satisfaction. Two or more desires
which compete in their appeal may mean
the foundation of frustration. Streamline
your desires in this age of frustration to avoid
the penalties of physical and mental illhealth.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
Valu of Confession
A frater, addressing our Forum, states, I
would like to know something more of the
subject of confession in relation to religious
practice. I know this subject has been previously discussed by this Forum. I am
particularly interested in the basic principies
of confession, why it has been made a part
of religious systems. Confession seems even
more significant today in light of the fact
that psychoanalysis uses what certainly is
a method of it.
Confession can be either oral or written.
It can be a brief spontaneous recital or an
elabrate analytical declaration made to a
single individual or to a group; or it can
constitute a general avowal not particularly
directed toward any human. Why does the
individual voluntarily confess? What is the
motive behind it? A confession is prompted
by a psychological aggravation, the result
of a mental conflict. Knowledge which the
individual has concerning his own relation-

ships, his conduct, or the conduct of others

is experienced as being in conflict with his
own moral sense. The subject of the con
fession is, therefore, foreign to the psychic
self of the individual. It tends to produce
anxiety and mental distress by its contrary
nature. Relief appears only to be had by a
confession, by an avowal of sin.
From this it can be seen that the motivating factor of confession is the individuals
conception of sin. Unless the individual is
conscious that he has violated his accepted
religious, moral or social creed, he has
nothing to confess. The wrong or evil con
duct must be a personal conviction. It
must be an intentional abuse of what the
individual has morally subscribed to as good.
A code, religious, moral or ethical, which is
not in accord with the moral or spiritual
self of the individual, will not give rise to a
desire on his part to confess its violation.
To be considered an evil or sin, the deed
must constitute, first, an offence against the
self. The moral precepts underlying the
compulsin of confession may be associated
with an external counterpart, as a religious
or moral system, but they must have become an integral part of the self-consciousness of the individual. The realization of
wrongdoing thus becomes a psychic disturbance. If this distress did not occur, the in
dividual would never resort to confession.
In fact, the confession is a form of purging,
the ridding oneself of a distraction, so that,
psychically and em otion ally, purity of
thought and, most of all, peace of mind may
be restored. In almost all religions, including those of the non-Christian sects and of
the mystery school of antiquity, the rite of
lustration or purification was always related
to confession.
Fear, of course, plays an important part
in the instigation of a confession. The in
dividual seeks a remission of his sins to
avoid the prescribed punishment of his re
ligin. Almost all religions ascribe to the
Deity, and often to his supreme temporal
representative, the faculty of perceiving
mans sins directly, whether he confesses
them or not. Consequently, the devotee be
lieves he cannot successfully conceal them.
As a result, he confesses them, not to acquaint his god with his evil acts, but to show
that he wishes to expiate them. To the sinner who fears, a failure to confess is held

OCTOBER, 1957

to be a further indulgence of his wrongdoing; it is a compounding of it, incurring

a heavier penalty.
The confession may assume the form of
a creed to which the individual subscribes.
Thus, for example, the individual declares
that he believes himself to be of such a
nature, being incomplete and imperfect, and
praying for light and for divine intervention.
The form of many prayers is in itself a
confession, concluding with the appeal for
absolution of sins.
Psychologically, the individual can derive
a satisfaction from his confession only if it
is made to an authority that can grant forgiveness or help him to attain it. The
authority must be external and can be approached outwardly or through the mdium
of self. The mere reciting of evil acts committed does not provide a psychic or emo
tional relief, unless the sins are absolved
or, from the confession, there arises some
means of atoning for them. The principie
here involved is that the individual believes
that he has impaired his own spiritual nature
or his faith by his evil conduct. Restitution
must be made by him personally or through
an intermediary that will restore the original
state within him.
To explain this, we may use the analogy of
a man who finally discards a large quantity
of refuse from his own home because it has
offended his sense of ordrliness and cleanliness. Though this refuse is no longer
present, having been discarded, the home is
not quite restored to normal. The refuse has
left stains upon the floor and walls. These
he must remove so that the house will assume its original cleanliness. Thus a contriteness is not enough in confession. The
individual wants security as well, the conviction of the restoration of his original
moral and spiritual status. This is attained
in accordance with the rites and dogmas of
the faith of the individual. As one of the
fathers of the early Christian church said,
The soul is healed by confession and declaration of sins, with sorrow and the prayer
of the church.
Confession has been popularized by
Christianity as a fundamental rite of the
various Christian sects. However, confession
has appeared in the rituals and customs of
those people of antiquity who preceded
Christianity. There is no Babylonian or

Page 29

Assyrian word for confession, but there is

evidence of the idea. It is indicated that the
individual acknowledged before a deity an
offence against religin, justice or moris.
In Babylonia, the concept of sin was principally a violation of the prescribed ritualism.
There has been found, inscribed in cuneiform, the Sumerian confession: Uncleanliness has come against me; and to judge my
causeto decide my decisin, have I fallen
down before thee. In connection with
Sumerian rites of purification is found the
phrase pit pi which means opening of the
mouth. It appeared that a requirement of
cleanliness was the speaking of the truth, a
cleansing of thought.
In Egypt, there are no formal ritualistic
requirements for confession. However, in effect confession is very much in evidence in
the liturgies of ancient Egypt. The Book of
the Dead, a collection of ancient liturgies,
reveis a number of them. The ancient
Egyptian had a highly developed sense of
wrong conduct. The virtue of right conduct
was set forth in numerous places. The Book
of the Dead declares that Ka, the soul, was
to be weighed in judgment after death. In
the great judgment hall of the next world,
Osiris and forty-two gods presided in judging
the worth of the soul of the deceased. Ka,
as the heart and soul combined, was placed
in the tray of a scale. In the opposite tray,
weighed against it, was Maat or truth,
symbolized by a feather.
The Egyptian anticipated such an ordeal
of judgment after death and prepared for
it by avowing what constitutes a negative
form of confession. This negative confession
is really a declaration of his rectitude or innocence instead of an admission of guilt.
For example, we have this ancient affirmation from an od papyrus: I did not speak
lies, I did not make falsehood in the place
of truth, I was not deaf to truthful words, I
did not diminish the grain-measure, I was
not avaricious, my heart devoured not
(coveted not?).
In Hebrew language there is a definite word
for the meaning of sin and of confession. A
number of actual confessions appear in the
Book of Genesis. In Chapter 32, Verse 10,
Jacob confesses his unworthiness: I am not
worthy of the least of all the mercies, and
of all the truth, which thou has shewed
unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed

Page 30

over this Jordn; . .

In Genesis Chapter
42, Verse 21, Jacobs sons confessed their
guilt: And they said one to another, we
are verily guilty conceming our brother, in
that we saw the anguish of his soul, when
he besought us, and we would not hear;
therefore is this distress come upon us.
A further example of these Hebraic confessions is found in Psalms, Chapter 51,
Verses 2 and 3: Wash me thoroughly
from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my
sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions:
and my sin is ever before me.
Romn Catholicism has made the rite of
confession an integral and necessary part of
its faith. The doctrinal viewpoint has come
through a process of evolution amounting to
a refinement. At the sessions of the Council
of Trent, during the middle of the 16th
century, the canons with respect to con
fession and the absolution of sins were finally
established. Session X IV brought forth the
declaration that confession, in fact, consists
of three elements: contrition, confession, and
penance. Chapter I of the same session holds
that the sacraments of penance are a necessity and an institution. It is not sufficient
for one to have been baptized a Christian.
It is necessary that, as a sinner, he make
the sacramental confession to be worthy to
repent and to ask for absolution of his sins.
Chapter IV defines contriteness, that is,
the cessation of sins when we realize our
guilt, as being of two kinds, namely, imperfect contriteness and perfect contriteness,
the former being repentance based upon fear
of everlasting punishment. In such an instance, an individual confesses only to avoid
the consequence of his acts. On the other
hand, perfect contriteness is a full realization
that the act is a sin against God, accompanied
by a personal dislike of immorality regardless of whether or not it incurs punishment.
The confessional sacrament, the Church professes, changes imperfect contriteness to per
fect. The Church, it implies, brings about
the desire in the individual to expiate his
sins through the sacrament.
The Church declares, of its sacramental
confession, that it is By Divine right neces
sary and established. Perhaps Clement of
Rome expressed the principie upon which
the Church bases its necessary Divine right,
when he said, It is better for a man to
confess his sins than to harden his heart.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

A great controversy has centered about the

theory of the absolution of mans sins by any
institution or any representative thereof. A
churchman has said, in defense of the
Churchs practices, that a criminal must be
rid of his criminal tendencies and those implements by which he can harm others, be
fore he can be admitted to the peaceful
society of the state. Then, likewise, he contends, must a sinner be prepared to enjoy
spiritual society. Through absolution, the
inward sins of heart must be put away.
The priests or clergy are called the insiruments of the Church. It is claimed that,
as individuis, they do not absolve the mortal
sins of him who confesses. They are but a
channel for God. They prepare the indi
vidual for a proper State of contriteness, for
a consciousness of his sin against God; they
further acquaint him with the nature of
penance and thus create the condition from
which there follows, by necessity, from the
goodness of God, Divine forgiveness. In fact,
in one advertisement recently published in
a newspaper by a Catholic fraternal organization, the father-confessor is tritely referred
to as a prvate wire to God. One of the
Churchs fathers referred to the confessor as
animae carus or souls friend.
From the point of view of the real mystic,
absolution of sins through the mdium of
another mortal is not necessary. The mystic
acknowledges the necessity of confession on
the part of each individual, the confession
being the purging of that which is in con
flict with ones moral precepts and a neces
sary requisite for peace of mind. Our moral
code, our spiritual principies, are an integral
part of self. We cannot find satisfaction in
that which we realize abases self, namely,
sin or what we conceive to be sin. By confessing, we formalize our evils. In other words,
we weed them out and set them apart from
what we consider to be good conduct. By
prayer, by direct communion with the God
of our Hearts, we acquire that wisdom and
that strength by which to prevent a recurrence of that which we acknowledge as sin.
However, the real mystic knows that con
triteness is not enough or is penance.
Neither one of these will completely remove
the consequences of certain sins which, in
themselves, may be contrary to natural and
Cosmic laws. We must at times suffer
punishment for our evil deeds. Our acts

OCTOBER, 1957

and thoughts are causative. If they have set

into operation natural laws as causes, we
must eventually expect to experience the effects of such causes, known mystically as
karma. Gods laws are immutable and apply
to all men equally. Only by counter acts,
causes which we set into motion by deeds of
righteousness, can we mitigate the adverse
ones which we have established.
A man may find psychological consolation
in thinking that a mere rite has absolved
the consequences of a hurt which he may
have brought to others. Mystically, however,
such forgiveness only robs him of the real
determination to sacrifice to attain the good
which will correct his nature and strengthen
it. Easy forgiveness cultivates negligence.
Man in measure must experience the con
sequence of his wrong deeds or at least
suffer by his own efforts to right them.X
(From Forum , April, 1950)
Dissatisfaction
If it were not for dissatisfaction, civilization in the modem sense of the word would
not exist. Men have been dissatisfied, and,
as a result of dissatisfaction, have directed
their efforts to overcome the situations that
lead to their lack of satisfaction with their
environment. Every mechanical achievement
and every mechanical gadget which we have
at our disposal is the result of someone being
dissatisfied with the former way of doing
things. Men were not satisfied with wordof-mouth communication, and, as a result,
the thoughts of intelligent men were challengedand means of communication, such
as we use today, become commonplace.
This illustration can be carried to almost
every form of human endeavor. Dissatis
faction with circumstances as they existed
at a certain time has led to the improvement
of those circumstances at the present time.
Dissatisfaction today should lead to more
satisfaction in the future, as it has in the
past. There would be no technological prog
ress, and, more important, there would be
no spiritual progress, if man were at all
times satisfied. If mans lot were perfect, so
that he seemed to be dwelling in a State of
eternal bliss, he would also dwell in a state
of eternal semiconsciousness.
It is when dissatisfaction creeps into our
thinking that we are challenged, that it is

Page 31

possible for us to direct our attention toward

the constructive use of the forces and the
materials about us. Through these forces and
materials, we attempt to achieve either
physical accomplishments or a realization
into the fact that vales and purposes exist
beyond the realm of mans control. While
man cannot control all the factors of the
universe, he has the ability to attempt to
leam their manifestation and purpose, and
how he should fit himself into their mani
festation or existence.
It is dissatisfaction with events of life that
cause man to look elsewhere for vales. Dis
satisfaction with conditions in the world
cause men to realize that physical vales do
not have permanent endurance. It is dis
satisfaction with the physical that causes man
to strive to leam what it is within him that
has valu, that constitutes the source and
purpose of life and directs his efforts toward
the understanding of spiritual and enduring
vales that exist in a field that transcends
physical manifestation.
Like many other things, in fact like almost
everything that we experience during our
physical existence, dissatisfaction can be used
to mans disadvantage as well as to his advantage. Unfortunately, much of the appeal
of modern advertising is based upon the
fundamental premise that the individual will
be made to be dissatisfied with what he has
and will want to buy or attain something
different, which, in theory, will bring satis
faction. In other words, much of the appeal
for the sale of merchandise today is a definite
attempt to make one dissatisfied with a
similar type of merchandise that he already
possesses. When new automobiles or new
types of machines of any kind are produced,
all their new attractiveness is brought to the
attention of the individual. It is impressed
upon him that what he has is inadequate; at
the same time, all the advantages of the new
item are impressed upon his consciousness
so as to make him feel that he will only be
satisfied if he exchanges the od for the new.
The result is that he obligates himself beyond
his economic means in order to accomplish
this purpose.
To obligate ourselves in that way may
unfortunately cause what we thought would
be satisfying to become a great dissatisfac
tion. The burden of carrying the additional
load of debt or responsibility, in order to

Page 32

have achieved the possession of something

new, may detract from its valu, and almost
all of us have had the experience of wishing
we had kept what we had and not assumed
the additional responsibility merely to have
a new and brighter gadget.
It is true, then, that while dissatisfaction
is an important factor in human achievement, it can also be an important factor in
bringing about human happiness. The ap
peal to individuis to acquire new things,
because they are dissatisfied with the od
ones, is a basic human appeal, but individuis
should temper their desire to acquire these
objects with a full realization of all the
factors involved. True happiness and satis
faction is, in the final analysis, not measured
by the number of new gadgets or new things
which we are able to acquire. Possession of
anything creates responsibility. If an indi
vidual does not fully realize that fact, then
he is only deceiving himself when he thinks
that in a mad race to keep up with his
neighbors, or to acquire every new model
of an automobile that is produced, he is
attaining happiness.
Happiness is a condition that exists in
man, not outside of him. We can acquire
every new object that is produced for the
market of today and still not have the happi
ness that we may seek. Happiness comes in
the realization that we are in harmony with
the forces of the universe that exists about
us. Happiness comes from the realization
that the acquirement of the effects of the
physical world are not the permanent vales
that lead to an enduring happiness; rather,
the real vales are those which may not in
any way be attached to physical possessions.
Therefore, dissatisfaction, if it exists, should
challenge us not to substitute that dissatis
faction with the possession of material
things, but lead us to realize instead that dis
satisfaction, like happiness, is inside of us.
It is a lack of adjustment to the environment
and the vales which we should seek.
Dissatisfaction will go on throughout life,
because we will always be growing and
always attempting to find the true happiness
which all men seek. Therefore, to use this
state constructively, we will have to leam
how to achieve those enduring vales which
bring a degree of satisfactionvales which
will challenge us to spread that satisfaction
to other individuis, and to extend the use-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

fulness of our own being, of our own knowl

edge, of our own impulses to bring about
vales that have lasting satisfaction and con
tribute to happiness.A
Exemption from Responsibility
Have you, like many others, sought a
magic key or formula that would solve all
problems? In many of the stories that have
been told throughout time, there has been the
central theme that it was possible to discover
a magic formula of some kind that man
could use for his advantage under any cir
cumstances. These have taken the form of
fairy tales, or even myths, that told how
certain amulets or magic spells could be cast
in such a way that the possessor of certain
facts or certain objects would be able to con
trol his destiny. Such type of literature is
in a sense escape literature. It takes ones
mind from reality. It causes the individual
to daydream as to what he might do if he
possessed such a vast knowledge as would
enable him to control all manifestations of
the universe or if he possessed a magic object
that would in itself bring control of all factors
of his environment.
We all know in reality that no physical
object or no fact of knowledge can relieve
us of the responsibility that is ours. There
are certain experiences that are phases of
life in which we must participate, even if
we may not be fully in accord with the
necessity of our participation. Nevertheless,
consciously or unconsciously, we all seek
such an achievement. One example of such
seeking is the desire of all of us to find the
easy way out in any problem that may confront us. Almost all of us, when faced with
the solution of a problem, regardless of the
nature of the problem itself, first look for
the easiest way to accomplish the end that
is necessary in order to solve the problem.
This is fundamentally not wrong; that is,
there is no reason why we should exert unnecessary effort. If there are two ways to
accomplish the same end, and one of the
two ways requires a mnimum of energy and
a minimum of effort on our part, then it is
only logical and obvious that we should take
the easiest way.
The concept that the hardest way is neces
sary in order to impress a lesson upon our
consciousness is not always true. In fact, we

OCTOBER, 1957

are intelligent beings, and it is equally an

obligation to use our intelligence in the solving of problems, if it is possible to do so. The
error of our ways lies in our doing nothing
and still expecting to solve a problem. The
tendency to evade responsibility rather than
to find the logical and easiest way to assume
that responsibility are two different things.
If we study a matter carefully and decide
upon what is the easier approach in order to
carry out a solution of a situation, we are
applying our intelligence to the problem
that is at hand. If, however, we attempt to
evade the responsibility entirely by either
ignoring the condition that needs our atten
tion, or trying to find a way that lies outside
the capacity of our intelligence, then we are
not using our lives, our time and abilities,
in the proper way.
We know there is no magic key that will
take care of all of the situations in life. Life
is a process of learning, and the way to leam
is to experience the situations that develop,
permitting us to apply what knowledge we
have in the solving of a problem or the con
trol of a situation. In that process, we gain
new knowledge and understanding of situa
tions that necessarily face the human being
as he lives as an intelligent entity.
There are individuis who think of their
Rosicrucian membership in the same way
that a primitive man might have thought of
a magic amulet. Such individuis feel that
through being a Rosicrucian and subscribing
to the principies which our organization
teaches, we should be exempt from certain
responsibilities and not suffer the same series
of consequences that are open to all human
beings. I have heard individuis lament the
fact that they had unhappy circumstances,
or may have experienced pain, suffering, and
grief, and to State at the same time that as a
Rosicmcian they didnt think that they
should have to go through such experiences.
This is an entirely wrong concept. Being a
Rosicrucian does not relieve anyone of re
sponsibility. In fact, as is stated in the
Postulant lectures that follow the Neophyte
grades, there is a certain amount of acceptance of responsibilities that is even more
important to the Rosicmcian than it is to
the person who is not so informed. In other
words, to a certain extent, we increase our
obligations with our understanding.

Page 33

To be a Rosicrucian is to put oneself in a

position of gaining knowledge and experience
that will enlarge the concept of ones life.
In other words, what we leam should make
it possible for us to gain more from every
experience that may be ours, whether that
experience is pleasant or unpleasant. We will
not be exempted from responsibility. We will
not be exempted from our proper position in
life of necessarily being forced tp leam cer
tain lessons and to experience certain situa
tions in order to gain those lessons. We
should have the satisfaction of knowing that
certain knowledge is available to us, and
certain application of that knowledge is ours;
and as we apply the knowledge in the degree
that we have leamed it, we will be able to
better fit ourselves into the situations that
develop. As a result, we will gain mastery
over our environment to the extent that is
not possible for those who do not seriously
recognize their being a part of a Cosmic
scheme into which man is placed in order to
leam his proper part in it.
Do not look upon your Rosicmcian mem
bership as a means of being relieved of re
sponsibility, but rather see it as a challenge
that will cause you to better adjust your
thinking and your actions to the situations
that must confront all men. W e will then
be truly applying the knowledge that is ours.
We will leam how to use the mind creatively. We will leam gradually to better adjust
ourselves to the situations that come about,
and, more important, we will gain a better
concept of vales, so as not to exaggerate
those situations which are of a temporary
duration. In every situation and every ex
perience that may be ours we will see that
we are growing into a vaster environment
with greater valu, and know that we can
eventually come to a realization that mans
true being is with God and not with the
problems that may tantalize us as physical
beings in a physical environment.A
Body, Mind, and Soul
The general classification of man as hav
ing body, mind, and soul is so ingrained in
the concept of man that any psychological
study of man has to take into consideration
some manifestation or some function of these
three principies. Man has a tendency to
draw a hard and fast line when he defines

Page 34

or attempts to establish classifications. He

attempts not only to assemble knowledge
but to set up standards by which all other
knowledge will be judged. Consequently,
very strict lines of demarcation are estab
lished in the minds of most individuis in
classifying man as a triune being.
Actually, we know that these attributes
are not necessarily innate. To have body,
mind, and soul is a classification which man
himself has adopted for his own convenience.
In other words, it is nominal terminology.
Man has simply tried to segregate some of
the conditions or manifestations of behavior
and function in the human being into limited
categories. He observes himself, he reflects
upon himself, he observes other human be
ings and sees all kinds of manifestation and
all kinds of function. He realizes that there
are different functions taking place within
the human being, and he attempts to define
them in terms of the minimum number of
qualities which he observes. It is generally
conceded that the three qualitiesbody,
mind, and soul are as few as it is convenient
to conceive.
From the popular point of view, these
classifications could be further described as
the material, mental, and spiritual phases of
man. The body, of course, is the material
part; the mind is the mental, and the soul
is the spiritual. But here again, the terminol
ogy is limited to the interpretation of the
individual. What I may mean by material,
mental, and spiritual may not carry the same
connotation that you include in the meaning
of these words. You and I may use these
same three terms to describe a type of func
tion within the human being, but we may
attribute to these three terms an entirely
different state of circumstances; therefore,
the terms add very little meaning to the
original classification of body, mind, and
soul. These terms are simply an attempt to
put into different words the same idea, or,
rather, to connect the three states which we
have classified as existing in man as being
related to three similar conditions that are
universal or that exist outside of man.
It is my purpose here to attempt to consider these classifications in terms of Rosi
crucian philosophy, or in terms of the
Rosicrucian philosophical backgroundthat
is, to try to take a more comprehensivo view
of man in his whole manifestation and to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

attempt to determine what phases of his

being are important for us to study.
As Rosicrucians, we can better understand
these characteristics of mans composition
and nature by a description of the function
of these categories or classifications rather
than by attempting to elabrate further upon
the terminology with which to describe them.
We use the terms body, mind, and soul, yet
we cannot describe those three factors any
more completely by adopting three other
terms; neither can we by enlarging upon the
terms make them more inclusive. However,
from the standpoint of the philosophy in
which we believe, we can treat these condi
tions as categories rather than classifications.
I am interpreting the idea in the sense that
a category can be more specific, while a
classification is more general.
The concept of these categories is to analyze the human being on a plae that com
pares the categories of his being with the
categories of universal existence. From this
standpoint, mans functions are physical,
metaphysical, and mystical. I have said
that, from the popular standpoint, body,
mind, and soul are related to the material,
the mental, and the spiritual. I have tried
to expand the horizon somewhat and to extend these concepts to parallel the physical,
the metaphysical, and the mystical.
From the physical standpoint, there is no
denying the fact that, insofar as objective
phenomena are concemed, man is a physical
being. Consequently, his physical existence,
the maintenance of his body and all parts
and functions thereof, concems knowledge in
the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology,
and anatomy. These are fields of knowledge
which man has developed and in which he
has accumulated facts and knowledge with
which to understand the world and to un
derstand the physical phenomena of which
he is a part. These fields are relatively well
defined, with progress continually being
made in each of them; and man as a living
being, insofar as he is physical, is affected by
the findings and the knowledge contained in
the physical sciences.
To approach the study of the mind of
man, we will consider what I broadly would
like to characterize as a metaphysical func
tion. When Aristotle wrote his metaphysics,
he meant for the word to imply the realm
beyond physics. Metaphysics included the

OCTOBER, 1957

study of the phenomena which he had under

consideration at the time and which went
beyond the field of physics. Today the term
is more loosely defined, but, generally speaking, the metaphysical supersedes the phys
ical. It concems functions that have to do
with the second classification of manname
ly, mind.
In the metaphysical, we are concemed
with those attributes of man having to do
with the psychological and the philosophical.
Insofar as the physical is concemed, man has
no means of substantially changing or manipulating his physical being; he is limited
insofar as he can use and change material
conditions. Metaphysically, we enter the
field of psychology, which has to do with
mind and behavior, where such problems as
freedom of will, judgment, and motivation
are paramount considerations, as well as the
extent of mans control in moving and directing not only his immediate body, but his
destiny. We also speculate conceming mans
purpose, why certain conditions exist, why
man is here. We attempt to accumulate not
only knowledge, but to put that knowledge
together in a way that will add to the total
conten of mans possessions, insofar as his
nonphysical possessions are involved. In
other words, we are concemed with the
accumulation of wisdom.
Philosophy was originally meant to mean
a love of wisdom. It is in the mental area of
mans existence that he decides what he
wants, what he can use, and what the pur
pose of life will be. Thus he is concemed
with those phenomena that may be useful
to him now and in the future.
Beyond the metaphysical, further speculation leads to the mystical. Man now approaches the field of axiology, the study of
what makes valu, how vales originate, and
what causes them to continu to exist. Here
we are in the field of our own philosophy,
because the Rosicmcian philosophy is based
fundamentally upon the concept of mysticism, not as it would be limited by a creed
or doctrine, but in its most elementary sense,
which is that man as an entity can relate
himself to a more comprehensive or transcendent entity. The fundamental premise
of the mystical philosophy of Rosicmcianism
is that man has within him some power,
ability, or attribute that makes it possible
for him to transcend the ordinary functions

Page 35

of being. Normally, mysticism includes all

things that permit man to rise above the
physical and the mental. It is, therefore,
the field of religin, idealism, aesthetics,
eschatology, and teleology. In these disci
plines are incorporated the most sublime
concepts of man.
Religin directs man to God; it is the most
elementary approach of man to God. Idealism goes hand in hand with religin, but
directs the eamest inquirer beyond the restriction of dogma. Idealism causes man to
realize that the vales which he considers
in his own mind are related to those vales
which endure beyond the physical universe.
Eschatology concems the doctrine of final
ends and purposes. It directs mans thinking
to his true nature and to the final purpose of
his existence. It raises questions conceming
the nature and state of existence known as
immortality. Teleology concems the purpose
of all being. It is to the mystical what valu
is to the metaphysical. It considers the pur
pose of the universe and the power that
directs it, and whether or not that power is
a product of consciousness.
The greatest possible achievement of man
is a balanced relationship between mind,
body, and soul. The ability to live in perfect
harmony with the physical, the metaphys
ical, and the mystical is what we define as
harmonium. Few have ever attained this
absolute perfection. Those who live exclusively in the physical or the material
ignore the other two functions. Those who
live exclusively in the metaphysical or the
mental are dreamers; they ignore the needs,
demands, and purposes of the physical, and
fail to carry over their endless speculations
into a mystical concept that will eventually
cause them to gain any conclusin from their
contemplation. These individuis are merely
the dreamers; they remind me of those peo
ple who can memorize facts but cannot use
them. I know of individuis who can recite
innumerable facts but cannot solve elemen
tary problems. Such people live on a purely
mental plae.
There are also those who attempt to ignore
both the physical and the metaphysical.
They depreciate the physical as having no
valu or as being nonexistent. They think
mind is only a trick of nature, and that only
by being completely mystical at all times,
by being extremely idealisticliving in the

Page 36

clouds, as it were can man realize his full

purpose and attain his ultmate ends. These
individuis are just as wrong as those who
live exclusively in the physical, because,
whether we like it or not, all three of these
functions are manifest in us.
From the standpoint of eschatology, the
final end of man is immortality, and there
fore the mystical is of more importance in
connection with the ultmate purpose of man
than is the physical or the metaphysical.
However, man while he is still a physical
being must be concemed with the physical.
He should attempt to balance the relationship
of his consciousness to the realizations that
come from body, mind, and soul, and to
balance his behavior with the knowledge he
gains from these sources.
The perfect Rosicmcian, in my estimation,
is the individual who has established a degree
of harmonium. He has gained a degree of
control of his body; he directs the speculation
of his mind; and he attunes himself with
God and therefore fulfills the physical, the
metaphysical, and the mystical functions of
his being. Such a perfect individual probably
does not exist. It would be a great achievement for any of us to be able to say in all
honesty that we had mastered ourselves, but,
whether or not we attain mastership, we can
direct ourselves in that direction.
The functions of body, mind, and soul are
not completely understood. Furthermore,
they cannot be completely isolated from
each other. They must function together
and sometimes overlap one another. We
must never forget that these are man-made,
artificial divisions, having no fine line that
can be drawn between them. Consequently,
most human knowledge is out of balance; we
only know it in part.
Unfortunately, a great deal of human
knowledge is very far out of balance; in
fact, there are serious students of human
nature who today question whether the fun
damental problems of the world are not due
to the physical sciences far outreaching the
advance of the metaphysical and the mys
tical sciences. Time will adjust these inequalities, but time is a long period. If the
physical sciences continu to outrun the
idealistic sciences, as they have during the
past one or two hundred years, this condition
may go on a number of centuries, or even a

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

millennium, but eventually conditions will

change.
The conditions that exist today, we must
never forget, exist because they fulfill the
circumstances and the destiny, as well as the
Karma, of those of us who live in this par
ticular situation. If we would wish for a
different world, where an emphasis is in a
different channel, then we must wish for
different entities to manifest in that world.
The imperfect expression of our being, as it
is at the moment, is attuned to the circum
stances that now exist; and it is our obligation, our Karma, to leam what we can, so
that out of this experience, and out of the
knowledge in which we particpate, we may
be able to better formlate an existence
which will be more in accord with the ideis
which we hope to express.
In considering each of these categories, it
is, of course, true that we are gradually leaving the more accepted fields of human knowl
edge. In other words, we know more about
the physical than the metaphysical, and more
about the metaphysical than the mystical.
Although man has devoted himself more to
the physical, it does not mean that we know
all about the material world, but our knowl
edge is at least more complete. When we
think of man as being body, mind, and soul,
it is the soul of which we know the least.
Furthermore, confusion results from the
multiplicity of definitions that have been
connected with the word. Many individuis
cannot separate in their own thinking the
difference between mind and soul, although
most of us would have no difficulty in distinguishing soul from body.
Rosicmcian terminology has established a
standard of definitions for the terms body,
mind, spirit, and soul. I refer you to our
teachings for those definitions. We use the
word soul to mean the manifestation of the
life forc within us which carries an intelli
gence from a higher source and which is an
accumulation of what we have gained in
the past.
Defining the soul, however, is not enough.
What is more important is that we study its
nature and manifestation and that we leam
what to do with the soul. Like any other
entity, the soul in its expression must be
changed and modified. As intelligent entities,
we must evolve in the realization of our

OCTOBER, 1957

relationship to the soul. Consequently, our

lives still continu to be bound by certain
physical and metaphysicalor, to use the
other terms, material and mentalrestrictions until the realization of the purpose of
the soul becomes so complete that we live
wholly within it, and we are thereby able,
through the full realization of the potential
ities and the meaning of the soul, to throw
off all bonds which would restrict us.
The idea is not new. Plato compared the
human soul to a chariot drawn by two steeds
and driven by a charioteer. One of the
steeds represents the soul, and the other
represents our animal or physical desires and
ambitions. Desire makes us wish to tum
aside and tarry at the pleasant places of life
and to particpate in those things which
bring us physical enjoyment. The soul is
impatient. It wants to rush on, because its
province is that of reason. Soul directs us
on toward the realization of the divine.
The soul is the seat of personality. It is,
in fact, the essential self. It is conscious of
neither time or space. Through the soul
we are able to have those sensations and
experiences which take us beyond the phys
ical and metaphysical world. Those who
have experienced telepathy, who have had
visions, who have seen the future, have done
so because the soul is a power that is able to
reach beyond the world to which the physical
and the mental parts of us are confined. The
true home of the soul is not in this, but in
another order of reality. In the fulfillment
of a purpose, which we may not completely
comprehend, the soul is incamated in a
number of successive bodies. In that way it
is placed into contact with the time order,
that is, with the world of time and space,
for a definable period, or for a number of
periods of time. Thus the soul is the vehicle
of personality throughout all phases of ex
istence.
Mentally and physically, it is our privilege
to evolve into a vaster realization of the soul.
This process is erroneously referred to as soul
evolution. Actually, perfection exists in the
soul if we can perceive it. I do not believe
that the soul is completely merged after
transition in a sea of universal consciousness,
but that it sustains immortality without losing its individuality. What we cali immor
tality is but one phase of the souls ex
pression.

Page 37

The soul in our day-to-day life is normally

inaccessible to us, but, in certain psychological conditions, impressions from the soul
rise into consciousnessor, to be more specific, the consciousness of the soul becomes
a part of our everyday consciousness. The
soul, therefore, is the mdium of mystical
experience, and from this cise relationship
we gain through the soul an appreciation of
the aesthetic, the beautiful, and sublime.
Charles Kingsley said, When I walk in
the fields, I am oppressed now and then with
an innate feeling that everything I see has
meaning if I could but understand it; and
this feeling of being surrounded with truths
that I cannot grasp sometimos amounts to
an indescribable awe. This idea agrees with
my concept of mysticism: that the channel
by which man can know God is through the
soul; that we are at times made conscious
of the souls consciousness. The knowledge
possessed by the soul intrudes upon our own
objective being and awareness and impresses
itself upon us.
The essence of our personality, which I
cali soul, is more than body and mind. The
higher spiritual agencies which function in
the universe, agencies which touch and
quicken us, which enrich us with what we
cali gifts of inspiration, are the result of our
solicitations in meditation and prayer. The
point of contact comes about as a result of
concentration and attunement. This point
where inspiration reaches us, where aesthetic
experiences are made real, where the mys
tical ideal is perfected, is the soul.
Although, as I have said, this regin of
realization is normally inaccessible to con
sciousness, it is nevertheless a well-known
fact that we are often aware of inspiration.
We may not know how the healing and
strengthening influences, which bear upon
us as a result of our prayers and meditations,
do their work, but it is the soul which is the
mdium, the necessary mdium, through
which the work is done. God influences man
through the soul. The vehicle of Gods eminence, the soul, if not actually divine, can
at least contact the divine.
Only when the confusion of ordinary liv
ing and the consciousness of day-to-day ex
istence subsides are we able to become aware
of that still, small voice that is continually
heard by the soul. At the moment of being
influenced, we may be completely unaware

Page 38

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of the souls function. Upon the realization

of the beautiful and the sublime, we approach a reality of inspiration of which we
are fully conscious, and we actually lose con
sciousness of most other things.
The phenomena of spiritual healing, spirit
ual regeneration, and spiritual insight, and
the realization of mans potential oneness
with God, are also to be explained on the
assumption that God, in response to mans
petition through concentration, meditation,
prayer, and attunement, acts upon us as in
dividual entities through the mdium of the
soul, which, as its function, heals the body,
strengthens the mind, and sustains us for
the ultmate realization of our destiny.A
W hat Am I?
A soror of England rises to address our
Forum: There is a question which has puzzled me for years. What am I? What is
mine inalienably? The soul is not mine; it
is part of the universal soul which tenants
my body while I am in it. My body is not
mine really; it is merely an assortment of
cells which I occupy as tenant for a time.
My consciousnessbut that is only a func
tion of the soul! What is left to be mine?
This is a question conceming individuality
and universality. Man is not truly individ
ual in the sense that he is either completely
independent or self-sufficient. As an organic
being, as a substance or a system, man is a
composite of universal forces, a part of Cos
mic phenomena. To say this is absolutely
mine with respect to any aspect of ones
personal existence or being would be to de
clare that it is completely divorced from any
relationship to nature. It would mean that
it is outside the boundaries of all reality or
is a separate reality which, of course, is rationally impossible to presume.
The ancient Greek philosophers told us
that all matter, all perceivable reality, that
is, form, is but an expression of universal
essence. What is ours, in that it is unlike
anything else, can only be a personal reali
zation, the experiences had by self. This
realization is distinct in its manifestation, yet
fundamentally it is composed of universis.
Our personality is the sum total of a series
of sentient experiences, sense impressions
from the external world and, as well, the
realization of our own conscious state. To

these we react and such responses constitute

the manifestations of our united selves which
are referred to as the personality.
No two persons can evalate, that is, interpret the myriad impressions that crowd in
upon their consciousness alike. Their structure of reality, their viewpoint of existence,
their own awareness of self, are all different
from those of others. There are many per
sons who seem to be in complete accord on
all things. However, an analytical interrogation of them would reveal numerous mi
nute differences of opinion. Their sentiments
and emotional responses would vary and so,
then, would that abstract entity called self.
To answer specifically the sorors question,
What am I? We are a particular state of
consciousness deviating, no matter how
slightly, from every other state of conscious
ness had by any other human being. Is that
consciousness mine? The answer is: Yes, in
its manifestations but not in its contributing
essence or cause. The experience of exist
ence, your conscious interlude, is yours alone.
This is logical because it cannot be anothers;
no other could have it. We cannot separate
self, the you, from the experiences, the con
scious states, which your organism, your
physical and mental being, has. These things
are what you are, as against all other things
or beings. It is your consciousness that
makes the realizations you have. It creates
them. They are producs of your being. They
are of you. Your experiences, your realiza
tions of self, have not a universal nature.
That which brings them about does have
your brain, your senses, your nervous systems, your soul or vital forc of life. But the
impingement of impulses upon them, as
screened on your consciousness and as especially realized by you, is unique to you.
Your experiences, your interpretations of
reality, the expansin of self, are the most
flexible factors available to you in life. They
are, of course, subject to external conditions
such as your environment and your health
as well. But nevertheless you are free to exert a power of mind so as to think and believe
them as you wish. The od metaphysical
affirmation, I am what I am, can be construed to mean that what we conceive our
selves to be is what we are. It matters not
what our tme reality or relationships may
be, if we do not realize or understand them.
As we conceive ourselves to be, that is what

OCTOBER, 1957

we truly are in our personal existence; it is

what we govern ourselves by.
I am, then, only what I think myself to
be. That is my greatest freedom, my selfevaluation. This evaluation may, of course,
be false. I may be really damning myself.
In fact, man may never know his true Cos
mic relationship. Our development, however,
comes in evolving our concept of self, in enlarging its manifestations of what we are.
We may say, in conclusin, that the true self
is not the object but the subject.X
How to Conduct Experiments
Now a frater from India asks: I do not
seem to get the desired success from performing some exercises and experiments. Most of
them are for developing certain faculties. My
question is: how many times a day, or how
many hours weekly, should one devote him
self to the exercises to get the desired results?
For example, the projection exercise: how
many years are necessary to practice such an
exercise to achieve success? Further, why is
it that some develop their psychic faculties
by the Fifth or Sixth Degree and some do
not attain success even after reaching the
highest Degrees?
Let us begin our answer by explaining
the difference between an experiment and
an exercise, especially in relation to the Rosi
crucian teachings. Our definition of the
word experiment is not different from that
given by Science. Succinctly, it consists of a
series of tests according to a predetermined
arrangement to prove or disprove a hypothesis. It may likewise be a test to determine
specific results under controlled conditions.
Thus, one may conduct experiments in the
transmission of thought, popularly called
telepathy.
A controlled experiment, of which most of
the Rosicrucian ones consist, is one in which
the specific performance of the experiment,
its modus operandi, is set forth and govems
the whole activity. The experimenter knows
in advance what he seeks to achieve and the
methods which he is going to employ. The
unknown factor, to him, is the result. Will
he, or will he not, have success with the par
ticular method used? Obviously, under the
method of controlled experimentation, if
there were repeated experiments without re
sults, they would be concludedprovided
they were exactly performed, and would

Page 39

have proved the method was at fault. If,

further, results are not obtained but it is
concluded that the method is sound, in gen
eral, then perhaps certain necessary elements
may be lacking. Rosicrucian experimentation
includes human beings who have varying
powers of perception and attention or concentration. These variables can and do account for the differences in results, even
when the procedure is otherwise the same.
The human equation is the unknown element. It cannot be easily seen as to its ap
plication to the experiment. One who is
conducting an experiment in physics uses
physical objects that can easily be perceived,
that is, weighed and measured. The con
trolled experiment can determine in advance
that all the equipment to be used is the same
for each experiment. But in psychic and
mystical experiments there is the unrevealed
inequality which may account for success in
some instances and failure in others.
In the Rosicrucian teachings, an exercise
alludes to the practice and the repeated per
formance of an experiment or some phase of
it. An experiment in the Rosicrucian teach
ings is primarily intended to enlighten one,
or to acquaint the individual with certain
laws or factors conceming the phenomenon.
The exercise, on the other hand, is intended
to make the student proficient in the use of
such knowledge as the experiment may
demnstrate.
Most of the Rosicmcian exercises are con
cemed with self-evident laws. By this we
mean that they are Cosmic or natural laws
which have already been taught and revealed
or should be known to the student. He has
been told of their function and how they
should be applied to achieve the specific ends.
The exercise is to cause the student to de
velop the technique in the use of this knowl
edge to his personal advantage.
Let us use a simple analogy for the further
explication of this point. You wish to learn
to swim. First, an accomplished instructor
demonstrates the strokes to you in a gymnasium. He explains the theory and tech
nique of swimming. Next, he takes you into
the pool and, under his controlled direction,
has you conduct a series of experiments. He
has you try floating, kicking your feet, and
breathing correctly. By such experiments, he
wants you to experience personally certain
aspects of the swimming technique.

Page 40

Next come the exercises. Each week for

one hour or so you must personally try to
apply what has been demonstrated and
taught to you. You have to develop the coordination of movement of your limbs and
your breathing and to develop the muscles
required for the propulsin of your body in
the water. All of the experimentation and
the demonstrations are futile, however, with
out the actual follow-through exercises.
Everyone cannot be proficient in every
thing. Immured within our body and mind
are certain potentialities. Our latent talents
and powers vary. That is what makes us
different. There is not one of us who does
not excel to some degree more than some
other no matter how inferior we may be in
all else. The exercises are intended to awaken and develop our latent powers. They reveal what things we can accomplish best. We
should, however, try to improve all aspects
of our nature, but preferably we should con
cntrate upon what seems to be our natural
forte.
There are no exercises in the Rosicrucian
teachings that require one to spend several
hours a day, or even several hours a week,
in the application of certain laws. If one
wishes to achieve a particular end it is advisable for him to do the following. He
should use part of his weekly sanctum study
time for that particular exercise, without
holding up his current studies. If he has any
other spare time during the week when it
will not interfere with his duties and obligations, he may tiy the exercise at such
times.
We advise Rosicrucian students to discon
tinu an exercise for a while if, after performing it six, eight, or ten times, they find
no particular personal improvement. Under
these conditions, they should put it aside and
devote the time to other phases of the Rosi
crucian studies. Sometimes ones particular
psychic function, insofar as development is
concerned, is contingent first upon another
aspect. It may not be possible for some in
dividuis to achieve the results in one exer
cise until they have first been successful in
another. It is for this reason that we say:
do not continu indefinitely an exercise
which is not disclosing some results.
For further analogy, one cannot perfect
himself in public speaking if he has a physi
cal affliction that makes proper pronunciation

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

difficult. It would be more reasonable and

expedient to concntrate first upon the remedy of the physical impediment before indulging in further public speaking exercises.
Now, to answer the last part of the fraters
question, we are not all bom equal in the
sense of the development of our soul-personality. Each of us is on some plae of con
sciousness at birth, but we are not all of the
same plae. Those who are more advanced
in this incamation will respond to certain
exercises more easily and while yet in the
middle Degrees of the Order. However, each
of us does advance psychically as we reasonably practice the exercises and study accordingly. The student must stop gauging himself
by the progress made by another. Measure
your success by what you have gained in
knowledge and achievement from the teach
ings since you first affiliated with the Order.
Attainment in the Rosicrucian teachings
does not necessarily mean the performance
of some feat of natural phenomena. It can
and does mean a greater understanding of
life, further freedom from superstition and
anxieties, more self-reliance, and P eace
Profound.X
This Issues Personality
It is quite comprehensible how some per
sons come to be assured that a fate does
govem our destiny. In their experience,
they have observed that the lives of some
individuis seem almost from birth to have
been fashioned for a specific destiny. The
events in which they participate seem to be
definitely related to their qualifications and
training. Raymond Bernard, Secretary of
the Grand Lodge of AMORC, France, who
in no sense is a fatalist, is nevertheless one
whose lifes work seems to have been ordained for him.
Frater Bernard was bom May 19, 1923,
in Bourg dOisans (Isre) France. He comes
from a family of pioneers. His paternal
grandparents migra ted to Algeria in 1874.
The family was very instrumental in contributing to the cultural advancement of
Algeria, especially in the area of Oran. This
spirit of progress and of orderly arrange
ment of affairs was inherited by young
Raymond.
Frater Bernard received his higher edu
cation at the University of Grenoble in
Southern France, from which he graduated.

OCTOBER, 1957

He majored in the humanities, especially

philosophy, with several semesters of law.
In 1944 he did military service in the French
army as required by law. He became an
artillery officer and was stationed in Germany from 1944 to 1946.
Frater Bernards maternal side of the fam
ily were active and successful in business in
Southern France. After his demobilization
from the army, he at first decided to be
associated with his family in business enterprise. He was successful in thisbut there
was an unsatisfied yeaming for something
more than a commercial enterprise. This
yeaming went back to his early youth, when
at fourteen years of age, he had an arduous
appetite for esoteric literature. Frater Ber
nard was bom in the Catholic faith as a
French tradition. His parents, however, were
very liberal in their thought and never
pursued the dogma of the sect. This liberal
influence was expressed early in life by
young Raymond Bernard.
During the war, 1941, while but eighteen
years of age, Frater Bernard made the acquaintance of an English lady who because
of the circumstances was necessarily hidden
in France in a regin where he lived. Until
the war, she had actively affiliated with
AMORC in America. She revealed the na
ture and activities of AMORC to Frater Ber
nard. He was elated. What she told him
seemed to fulfill a long desire and search.
He read the Rosicrucian Digest and other
literature which she surreptitiously gave him
during the Nazi occupation. Direct contact
with AMORC in America was as yet impossible.
After months and years of waiting, he
was finally able to apply to AMORC in
America. To his chagrn, he found that such
affiliation was still not possible because no
remittances could be sent to the United
States. He was advised to contact Soror
Jeanne Guesdon who was then beginning
the very arduous task of establishing the
present AMORC activities in a postwar
France. Frater Bernard carne to know Soror
Guesdon very wellbut by correspondence
only. As he has related, he knew of her
great sacrifices and labor at that time to
establish AMORC in France for its present
cycle. She had to struggle, he relates, with
shortages of materials, economic restrictions,
and many other contingencies of the day.

Page 41

Frater Bernard eventually became the second AMORC member active in France, bearing the key number 2the Imperator hav
ing the key number 1.
Soror Guesdon had in her later corre
spondence to Frater Bernard expressed the
hope that some day he could assist with her
duties as a staff member of the AMORC
Grand Lodge of France. Strangely enough,
after her transition, Frater Bernard leamed
from her attorney that she had told the
latter, When I am gone, Monsieur Ray
mond Bernard will come to Villeneuve to
do this work and her prophecy has been
fulfilled. After the transition of Grand Sec
retary Jeanne' Guesdon, and at the request
of the Imperator, Frater Bernard met with
him and Soror Lewis, and other dignitares
in Paris to discuss his appointment to an
official capacity with MORC, France.
After January 15, 1956, Frater Bernard
and his attractive wife, also a member, and
their young son carne to Villeneuve SaintGeorges and took up residence at the Grand
Lodge of AMORC, France. He assumed the
title and great responsibility and duties of
Secretary. He has exhibited not only an
excellent comprehension of the Rosicmcian
teachings, but has displayed splendid executive ability as well. Under the direction
of the Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC
and the Imperator, he has brought about a
great advancement of the Order in his coun
try. His suggestions and plans are fruitful
of thought and have proved themselves in
practice. He has won the admiration and
respect of the AMORC France membership.
Frater Raymond Bemard, youthful and
vigorous, not only indulges his studies, but
has found time for such active sports as
swimming and tennis. Embodied in such a
young man is the spirit and future of
MORC.X
Demonstrating the Principies
Just because you are not able to make a
piece of cork on the top of water move in
any definite direction, every time you wish
to try the experiment, is no indication whatsoever of a lack of inner development. When
the right time comes and the development
within you is required to do something of
a very definite and important nature, you
will find the Cosmic helping you to make
the right demonstration. If you have been

Page 42

somewhat unsuccessful with your experi

ments, or even if you happen to be one
who has never been successful at all with
any of the experiments, do not allow this
fact to cause you to believe that the exer
cises and studies have not been helping you
in a way that does not show in all the
worldly things, every time you wonder
about it.
from Forum, Oct. 1931
Transference of the Physical Self
A frater of South Africa asks our Forum:
Is it possible to transfer ones physical self
instantaneously to a d istan t lo c a lity as
claimed by the Sufi sect? The Sufis claim
that this can be done and is done by deep
concentration and thought. Is there a special
technique?
The Sufis are an od Moslem mystical sect.
They have symbolized and we may say extracted the mystical principies from the
teachings of the Koran. They differ from
the mass of Mohammedan adherents by con
ceming themselves less with the external
aspects of their religin. Through asceticism
and particularly isolation from materialism
and its distractions and by devotion to meditation, they have gleaned a deep insight into
human nature. They have discovered and
employed the latent powers of the individual
which were little known to other men, with
the exception of mystics, until comparatively
recent times.
It can undoubtedly be said with assurance
that much which the Sufis carne to know,
and mastered, was not actually inherent in
the dogma of their own religin. It was a
personal mystical illumination that could
come to any man who lived, studied, and
meditated as they did. The feats that the
Sufis accomplished, as those performed by
the mystics and adepts of Tibet, India, Egypt,
and Europe in the past, awed the relatively
ignorant masses. To the masses who were
not conversant with natural law and to whom
almost every phenomenon of nature was a
deep mystery, these mystics seemed to be
miracle workers. In a sense the impressions
which these feats made upon the multitude
were the equivalent of the effect of a demonstration by a modem scientist before a group
of primitive people today.
It must be realized that it is only four or
five centuries ago that in certain cataleptic
or trance states, where the body was coid

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and rigid, with no conscious response or evi

dence of breathing, the victim was thought to
have passed through transition. To retum
such a body to normalcy by any means whatever would appear as a miracle to those who
did not understand the method. As Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis once explained in a public
lecture, if one dipped his fingers in spittle
and soil, then rubbed them lightly over the
eyes, so as to break a film which covered
them, and thereby restored sight, this would
be a miracle to primitive people who could
not comprehend what was being done. Actu
ally such an act would constitute a cmde
but simple form of surgery.
Imagine, as well, what an amazing impression upon the primitive mind a hypnotic
demonstration would have. There is historical proof, on which we have commented previously, that the ancient Egyptian priests
used hypnosis even in some of their temple
rites. It is known that mass or group hyp
nosis is possible. In fact, it is often demonstrated today in university classes in the
study of parapsychology and related sub
jects. Under such conditions, the group is
given a powerful suggestion. It has an idea
implanted in the consciousness which the in
dividuis are made to accept while under
hypnosis. Some of the tales of miracles and
of strange phenomena, supposedly witnessed
or experienced, undoubtedly fall into such a
category.
The subject of bilocation is well known to
researchers in psychic phenomena. It is a
technical term referring to the simultaneous
appearance in two places of ones person.
Actually, it is the phenomenon known in the
Rosicmcian teachings as projection. What
is projected is the psychic self, a higher aspect of consciousness, which is perceived as
being identical in appearance with the physi
cal self. One, then, may be in his home, say
in Brighton, England, and be experienced,
visually perceived, by another who knows
him as walking on a Street in, shall we say,
Seattle, Washington. This phenomenon has
been commonly experienced by many per
sons who are not Rosicrucians or mystics.
It has obviously awed them. Modem psychology has given various explanations of
the phenomenon. Such explanations approach those given by the Rosicmcians, to
whom projection has been known for a con
siderable time. There is nothing superna-

OCTOBER, 1957

tural about the phenomenon. It consists of

the gradual application of natural laws mani
fest as powers of the normal human being.
Obviously, those having no understanding
of the achievement, and being confounded by
it, would look upon such manifestation as an
instantaneous transference of the actual
physical body from one place to another
through space. We doubt very much if Sufi
literature, of which we have a considerable
collection in our Rosicrucian Research Library, makes the explicit declaration that the
physical body is being so transferred. We
venture the opinion that it conveys the idea
that the self may be transferred at will to
distant places. Such a phrase, however, to
one who is not conversant with the phenom
enon would seem to imply that the physical
body was so transferred. The frater, of
course, is quite familiar with our principies.
It is quite probable that those reporting to
him have misunderstood the Sufi claims in
this regard.
Let us look into this subject from a truly
mystical and philosophical point of view.
What we are is self. In other words, we are
nothing more than we realize ourselves to
be. The Epicureans taught that concept
many centuries ago. It is of little conse
quence where we are. It is where our state
of realization is that matters. Your body may
be in bed but if you are unconscious and do
not realize your whereabouts, then you, the
conscious being and not just a mass of tissues
and organs, are not there. Unless you realize
something, it does not intimately exist to
you. If you can fully experience a place, see
it, hear and feel it, then for all purposes you,
the thinking, perceiving self, are at that
place.
When one extends his consciousness of self
to enter into an environment, he is projected
into it. Where the physical part of himself
may be at this time is of no consequence so
far as his realization is concemed. The point
to be made here is that there is no advantage
in ones transferring the body if he can transfer his consciousness of self instead. Whatever the body may do must be realized by
the mind before it has any reality to us. If
the mind can realize it without the physical
participation, then the latter is not necessary.
Let us use a simple analogy to better clarify this view point. There was a time when
every communication had to be made in

Page 43

person. One had to go physically to the

place at a distance and convey to another
orally some message. Today by means, for
example, of the telephone we can speak to
one across the world in a fraction of a second. So far as the conten of the message is
concerned, there would be no advantage in
transferring the body along with the intelli
gence or m essage w hich is being con
veyed.X
W hat Is Color Blindness?
A frater of California, addressing our
Forum, says: We have color-blind children
in our family. They are color-blind in dif
ferent degrees and yet enough to bar them
from working where it is necessary to distinguish colored lights. My side of the fam
ily has exceptionally good visin. The
childrens mother has eye weakness on the
side of their maternal grandmother there are
various eye weaknesses but I do not know
of any color blindness. I would appreciate
this matters being discussed in the Forum.
It would perhaps be best to approach this
subject with a very brief review of what
constitutes color. Are colors inherent in ob
jects? Are the leaves of trees and the grass
green? Are there red roses and is blue ac
tually a part of the summer sky? Physics
has revealed to us that the different colors
we see are due to different wave lengths of
light. The visual spectrum, that portion of
light which we can see, consists of a vibratory energy. Those vibrationsor wave
lengthswhich are longest in the spectrum
are the color red. Those which are the shortest are violet. This spectrum is a kind of
scale with the longest wave lengths or red
at one end and the shortest or violet at the
other. In between, from the highest to the
lowest wave lengths, are the variations or a
graduation of one end into the other, comprising all the colors we know.
Sunlight or pur white light is actually a
harmonious blending of all wave lengths
visible to us. An objects color depends on the
light which illuminates it and the light the
object reflects and transmits to the eye. If, for
example, sunlight falls on an object, it will
reflect only a certain wave length of all
those of which sunlight consists. That wave
length, when reaching the eye, will cause
us to experience the object as having a par
ticular color. The object in its molecular

Page 44

structure may reflect only the longer wave

lengths. It will then appear to us as red.
Let us suppose that an object appears
white to us when in the sunlight. This indicates that it reflects equally all the wave
lengths of light that illuminate it. Let a red
light, or any light of particular wave lengths,
fall upon such an object, and it will reflect
those wave lengths only. It will have to the
eye the color that those wave lengths represent. From observing a beam of sunlight
passing through a prism, we know that sun
light contains all the colors of the spectrum.
The wave lengths, being of different length,
are refracted, are separated, into the colors
of the spectrum.
When a skein of red yam is held in the
red end of the spectrum, it appears red. But
when it is held in the blue end, it appears
black. In other words, the red wave lengths
of light reflect from the red yam. When it
is held in the blue, there is such a mixture
of the wave lengths as to create the visual
sensation of black. There is the absorption
quality. Similarly, a skein of blue yam
appears nearly black in all parts of the spec
trum except blue.
From this and many similar experiments,
we know that color is not an intrinsic part
of any object. Rather, it is a sensation. What
and how are the sensations of color caused?
We are not completely certain of this process,
though researchers at AMORC and in the
sciences of physiology and psychology have
quite definite theories as to how the sensa
tions occur. There are certain photocolor
substances in the organism of the eye that,
when stimulated by a wave length of light,
are temporarily changed in their composi
tion. This, in tum, produces minute electrical
charges, that is, nerve mutations, which in
the brain are received as color sensations.
There is, for example, what is commonly
known as visual purple, technically called
rhodopsin. This can be excited in such a
manner as to affect the color sense.
Related to the eye are the rods and the
cones. The rod-shaped sensory bodies in
the retina are sen sitiv e p rin c ip a lly to
dim light. The cones, as the ame implies,
are conical sensory bodies likewise in the
retina of the eye. These, too, are acted upon
by the stimuli of light. Experimentation has
shown that in bright light the visual purple
in a vertebrates eye is completely bleached.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

It appears quite evident, in the opinion of

experimenters, that the mechanism of visin
in the bright light is different than in the
dim light.
The mechanism has been given two gen
eral classifications. One is scotopic or twilight visin; the other is photopic. The latter
is responsive to the spectmm in daylight illumination. In scotopia, that is, dim light,
there is a colorless gray which seems to cast
itself over objects. Where one does not have
normal sight and is subject to this scotopic
sight, ever-increasing illumination does no
more than bring a greater brightness. It
would seem, as said, that a dim illumination
excites the rods but not the other sensory
bodies, known as cones. Let a person of nor
mal sight adapt his eyes to the darkness.
Then in poor illumination the spectmm, to
that individual, will seem colorless.
Congenital color blindness is relatively
rare but, of course, there are cases on record
and existent. Night blindness has been found
to be hereditary. There is a celebrated ex
ample in Montpellier, France, where in
three generations nearly forty per cent of
the descendants were stricken with this affliction. In color blindness it is theorized
that the mechanical process of the eye, known
as the photopic, does not function properly.
All the related sensory bodies are not then
being excited within the retina. As a result
there is a colorless gray which seems to cover
the spectmm. The visin, in such cases, will
respond, however, to the brightness of great
er illumination but, we repeat, the colors of
the spectrum are not apparently experienced
in absolute color blindness.
Later research with eyes of vertebrates has
determined that as many as seven photochemical elements are necessary for color
visinwith, of course, the proper functioning of the mechanism referred to. Five
photosensitive pigments have been extracted
from the retina of vertebrates. X
The Evolution of God
A frater of New York rises and addresses
our Forum: Religiously man has evolved
from animism, through polytheism, to monotheism. Most people have an anthropomorphic conception of God, but the more
advanced ones consider him as a Mind-Cause.
Is it probable that in the future the concep
tion of the advanced thinkers will change?

OCTOBER, 1957

If so, what does the Rosicrucian Order consider will be the conception of the future
which, of course, will be progressive?
For man to know God, in the sense that the
Divine or Cosmic and all of its attributes
could be conceived, would mean that man
would no longer be finite. The human intel
ligence that could embrace the Absolute in
its entirety would have to be co-extensive
with it. We may use the following simple
analogy to better explain our statement. One
who stands upon a high plateau, which is
ringed with magnificent snow-capped peaks,
is not able to view the panorama at one time.
The angle of his visin is limited. He can
only see a portion of the magnificent scenery.
To see more he must revolve, turn about;
and then he sees only a new section from
each of the different positions which he has
assumed. Figuratively speaking, the evolving human consciousness is the equivalent
of the spectator gradually turning about on
the plateau and having revealed to him each
time a separate and new spectacle. At no
time could the human consciousness embrace
all of the Cosmic phenomena.
In the first place, as Immanuel Kant so
positively asserted, the human organism is
conditioned in its conceptions. Our cate
gories, such as the sense qualities and the
notions of quantity, and of time and space,
are realizations. The structure of our brain,
the kind of sensations to which we respond,
and the ideas which are formed, can never
give us a true picture of the Absolute, cali
it what you will. For analogy, we may
change the color of the glasses through
which we peer at Cosmic reality, but we
will always be conferring upon it an illusionary form, the result of such glasses.
If the human consciousness were entirely
absorbed in the universal consciousness, then
there would be a harmony of mans mind
with the Absolute. On the other hand, there
would then be no individuality, no such
construction as we cali self. For, although
man realizes self, no matter the afflatus of
his soul or the state of his Cosmic Conscious
ness, he has not yet a complete conception
of the Cosmic. To realize the individual self,
the human ego, to any degree, means that
one is still possessed of finiteness. Such
finiteness is an assurance that the Cosmic
conception that accompanies the realization
of self is relatively limited.

Page 45

Succinctly put, the Cosmic, the Absolute,

or God, whichever term you prefer, tran
scends in its pristine and all-embracing na
ture any construction in terms of ideas which
man may place upon it. Mans definitions
of the Cosmic are always limited to the
qualities of his senses. His comparisons are
made relative to his experience and knowl
edge. Greatness in terms of power and
achievement has always been but an ex
tensin of human ends and faculties.
Animism, the earliest form of religin,
reveis the lack of knowledge had by man
in recognizing the qualities of life forc.
With the further distinction of such properties of life, these powers were then conferred by the human upon all images, those
alive and those not; and they were revered
because of their mystery. Since primitive
religin and its spiritas well as those of
some of the dogmas of modera sectsare
rooted in fear, all superior forces and pow
ers were apotheosized by man as supematural
beings, and were likewise to be feared.
Polytheism reveis the human lack of appreciation of the unity of natural phenomena.
Each manifestation of natural power or de
velopment was conceived as being distinct
in purpose and origin. Gradually, such virtues and powers were unified by the mind
of man and were held to be vested in a
theogony, or a single family of gods. The
next step was the pantheon, .the hierarchy
which had a superior deity and a graduated
scale of lesser deities. From this then emerged
the conception of monotheism, a supreme
deity in whom all the former, lesser powers
were incorporated. Such a conception reflects mans progress in social organization
and in goverament, and in the centralizing
of powers in certain persons.
Anthropomorphism that is, men and
gods of the same general imageis the con
ferring by the human mind of its own form
and powers upon an assumed, superior be
ing. The god must be like something. Man
can only think in terms of his experiences
and his sense qualities, such as color, dimensions, fragrance, taste and the like. A su
perior being is held to be superior in that
he must excel man to some degree. There
fore, the human activities and qualities are
exaggerated and then attributed to this be
ing or god. Such beings must have greater
strength, greater beauty of form, greater en-

Page 46

durance and mentality than those had by

man.
Fundamentally, it was conceived, as well,
that the self-discipline and virtues of the god
or gods exceeded those of men. Since hu
man virtues were eventually thought to emanate from the gods, the latter were
conceived to be morally perfect. The early
Greeks, however, whose gods were heroic
beings, were believed to possess many of the
foibles of human nature and were thought
to be subject to the same temptations.
Though the notion of the universal mind,
or a teleological cause, is recognized as an
advanced religious conception, most of .the
devotees interpreting it have an anthropomorphic view. In their case, the attributes
are not a physical form or a manlike image
conferred upon the divine, but rather humanlike intellectual and emotional qualities.
The average devotee of the Universal Mind
concept bestows upon that Mind the usual
human mental faculties. He holds this Ab
solute Mind to have purpose, to seek ends,
to have ideis of which it is conscious and
toward which it strives. Man further at
tributes to this Mind notions of vales such
as good and evil, construction and destruc
tion, harmony and inharmony, evolution and
devolution. Further, he believes that this
Universal Mind displays such emotions as
love and compassion. Such a conception,
though in a sense less primitive than the
notion of the physical image of the divine,
is still too humanized, too infused with
human comparisons, .to be other than
anthropomorphic.
To refer to Absolute Being as a conscious
forc is perhaps an ascent in thought over
the usual defining of Universal Mind. How
ever, even the word conscious has its roots
in ideas paralleling that consciousness ex
pressed in man himself. A word other than
conscious, yet designating its functions,
might be more appropriate.
It is to be noticed that as mans spiritual
and mental visions enlarge, he strips the
former Gods of their determinative quali
ties. It is because man comes to realize in
a more profound understanding that such
former qualities are too confining, too finite
to be of the divine. The divine, as Spinoza
has related, is no particular attribute, or
can it be limited to the sum of all those
attributes which are known to man. The
divine, or God, must and always will tran-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

scend the human conception which is had

of Him. The advanced religions will, like
most of the mystics of od, perhaps finally
find that God is ineffable and inscrutable
insofar as words and terms are concemed.
There will be just the Absolute Being, the
One, the All, the Eternal even these words
have human connotations in implying an
understanding of God.X
Were They Members?
Frequently it is asked, why did not such
eminent men as Benjamn Franklin, Isaac
Newton, Gottfried von Leibnitz, Claude Debussy, and a host of other celebrities reveal
their Rosicmcian membership? Why is it
that in most reference works such as encyclopedias and historieseven biographies
there is no reference to their Rosicmcian
affiliation? From such prima-facie evidence
it would appear that these persons have
never had any connection or association with
the Rosicruciansand that AMORCs ref
erence to them is, to say the least, highly
imaginary.
First, it must be realized that the times in
which most of these celebrities lived were
not generally as liberal as now. Religious
persecution and tyranny were even more
prevalent. The mass mind was not as fa
miliar with the subjects of the Rosicmcian
teachings, as with philosophy, metaphysics,
hermeticism, and the sciences. In fact, many
of the subjects taught and more or less proclaimed by AMORC today would have been
thought heretical three centuries ago by the
public. In those days the great philosopher,
Baruch Spinoza, was thought to be a godless
man! Even in the more recent times, Thomas
Jefferson was declared to be an atheist because of his liberal views on the divine and
for his construction of certain Biblical termi
nology! Today, .the educated person on reading the writings of these men would cali
them unorthodox9 perhaps, but at least they
would be regarded as being exceedingly
spiritually-minded men. In fact, Spinoza has
since been heralded as God intoxicated.
In such times and because of such condi
tions, the Rosicmcian Order functioned sub
rosa for the most part. It did so to prevent
the persecution of its members by fanatical
religionists. Whereas today, with the exception of Spain and one or two other countries
where religious tyranny reigns supreme, the
Church may vilify and attack the Rosicru-

OCTOBER, 1957

cian Order, it yet lacks the power to imprison

its members and to confscate its records and
membership rolls. Because of persecution,
membership cards or printed identifications
were in the past not issued to members as
they are today. No fraternal emblems were
wom. In the past, a casual inquirer would
never leam who were members of the Rosi
cmcian Order.
The buildings of the Order were likewise
concealed for the same reasons. The word
secret, in those days, as applied to the Order,
meant not just prvate (as now) but ac
tually necessary concealment. All assemblies
or conclaves of the Order were sequestered
in some inconspicuous place. There were, of
course, no photographs taken of the celeb
rities, no announcements of dignitares who
were present, as is common today. It was
not that the Order desired such a state of
affairs; it was not that these eminent persons
of the past were not proud of their affiliation!
They were. However, more could be accomplished by their silence than by any
proclamation of their membership at that
time.
There were exceptions, of course, to this
secrecy of affiliation. One such notable ex
ample was Robert Fludd, eminent English
medical doctor (1574-1637). He is known as
a Rosicmcian apologist because of his de
fense of the Order. The unfair attacks on
the Order had reached virulent proportions
in malicious libel. Fludd issued works in
defense of the Rosicmcians which are masterpieces. He gave his ame as author and
immediately became a personal target of
attack.
Some of the authors gave pseudonyms in
connection with their works. Only members
of the Rosicmcian Order knew the real identity of such authors. Public references, as
encyclopedias, would have no such information at their disposal. In these public ref
erence works, it might be said: it is
alleged that he was associated with the
Rosicmcian Order though there is no evi
dence to that effect. Still other encyclo
pedias will relate that a certain eminent
personality was in association with a person
who was known to be affiliated with the
sect known as the Rosicmcians. An ex
ample of this indirect reference appears in
an encyclopedia with regard to the founding
of the Royal Society of England. It mentions ames, as that of Ashmole, who was

Page 47

a known alchemistand a Rosicmcian.

Unless an individual authored books 011
the Rosicmcian Order or on its teachings
which many did, in their own ame, or
through a pseudonymn which was known
there was no outward indication of his
Rosicmcian affiliation. Determining whether
one was a Rosicmcian in centures past can
not be done by the same standards that we
use today. Because persons did not say that
they were Rosicmcians was not proof that
they were not. To AMORC today, the indications of membership of celebrities of the
past rests on four general points:
(1) Personal revelation by the individual
himself.
(2) Works signed by a Rosicmcian symbolic ame.
(3) Traditional accounts from the Order
itself referring to a persons affiliation.
(4) Manuscripts and books containing ter
minology and symbols distinctly that of the
Rosicmcians.
We are, of course, proud of the distinguished persons who have been affiliated
with the Order in the pastand at the
present. I themselves, however, such personalities add nothing to the personal advantages which are to be derived from
membership in the Order. Who has affiliated,
or who is a member now, adds no more
profundity to the teachings or does it
quicken ones consciousness and contrbute
to his enlightenment. If distinguished minds
have contrbuted to the teachings, that is
important by the fact of what they have
discovered and taught. If they have made
no direct contribution to the organization,
then their eminence is of no greater valu
to the Order or to the individual member
than is any other ame.
There are individuis who are constantly
inquiring as to what prominent persons
have been, or are, affiliated with the Rosi
crucian Order? It is evident from their inquires that such information would be a
determining factor for them as to whether
they become members of the Order or not.
Psychologically, such persons are seeking
personal distinction vicariously. In other
words, not having distinguished themselves
or feeling unable to do so through personal
effort, they want to belong to a group of
eminent persons. In this wayvicariously
they believe they will have eminence reflected upon themselves.X

Supematural!

The World of Mysterious Phenomena

TO^hat are the strange joumeys of the soul? Who speaks the words you hear within?
w Are the visions you glimpse, and which lift you to the heights, pranks of the mind
or are they momentary glimpses into a world of phenomena of which man is yet in
ignorance? Is there an intelligence which manifests in an extraordinary manner or
can all unusual experiences be explained by natural law and order?
The word S u p e r n a t u r a l rings throughout the world today as it
has for centimes. But in this age an impartial investigation and a
serious study of the unusual can be had. What greater fascination
is there than that of the unknown? What greater enjoyment can be
had than an inquiry into the mysterious? The greatest minds of all
ages have put themselves to this task of investigation. Some oppose
and contradict each other, but their findings constitute a wealth of
knowledge.
The R e a d e r s R e s e a r c h A c a d e m y has collected these writings and
is presenting them in a simple and efficient manner for all who
enjoy good reading and who seek an instmctive pstame. The fol
lowing are but a few of the many courses the Readers Research
Academy offers you:
SUPERNATURAL
SOME MYSTERIOUS ADVENTURES
ARCANE COSMOLOGY
(The strange theory of our universe)

W E ARE H EREW HY?

THE KEY TO THE UNIVERSE
UNIVERSAL SPIRIT
(The truth about Cosmic Consciousness)

You may have two lengthy lecture-lessons of any course you select
each month for the small sum of but 75c (5/6 sterling) per month.
You may discontinu the course at will or transfer to another course
any time you desire. There is no better way to occupy your spare
time, or no more profitable enjoyment than these exceptional courses
of reading. Send your request for the course and remittance to:

THE READERS RESEARCH ACADEMY

R o s ic ru c ia n

P a rk , San

These courses are the

open door to a natural
world of mystery.

J os,

C a lifo rn ia ,

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

U.

S.

A.

TH E ROSICRUCIAN P R E S S , L TD .

Within the comfort and

security of your home,
these strange truths
are revealed.

December, 1957
Volume X X V II I

No. 3

Rosicrucian Forum
A p rv a te

p u b lic a tio n for m e m b e rs of A M O R C

RUTH PA R RA N , F. R. C.
Inspector G eneral of A M O R C fo r N e w Y o rk City

Page 50

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

RECO N STRUCTIO N O F SO C IETY

Dear Fratres and Sorores:
The question was asked of us the other
day: If it were in your power to do some
thing constructive for the whole of mankind,
what would you consider the greatest need?
Most of us have some general conception
of the deficiencies and insufficiencies of the
human race. As a consequence, our most
immediate response is to cite some program
or form of activity that seems the probable
solution to the problem as we unthinkingly
conceive it. We say unthinkingly because
most of our notions of the basic causes of
social disturbances and unhappiness in the
world do not orignate in our personal observance or analysis of prevailing conditions.
They are inheiited ideas, mostly the opinions
of others. The suggestions we are inclined
to offer are, therefore, more or less repetitious. They are a personal recital of the
views of others which have seemed probable
to us and are expressed in our own words.
As we, however, sincerely ponder such a
question, try to discover what might be done
to alleviate the growing social disorder and
turbulence, our first suggestions, the usual
ones, seem fallow. Most of what is proposed
to assure world peace and the harmony of
society has already been tried to some de
gree in past centuriesand without convincing success, It would seem, then, that a
radical approach to the entire problem is
needed.
The word radical has today the undertone
of unpleasant connotation. It is made to
appear that the nonconformist, the one who
seeks to depart from customs and conventions by tuming sharply at right angles to
some of them, is a fanatic and anarchist.
The true radical, however, is not a destry
er. He does not tear down because of sadistic
delight. He does not shatter the concepts and
traditions of others to enjoy any hurt such
may cause them. What he removes or casts
aside is part of an evolutionary scheme. He

considers it as debris to be replaced by a

finer, more noble structure. Like any intel
ligent builder, he does not remove any ex
isting thing until he has something which,
in quality, form, or content, will transcend
the former.
The intelligent radical knows that, if his
ideis or concepts have not yet been proved,
then the change he proposes must at first be
gradual. To oblitrate the established in its
entirety upon theory alone can only result
in chaos, if the idea is false. The radical,
however, is willing to risk some loss where
the new concept gives evidence of having
merit and will result in improvement.
Why not, then, a reconstruction of society,
not strictly along political lines as evidenced
in Communist countries but in every department of human endeavor? Is it not time for
the world to acquire a new look at itself?
Such a proposal, of course, is but an echo of
Plato as voiced in his New Republic. Today
much of what Plato proposed over two thousand years ago would not be acceptable because it would not be practical in a world
of different circumstances and demands upon
.the individual. But the necessity of such a
reconstruction still prevails.
How and where would such a reconstruc
tion begin? What aspects of modem life
would it revolutionize? Should anything remain inviolateif it could be improved
just because it was hoary with age or bathed
in an aura of reverence? Why not begin
with a philosophical system of moris and
ethics? Let such a system have as well a
psychological foundation, that is, be related
to the categories of the human mind, instincts, and emotions. Take moris out of
the category of religious traditions, super
natural edicts and the fear of punishment
in the afterlife. Let such moris be a prac
tical rational method of behavior, a scientific
relationship of the individual to his society.
Cause the moris to be as impersonal as

DECEMBER, 1957

Page 51

mathematics and dependable in adapting .the

individual to the requirements of successful
living.
Many of the powerful organized religions
have exerted too great an influence on the
conduct of government. Such an influence,
since it represents an implied spiritual pur
pose, seldom has its doctrines questioned
insofar as they tend to shape the laws of
the land. As a consequence, we have Chris
tian, Hind, Buddhist, and Judaic nations
for example. Such reference means that the
lawmakers, the legislators, and constitutions
of such countries are primaxily influenced or
under the aegis of the precepts of the respec
tive dominant religions.
The moral principies, at least as they are
expressed in the laws of the country, should
be reviewed. They should be detached from
their religious background and analyzed as
to their worth in human behavior. If they
are found to be sound and pragmatic, they
should be retained because of such qualities
and not because of their ecclesiastical tradi
tions and exposition. Let the philosophical
and psychological definition of the goodness
of the individual be entirely understood.
What constitutes the individuals part in
society? Do not place goodness strictly upon
the level of a spiritual obligation to be met.
Goodness must not be made to seem just a
personal sacrifice and compassion, a special
kind of conduct which all men are to assume
as a price for the divine privilege of life.
Rather, man should be taught what their
basic drives and desires are. These should
not be considered as inherently evil or as
earthy and something opposed to divine pur
pose. Their function should be understood.
Then the need of the individuars restraint
in social discipline should be explained.
Since life is basically selfish in the sense
of preservation for its own end, the desires
and urges of so-called normal human beings
cannot be construed as being inherently evil.
They are consistent with the impelling forc

of life. But man is a social animal as well

as being a member of a species. To live, he
must co-operate with society. In fact, society
in a complex world is his habitat. To defy
the requirements of society is to fight against
his own nterests and to jeopardize his life.
Just as the emotionally mature and balanced
person will not take his own life, so, it could
be explained, the normal person will not
oppose such rules as are necessary for his
social existence.
Religin expounds certain ecstasies, su
preme pleasures, to be had in the next life
as a reward for virtuous living and conforming to the dogmas of its sects. Let a modem
philosophy, augmented by science, disclose
the pleasures of living in this life. It should
be delineated that mortal pleasures are not,
however, limited to sensuality alone. There
are intellectual pleasures and states of con
sciousness derived from the attainment of
certain ideis that afford transcendent pleas
ure here on earth.
It can be related that instinctively every
individual strives to do right. This inclination may be of divine origin but it can also
be explained from a philosophical and psy
chological point of view without depreciating
its spiritual significance. All men do what
they conceive to be righteven the criminal.
It is incumbent to define the right in terms
of praotical living and how the individual
can come to realize it. When this is done
and abided by, the individual can experience
a degree of happiness commensurate with
what religin expounds as the spiritual
reward.
A reconstruction of society must, as well,
endeavor to arrive at a unified purpose for
man. The various arts and sciences, the
humanities as a whole, and religin generally have separate vales for their activities.
These may be stated as aesthetic appreciation, u tilita r ia n achievements, economy,
knowledge, health, and longevity. There is
no parallelism between these human en-

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 of the U. S. Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Deprrment
of Publication of the Supreme Council of A M O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $2.25 (16/6 sferlng) ANNUALLY FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page 52

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

deavors. The respective interpretations of

what these endeavors hope to achieve for
mankind do not all coincide. Many are in
conflict with or have a contemptuous attitude toward one another, as has long been
evidenced on the part of religin toward
Science.
Very few modera scientistswith the exception of such men as Eddington, Jeans,
and Einsteincan explain how science is
contributing to a unified purpose in society
other than: (a) providing factual knowledge
of nature and (b) applying such knowledge
to longer life and ease of living.
One may ask, What should man strive to
know? Why should he live longer? Should
not man set an ultmate objective for him
self on earth toward which his knowledge
and gradually increasing longevity would be
mere tools or instruments? Science politely
leaves these questions to the category of
speculation and abstraction. It states that
these are of the realm of religin and phi
losophy. The latter are often critical of
science as being too material and lacking in
any idealism.
In trying to preserve its traditions, society
remains thus divided. A conciliatory, liberal
and courageous movement is needed to tie
together the lines of human thought and
activity. We must courageously hew away
all obstruotions that prevent a unified pur
pose for mankind. Are we, of today, afraid
to face a reconstruction of the elements of a
social order to which we have become accustomed? Or have we become caught in
an impelling tide which it is easier to float
upon than to swim againstuntil humanity
is ultimately immersed in a Whirlpool of
social chaos?
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
Is Morality Declining?
A frater in Australia now addresses our
Forum. Is morality in the world declining
today, or are the changes we witness normal
ones to which we shall have to adapt our
selves?
The basis of moris in most all societies
is that behavior which conforms to the commonly accepted spiritual principies. In the
matter of moris, a society fashions them

according to that good which has its foundation in a generally accepted religious code
as, for example, the Ten Commandments.
Such codes or so-called edicts are associated
with some traditional heritage. Usually, they
originate in an exposition by the founder or
avatar of the sect which adheres to them.
The moral practices of a society, however,
more often are a considerable elaboration up
on the basic spiritual precepts which have
been recognized. This elaboration is the
consequence of an interpretation, and it is
engendered from experience as to what con
forms to the good of society and the social
conscience. The fluctuation, the change in
the moris of a society, is likewise due to
varying interpretations of its basic spiritual
precepts. Of course, a society may become
devoid of spiritual idealism. Its foundation
of morality is then strictly a matter of expedient behavior. In such instances, men
will prohibit or require certain acts, not because of any allegiance to a God or to spirit
ual traditions, but because they have found
the acts necessary for their mutual welfare.
A society, therefore, which might have little
spiritual influence or teaching, could as a
matter of expedience outlaw theft, murder,
and perjury.
The extensive education of a society, the
rising level of knowledge, has a considerable
impact upon its morality. Education broadens the mental view and likewise libralizes
the thought. As a consequence, all codes,
religious and legal, are construed more
broadly. The construction is motivated in
the enlightened societies principally by reason rather than by emotion. Education, if it
is general and not confined to specific sub
jects, tends to acquaint the individual more
with himself. The subjects of metaphysics,
psychology, psychiatry, anatomy and physiology, for example, give one an insight into
his constitution and thought processes. Much
then which was once thought evil or a
sin is toleratedat least it is not considered immoral.
For example, let us consider the case of a
girl that has a child out of wedlock. The
modem, enlightened society does not con
sider that a sin against God. It recognizes
the natural urges of individuis and the
temptations of persons to submit to natural
demands. The people of such a society may
realize that the consequence of such acts

DECEMBER, 1957

could become a social stigma; therefore, so

ciety will establish legal requirements in
which the parents are obliged to support the
child and in some instances may be compelled to marry. These are rules of expediency, however, and not of moris.
The modern society comes to know that
much of morality and conscience is the con
sequence of environmental influence and of
social pattems and habits to which one must
more or less adjust. They know that the
letter of the moral code is man-made. The
motivation to conform to a standard of good
is immanent in most persons but the con
struction and words of that desire are wholly
of human originnot Divine.
Morality and social idealism are closely
aligned. Mens ideis for the betterment of
their kind stem from the so-called spiritual
urges which they have. It is the result of
the finer sentiments and impulses which they
experience within themselves. A well-developed sense of sympathy, compassion and
love of ones fellow men arouses thoughts or
ideis to represent them. In the formation
of such ideis men frequently tum to re
ligious precepts or to the traditional moral
code. An analysis of most of the great documents or declarations of governments, such
as their constitutions, reveis a spirit most
consistent with the prevailing morality of
the people.
When social and spiritual idealism de
cline, then, regardless of the level of society
and its learning, morality lowers proportionately. A materialistic society is one
whose principies of idealismgratification
of the physical being and a limited expres
sion of the egotend to disregard moral
precepts. It fails in self-discipline. It conforms to certain behavior only by social
compulsinthe law of the landnot because of any personal desire to do so. We
find men resorting to an increasing number
of unethical acts, even what amounts to
thievery, deception, and lying in their busi
ness transactions; they come to justify such
conduct as being necessary, as the compul
sin of competition or as subtle points of sales
psychology, or shrewd mneuvering and the
like. They will often with little compunction
ruthlessly ruin individuis. They go the full
limit of the legal boundaries of their society
if not beyond.

Page 53

When there is corruption of self-discipline

as applied to any form of conduct, it usually
deteriorates in every other relationship into
which the individual enters. One who has
no compunction about lying in business because it proves to his advantage will also
resort to making mendacious statements in
his other affairs. One who will hurt another
in order to gain in one form of activity will
do likewise in any other commitment which
is to his advantage. Psychologically, when
the personal consciences of groups of indi
viduis are lowered, the mass or public con
science declines, as well.
Extreme materialism contributes to the
lowering of the prvate and public conscience
and the decline of moris. It establishes a
wholly external dependence. The individual
comes to believe that his whole personal
peace and security is to be found in the ma
terial achievements of his day. He relies on
what he can buy, control, and possess for
the satisfaction of his ego. Humanitaran
idealism and the impulses that are called
moral dictates are then placed in a secondary
category. Those who govem their lives by
principies founded upon the higher motivations come to be termed dreamers and idealists, these references being made in a derogatory sense.
Any great prosperity of the masses tends
to lower the moral standards of society. At
such times it is the end that seems to justify
the means. If material things are easily accessible or relatively so, and if they provide
a kind of happinesseven though transient
that then suffices. The more lasting happi
ness, which a moral philosophy and study
advcate, is considered of comparatively
little valu. It may even be thought an interference with the required time for material
attainment.
Incongruous as it may seem, in the light
of the above remarks, in prosperous times
religin will flourish; more and more elabr
ate religious edifices are built at such times.
This does not indicate a deepening moral
sense upon the part of the individual. Rather,
the individual who has more ampie funds
during the eras of prosperity contributes to
the traditional institutions with which his
family has been aligned. Such institutions he
accepts as having some valu, even though
in his personal life they may influence him

Page 54

only slightly. He supports them as a kind

of prop or background of his social order.
Today, church attendance in the United
States in particular is greater than ever
without necessarily any increased moral be
havior on the part of the populace. A great
number of these church attendants are escapists. They are confused and fearsome of the
times in which they live and of the nuclear
sword of Damocles which hangs over their
heads. The American press with its continuous scare headlines, exceeding most of the
press of Europe in this regard, and in its
implied dire threats to mankind incites a
sense of helplessness in many people. They
do not understand the present activity and
the intricacies of science; they acquire a distorted view of the whole function of the
atomic age from their public sources of information. They tum to the quieting and
emotional appeals of their religious sects; in
connection with these, most are not obliged
to think and many more often cise their
eyes to reality. They hope then for some
divine intelligence to intercede while they
withdraw, figuratively, from the problems of
their day.
The intelligent, thinking members of so
ciety realize that most moris expounded by
religin, as said, have their roots in specific
necessary human behavior. To completely
abolish such moral standards would be to
bring society to the brink of destruction. As
a consequence, advanced societies will in
corprate the fundamentis of such moral
principies in their legal codes, as most have
done. The average man, then, will realize
that such standards are for his personal benefit as well as for his neighbors. Thus, even
if he acts solely for self-pleasure rather than
out of love for his fellow man, he will want
to prevent morality from completely deteriorating.X
Does the Universe Expand?
A frater of South Africa now arises to ask
our Forum: If all there ever was is eternal,
then how can the universe expand? How
does the saying of there is nothing new un
der the sun fit into this? If you could shed
a little more light on these questions, I would
be very pleased.
It would seem from logical thinking that
that which is infinite could not expand.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

From the time of the ancient Ionic philosophers most thinkers have conceived the uni
verse as a continuum and infinite in nature.
The reasoning has been that for a thing to
be finite it must be compared to something
else. To what would the universe be com
pared, if it is ubiquitous and is all inclusive?
Simply put, into what could the universe
expand? From the astronomical point of
view, however, the universe is not just abstract pur being. It is physical properties,
galaxies, nebulae, stars, suns, gases, and
radiations. Of what that consists in which
they dwell is as yet a metaphysical problem.
It is, of course, a kind of being but as of now,
so far as science is concerned, it is unidentifiable.
The theory of the expanding universe
arises from the observation that remte
spiral nebulae are, to all appearances, rushing away from the earth. These nebulae are
also apparently rushing away from each
other at terrific speeds up to 7,200 miles a
second. Distinguished astronomers at Mt.
Wilson Observatory found that the speeds
of nebulae are proportionate to their distances from us. This theory coincides with
the cosmology expounded by the theory of
relativity.
A nbula, for example, whose light takes
ten million years to reach us has, according
to this theory of proportionate distance, a
speed of 900 miles a second. Others are
approximately proportional to th e ir distances. Presuming that the nebulae are
rushing farther away from us each second,
if we trace them backward we find that
originally they must have had a starting
point in the neighborhood of our sun. Ac
cording to the estmate based on this theory,
they were all congregated relatively near the
sun but a few thousand million years ago!
We can think of them like marbles congre
gated around an orangethen something
scattering them at stupendous speed. This
theory then of the receding nebulae suggests
that we are living in an expanding universe
so far as these properties are concemed, if
we consider them alone as the universe. This
expanding, it is further contended, must have
started as recently as a few thousand million
years ago.
It is related that, if the theory is true, the
stars were once parked together. The great
age of millions and millions of years which

DECEMBER, 1957

the astronomers have attributed to the stars

would not be true. This theory of the recession of the nebulae is based upon what is
known as Dopplers principie. For simple
analogy, we know that the sound of an automobile hom grows deeper in pitch as it recedes from us. On the same principie, light
emitted by a receding body appears redder in
color than that emitted by a body approaching us, says Sir James Jeans. The color in
light corresponds to pitch in sound.
The spectral lines of color which are well
defined are studied by the astronomer. They
constitute a kind of celestial speedometer. By
observing the red shiftthat is, the color
moving farther into the red in the spectrum
it is determined that the body is receding
from us. Conversely, when it is in the blue,
it is held to be approaching us. Most nebulae,
it has been found, have an increasingly red
der light. It is thus thought that they are
rapidly receding.
In conflict with this theory of the relation
ship of redness to the recession of celestial
bodies is the fact that there are other causes
of redness. It is claimed that distance alone
produces redness. Therefore, the body might
not be receding when it is observed. A noted
astronomer has said that the gravitational
pul of the stars and nebulae on light passing
near them causes it to be deflected. Further,
light from the nearest nebulae is not redder
but bluer than normal. It is held that
light can only be bluer by an actual physical
approach. This would mean, then, that the
nebulae are approaching us. There are bodies
which have a redness for some mysterious
reason which man has not yet leamed. On
the other hand, it has been discovered that
masses seem to exert a repulsive forc far
greater than the attractive forc of gravitation. Various theories have been introduced
to try to explain how one body may repulse
another so as to cause it to hurtle into outer
space at tremendous speeds. If this is so,
of course, it supports the expanding-universe
theory.
Let us visualize a large vessel in which
are grouped a number of marbles. Suddenly
they are dispersed and move with great
speed away from the large marble which
they formerly surrounded. We presume, as
we have heretofore said, that the marbles
and their radiations symbolize the physical
properties of the universe. What, then, is

Page 55

the large vessel in which they move? As

long as the marbles remain in that vessel,
in which they move, they have not expanded
anything except in the distance between one
another. The marbles are not the whole
reality. That in which they move is likewise
of the reality. So long as that in which these
marbles move is capable of retaining them,
then that itself constitutes a reality. It is as
much the universe as all within it. No mat
ter how fast and far celestial bodies recede
as masses and energies, their mdium is not
necessarily expanding just because it con
tines to contain them.
If we knew that the most distant nebulae
were actually limits of that in which they
dwell, then their recession would constitute
an expanding universe, but we have no such
knowledge. It is quite probable that, if the
universe is a sea of energy, in which dwell
masses called matter, then this sea, as a
whole, may plsate; that is, it may expand
and contract periodically. This would account for the whole electromagnetic spec
trum of radiationthat which is known and
that which is not yet known.X
Does the Soul Enter at Birth?
A frater in England addresses our Forum,
and says: A recent newspaper report relates
a physicians hearing a baby cry before
birth. I have understood it to be laid down
as a fundamental principie that soul or independent life enters the body with the first
breathing at birth. If a baby were heard to
cry before birth this would appear to contradict the above fundamental principie and
cali for a revisin of same. If such an instance were to happen only once in a million
births it would be sufficient to nullify the
above law. I would like this subject considered in the Forum.
The metaphysical and ontological prin
cipie involved conceming birth and the entrance of the soul essence is this. With the
individual breathing of .the separate organism
through its own respiratory system the infant acquires a separate consciousness and
the quality of nous, that positive polarity by
which it becomes an independent expression
of soul-personality. The crying of the infant
before birth indicates physiologically that air
must exist in the lungs of the child. But it
cannot b established that the child before

Page 56

birth is a separate physical entity and that

air in its lungs was acquired solely through
its own respiratory and nervous systems.
Further, the positive polarity of nous conveyed by the air in the unbom infants lungs
does not vitalize the childs independent nerv
ous systems. Before birth, the physical attachment of the child to the mother implies
that the organs and nervous systems of the
mother are the dominant influence.
Taking these physiological and psychological facts into consideration, we believe that
the metaphysical and mystical principie
(that there is no separate consciousness or
function of soul until the child takes its
first breath independent of its mother) must
continu to prevail. The positive polarity of
nous, that Creative forc and intelligence
from which the function and phenomenon
called soul arises, exists in the air which we
breathe. It is a material property in the
sense that it is a frequency in .the spectrum
of energy, but it is of such a high frequency
that it is generally considered to be im
material.
This essence, as said, could be in the
lungs of the unbom child just as it is in the
ones of the infant following birth. The
mechanism by which this energy is con
verted into intelligence and states of con
sciousness, by which the soul manifests, is
binary before birth. By that we mean that
it functions just before birth in unisn with
the organism of the mother. There is not
that detachment which constitutes a free
soul-personality.
We may use a simple analogy to better
explain this. Let us assume that we have
two devices which are capable of functioning
separately. However, they are mechanically
attached to each other so that they func
tion synchronously; or, perhaps one is the
mother device and govems the other. Let
us further assume that the electrical current
flowing through each device is of the same
voltage and of the same cycle. This electrical
current we may liken unto the positive
polarity of nous taken into the lungs with
each breath. Although both devices or ma
chines are imbued with the same electrical
energy, neither one can be said to be indedependent, that is, self-goveming. Even if
both interlocked units produce similar effectsjust as the crying of the unbom and
the newly bom infant are the same.they

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

are nevertheless mutually governed, or at

least one is controlled by the other.
We must repeat, then, that we do not
think the fundamental precept as set forth
in the Rosicrucian ontology, that the soul
enters only with the first breath of the newbom infant, is altered by the case cited
here.X
Importance of Explanations
Surely, there is no intelligent being who
has never asked the question, W hyl Almost
everything that comes about in our experi
ence raises that question, and its answer is
sometimes very difficult to find. Why certain
events should take place, why certain ex
periences should be ours, are questions upon
which men not only ponder, but sometimes
actually brood to the point of being morbid.
There are individuis, who, as a result of
their brooding and consideration of an
answer to a question, have made themselves
actually physically ill, or brought about a
condition which has made it impossible for
them to properly do their work and carry
on their regular activities.
In other words, the importance to the
average individual of the explanation of
certain factors is so great that the amount
of effort and time that is put on the at
tempt is sometimes completely out of proportion to the question or answer. There
are many explanations that are never attained by the human being in this physical
life. This statement may be discouraging
from the point of view of the individual who
is literally using all his efforts toward solving
something that may be forcing itself upon
his consciousness, but, regardless of this fact,
it is nevertheless tme.
We can find a parallel to .this situation if
we look back over our own life. Many were
the times when as children we asked the
question, Why? Why should we behave in
a certain manner? Why should we study
certain subjects in school? Why were moral
issues important? Why should we do things
that our parents told us to do, when it
seemed as though there were other activities
that would be more enjoyable and more
useful to us?
Many of these questions were not answered at the time that they seemed im
portant; that is, we were unable to arrive

DECEMBER, 1957

at a satisfactory explanation of why we

should go to school, or study certain subjects,
or why we should behave in a certain man
ner. As adults, we now believe we know
the answers to the questions, but their im
portance is all out of proportion to what it
was at the time when the situation originated. In other words, we have a vague idea
as to why it was necessary for us to go to
school and receive an education, but our
answer to that question today would not
have satisfied us when we were children.
In other words, the sum and substance of
the argument is that often when the ex
planation is found it is no longer of the
importance that it seemed to be at the time
that the question originated.
I think this same fact can be applied to
all the questions that are raised in the course
of human existence. We cannot today ex
plain many situations that exist in our lives
or about us. We cannot explain the existence
of good and evil. We cannot understand
why some people seem to needlessly suffer.
It is very difficult for us to accept the suffering of good people, or the innocent per
secution of those who do not seem to deserve
it. We cannot understand why some of us
have more energy than others, why some are
happy, why some are not. These questions
have been questions that have existed in
the mind of intelligent people as long as they
have been intelligent, but I am more or less
convinced that the answers to the questions,
when they come, will have much less im
portance than we place upon them at the
present time.
Just as we see now why it was necessary
for us to behave in a certain way when we
were children, so at some indeterminable
future time, we will probably see why it was
necessary for us to go through certain ex
periences today; but then the experience, if
it has been properly leamed, will have more
significance than the reason for which we
had to participate in it.
Possibly the reason for explanations to all
things not being easily forthcoming is that
there is more importance directed to the
experience than to the end to be obtained.
Man lives a continuous existence, and to
have all the answers to all the questions he
may ask come at any one particular time
would, in a sense, stop all his progress and
all his growth. The process of living is not

Page 57

a process that can be summed up by the

answers to the questions that begin with the
word why. The process of living is a process
of continual growth, and man has tremendous potentialities into which he can grow.
As he grows into them, he is experiencing
the process of living itself, which is contributing in a way that may not be com
pletely apparent to a type of living that we
ordinarily classify as immortality.
In that period there will probably be
further experiences to take place, further
activities in which to participate, the full
meaning of which will continu to lie ahead,
because the only answer, the only state of
absolute perfection that can exist in the
universe, would have to be in an all-knowing
consciousness, the consciousness that we nor
mally ascribe to God. Mans evident purpose,
then, is to eventually reach a similar state,
a state when he will have all knowledge and
will be perfect as God is perfect; but until
that time comes, man only moves in that
direction, and as he meets and, to a degree,
Controls the situations that are his in life,
he will be contributing to an accumulation
of knowledge and experience that will cause
him to be able at some time and place to
answer the why of things.
When these questions which originate in
mans physical life are answered, there will
be others to challenge the ability that man
has acquired in the accumulation of the
knowledge which has brought him to that
particular point, and the answers we have
searched for so long will not be important.A
Human Freedom and Evil
The attempt to reconcile the existence of
freedom and evil in the world has been a
subject of philosophical speculation by many
individuis throughout history. To interpret
the purpose of life, man attempts to penetrate the apparent meanings of the universe
that he views, or in other ways perceives,
and also attempts to explain the existence
of those events or manifestations that are
seemingly inconsistent. Casual observation
of the universe makes it possible for us to
reach numerous conclusions, depending upon
our interpretation. There are events and
manifestations that clearly point toward the
existence of a divine being. There are also
many events and manifestations that seem

Page 58

to be in opposition to the existence of a

superior intelligence.
Regardless of our interpretation of the
universe, man is aware of the problem of
evil. He is faced with the existence of nega
tive forces in the universe that thwart his
desires and seem to stand in the way of his
progress. Anything that in this manner
impedes man obviously is considered a detriment and therefore an evil. A serious examination of both historical and contemporary events causes us occasionally to be
very discouraged by the evident existence
of evil. Whether or not good is after all the
final purpose in the ultmate achievement
of man, or whether evil is the more potent
power in the universe, having ones self
blocked from all worth-while attainment is
a possibility that no intelligent person can
ignore.
The problem of evil has had the consid
eration of many people throughout the history of mans thought. The solution to
this problem has never been satisfactorily
reached, although individuis settle it by
various methods. Some avoid the problem
altogether by simply acknowledging that the
human being is incapable of understanding
the whole of creation, and thereby is satis
fied to come to the conclusin that man
simply cannot understand some of the in
consistentes that seem to exist in the uni
verse. Other individuis will acknowledge
that good and evil both exist simultaneously,
and man must cope with both, avoiding one
and trying to attain the other.
There also are those who attempt to avoid
the problem altogether, or simply consider
evil as an illusion, and good as a reality,
and therefore state that evil is nonexistent.
Such a philosophy is difficult to adopt and
even more difficult to consistently accept and
practice as a philosophy of life. We are
aware of the existence of crime, atrocities,
war, dishonesty, and other forms of behavior
which detract from mans virtue. In our
awareness of the existence of these things, it
is extremely difficult for us to accept honestly
the premise that such events are merely
concepts of the mind and do not exist in
actuality. We cannot ignore the fact that
evil is existent and manifests in such be
havior.
The philosopher Epicurus made a nega
tive approach to the problem of evil when

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

he asked the question as to whether God

either could not or would not keep evil out
of the world. Epicurus argued that if God
could not keep evil from the universe, then
he was not infallible. If he would not, then
he did not exemplify the love that is presumed to exist in divine nature. In the
criticism of deity, Epicurus did not come any
nearer to solving the problem of evil than
have many other philosophers.
We cannot accept a point of view that
depreciates the valu of the Infinite. The
logical conclusin by the average human
being is that, while God is infinite in knowl
edge, in experience, and in purpose, He still
permits evil to exist. We are therefore forced
to conclude that either evil does exist as an
actuality in the world, or that man misinterprets the nature of evil.
I once defined evil in this manner: Evil
means anything that interferes with our
plans, that may cause us to abandon our
hopes or aspirations, that destroys what we
have worked to create, or causes us to suffer
bodily or mentally. This concept of evil, I
might add, is purely subjective. It is based
upon something interfering with our indi
vidual lives. This definition of evil is in
terms of considering ourselves in relation to
environment, and considering evil as some
thing that intrudes itself between us and a
satisfactory relationship to environment. I
have now come to the conclusin that the
definition does not go far enough; that evil
is an actual factor in environment; and that
evil is exclusively an attribute of the material
world.
We cannot conceive of a divine goodness
co-existing with evil; therefore, everything
that is evil, whether it be an evil action, or
evil behavior, is related to material which
composes the physical world in which we
live. From this point of view, evil is an
attribute of matter, and exists only so long
as matter itself exists and has effect upon
us only so long as matter is a factor of our
environment.
I am fully aware that this theory is controversial. Nevertheless, I am more and
more inclined to accept as a premise that
evil is inherent in matter and exists as an
actuality in the material world. As long as
we are a part of the physical world, we are
in a position where we are forced to work
with the solution of the problem of evil be-

DECEMBER. 1957

cause it is ever-present and ever a part of

the environment of which we also are a part.
To grasp this concept, we must remember
that matter is a transitory manifestation;
that it is a part of a physical world made
for a specific purpose and made to exist for
a specific length of time. It is a temporary
condition that will no longer prevail when
its purpose is fulfilled. We must cope with
the material world as long as life exists in
a physical body. We fail to cope with it by
shutting our eyes to the fact that evil exists
in matter. Evil is inherent in the physical
world, and it may be one purpose of mans
life to leam how to overcome its domination.
To lessen the domination of matter and
its attributes, we must remember that man,
as a living being, lives in two orders of
reality. He is a physical entity insofar as
his body is concemed, and in this sense he
is a part of the material universe. At the
same time, we must remember that man is
soul, and soul is an expression of the Divine.
Man is a part of matter, which I have stated
is inherently evil. Man has to accept the
resulting problems that are necessarily implied by this concept, since his body, in
which his soul manifests, also partakes of the
quality of evil that is in all matter. To
avoid facing this fact, some religious philosophies attempt to subjugate matter en
tirely, or consider it as a subordinate part
of experience. By adopting such a point of
view, the importance of matter with its at
tributes is completely abolished from mans
thinkingor matter is completely ignored.
The seat of personalitythat is, the real
self, the I or the egois the soul. The soul
is the essential self. It is timeless. Its true
home is not in this world, but in another
order of reality. It has existence, as it were,
on a higher plae. To fulfill a specific pur
pose, and to gain certain experience, the
soul is incamated into the physical order
for different periods of time so that it can
relate itself to physical phenomena and
participate in the experiences that come as a
result of that relationship. To attempt to
understand why this should be, or why man
should experience this existence in a ma
terial world, which may be evil, is some
thing that philosophy and religin have tried
to explain in many ways. It is difficult, and
human reason alone is incapable of attaining a completely satisfactory solution.

Page 59

As we leam of and experience the physical

world of which we are a part, we alter our
point of view; we change our concepts as
we advance in our own growth and develop
ment. As intelligent beings, we can possibly
arrive at certain points of agreement, and
certain understanding of those phenomena
which become apparent to us, and thereby
become more intimately aware of both of the
orders of reality in which we have existence.
Merely to state that in opposition to evil
the vales of truth, goodness, and beauty
are desirable is not enough. This point of
view has been unduly emphasized, and in
emphasizing the virtues, their separation
from our actual world in which we live is
widened. The invisible world of vales is
somewhat like/ a mirage, something that
seems to lie above us, and is seemingly unattainable, something toward which we as
pire and seem to approach but which many
of us never attain.
We are encouraged to look up and aspire
to the attainment of ideis; but, when we do
too much looking and not enough living, we
are merely reiterating in words the high
ideis to which we subscribe. In thinking of
greater virtue and greater valu, we leave
our ideis isolated in a field of fantasy, like
a mirage or a cloud floating above the ac
tuality of the world in which we live. Many
individuis pay homage to ideis but actually
seem to find no way, or even have a desire,
to attain an intmate awareness and relation
ship to that world of ideis.
To consider further the impact of evil
upon us, we will direct our attention to the
opposite; that is, we will consider the valu
of goodness. Intelligent men accept without
question that goodness is one of the highest
aims of man. They also accept that the man
who is truly good is never content with just
his own goodness. The good man is desirous
of enlarging that concept. True goodness
means making the concept universal. All
religions have held that goodness is a worthwhile attainment. Philosophers have taught
that the good man is the man given to the
pursuit of goodness, and therefore devoting
himself to the welfare of his own advancement, his fellow man, and of God.
Men who seek goodness aspire to be better
than they are. Scrates emphasized that all
men pursue the good. Our frequent ap
parent preference for evil is caused by our

Page 60

mistakes of judgment in regard to the nature

of good and how to obtain the good. At any
moment what we may happen to be pursuing
appears to be good to us while we are pur
suing it. We tend to desire and pursue the
good, even though we may misdirect our
steps. Some individuis may he and chea.t,
but they do so in order to secure some end
which is beyond the actual act of lying and
cheating. The petty thief and the hardened
criminal may be working toward what they
mistakenly believe is good.
To pursue good is the right of any man,
and good may be pursued through right
conduct. Right conduct, therefore, is an end
in itself, whereas wrong conduct is always
a means to an end beyond itself. The indi
vidual who commits a crime is participating
in wrong conduct because he is using it as
a means to something other than the process
of conduct. He is attempting to achieve
something which he believes may be good
for him. The individual who consistently
follows a path of right conduct is working
or living to achieve goodness itself through
conduct and not because he will gain some
thing more than the benefits of that type of
living.
If, as Scrates said, all men pursue good
ness, then we might ask by what means or
with what part of his nature does man aspire
after goodness? It would seem obvious that
ilhat phase of man which aspires after good
must be in itself good, for it is the characteristic of good man or of a man so far
as he is good to aspire after and desire good
ness. If man aspires for good, even though
he may be in error in his method, there has
to be a part of mans nature which leads
him to so aspire and desire, and this is a
part of him that is good. Therefore, good
is evidently a part of man.
Such a process of reasoning brings us to
the tentative conclusin that goodness is
immanent in the soul of man so as to
counteract evil in matter. It is the source
of that which is in man and known to us
to be moral aspiration and endeavor. There
fore, goodness is not only transcendentthat
is, something that seems to he outside or
beyond us like an unrealized idealbut
goodness is also immanent within us, being
a source that is a part of our inner nature,
that aspires to relate itself to the same type
of nature. Plato tried to establish this point

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

when he referred to the individual soul as

not only modeling itself in accord with the
ideal of goodness, but also partaking of good
ness in the sense that the soul was a mdium
for the manifestation of the good.
I will attempt to illustrate this idea by
reference to the fact that the same truth
which applies to goodness also applies to
beauty. As goodness gives valu to human
life, so it is that the presence of beauty in
works of art causes these works to have
valu. A picture which inspires us with its
beauty is composed of matter. The canvas
and the paint which make the picture may
in themselves have no aesthetic valu. Never
theless, the idea which the artist wishes to
express needs to find expression in matter
or else the idea remains aesthetically worthless. Without paint, canvas, and other ma
terials necessary to create the picture,
without words and sounds, the inspiration
of the painter, the poet, or the musician
would never be realized,
Because of this nonrealization, there never
would come into existence in the world of
actuality the expression of beauty conceived
in the mind of the creator of beauty. There
would always exist a potentiality of valu
but not valu in itself, because valu to be
realized in the physical world must be made
in terms of the actualities that are of the
physical world. When the idea of the artist
becomes expressed, or, we might say, becomes immanent in matter, the idea then
achieves valu in the material world in that
our physical senses can perceive the idea.
Yet, at the same time, we know that the
idea exceeds in valu its manifestation; that
the idea intrinsically has greater valu than
the matter in which the idea is ultimately
expressed.
Possibly, this theory helps us to realize
that the two orders of reality, the physical
and the nonmaterial world, actually exist;
that they both have a place in our lives.
Through them we become aware that we
live in one world and at the same time we
can aspire toward the attainment of the
other.
The expression of beauty by the artist is
the expression of his innermost urges. His
Creative abilities and ideas, coupled with the
techniques that he has gained, make it pos
sible for that beauty to be expressed. The
creation of the artist is an expression of

PECEMBER, 1957

himself. It is, in a sense, an overflow of

himself, of his inner self, into the material
world through which he expresses. It is an
overflow of an idea which was previously
only an immaterial idea, which has become
embodied in matter as a result of his ex
pression through that mdium. The expres
sion embodied in matter is an example of
an ideal being expressed in matter. The idea
is transferred from the transcendent to the
immanent. It becomes actual in the ma
terial world, whereas previously it was real
only in a transcendent world. Although the
idea may become immanent in the actuality
of the physical world, it still contines to
exist as transcendent in the spiritual world
because the artist is never satisfied that his
true ideal is ever perfectly manifest.
Every great musician has been dissatisfied
with what he composed, because the music
he heard in his soul was more sublime than
anything he could put into material tones to
be audible in the physical world. The mu
sician, the artist, or the writer brings about
an expression of his ideas as an overflow of
his own being, but also the artists creation
is a necessary overflow. The artists expres
sion constitutes an overflow of his own being,
of his own inner self into manifestation.
The Creative urge is a tremendous forc.
It must be expressed. Just as the forc of
water accumulated behind a dam will seek
to find its level, so the Creative urge of a
Creative forc in the mind of an artist or in
the mind of any human being will attempt
to find embodiment in the material world,
because it is the only world in which he
can now produce evidence of his creation
and expression of his ideas.

If this is only a mortal concept, it has

the implication of being immortal. As the
artist unable to contain his own inspiration
pours himself out into the works of art, so it
is that God, unable to contain the nature of
His own goodness, pours Himself into the
world of His creation. It is possible that
God has no more motive for His overflowing
into a world which He has created than the
artist has motive in his writing, painting, or
composing. The universe which God has
created is a necessary expression or externalization of Himself. God needs the ma
terial universe; it is the means by which He
idealizes His own expression into a reality
which functions or exists as an actuality in

Page 61

the material world and as a forc or infinite

power through all creation.
In the actuality of the material world
which God has used as a mdium of expres
sion, the material with which the expression
must be made evident is in itself imperfect.
Matter, partaking as it does of evil, often
proves intractable and inadequate for Gods
expression. Matter thwarts the artists intentions. It stands in the way of the fulfill
ment of his ideal, and frequently interferes
with his execution. For this reason the
artist is frequently dissatisfied with the completed expression that he has attempted to
form in the material world.
If the artist experiences such sensations
of being thwarted by his manipulation of
material, it may also be that the material
composing the universe, which God uses as
His mdium, and in which His creation is
embodied, may also at times thwart His
intention. It may be that you cannot con
ceive of the intentions of the Creator being
thwarted. I will restate the same idea in
another way by saying that material, being
imperfect, prevents Gods creatures from
fully realizing the Creators intention in re
gar to them.
As entities, we have been altered by the
material in which we are incamated, in
which the design of the Creator is embodied.
This is so in order that purpose in life may
be realized. God, by having expressed
through the mdium of the material which
composes the physical universethat is, by
breathing life into dust, as the Bible states
ithas left the Divine spark, the human
soul, to fend for itself. Before leaving that
spark of divinity which is the essence of
men as individual entities, God endowed this
segment of Himself, this manifestation of life,
with the attribute of freedom so that it may
struggle as best it can against the obstacles
and limitations which the material world
imposes upon it.
Thus, the material mdium in which God
has created may not be so much for the
sake of the creation itself as it is the condi
tion that God has chosen to use for making
possible the existence of human freedom, a
condition made possible and fulfilled by the
process of interposing a material barrier be
tween us as human entities and the universal
mind of which we are the expression.

Page 62

I believe that this barrier tends to sep

arate us from the Creative source of our
being, but at the same time this material
barrier confers upon us our individuality,
our most highly prized possession. To state
this in another way, matter with its attri
butes of evil is the instrument by means of
which God secures the freedom of all He
creates. If the universe consisted of nothing
but God, the expressions of God, the ema
na tion from Gods naturethat is, if these
expressions and emanations of God were
not expressed in, embodied in, or contained
in anything other than themselvesit would
be extremely difficult to conceive how the
entities which God has created as individual
segments of Himself could be independent
of God at any time and yet achieve any
individuality or separateness. If, on the
other hand, man is independent to a degree,
then he is free; that is, God has given him
freedom. Man is an individual, and through
the exercise of his freedom he presumably
has the potentiality of obtaining the perfection that exists even in God Himself.
The physical universe, then, with all its
imperfections, with its inherent evil, may
be regarded as a Cosmic laboratory in which
the experiment of character formation and
the development of morally free individuis
is being conducted. The conditions for the
conducting of this experiment, or operation,
are necessarily imperfect. Human beings, as
entities, have to face a brute, intractable en
vironment, not always amenable to their
wills and against which they have to struggle in order to provide the experience which
is the result of the process of adjustment.
These conditions are in general provided
by the material environment in which we
as human beings exist in our material bodies.
Gods creatures are not all of creation. In
addition, matter is an actuality and a part
of His creation. Our souls are emanations
of the Divine, temporarily incamated in mat
ter as a means of experience, the meaning of
which will become more and more evident
as time and experience proceed.A
Defense Against Catholicism
Malice has no justification merely because it is garbed in religious vestments or
ecclesiastical titles. One should expect from
a religious sector its temporal body, the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

churchthe same display of decency and

fair play which its teachings exact from its
followers. Perfidy, vindictiveness, and mendacious statements by any religious institu
tion toward those who entertain different
views only point up the inconsistency of its
claims to Divine guidance.
The voice of the Romn Church today is
the loudest in the world in protesting against
religious intolerance. It inveighs against
suppression of religious liberty and freedom
of conscience in Communist-dominated countries. It recounts how, in Hungary, and other
Iron Curtain countries, its clergy and adherents are victims of an intolerance which
takes the form of brutal persecution.
The same voice that beseeches the Free
World to come to the aid of Christianity
especially the Romn Churchgives orders
through its prelacy to attack, vilify, suppress
and persecute philosophical, metaphysical
and religious groups not approved by it.
Where the Romn Church has acquired con
trol of the government as in Spain and effectively in Italy, the very freedom of
religin, which it expounds for itself, is
virtually nonexistent for others.
In other nations throughout the world, in
its own media, newspapers and periodicals,
the Romn Church continually attacks and
maligns the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC. It
tries, wherever it can, by false and misleading statements, to defame the A.M.O.R.C.
in public joumals, newspapers, and radio
broadcasts as well.
In the French colonies recently, for further
example, it had endeavored to intimidate
persons by claiming, in periodicals, that any
who afiliate with the A.M.O.R.C. shall be
condemned to hell. In one South American
country, it has had its Catholic societies send
Communications to newspapers which deliberately falsify the activities of the Rosi
crucian Order. Countries in the Caribbean
and elsewhere in the world have also experi
enced this vicious and scurrilous attack in
the ame of Catholicismand Christianity!
The literature and articles which have
come to our attention in several languages
show a deliberate attempt to discredit all
systems of thought which the Romn hierarchy has come to consider competitive to
its own. Such conduct is a deviation from
the professed spiritually motivated high prin
cipies of the church. It is a deterioration to

DECEMBER, 1957

the expressed rancor and methods of a petty

merchant against a competitor.
To try to remain aloof and apparently indifferent to this insidious campaign by the
Romn Church is only to give tacit support
to it. Our silence is misjudged as inability
to speak in our defense. We now repeat
what we have said often in our literature:
we are not a religious organization. We have
fraternal rituals and we do consider meta
physical subjects but such does not make us
a religin. We advance no particular method
of religious salvation. We proclaim no founder who has prescribed a sacred creed or
doctrine. We have no confessors or clergy.
Those of any faith, and even those of no
formal religious attachment, may become
members of the A.M.O.R.C.
The Romn Church in its literature of at
tack has endeavored to show the rectitude of
its conduct by insisting that AMORC is a
religin and not a philosophical society.
There is the implication that if we are a
religin we are then open prey for vilification by the church. In such reasoning, wherein enters the principie of freedom of religin
and conscience of which the Romn Church
is continually prating? Is it to be construed
that this freedom is to be enjoyed only by
the Romn Church? Are all other institu
tions of a moral and philosophical nature,
not approved by the Romn Church, to be
victims of its avaricious ambition to dominate all free thought?
The A.M.O.R.C. does not attack any re
ligious movement or society. However, we
cannot let our members and friends and all
those who regard the liberty of thought as
one of the greatest possessions of mankind
to remain in ignorance of the tactics of the
Romn Church toward all not favored by
its hierarchy. We take this militant stand
in defense of our purpose and also in de
fense of the ground upon which all institu
tions for human freedom stand.X
Are Animis a Bad Influence?
A soror states: For the past ten years my
life has held an intmate contact with four
cocker spaniels in the house of our country
place, with four other dogs in the kennels
outside and they absorb so much of my
energy, time, and often cause frustrationI
am wondering if the effort is worth the
price in the Cosmic scheme of things.

Page 63

The Magi (Ancient Order of) taught me

years ago never to be in the presence of
animals, that they would disappear from the
face of the earth eventually. The I AMs
taught that animals were created by the
negative thoughts of man and would disap
pear eventually from earth.
The theosophists teach that animals are
a part of evolution, that their souls retum
to a pool between reincamations until a
developmentacquired through contact with
the human beingis achieved.
Are animals the connecting link between
us and the vegetable kingdom in evolution?
Are they happenstances on earth and to be
considered taboo? Do human beings have
responsibility towards animals in aiding
their development and evolution?
Look upon an animal of the higher organisms, such as a dog, and see reflected
there your simple organic functions and
many of your psychological ones as well.
Animals are links in the biological chain
of evolution of which homo sapiens or modern man is but another. Our functional distinction and intellectual superiority as beings
does not remove us from the category of a
physical relationship to the vertebrates and
particularly the primates. Simply put, we
too are animals.
From the religious and mystical point of
view, we humans are living souls. This
adaptation to an evolved self-consciousness,
or awareness of our ego, of which consists
what is called soul, still does not elimnate
the biological factor that we are physically
animals. We do not, in enlightened meta
physics, take the position that man alone
possesses soul. To think so, as theology generally expounds, is to flatter the human ego.
The essence of soul, that which gives rise
to the notion of it, pervades all living things.
The life forc and consciousness are related.
Wherever there is consciousnessyes, even
in plantsthere is a rudiment of soul. This
is not a primitive religious idea but, in fact,
it is in accord with advanced psychological
concepts. When an organism reaches a cer
tain complexity in its nervous systems and
brain, it attains that sensitivity, that ability
to introvert its consciousness and realize its
ego, which engenders the idea of soul. Where
there is an evolved self-consciousness, there
is what men desgnate as soul.

Page 64

Does this detract from the divine conten

of soul? Does it make it less spiritual in its
quality? We think not. Life forc is a
Cosmic essence. It is one of the infinite
number of energies of the whole spectrum
of Cosmic energy. All creation is of the
divine, if we think such creation to be of
an infinite mind. Some energies are, in their
phenomena, more universal, that is, higher
in the scale of their function. Therefore, the
life forc, of which consciousness is an at
tribute and from which soul consciousness
arises, is divine, even in animals. No or
ganism, however, is a living soul until it
has the realization of its Cosmic origin and
seeks to guide its life according to an evolved
consciousness of self. Man, so far as we
know, is the only being that has so far attained this status.
Anyone who has had dogs as pets and
has carefully observed their behavior, knows
that they have a high degree of self-consciousness. This is evident in such conduct
as the displaying of guilt because of acts
which they have learned are displeasing to
their masters. Some dogs steal food and are
quite awrare that such acts are disapproved.
When the master points to where the stolen
article formerly was and speaks about it, the
dog will bow its head and retreat. A dog that
kills a rival pet, as a bird or cat, will try to
hide, displaying a strong sense of guilt.
Allow me to refer to myself and a personal
experience. I need only .to mention to my
dog certain wrong acts, such as stealing or
destroying objects, and it will cause him
to indicate a great sense of guilt. When I
cali these things to his attention, he lowers
his head and slips away from my presence
to his dog bed. If I go over to the bed and
again bring up the subject, he tums his
head away from me. When I lift his
head, he tries to tura his gaze away from
me. No human could exhibit a greater sense
of wrongdoing.
This self-consciousness of the dog is also
indicated in its sense of loyalty, its affection
and sympathy for those beings, human or
other animals, toward which it displays its
love and willingness to sacrifice. Such vir
tues man eulogizes and often, in humans,
attributes them to the motivations of the
soul. There are characteristics about the
dog that can inspire the human and are
worthy of exemplification by him. That

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

dogs also display ferocity, brutality, and

undisciplined passions is true; but such elements of a primitive nature are likewise to
be found in the human.
The human has the faculty of reflection.
He can contmplate his conduct and eval
ate it. However, the ends or vales he sets
upon his conduct are wholly arbitrary. Some
such ends have become aspirations which
have undeniably elevated mankind. Other
vales, as he has slowly learned, have been
obstructions to his progress and he has had
to remove them at a great price. In looking
upon the dog, we see ourselves in a gradual
ascent. We do not mean to imply that the
human species is necessarily a descent from
the dog. Anthropologically, however, the
dog undoubtedfy does constitute a branch
of the same tree from which man organically has descended.
All living creatures are affinities in the
life forc. We are bound to the same basic
biological requirements. All living things
exhibit such functions alike, as respiration,
irritation, assimilation, reproduction, and excretion. Glorify man as you wish. Neverthe
less, he stands on a common ground with all
other living things.
Millenniums ago, man began the domestication of certain animals in his environ
ment. He made them beasts of burden or
used them for hunting and guarding his
person or property, Dogs were among the
first animals to be domesticated. As these
animals became dependent on man, they,
especially the dog, retumed affection and
loyalty for the kindness shown them. This
behavior on the part of animals and their
apparent helplessness in the domestic state
aroused the paternal instinct in man. It is
then that animals became pets. Men and
women wanted to fondle them, protect them,
and have them about. Pets reach down into
the subconscious of man and bring out some
of the finest and noblest instincts of his com
plex nature. This in itself causes man to be
more impersonal, inclines him to extend
self-interest beyond the limits of his own
immediate welfare.
Candidly, we cannot find words acrimonious enough to convey our feeling in regard
to the statement by an organization that
man should never be in the presence of
animals or that animals were created by
the negative thoughts of man and would

DECEMBER, 1957

eventually disappear from the earth. When

we are in the presence of animals, we are
witnessing a creation that has exceeded and
most likely will always surpass any achievement of man. We are looking upon a spark
from the same Cosmic fame as ourselves.
Removing ourselves from the presence of
animals will not remove the animal from
us.X
This Issues Personality
Ruth Farran, Inspector General of AMORC
for New York City, exemplifies the individ
ual whose ideis and concepts are strengthened rather than weakened by opposing
thought. With an open mind she accumulated knowledge that was contrary to her
accepted ideas. She used that knowledge to
eventually substantiate her own views and
thereby take them out of the realm of theory
and speculation.
Ruth Farran was bom in Masn City,
Iowa, the oldest of three children. She attended rural school and graduated from
Iowa State Teachers College in 1922 with a
R.A. degree in teaching. While subsequently
taching in rural schools, she reflected much
on her college course in psychology. It was
not only the content of the formal lectures
that had impressed her, but rather the asides
of her instmction. The professor had studied
New Thought and he had perhaps inadvertently planted the seed of inquiry into the
nature of self in the fertile mind of Ruth
Farran.
In her teaching profession, Soror Farran
had become proficient, advancing to a Nor
mal School training supervisor and later to
a high school principal. During the summer
vacation in 1928, she visited her mother and
was stricken with a serious illness. Her
physician had little hope for her recovery.
Her elderly mother who attended her contraoted the disease and passed through tran
sition. Though deeply saddened by the loss
of her mother, Soror Farran had been im
pressed by her mothers courageous attitude
toward death. Her mother was a Rosicrucian.
It was through her mother that Ruth Farran
became a Rosicmcian, Crossing the threshold
of .the Order in 1928.
In 1929 she entered Columbia University
and attained her Masters Degree in June
1930. She sought to continu on for a Ph.D.

Page 65

She found much opposition, in that her per

sonal thought was out of harmony with
the current mechanistic teachings. Concentrating on specialized aspects of psychol
ogy, she devised experiments to determine
the difference in personality characteristics
in children between the ages of eight and
fourteen. She also endeavored to show the
relation of eidetic imagery (visual images)
to the greater flexibility of intelligence of
individuis.
In 1930, Soror Farran contacted the then
Rosicmcian Chapter in the famed Roerich
Museum in New York City. Shortly after
affiliating, she was privileged to become
Class Master of the Seventh Degree. Soror
Farrans enthusiasm singled her out for increasingly important and responsible positions in AMORC. In 1933 she became Secre
tary of the New York Chapter, and then
later Secretary of the Board of Trustees and
Director of the Rosicmcian Sunshine Circle.
In 1947, the Imperator Ralph M. Lewis ap
pointed her to the office of InspeGtor General
of the New York City area, a position which
she still fulfills with great service and honor.
Her active interest in AMORC brought her
to International Conventions in San Jos in
1934 and 1938.
Soror Farrans ideal was still to be realized, that is, the coordination of mystical
concepts with those of science. She knew
that to have her concepts considered in scientific circles they must be presented as logically and even empirically wherever possible as
the postulations of science. She became a
subject of Dr. Gardner Murphy of Columbia
University in experiments in extra sensory
perception. So successful were her experi
ments that her scores were related in the
Journal of Parapsychology as having the
element of covariance (consistency) to a
greater degree than any of the others. Sub
sequently, Soror Farran contributed many
effective articles to technical journals and
the Rosicrucian Digest, reconciling the mech
anistic views of science with idealistic con
cepts of the nature of self.
Soror Farran is respected and loved by
members of the Rosicmcian Order in New
York City and other Lodges and Chapters
of the Atlantic Seaboard where she is well
known. She is known to be one well versed
in the Rosicmcian teachings of the Order.
She has made Neophyte and advanced mem-

Page 66

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

bers of AMORC alike realize the rationality

and workability of the Rosicrucian studies.

Nirvana and Cosmic Attunement

A frater in Japan addresses our Forum
and asks: I understand Cosmic Attunement
(or Consciousness) to be a forestate of nir
vana, a glimpse of the Absolute with the
preservation of the duality of consciousness,
the retaining of the ego. I believe nirvana
to be the complete merging of the egoconsciousness with the Absolute, impossible
in the physical body. It seems there is a
relationship between these two phenomena.
I would like this Forum to consider the dif
ference between nirvana and Cosmic attune
ment, if such difference actually exists.
In the course of events, the thinking person is often caused to believe that mortal
existence, the life which he experiences, is
futile. Everyone experiences a number of
frustrations. Early ideis are not all realized.
The success of enterprises is frequently not
experienced. With age, one is conscious of
his diminishing power of achievement. The
end of life offers principally decrepitude, dis
ease, and ultimately death. This last (death)
to most men is an instinctive fear which,
with the coming of od age, often looms as
a terrifying ordeal. To escape this kind of
existence, to hope for something .that affords
a compensation for these vicissitudes of mor
tal life, has been the dream of mankind.
It is in these very contemplations upon
life that the doctrines of Gautama Buddha
took firm root. The Indians (East) in the
sixth century B.C., the period of Buddhas
birth and Ufe, had come to realize that to
be subject to birth was to be subject to decay
and death. They had discovered that there
is nothing that man can do in a material
or intellectual way that would grant him
immunity from such a process. Those who
were rebom, regardless of their social status,
or other earthly fortune, would be chained
to the process and to its eventual consequence.
Eventually, in Buddhism, the true salvation of man seemed to consist in evolving
oneself into an eternal personality. By ones
becoming eternal, perfect, and by residing in
the essence of ones origin, the necessity of rebirth is mitigated. The phrase actually used
was: reappearing in the mothers womb.
This alluded to the primary source of all

from which man carne, not just in the physi

cal but in the spirit or essence as well.
In fact, it is mans realization of the contingent character of birth and deaththe
suffering attendant to them, that is the im
pulsa tion behind religin. Religin consists
of certain innate feelings stemming from the
psychic and their relation to the exterior
world. The insecurity of the world con
tributes to the search for a permanent ground
for some sort of Absolute where stability and
emancipation from suffering can be attained.
Buddha is related to have said: Having been
myself subject to the contingency of birth
and experiencing its unpleasantness, I have
sought for nirvana which is without such
contingencieswhich is unsurpassed and
secure from worldly yoke, and obtained it.
Toward the cise of his life, Buddha is reported as saying: Sure is my final emanci
pation; this is the last birth, there is no
longer the possibility of rebirth.
In Buddhism, nirvana is the final physical
death. It is .the consummation of earthly ex
istence prior to that emancipation of which
parinirvana consists. Every mortal who dies,
of course, does not experience parinirvana
unless he has attained the high state of con
sciousness of which nirvana consists. In
Buddhism, it is taught one must experience
rebirth until the consciousness is so evolved
as to no longer necessitate its return to mor
tal life; then one is no longer subject to
suffering and to evanescent pleasures.
Parinirvana, then, comes only to those
who have prepared themselves for it by first
attaining nirvana. One who experiences this
nirvana, this last death, is said to expire
like a burning lamp (after exhaustion of fuel
and wick). Actually, the beginning of parinirvana is realized at the end of the last
cycle of conscious existence.
Thera Anruddha describes Buddhas passing (nirvana) thusly: There was then no
process of respiration to be noticed in the
organism of the great saint, whose mind
was then unshaken, steadily concentrated,
and was in its peacefulness when he expired.
With an unperturbed mind he did bear the
pangs of death. Just as fire extinguishes in
the exhaustion of all materials of burning,
in the same way his consciousness became
completely emancipated.
Parinirvana, then, is the goal of the Buddhist. But just what is .this state that is eter-

PECEMBER, 1957

nal and that stops the wheel of rebirth?

Literally translated, the word Parinirvana
means going out. This, however, is not
very informative except in the sense of
meaning the release of the consciousness
from the world. But, parinirvana, as we
have noted, has a more profound and embracing significance. Broadly, parinirvana
is an escape to the unbom , the formless. We
are told that nirvana is the subsidence of
all predisposition toward the form of crea
tion, the relinquishment of all ideas of belongings, the extinction of all desire, the
dispassion, the cessation of the ultmate.
This constitutes a series of negations, of not
being this or that of mortal existence. It is
a condition of nescience; but still, there is
the question of what kind of reality is pari
nirvana?
Buddha, it is recounted, was often interrogated as to w7hether parinirvana was a
state of existence or nonexistence; whether
it was neither existence or nonexistence; or
whether it was both existence and nonex
istence. According to authorities on Bud
dhism, Buddha never answered these queries
in a direct manner. It was not that
he sought to evade the question, but it is
presumed that the conten of parinirvana
was so undefinable, so inexplicable that, in
his opinion, it did not fall into the categories
of the inquiry.
In the opinion of the Jains, the sages of
Jainism, parinirvana is unlike the extinction
of the lamp fame, for it is not the annihilation of the soul. Many Western minds, especially followers of other religions, as
Christianity, are inclined to think of nirvana
and parinirvana as being the extinction of
soul. The Jains say, rather, that it is a
transcendent state of the human soul. It is
a state of the soul which has risen and remains etemally emancipated from passion,
hatred, birth, disease, and decay. Their
philosophical explanation is that the soul has
reached a state where all causes cease to be.
It is no longer, in other words, motivated
by desires from which stem the passions,
sensuality, and suffering.
Looking at the subject of parinirvana from
the psychological point of view, it is the
state of pur consciousness, but without
personality. It is a condition of sensitivity,
yet one which is amorphous, that is, with
out any form or image. In parinirvana there

Page 67

are no ideas that correspond to or suggest

any kind of reality. Obviously, this is dif
ficult to comprehend. How can one be con
scious and yet not be conscious of something?
Nirvana is a kind of unconsciousness. In
modem psychology we speak of the unconscious but we do so only in relation to the
conscious or objective mind and the subjective processes. We conceive the unconscious
as having an awareness in its own state.
But in parinirvana the consciousness is with
out personality and without image of any
kind. It is, we can only assume, just a vital
potential, an energy, pur being, with no
illusion of reality associated with it.
Since the consciousness to which parinir
vana alludes has no organism, no processes,
it can have no experiences, as we think of
the word, no sensations and no ideas. Conse
quently, no terms can be formulated in pari
nirvanano quality, feelings, and no de
sires may be had. We have been told that
parinirvana is free of all such contingencies.
Words attributed to Buddha, but probably
put in his mouth, describing this state, re
late that it is where water, earth, heat, and
air do not find footing, there no light burns
and the sun does not shine, the moon does
not shed her radiant beams and darkness
does not exist.
From the mystical conception, parinir
vana is the unity of the individual expression
of consciousness with the whole Cosmic
stream. It is not that the individual con
sciousness has ever lost its contactor ever
wouldwith the Cosmic Consciousness, but,
in parinirvana, it is no longer obliged to have
its expression in matter. On the other hand,
personality is completely annihilated. The
parinirvana state is the one-ness of being.
However, there must be some realization,
some ecstasy, something that makes that
state wanted in preference to mortal ex
istence; those who seek to attain parinirvana
are at least possessed of that desire.
The eminent Indian philosopher, Professor Radhakrishnan, states about parinirvana:
Perfection is then the sense of one-ness
with all that is, has ever been and can be.
The horizon of being is extended to the
limits of reality . . . it is therefore not correct to say .that the dewdrop slips into the
shining sea; it is nearer to the truth to speak
of the shining sea invading the dewdrop.
There is here no sense of loss, but of infinite

Page 68

expansin when, foregoing all, the universe

grows. This latter notion of parinirvana
parallels the mystical conception of Cosmic
Consciousness, the only difference being that,
in the latter, one need not pass through
transition .to experience this exalted state of
consciousness. It, too, consists of a sense of
one-ness with all being. The individual is
not lost but he feels that his being and all
of reality are en rapport.
Cosmic Consciousness, further, is not with
out its gratifications, its beatitudes, its ecstasies, which are unlike anything that our
objective experience creates. However, one
can retum from a momentary state of Cos
mic Consciousness, again to confront life,
and one may live with it. Cosmic Conscious
ness does not make one immune to suffering
or desire. But the noetic experience received,
the insight or illumination which one receives from Cosmic Consciousness, causes the
individual to have a more intelligent approach and adjustment to life. Such, then,
lead to a renunciation of many habits that
would ordinarily contribute to suffering and
unhappiness.X
Rendering Cosmic Assistance
A frater asks our Forum: When prominent persons are reported to be ill, is it wise
for a Rosicrucian to write them stating that
one is a Rosicrucian and that one has .their
ame on a healing list? Should one say
that he is praying for them? Is such work
not better done in a general way in cases
where the help has not been solicited by the
ill person? As I understand it, it is always
in order for one to petition the Cosmic for
the guidance and health of our leaders.
Under what conditions may one properly
render Cosmic assistance without having
first been appealed to or solicited for that
help?
In the matter of absent healing it is essen
tial wherever possible to have the cooperation of the one who is to be the recipient of
such assistance. Cooperation in this instance
means having a receptive attitude. Further,
it means a sympathetic state of mind toward
metaphysical healing. One who is hostile
toward such methods because of ignorance
or religious prejudice naturally cannot enter
into the necessary state of passivity and responsivity by which he can receive the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

thought directed toward him. He is likewise

not a channel for such Cosmic forces as
might also be directed to him.
One need not be a Rosicrucian to be
helped by the Orders absent healing meth
ods. He may, in fact, know nothing of such
laws and principies. He must be willing to
be helped and he must realize that what is
being done is not supematural but rather in
accordance with natural laws even though
the same may be different from what he
may have experienced previously. To try
to help one in spite of himself is ineffectual.
In other words, if one, through ignorance,
considers such methods to be fatuous, or if
he shows resentment toward unfamiliar
treatment, no help should be attempted. The
individual with such a conviction or such
resentment sets up a psychological barrier
in his psychic self, in the subconscious,
through which it is difficult to penetrate with
constructive thought.
There are, of course, extenuating circum
stances which make it necessary to help one
immediately without first attempting to ad
vise the individual what is being done. It
can only be presumed then that the individ
ual has no inherent antipathy toward absent
healing methods and will be happy to receive
any extra beneficial influence in his welfare.
Some very effective results have been obtained in the absent treatment of noninformed patients. We repeat, however, that
whenever possible, the individual should be
advised as to what is being done.
Metaphysically and psychologically, when
one knows that others are trying to assist
him Cosmically, he then mentally helps him
self by virtue of such knowledge. First, he
tries to purge his mind of all thoughts that
he believes might obstmct the anticipated
help given by others. He tries to imagine
just how those forces being projected to him
will feel, or what their effects will be. There
is a tendency to cooperate personally (when
the patient can) by assuming a mental at
titude and making self-suggestions that con
stitute an excellent self-stimulus. The morale
is raised by the very .thought of the help
coming from others. Ones will is strengthened, there is an increased mental resistance
to the ailment, and a rigor that causes one
to fight his afQiction.
Writing to prominent persons, as officials
of govemment, celebrated writers, industrial-

PECEMBER, 1957

ists, actors and actresses, stating that one is

going to upray for them, or place them on
their personal healing list is a procedure
lacking in decorum. In the first place, the
reference to prayer9 to one who is not a
Rosicrucian, who may not be familiar with
the nature and functions of the Order, may
create a false impression in the mind of that
person. The use of this term connotes sectarianism. It implies that AMORC is a
religious sect, which, of course, the Rosicru
cian Order is not. To speak of a healing
list, to one who knows nothing of the prin
cipies employed, may suggest some form of
fanaticism or superstition. One must have
in mind at all times the dignity of m em ber
ship. One must not speak or write in such
a way as to tend to lower the prestige of
the Order in the opinion of another. Our
operations should always be on a plae commensurate with the reputation and purposes
of AMORC.
Writing to prominent persons, in the
ame of the Order, offering to help when
they are not acquainted with the nature of
the help to be given may create also the im
pression of a brummagem actby that we
mean that it may seem to be an effort to
gain cheap publicity at the expense of the
unfortunate affairs of the other.
In times of great interaational stress when
the leaders of government are confronted
with momentous decisions, Cosmic help
should be directed toward them. In ac
cordance with our Rosicrucian teachings,
during our sanctum periods of meditation,
such individuis should be visualized. We
should think of them as receiving strength
and, most of all, Cosmic illumination through
their own psychic selves. Thoughts toward
that end can and should be directed to them.
To write to such individuis, however, that
such is being done in the ame of AMORC
is not appropriate and is lacking in decorum.
The motive behind the writing of such letters would be altruistic, of course, but, we
repeat, it is apt to be misconstrued.
It must further be realized that prominent
people, public officials or executives of large
organizations, cannot be immediately contacted by letter from an unknown person.
Such individuis have one or more secre
tarles who first open and read all such Com
munications from unknown persons. Such
secretaries have the authority to pass on

Page 69

the Communications to their superiors if in

their opinion they are worthy of his time;
if they think he should not be troubled with
such letters they never reach him.

Your silent thought is more directly helpful for a prominent individual than any
letter telling him what you intend to do.
Most certainly your letter in no way furthers
AMORC in such cases; rather, it is detrimental in the impression it may create.
If you wish to let some prominent person
know about AMORC, here is the proper
procedure. Select a Rosicrucian leaflet or
booklet, place it in a neatly addressed envelope and send it to the address of the
individual. As explained, your communica
tion may go no further than his secretary;
however, she will know the interests of her
employer and will see that he gets it if he
is in sympathy with such literature. There
is also the added advantage that the secre
tary, reading the letter first, may also become interested.
The fact is that once a year we urge our
members to select six or twelve prominent
people in their community and, in a sealed,
first-class envelope, send to each a leaflet
which they feel is appropriate. It is not
necessary that the members affix their own
ames and addresses to such envelopes. The
literature enclosed in the envelope bears the
AMORC address, and that is the one to
which you want the individuals attention
directed.X
Is Intuition Always Helpful?
A frater of Australia addresses our Forum,
saying: The voice of the inner conscious
ness, according to the Rosicrucian interpreta
tion, operates for the ultmate benefit of the
individual concemed. Joan of Arcs voices
appear to have tended toward good results
for the French nation, and thus, in part,
for mankinds, although her following their
advice caused her physical destruction. Why,
then, according to the recent news account,
did the celebrated Mr. Waugh hear voices
which without exception were evil so that
the survival of his sanity depended on his
ignoring them, and ultmately, it would ap
pear, silencing them?
We think of intuition in the esoteric sense
as being a Cosmic voice speaking through
the objective consciousness. Most persons

Page 70

who study esoteric philosophy are inclined

to believe that the content of such intuitive
ideas is formed in the Cosmicthat it is
preframed in .the words and terms in which
it is realized. and then transmitted to the
outer consciousness. In the Cosmic, in the
universal intelligence of which the Cosmic
consists, there are no languages. There are
no sense qualities or sensations from which
ideas are formed such as men realize. The
words of intuitive ideas are always our own.
All the elements of the ideas already exist
in the previous experiences which we have
had.
Just as previously, it is again necessary
for us to briefly review in this Forum the
mechanism, the processes, by which intuitive
ideas are had. Intuition consists of an unconscious reorganization of our existing ideas
into an order of greater clarity. What was
once confusing then acquires an illuminating
perspicuity. A conclusin or solution, not
obtained through the usual reasoning proc
esses, breaks into the consciousness like a
flash of light, self-evident in its clarity.
How is this accomplished? We all are
aware that the elements of our experience
are in the mental processes filed away in
categories of the memory. This is like a
great filing system with numerous divisions
or drawerssome of which have to do with
mechanics, art, sounds, colors, feelings, geometrical forms, and the like. Some of these
previously experienced ideas are easily recalled at will, or by means of conscious
association; for example, we see a beautiful
sunset and that may immediately recall a
similar experience and all of the incidents
related to it.
However, innumerable other ideas may be
had which are derived from experiences that
are likewise filed in memory, particularly in
our subconscious of which we have no immediate knowledge. We cannot recall them
because we do not know that they exist.
Many of such impressions pass over into the
subconscious without ur awareness of them
when they are perceived. So, we then have
a vast reservoir of materials, impressions of
impulses, ideas, one may say, awaiting as
sociation into a new combination of complex
ideas.
Let us assume that one is laboring with
some personal problem. He contemplates it;
he reasons as to what course of action should

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

be taken. No satisfying solution, no seeming

ly plausible idea, is forthcoming. Finally, in
exhaustion or desperation, he dismisses the
whole problem from his consciousness, his
objective and subjective minds. Actually,
however, the ego, the subconscious self, is
still desirous of surmounting the particular
problem. It is not content to be defeated.
Then, in the subconscious, in the psychic self,
there contines what is called the unconscious work.
In the psychic self, the subconscious, the
original thought over which the individual
labored has become a dominant motivation.
It carries on where the reason and will of
the individual had left off. However, it ap
plies a higher judgment, a keener intelli
gence, to the work at hand. Furthermore, as
said, this subconscious has access to the large
reservoir of impressions of which the indi
vidual consciously has no knowledge. The
subconscious begins an arrangement, an integration of all the ideas, simple and com
plex, which might have in them any relation
to the problem at hand. It strives for har
mony in such unity of ideas.
Actually, this objectively unconscious proc
ess is in accordance with the Law of the
Triangle. In other words, there are three
points involved: First, it takes the thesis, the
positive idea; then it advances to the second
pointit considers the antithesis, the opposite or negative approach which mitigates
the former. Up to this point, this is probably
what the conscious mind has also done. Had
the conscious mind been able to go further
it would have been successful. The subcon
scious, however, advances to the third point,
the synthesis, the joining together of the two
opposite conceptionsthe thesis and the anti
thesis. It is this synthesis, then, that becomes the solution. When this is attained,
the new idea with its illumination is flashed
in its entirety into the conscious mind. There
it appears as a hunch or an inspiration,
or, in fact, the intuitive knowledge.
Since the synthesis, the intuitive idea,
guided by the Cosmic intelligence of the
psychic self, is so perfectly developed, and
more comprehensive than any previous no
tion had by the conscious mind, the latter
readily accepts it. Of the intuitive idea, there
is no doubt because, as we have said, it ap
pears as a self-evident truth.

PECEMBER, 1957

The form that the intuitive communica

tion takes in our conscious mind may be
either an auditory or a visual image, or
sometimes a combination of both. In other
words, the intuitive intelligence may be
realized as spoken words, as a voice deep
within ourselves. It may appear as a posi
tive sentence, ringing in its forceful clarity.
Again, the words may appear on the screen
of consciousness in a visual form, luminous
in appearance as well as in cleamess of
thought. That the intuitive idea assumes
such images only means that the sensations
passing from the psychic, of the subcon
scious, have stimulated one or more of the
areas of our receptor senses, such as seeing
or hearing, and have taken such a form. It
must not be construed that the psychic has
an actual voice and that it actually speaks
in a physical sense.
Can such intuitive voices, or rather the
ideas which they commimicate, be relied
upon? The answer is Yes, if they are truly
intuitive. Unfortunately, many impressions
had when we have been laboring with a
problem are not intuitive. For example, one
may be desperately struggling with a vital
problem, desiring to leam through reasoning
what course of action he should take. Psy
chologically, when fatigue comes there is an
inclination to accept any passing or random
ideas that may seem plausible. It is the de
sire to escape the fatigue that comes from
prolonged concentration of tensin; such an
idea is merely part of the reasoning process.
It may not be a real solution. When followed,
it may prove to be fallacious and the thought
found not to have come from intuition at all.
How may we know authentic, intuitive
ideas? Only by the forcefulness with which
they impress our objective consciousness,
we answer. Further, we would answer that
they ar of a positive judgmentnew, clear,
and convincing. Consequently, they always
produce an emotional reaction, such as a
thrill, a feeling of exaltation and great satis
faction. Sometimes an intuitive idea comes
to mind that has no relation to any of our
previous thoughts. This means that the psy
chic consciousness in its process has found
a harmonious relationship between associated
ideas and brings that forth as the new
thought. Obviously, the intuitive process is

Page 71

more active and developed with some per

sons than with others. However, everyone
can improve his intuition; that is one of the
things that the Rosicrucian teachings are to
help the member do.
Do truly intuitive ideas help the member?
They do, but this must be construed in the
broadest sense. Let us take the illustration
of Joan of Are, mentioned by the frater who
asked the question we are now considering.
Joan of Are had dedicated herself to the
cause of her people and nation. That she
might have to give her life was not im
portant to her. That which was important
was that she succeed in her mission. She
was intuitively helped to attain her end. To
her, the loss of personal security and of her
life were incidental.
Now, what about the voices people hear
who are mentally deranged either temporarily or permanently? Are they intuitive?
Most assuredly not. Such voices may arise
from a number of conditions such as para
noia. We know that there are levels of the
subconscious. The deeper levels reach to the
Cosmic, and it is from such realms that the
intuitive ideas come. However, there are
other levels of the subconscious which border
upon our conscious. In the case of a de
ranged mind, obsessional ideas and phobias
can draw out of this borderline of the sub
conscious all associated ideas that may seem
to be related. They, too, in their random
disorder, enter the conscious mind. For the
most part these seem to assume an auditory
image, that is, as the spoken word. The
mentally ill person is not able to distinguish
between the objective, or reality, and the
unreal. Instead of being realized as coming
from within his own consciousness, the
voices are given a separate entity.
Such random ideas may be originally re
pressed thoughts, ungoveraed and uncontrolled in their release. In fact, they may
be quite different in their moral content;
as for example, they may be very different
from what the person may normally think as
right, or be inclined to do. So, in their in
fluence, in their effect upon ones life and
relations with others, these ideas may be
called evil, that is, detrimental.
But, we repeat, such are not tme, intuitive
ideas.X

OffJUSTAUDtT(S/T ffl)A T Ttf

En/oy these features o f personal instruction:

Understanding
Truth
W isd o m
Fellowship
Academ ic Freedom
Q u alified Instruction

Com plete Laboratories

M o d e rn Classroom s
Extensive Library Facilities
Personal Dem onstrations
Field Trips
Suprem e Temple Convocations

Prepare now to be one of the happy throng

gathering at Rose-Croix University from June 16
to July 5. Write for your free copy of The Story
of Learning which explains in detail what lies in
store for you. Address: T H E REGISTRAR, ROSECRO IX U N IV E R S IT Y , ROSICRUCIAN PARK,
SAN JOSE, CALIFORN IA.
(Note: Auditors are not required to take examinations. Their
fee is the same. No diploma is given. Matriculation is required
as with regular students.)

February, 1958
Volume XXVflll

No. 4

Rosicrucian Forum
A p r v a t e

p u b li c a t i o n f o r m e m b e r s o f A M O R C

D H A N J IS H A W D. PATELL, F. R. C.
Inspector G eneral o f A M O R C fo r Bo m b ay, In dia

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 74

Greetings!
V

ADMIRABLE H UM AN Q U A LITIES
Dear Fratres and Sorores:
Recently we were asked what facets of
mans personality, in our opinion and from
our experience, afford the greatest joy to behold. Admiration of the qualities of a thing
or of a personality, to a great extent, reflect
the idealism of the observer. Our ideis are
transcending concepts, that is, ends or objectives which we believe to consist of
superior qualities to be realized and attained.
Consequently, when in our experience we
perceive the elements that participate in our
ideis, we find pleasure in whatever or whoever displays them.
A young man whose interest is primarily
athletics and physical culture is likely to
consider strength and an excellent physique
the acm of perfeetion. These are the quali
ties which to behold afford him pleasure.
He thinks of them as at least some of the
greatest qualities attainable by man. The
intellectual, though he might not hold that
a brilliant mind was the only essential for
excellence in human nature, would find
pleasure in the company of those who display intellect. The spiritual idealist would
judge perfeetion in man by his morality
expressed not alone in words but in related
deeds. We repeat, then, that to a great ex
tent the perfeetion we see in others but
mirrors our personal estimation of the ex
cellence of human personality and character.
A general agreement among people on such
standards is difficult to anive at.
Each society, of course, has adopted cer
tain standards by which the individuis of
which it consists are judged. These stand
ards are first usually established by the
moral code of the society. What constitutes
the moral good, the virtues expected of a
circumspect person? In Christian and Judaic
nations, for example, the Decalogue or Ten
Commandments represent the moral precepts
by which spiritual excellence and social be
havior are principally judged.
The statutes prescribed by law and prevailing customs also determine the qualities
of character and good citizenship in each
society. W e know, of course, that an ideal
Citizen in one nation may not be accepted

as such in another because of varying stand

ards.
In our opinion, we should begin with man,
the animal. The human being inheiitsin
fact, they are a biological part of himall
the passions and appetites of the lesser ani
mals. Basically, man is a predatory animal.
He is ruthless in the necessity of self-interest
and preservation. He will kill, destroy, seize
whatever he can to further his survival and
his well-being. This latter means his appe
tites and pleasures generally. These tendencies are instinctive to the human animal just
as they are to the beast.
As one has said in the past, Man is beast
and star. The star represents the transcen
dental influences that are part of the composite nature of man. In other words, man
has a high degree of self-consciousness, of the
realization of himself in relation to his acts
and to his external world. This power of
reflection and evaluation of his behavior is
concisely called conscience. There is inbred
in man a sense of righteousness.
We do not mean to imply that the human
possesses innate ideas of goodness, or moral
precepts, that he knows specifically what is
right and wrong in conduct from birth.
There is, however, the desire, the motivation,
on the part of the individual to pursue a
course of action that follows what his fellow
humans conceive to be good. Humans are
gregarious. They do not want to be isolated
in person or in behavior from other men.
Consequently, there is satisfaction had in
realizing that one is conforming to the com
mon good. Obviously the nature of that good
is what the customs and traditions of the
particular society, of which the individual
is a member, prescribes.
In most individuis there is a conflict be
tween absolute conformity to a sense of
righteousness and the wholly animalistic
tendency of a personal satisfaction, regardless of its effeets upon others. The animal
in man is of longer standing than the evolve
ment of self-consciousness or the spiritual
consciousness in him. We may mystically
contend that the spiritual essence, the divine
impulse, has always been in man since his

FEBRUARY, 1958

Page 75

existence. We may also pantheistically assert that the divine in essence actually pervades all things. However, the manifestation
of the divine or what the Rosicmcians cali
soul-personality is of a far more recent
advnt. Man had to become a considerably
evolved mental being before he could reflect
upon his inner feelings, sentiments, and emo
tions and be able to construe them in terms
of spiritual or moral qualities and vales.
It is only then that there emerged the soulpersonality.
It is the higher function of man to display
his consciousness of self, to give expression
to his sentiments as compassion, justice,
fortitude and the like. These are, however,
a minor or lesser impulsation, insofar as
their effect upon him is concemed, than the
more gross motivation of the appetites. It
requires no great strength of will to give
vent to our animalistic tendencies. To oppose them, however, as we all know, is often
a struggle of great consequence.
To the writer the following are always
impressive facets of mans personality; First,
an extensin of self, commonly called unselfishness. The individual, of course, psy
chologically is never truly unselfish, for
whatever we do is in response to one aspect
of the nature of self. Rut where we do oppose the interests of the limited physical self
to serve the interests of others, there is an
indication of the more inclusive or extensive
function of self.
Second, the individual who acts, as much
as is humanly possible, upon the analysis of
his own experiences, we feel, is to be highly
commended. The person who makes what
he accepts as knowledge an intimate con
clusin of his own thought is in our opinion
a preferred person. We mean the one who
does not accept the conclusions of others
wholly upon implied authority or because
of a mass acceptance of an idea. This is more
than ones having an open mind. It means
the exercise of ones own mental and psychic
faculties. It is true that we cannot prove or

disprove personally everything which is ex

pounded as knowledge to us. We can, how
ever, before final acceptance, reason about
its plausibility. If there is any doubt in our
minds, then the reality of what is proffered
as fact should be under question. Under
such circumstances, one should ever be ready
to consider counter views, to take them under
advisement.
One cannot, in connection with this sub
ject, help respecting and admiring a healthy
skepticism. It is important that one be aware
of the difference between a skeptic and a
cynic. The latter generally has a negative
attitude toward all new ideas which are re
lated to him. A skeptic, however, is one who
wants a statement, that implies factual con
tent, to be substantiated. He will not, as
most persons do, confuse an opinion with
fact.
The writer cannot help also feeling admiration for the one in a highly materialistic
age who nevertheless willingly displays the
finer emotions and sentiments that make one
a humanist, a philanthropist, or a spiritual
idealist. A religionist is not necessarily of
this type. One associated with a formal re
ligin as a member of a sect may act under
compulsin at times, or accept a faith on
tradition. In such instances, the religionist
may have no personal corresponding emo
tional, psychic, or spiritual relationship to
ward his affiliation or the doctrines of his
faith. In fact, such an individual may be so
illiberal, so prejudiced, and so imbued with
hatred or envy toward opposite sects as in
character to be quite other than spiritual.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEW IS,
Imperator.
What Are Psychic States?
What is the difference between states of
hypnosis, self-hypnosis or auto-suggestion,
and psychic states? asks a soror of our
Forum.

Entered as Second Class Mater at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 of the U .S . Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of -the Supreme Couricil of A M O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $2.25 (16/6 sterling) ANNUALLY FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page 76

Generally speaking, psychic is a term

designed to denote the nonphysical aspects
of mans being. It confers a duality upon
man, in function at least. The word psychic
comes from the Greek word meaning soul
and breath which, among the early Greeks
and other peoples, were synonymous. Most
of us are aware of the divisin of our human
activities. We are conscious of our objective
acts and the external world. We are also
aware of self, or at least what we term to
be such. This self, with most persons, includes not alone their physical being but
their instincts, emotions, subliminal urges
and their fantasies and thoughts. Since these
latter qualities which are related to self, as
distinguished from the body, are comparatively intangible, they receive the designation
of psychic. The reason for this is that they
were once thought to be related to the soul
and to be an immaterial infusin.
Consciousness is a stream whose functions
are varied. There are depths to this stream
and, at various levels, figuratively speaking,
different phenomena occur. lik e the electromagnetic spectrum, however, with its octaves
of energy, the various phenomena of con
sciousness are not isolated one from another;
they merge one into the other. It is, there
fore, difficult at times to determine what
ideas or impulses orignate in the different
levels of the stream of consciousness. The
psychic, however, generally alludes to the
subliminal consciousness, to the realm of the
subconscious.
The psychic plus the objective conscious
ness, which is our realization of the external
world, is one but, unfortunately, these two
phases are not realized by most of us as
being an integrated state. The lower aspects
of consciousness, our responses to external
stimuli, are objective. The higher aspects of
consciousness begin with self-consciousness.
When we think of self as the various instinctive feelings and emotions we have and
the realization of the I , we are on the
border of the psychic. We must not think
of this border as being fixed, as consisting of
a particular experience or idea had alike by
all persons. Actually, these psychic states
vary in their profundity, in the depths that
enter into the stream of consciousness.
There is often reference in the Rosicru
cian teachings, and in esoteric philosophy
generally, to the psychic body. This body

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

is not a substance, unless one thinks in terms

of modem physics, that is, that mass and
energy are interchangeable. The psychic
body is the energy of the vital forc that
animates us. It is the primary impulse that
infuses each cell. It carries with it an intel
ligence, a behavior pattern, from the most
primitive states of mankind and perhaps be
fore man was man. It as well carries with
it the pattern of Cosmic order of which this
energy of life consists. We are then, to use
a psychological term, well conditioned by a
priori influences.
The infant at birth, before acquiring any
experiences objectively, is subject to tremendous reserves of impressions and im
pulses arising from deep within its stream
of consciousness. As one psychologist has
said, and it should be well known to all
Rosicmcians, The lower part of the physi
cal energy is locked up in atomsthe larger
part, the psychic energy, is similarly locked
in the instincts and the biological behavior.
Only a relatively few of these impulses,
these behavior pattems, reach the conscious
mind and are acted upon. Many are realized
as inexplicable feelings which, because of the
difficulties of defining them in terms of action, are suppressed. Some are repressed in
the psychic realm itself because of intemal
conflicts. The conflict is often due to an
undesired subliminal feeling which we have
of certain urges, causing the repression of
what actually should be brought to the con
sciousness of the I.
In animals instincts are autonomous and
they dominate their lives. There is no at
tempt at an inhibition of them. In man,
when a certain stage of objective conscious
ness has been attained, he feels strong
enough to set up a bulwark against the
psychic. He devises codes of moris, restrictions that he thinks best for his life,
and he seeks to control the inner behavior
pattems which strive for expression.
In organized or collective living, certain
restraints in our instinctive behavior are
necessary. We must hold back, for the welfare of others, some of the psychic energy
and its inclinations. Conversely, however,
some of our conclusions as to how we
should behave are contraiy to our per
sonal instinctive needs as human beings.
This type of restraint results in various illnesses. How much of the psychic should

FEBRUARY, 1958

be called forth? To what extent should the

wholeness of our nature be manifested? are
still unanswered questions. Rosicmcians have
been working on this problem for several
centuries. Pssibly no single organization
has given so much thought to helping man
to know himself. This problem is also a
major challenge which modem psychology
is endeavoring to meet.
By various means we can accomplish a
disassociation, a functional severance of the
conscious from the subconscious, the objec
tive from the psychic. Such phenomena of
disassociation are trance states, hypnosis, and
self-hypnosis. This disassociation means that
realization or the awareness of the individ
ual is introverted. It is turned back into the
psychic, into the regin behind the objective
consciousness. Those attributes of the subjective mind, such as will and syllogistical
reasoning, are temporarily dormant. The
psychic states then dominate. The real self,
the moral and other habit pattems long es
tablished, take precedence over the will of
the individual.
In hypnosis, too, since there is the temporary disassociation from the usual functioning of the conscious mind, the psychic
consciousness responds to the suggestions
given it by others. It must be realized that,
like a stream, the psychic consciousness not
only pushes impulses to the surface but receives from the surface many impressions
that are imposed upon it.
It is not necessary at this time to set forth
the various means by which hypnosis can be
induced. This Forum has dealt rather extensively with such practices and theories
about it in the past. Suffice it to say that
self-hypnosis is the means by which the in
dividual enters certain psychic states by
methods which he employs himself. One of
these methods is auto-suggestion. In the lat
ter instance, the conscious mind by persistent
repetition implants an idea in the psychic
which becomes dominant there. The reverse
then occurs. The idea has a tendency to
surface, to come again to the fore of con
sciousness and to motvate the individual
without being called forth.
It is necessary to caution the student and
member that the psychic must not be con
strued entirely as a reservoir of Divine
knowledge. All psychic impressions are not
Cosmic revelations. All psychic states are

Page 77

not demonstrations of Cosmic consciousness.

Further, all symbols or ideas arising in the
psychic are not mystical; that is, they are
not from an illuminated spiritual being. The
individual, for example, who indulges in
playing the planchette or ouija board and
spells out messages upon it which are unfamiliar to him is not receiving an intelli
gence from a spiritual world. He may be
but releasing ideas from his own subcon
scious mind, from the psychic part of his
being. Remember, we repeat, that the
psychic is a stream. In endeavoring to reach
out through it into the Cosmic, you must
penetrate deeply.
The whole stream is termed psychic but
its phenomena are different. All visible wave
bands, for analogy, in the ocular spectrum
are of light but the wave bands may be
realized differently, some as the colors red,
green, blue, and so forth. So, too, we must
leam to distinguish the different psychic
states.X
Our Destiny Is Near
It is a natural tendency to relate destiny
to the future. What may be our end, or
what may be the materialization or realiza
tion of our hopes and desires, is related to
some event that is going to occur at an unspecified future moment. We are aware that
we move toward some end, and whatever
that end may be is usually associated with
our concept of destiny. The end of our life,
the beginning of some new activity, immortality, or some decided change that may take
place in our being, physically, mentally, or
spiritually, is closely related to the destiny
that will be ours.
This relating of destiny to a distant future
time and place is a practice which has
caused the average individual to think of his
destiny as being far removed from his immediate circumstances, surroundings, or environmeiit. That which we cannot foresee
distinctly, and which we do not understand,
we not only tend to place in the future, but
we may unconsciously hope to isolate in the
future. Many individuis have tried to forsak concern about problems by simply refusing to consider what may happen tomorrow or a year from tomorrow, and in that
way they live in a certain amount of false
security based upon the belief that what is

Page 78

going to happen, what may be their destiny,

is so far removed that they need have no
concern about it.
It is obviously true that the most impor
tant time with which any of us is concerned
is the present. We should not constantly live
in the future, particularly at the cost of the
present, but what we are doing at this par
ticular moment is assisting us to prepare for
the future, whatever that future may be,
and that in itself is contributing to our
destiny or to our ultmate end.
Our destiny therefore should be considered. It is not something to be completely
forsaken as a future problem that will be
met at the time it occurs. What should be
done in regard to our destiny is to prepare
the use of the present moment so that when
the realization of the future comes to us
that is, it becomes the presentwe will be
equipped in the best way possible to meet
any contingencies that may exist at the
particular time and place. To do so is to
realize that our life span from birth to transi
tion is a unit, and that there are times in
the course of that life when we must con
sider that unit as the whole thing in itself,
and not as segregated moments set up by a
system of artificial measurement. There is
no one point which is an end or a realization
of destiny because we constantly carry in us
what our end may be. Our success or our
undoing is a part of our present existence
as much as it is of the past or even of the
future.
We may not realize what that future may
be, or what our ultmate destiny is, but it is
nearer than we ordinarily think; that is, it is
a part of our existence right now. Nothing
in nature, to the best of our knowledge, develops spontaneously to completion. For ex
ample, destiny is not something that will
occur momentarily twenty-four hours from
now or twenty-four years from now. It is
an actuality in which we participate at this
moment. Just as a change in the condition
of the physical body takes place through a
gradual process, so do all changes take effect
through a process of gradual change.
As an example, no disease develops spon
taneously. We may refer to the fact that
this moming we woke up with a coid, but
actually the coid or respiratory disorder
from which we may suffer is something that
has developed over a period of days and pos-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sibly longer. We have in some way violated

certain laws of nature. We have thereby
permitted certain inharmonies to invade our
system; and, although the system fought
gallantly, it was gradually overcome by the
inharmonious condition to a point that we
became aware of these inharmonies as physi
cal symptoms. The manifestations of inharmony broke through the threshold of realiza
tion that had held it back, and we realized,
as if it were suddenly, that we had a coid.
Almost all diseases occur in this manner.
An individual may have vague feelings of
disharmony in the body, but the actual onset
of a disease, or the realization of the symp
toms of the disease, is something that takes
place only when the inharmonious condition
has already advanced to a state that we
consciously become aware of it, and naturally it is at this point of conscious realization
that we presume, or at least accept as our
normal conclusin, that the disease began.
The same truth applies to our mental
faculties. No idea is completely momentary.
The great achievements of men have resulted
from evolved ideas. It is possible that, like
the realization of a coid or any other inhar
monious condition of our body, conscious
realization may come comparatively sud
denly, causing us to think that an idea which
comes into our mind may be created independently of past action or past thinking and
is a spontaneous occurrence. Usually, if it
were possible for us to relate all our think
ing to the sources from which it carne, and
upon which ideas are based, we would realize
that what for us was a new idea, or what
may have been a new idea to anyone, had
come about as a result of our association of
ideas and the knowledge and experience that
we have used over a period of time.
Someone might disagree that inspiration
is not momentary, that individuis have
sudden, intuitive impressions that seem com
plete. The classic example of the conversin
of St. Paul might be cited as a definite evi
dence of this condition. Actually, even in
spiration feeds on what has already been
evolving in consciousness. It is true that
what we cali intuition or the results of in
spiration may seem to occur momentarily;
actually, it is the correlation of the inspira
tion and bits of intuitive knowledge of which
we have become conscious over a period of
time that suddenly integrates into a whole

FEBRUARY, 1958

and acquires a complete meaning. In other

words, just as in the previous illustrations I
have used, what happens at the point of
realization is that a number of different
forces or sources of ideas come together and
become manifest as an integrated whole.
To take again the example of St. Pauls
conversin, St. Paul was an intelligent man.
He had been participating in actual persecu
tion of the Christians, according to the historical sources we have about him. Certainly,
in that activity, he had become generally
familiar with what was then accepted as the
Christian principies of belief, ethics, and
practice. Therefore, his inspiration or sudden conversin was a realization that carne
about as a result of a knowledge which he
had voluntarily or involuntarily gathered
together, and it finally carne as a complete
new meaning to him, which reorganized his
entire thinking and modified his whole life,
existence, and destiny.
In my estimation, it is not necessarily the
purpose of the Rosicrucian teachings to give
us the ability to foresee our destiny or to
come to a realization of any future function
or activity. Rather, the purpose, according
to the philosophy that we study, is to recognize that there are potentialities in the indi
vidual at all times. All individuis, and I
do not think I am exaggerating when I say
all, fail to realize these potentialities, even
fail to use them or attempt to develop them,
but, as soon as an individual tums his at
tention toward his inner abilities and his
inner self, the response is an eventual coordinating in consciousness of many prin
cipies, ideas, facts, and the relating of ex
periences in such a way that a gradual new
philosophy of life takes form.
The responsibility of the individual in
utilizing Rosicrucian teachings is to leam
how to direct the potentialities of our being
so that they can evolve, grow, and materialize
into a state of conscious realization. It is not
our purpose to necessarily direct our lives
in accordance with our own selfish ends, or
to plan our destiny as an architect would
plan a building. Rather we should learn to
draw upon each situation of our experience
and each bit of knowledge that can be ours
and permit them to be related in conscious
ness. We will develop the ability to draw
upon the full faculties of the inner self and
thus become conscious of the intuitive ideas

Page 79

and inspirational knowledge that will help

us to relate apparently separate ideas to a
new realization which will have more mean
ing than any of its parts.
In other words, mans development in this
life is to hamess his own potentialities, and
then listen to his own inner self, to the still,
small voicethat is, the voice of conscience,
the voice of the Cosmic speaking through
his inner self. In this way, man will pre
pare himself to meet his destiny, whatever
it may be.A
W hy People Fear
Fear is as od as man. Why do people
have fears? This question can be answered
from a biological standpoint, and it is quite
a complete answer. If man did not fear, he
would certainly live a careless life. Without
fear, we would venture into situations that
might cost us our lives; consequently, fear
was instilled into living beings as a part of
their instinctive equipment with which they
were able to m.iilain self-preservation. We
should fear certain situaiions until we under
stand them. We should fear going into a
place with which we are not familiar; danger
might luvk there. We should fear the possibility of som ; circumstance happening about
us unless we took the necessary measures to
avoid it. In other words, fundamentally,
from a biological standpoint, fear is to assist
in self-preservation, and fear is related to
that of which we have no experience or have
no knowledge to cope with the situation.
It is, therefore, from a psychological stand
point, possible to say that fear is based upon
the unknown. This springs, of course, from
the biological implication. What we do not
know we may fear because, not knowing it,
we do not know what the circumstances will
be when we are placed in cise relationship
to whatever that circumstance is. It is perfectly normal, then, for a person to have the
emotion of fear, and it may upon many occasions help him protect his life.
The kind of fear that is not as productive
of maintenance of life vales is the fear of
unknown circumstances that may cause us
to panic and not think. In, recent events many
situations have been overplayed in newspa
pers, magazines, and other news-distributing
forms, that have caused people to have fears
of circumstances; if they had stopped and

Page 80

thought carefully, no fear would have con

trolled them, or at least taken possession of
their thinking. Fear of unknowncomplete
ly unknowncircumstances is a form of selfpreservation, but fear of what might happen
if something else happens is to give our
imagination free run, and certainly not to
use our abilities for a constructive means or
purpose. Of course, people seem to fear
death. In other words, they fear change, and
many, regardless of their religious affiliation,
still evidence that fear.
People fear annihilation, but more than
that, I think most human beings living today
fear a change in circumstances that would
take away from them the things which they
believe are of valu. The average family
works to accumulate many physical or ma
terial possessionsa house, an automobile,
various appliances, such as refrigerators,
washing machines, televisin sets, electric
razors, electric mixers, all kinds of gadgets
that go to contribute to the well-being of the
individual and the ease of living. These
things have become symbols of success or
association with the twentieth century civilization.
Were he not in possession of some of these
objects today, the average individual might
wish to conceal the fact; he might be
ashamed of what he lacked. Many of these
things have been obtained by a certain de
gree of sacrifice. By sacrifice I mean that
famous system of time payments so prevalent
today, the uncertainty of which under some
circumstances may cause the individual to
feel momentarily that his possessions might
be taken away from him or that he might
be taken away from them. This may actual
ly cause near panic.
A few days ago, an explosion near where
I live flooded with calis the switchboards of
the plice and county officials, and yet it had
a very simple explanation. Anyone doing
any serious thinking would not have called
for an explanation; he would have realized
that his curiosity would be satisfied in tomorrows newspaper. Such a state of nervous
tensin is not conducive to a healthy society.
It is all right for us to fear in case of a
biological necessity, but it would be better to
consider valesenduring vales, or we
might say eternal valessuch as would
have more meaning than mechanical gadgets,
and would give us the assurance of their

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

survival regardless of what might happen in

the physical world. Then, if we depended
and relied upon those vales, we might not
become nervous or reach a state of panic because of the possibility of being deprived of
our favorite gadget.A
Do You Want Help?
The title of this article might seem superfluous. Of course you want help. Every one,
at one time or another, wants help. The in
dividual who may be the most isolated, either
physically or mentally, is faced at some time
in life with a situation upon which he wants
the help of other individuis. Help is a part
of our social structure. The human race
exists as it does today because it has worked
together and not in isolation. It is hard to
conceive of what history would have been if
every individual human entity were so iso
lated that he or she had no connection whatsoever with any other individual.
One reason the members of the animal
kingdom, lower than man, have not evolved
more than they have may be that many
species, to a more or less degree, exist in
isolation. On the other hand, someone might
arge that some of the social insects, such as
bees, which have a highly evolved social
structure, have not evolved because they can
not see further than the circumstances that
exist beyond the relationship of one to an
other.
Generally speaking, however, as human
beings we are occasionally in need of the
help of other human beings. There are cir
cumstances with which we cannot cope
alone. These may be of a purely physical
nature. For example, few of us are strong
enough to move an object weighing over a
certain number of pounds, and so we ask the
assistance of someone else to help us lift,
push, or otherwise transport it. We need to
work together to build the great structures
of modem civilization. We need to work
together in order to formlate ideas that will
be worth while. Help is not a sign of weakness. To ask for help is actually a sign of
strength.
This latter fact is one that we should all
realize and in which we should thoroughly
believe. In other words, as human beings,
we sometimes need help and it is not only
our privilege to ask for that help, but it is

FEBRUARY, 1958

our obligation. Frequently by receiving help,

we are put into a better position to give help;
and unless we as individuis can contribute
to something other than our own personal
aims, desires, and hopes in this life, then life
is certainly completely futile. We know from
experience that the things we can do for
someone else frequently give us more pleas
ure than the acts we have performed strictly
for our own selfish ends, desires, and hopes.
It is with the realization that man needs
help often he needs that help desperately
that the late Dr. H. Spencer Lewis instituted
and established as a departmental function of
this organization what is now known as the
Council of Solace. Possibly the ame is not
clear in its implications to all members, for
I find repeatedly examples of AMORC students who, even when most needful of the
help of the Council of Solace, do not know
that they can ask, or do not seem to think
that they should ask, for that help.
Actually the Council of Solace functions
to help anyone who wishes to ask for it.
There is no barrier of race, creed, belief,
membership in any organization, fees paid,
or any other criterion in securing help from
the Council of Solace. All anyone, regardless
of who he is, where he lives, whether he belongs to this organization or any other or
ganization, needs to do in order to secure the
help of the Council of Solace is simply to
ask for it. This department of AMORC has
functioned now for many years. It gives us
a great deal of pleasure to read of those who
have received help and have benefited by it,
and it also gives us pleasure to give that help
to the extent we are able, whether the
individual ever comments co n cem in g it
or not.
Published in the literature of the organi
zation in various places, and in a booklet
prepared by the Council of Solace, is a very
specific statement of exactly what the Coun
cil of Solace is, and its scope of operation.
Briefly I might summarize that the Council
of Solace consists of the officers, staff, and
certain high degree Rosicrucian members
who use the principies that are taught in
our teachings to assist other individuis.
They do this through the giving of absent
treatments for conditions of health, and of
the concentrating upon problems of those
who may submit such problems to the atten
tion of the Council of Solace.

Page 81

Every work day, members of the staff

meet in the Supreme Temple in a special
convocation for the purpose of giving this
help to those who request it; also, the officers
and other members give of their own time
for this same purpose, by devoting a certain
period each night or each evening at a specially selected time to directing the constructive thoughts which they can conceive, and
to calling upon the constructive forces of the
Cosmic that they may work through them
and reach out to those who look to the Coun
cil of Solace for help.
Individuis who seek the Councils help
usually communicate in some way requesting
the help that it can give. What we should
be mostly concemed with here is the making
it clear to the individual that the help is
available and how one can go about obtaining it. To cali upon the Council of Solace
for help is an important psychological factor
in itself. If you have confidence enough in
the ideis and principies taught by this or
ganization to ask that help be directed toward
you, then you have a more stable foundation
for the solving of your problems than you
may realize, for it is a human characteristic
that once confidence is placed in any person
or persons, or any forc or power, that indi
vidual is in a better psychological state to
cope with his problems than if he had no
faith whatsoever in any condition existing
outside of him. Therefore, you are doing
yourself a favor if you will ask for help.
Many of our members and nonmembers
who have not availed themselves or have
merely considered availing themselves of the
Council of Solace may have hesitated to do
so because they did not know just how to
go about it. What I would like to do here,
rather than go into more theoretical discussion of the function and purposes of the
Council of Solace, is to set forth a few sug
gestions that may assist you in availing your
self of these services when and if you need
them.
If you have a problem of any type, wheth
er it be personal, conceming your family
affairs, your employment, or whether it be
your health, then the first thing that you
need to do is to communicate with the Coun
cil of Solace and merely state in the fewest
possible words, I have such-and-such a prob
lem. Please help me. Securing the assistance
of the Council of Solace is that simple. The

Page 82

Council of Solace, or rather the clerks who

work in that department and keep the records
for those who give the assistance, will immediately record your ame and problem in a
record form that is kept, and those who assist
with the Council of Solace will be informed
immediately of the circumstances. You will
also receive a form letter, together with a
booklet, that sets forth what you can do and
what the Council of Solace attempts to do.
This is merely a formal acknowledgment.
It is very important that you bear in mind
that the purpose of the Council of Solace is
not to enter into personal correspondence
with those who seek its aid. In the first place,
for someone to dictate a long letter to you
about your problems is probably not going to
solve it, and is going to take time that could
better be used in the application of the
metaphysical principies which the Council
of Solace attempts to put into practical operation. Please remember that you will simply
receive an acknowledgment. You will know
that the work has begun. What you want is
the help that the Council of Solace can give,
not simply a series of letters being mailed to
you about the situation conceming which
you have written.
In case of an emergency, you can send a
telegram or cable. These, of course, receive
the immediate attention of officers and of
those assisting with the Council of Solace,
because a telegram obviously indicates that
the element of time is important. However,
a telegram was brought to me a few days
ago that consisted of about seventy-fve
words. It had been sent as a straight wire,
and I am sure must have cost the sender
eight or ten dollars. It is not necessary to
report in detail through a telegram when you
need help. A telegram merely directed to
the Council of Solace, AMORC, San Jos,
California, stating, I need help for personal
problems, or I need help for illness, or
Give me help for an accident, or something
of that kind, a mere statement of the minimum facts in a few words is all that is
necessary. In fact, the words, Help for
accident, or Help for severe illness, would
be all that would be necessary in times of
emergency for the Council of Solace to begin
its work.
Do not attempt to enter into a detailed
description of problems that are personal, or
of symptoms of a disease. Simply state the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

necessary obvious facts. The Council of

Solace can carry on its work from there,
and remember that once you have asked, you
also have an obligation. You have an obligation to continu sensible treatment, in the
case of an illness, to follow the instructions
that are given by the Council of Solace, and
to apply to the best of your ability and
knowledge the teachings that you have
learned in the study of the Rosicmcian
philosophy. If you will make the request for
help and cooperate to the best of your ability,
you will be benefited, and of course that is
the purpose of your original request.A
Magic
Among the occult sciences the subject of
magic is looked upon by some as of little or
no importance, and by others as actually including all that is essential in the under
standing of the occult. In the higher degrees
of this organization, an attempt is made to
rationalize the various interpretations of
magic so that the student may be somewhat
familiar with an attitude that is sane and
reasonable, as well as to do away with any
false conceptions that might in any way con
tribute to superstition and misbelief.
It must not be forgotten that fundamentally within the doctrine of the Rosicmcian
philosophy is the sacred right and duty of
the individual aspirant, seeking to attain
occult and metaphysical knowledge, to feel
bound to defeat in every way he can the
attempts of superstition to enslave his own
mind or that of other human beings. Free
dom from superstition, and therefore freedom
from fear, is one of the most important mes
sages that the Rosicmcian teachings have
carried to humanity in the centuries that
they have flourished.
To deal with the subject of magic in any
manner is to invite the possibility of re-opening concepts that lead to exaggeration of
ideas tending to have the foundation stones
within themselves to encourage certain forms
of superstition. I am going to discuss briefly
some of the aspects of magic as it is dealt
with by various occult points of view, and
also try to point out that what we have
called, and what has been called in occult
literature for a long period of time, white
magic is actually no more or less than the
understanding of laws and principies which

FEBRUARY, 1958

are of Cosmic origin. Magic to many learned

scholars today is considered to be no more
than an accumulation of crude superstition
out of which religin had its beginning.
These individuis look upon religin as no
more or less than a form of superstition or
a form of magic.
In the so-called enlightened mind of today,
particularly where it has been influenced a
great deal by materialistic philosophies of
the past century, the idea of magic belongs
to the childhood of the world, when men saw
gods, devils, and other invisible beings in all
the phenomena of nature. Primitive man
had a tendency to personalizo the winds, the
rain, the mountains, day and night, the stars,
the earthquakes; everything good or bad was
required to be placated by the use of certain
rites which became known as magical procedures.
While magic is as od as mankind, it is
still widely believed and practiced in many
parts of the world; actually, to some extent,
it is practiced in eveiy part of the world,
even in its most civilized parts. This is due,
so we are told by some authorities, to the
lack of education, or to the difficulty of
eradicating beliefs which have come to us
from the past. It is rightly pointed out that,
when concepts of magic in the popular sense
are engrained within people, the elementary
development of the reasoning faculty is powerless to cope with it; that is, men who do
not use reason or do not find an explanation
for something that is of significance to them
are always glad to accept an explanation that
seems to have its origin outside the field with
which they are usually familiar.
Much that was magic exists today under
other ames. One is a very common word
suggestion. The use of suggestion, whether
it be in the simplest form or in the elabrate
procedures of psychiatric treatment, is in a
sense the use of forces other than physical
for a definite purpose. While the psychiatrist
would be amazed at having his processes re
ferred to as a form of magic, actually there
is little difference except in the application.
If we look for a definition of the word
magic, we will find that a good definition, as
recognized by an established dictionary in
this country, says: The art which claims
or is believed to produce effects by the assist
ance of supernatural beings or by a mastery
of secret forces in nature. W e might add

Page 83

that in the popular viewpoint this definition

might further state that magic takes the place
of science among primitive and barbarous
people; they usually combine what scientific
knowledge they possess with a mass of superstitions. It is also generally believed that
magic is an integral part of most pagan
religions, and that its overthrow in the
Western world has been largely due to the
influence of Christianity, which condemned
the so-called magical processes, and also
condemned the procedure that man should
appeal to spirits and demons.
To refer to magic as being concemed with
secret forces is somewhat misleading. If
such secret forces existed and were employed
by magic, they would obviously be no longer
secret. It might be much better in our
terminology to use the term superphysical
forces. We might further make a definition
of our own by saying that magic is any effect
produced by a knowledge and application of
forces which exist beyond the plae of the
physical or material world, the means them
selves being piimarily nonphysical. Actual
ly, then, magic in this sense has nothing
whatsoever to do with the supematural, un
less we use the word supernatural as referring to all phenomena which are non-physical.
The physicist performs magic in his laboratory. He has performed magic in many
ways. Products that are wonderful results
of such work are, for example, radio, tele
visin, and other electronic applications.
But however wonderful these things are,
they are not magic. Radio, as I have said, is
not magic, but it provides a means of
communication. Telepathy which accomplishes a similar end through mind communicating directly with mind without a mdium
is considered as magic. The cure of diseases
by drugs, physical manipulations, or other
kinds of treatment is not magic. The cure of
diseases by thought power or prayer is what
we might consider magic. As telepathy is
today more generally acknowledged, and
psychotherapy is a recognized form of therapeutical treatment, it is rather absurd to
define magic as a pretended science or a
simple belief.
We are all practical magicians, though we
may not know it or understand the effects
produced or the methods by which they are
accomplished. In other words, the individual

Page 84

who finds his place to a certain degree within

the scheme of the Cosmic realm and in rela
tionship to the universe of which he is a part
and utilizes all the laws at his command,
whether they be physical or nonphysical, is
in a sense a magician. He is applying laws
that exist and is directing those laws toward
conditions that can manifest within or about
him.
The further statement I made that magic
was largely destroyed by Christianity is also
somewhat exaggerated. It may be true that
the practices of black magic, as they were
knownthat is, the efforts of individuis to
use forces for other than constructive aims
did receive considerable discouragement by
Christian ethics and moris. Nevertheless,
magic still exists in the most educated and
civilized communities, although probably un
der other ames. Also, it is as prevalent and
essential in Christianity as it is in so-called
pagan religin. The ceremony of the mass,
for example, is a pur piece of ceremonial
magic, including the blessing of holy water
and other rites and practices of the Catholic
church. It is true that the Church would not
cali these processes magic, or, if it did, it
might refer to them as white magic, but simi
lar rites of pagan religions are called black
magic, or simply magic.
However we apply terminology to any
thing, whether it be physical or nonphysical,
does not alter it; so, consequently, even
though the Church does not cali any of its
practices and rites magic, they nevertheless
may be so. For example, to cali up spirits
and ask for their help is black magic. To
cali up the saints and ask for their help is
considered a common practice among certain
religious bodies, and at the very least, would
not be given a ame stronger than white
magic.
Actually, the difference between white and
black magic is not whether the rite is performed within the orthodox church, or any
other church. The distinction lies far deeper,
depending upon the means employed, and,
more essentially, on the purpose and motivation of the individual who employs such
practices; that is, if white magic and black
magic exist, the difference lies as much with
in the motivation of the individual as it does
within the process itself. Virtue can run over
easily into vice. The door between good and
evil is always open, and readily passed

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

through, so one may stray without realizing

it from a right-handed path to a left-handed
path.
Newspapers and popular magazines today
are full of advertisements which might be
classified as black magic, just as they are full
of advertisements for medicines and other
forms of items that would be claimed to add
to the benefit of humanity; but anything
from quack medicine to the wrong use of
suggestion, the development of personal magnetism, how to make other people subject
to your will, or to make money through
thought powerall of these procedures can
be used destructively as well as constructively, depending upon the attitude with which
the individual user approaches them.
Basically, the fundamental principie is
based on the use of selfishness. The indi
vidual who seeks to gain the use of powers
within and around his own environment,
simply for the purpose of benefiting himself,
is in a sense employing black magic. The
powers are the same. The individual is the
one who makes the decisin. The use of any
forc that is given us for a constructive pur
pose for a personal and selfish end is a degree
of an application of black magic.
This same principie can be illustrated in
a broader sense. Prayer is common to all
religions. Actually, it is common to man.
Man is a praying animal. The atheist and
the agnostic pray, for prayer, whether it be
addressed to God, a saint, or any other
source, is addressed to ones own self, regard
less of how we might attempt to disguise it
in another form. It is a cali of the mortal
to the immortal man, the opening of a channel between the physical self and that phase
of self which can put itself in closer attune
ment with the divine source which gives it
life and existence. Prayer ranges from a
mere request for help to a cry, plea, or demand for the changing of forces that exist
about the individual who prays.
Unfortunately, much prayer in times of
difficulties verges dangerously on the borderline of what might be properly called black
magic. A prayer for victory in war is a
prayer for the defeat of the enemy, and
though victory is conceived as being synonymous with right by the would-be victors, was
there ever a war fought for an admittedly
unrighteous cause? Yet prayer for either
victory or defeat is against the law of love.

FEBRUARY, 1958

In fact, it would seem to be against the law

of God. Prayer, if prayer there should be,
should be for justice, for peace, for human
brotherhood, for truth, leaving the issue be
tween the opposing battalions to God, who
alone knows the end toward which His wis
dom is directed.
And so the story is told, which a few years
ago was elaborated upon by a well-known
author, that the razors edge is a fine line
dividing good from evil, or dividing the con
structive from the dark forces. The decrees
of Karma cannot be changed by the prayers
of men. It is as childish as it is unmoral to
wish that it were possible. Mercy and compassion are inherent in the idea of divine
justice, and how can wehow dar we ask
for more?
There is then essentially no particular
spell of mystery about magic. Magic, if we
are to continu to use the word at all, is the
degree upon which we rely and use forces
which may not be measurable by physical
or mechanical standards. When we apply
the principies of mysticism, metaphysics,
and occultism, all of which deal with the
nonphysical attributes of our being and our
relationship to the divine, then we are in a
sense using magical forces.
As long as those forces are used constructively, we ourselves will leam what the field
of magic actually constitutes and to what
extent we may become masterful magicians.
The perfect magician is the individual who
has at his command those powers which pre
pare him for immortality, which relate him
to the sources, purposes, and ends for which
he was designed, and speed up the evolve
ment which is necessarily his. The purpose
of evolving is to be released from the chain
of incamation that now provides man with
those experiences which we have as physically bound souls in the environment provided
by the material universe.A
Taoism and the Akashic Records
A frater addressing our Fomm asks:
What is the relationship between the Chinese conception of Tao and the Rosicrucian
conception of the Akashic records?
Much that is taught today in the realms
of mysticism and philosophy is both syncretic and eclectic. With the migration and
unity of peoples their thought in these

Page 85

realms has merged. Teachers of new con

cepts have borrowed inspiring ideis and
incorporated them with their own views.
This eclecticism, this merging of thought,
has been so gradual in some instances that
the origin of certain views in a philosophical
or religious system is often almost com
pletely concealed. The Sankhya philosophy,
from which the word akashic is derived, we
believe historically antedates Taoism. We
further believe that the parallel between the
earlier doctrine of the Akashic records and
Taoism is not coincidental, but is still an
other example of eclecticism. Consequently,
a brief review of the doctrine of the Akashic
records is first in order.
The premise underlying the Akashic rec
ords is that there is a universal, Creative
forc. Within this forc and its order and
intelligence are indelibly impressed, in an
amorphous and potential way, all things.
Thus, all things that are and all things that
ultimately will be are recorded potentially,
in essence, in the universal intelligence.
Nothing is created by the intelligence of
man which is absolutely new. Nothing, ac
cording to this conception, that follows from
natural phenomena, as the consequence of
earthquakes, floods or glaciation, is new.
Everything is predetermined as a necessary
condition that must proceed from the uni
versal forc.
For an understanding of this idea there
must now be some elaboration. When one
refers to the Akashic records one is obviously
not alluding to any material records or inscriptions. Further, the principie must not
be construed as meaning that in the A kasa,
which means indeterminate essence, there is
an idea which is an archetype, or correspondent, to some object which comes into
existence in the world. In other words, there
are no blueprints, figuratively speaking, no
plans or designs in the Akasa from which
eventually carne the telephone, the airplane,
radio, televisin, and other inventions and
developments.
The Akashic records should be construed,
rather, as meaning the unity of all natural
law and that order or manifestation from
which anything is possible. There is noth
ing that ever will be that is not already
rooted in this configuration of laws and
forces. Let us use a simple analogy to better
comprehend these remarks. Let us suppose

Page 86

that a collection of marbles in a container

symbolizes Cosmic and natural laws, as well
as their forces and possible arrangement and
manifestations. Any design which these
marbles might assume when they are poured
out upon the table is therefore potentially
already existent within the collection! The
myriad designs do not exist actually in their
form in the collection of marbles; rather, the
marbles are always capable of one of the
numerous designs which eventually follows
from it.
Further, according to the doctrine of the
Akashic records, all human creations are
merely mans intellect, as a channel, brought
into contact with the potentiality of the
Akashic records. It is a law of the universal
essence, according to this doctrine, that man
shall create. He cannot escape doing so.
When his mind is inspired by the universal
consciousness, a design then flows from the
human intellect. Such a design is but one
of the infinite arrangements which Cosmic
and natural law can and will assume when
functioning through the human intellect.
Another way in which to look upon this
subject is that in the universal consciousness,
the Akasa, there can be no form. Everything
that was or will be is merged already in the
primary essence. The forms that appear as
human creations are but the channeling of
the particulars, the arrangement of a portion
of the forces of the Akasa. The human mind
gives them identity, confers upon them form
but in essence, nothing is changed or new.
Taoism started as a philosophy and eventu
ally became a religin; finally, it even
degenerated to superstitious beliefs and prac
tices. Its origin is attributed to the Han
Dynasty of China (206 B.C.-220 A.D.). As
a philosophy, Taoism sought the unity of all
organisms. It was the attempt to fit all
reality into a pattern. In this objective it
followed the traditional purpose of all philosophies. As a religin, Taoism is said to
have sought a power over nature and over
man by adjustment with the Tao through
magic.
Let us go back to the 4th century B.C. in
China. At that time a new conception of
astronomy had reached China. The heavens
were regarded as revolving about the solid
block of the earth. The polestar was the
pivot. The revolution of the heavens was
accompanied by the interaction of two prin

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

cipies: yin, the negative, and yang, the

positive. We would term this the attraction
and repulsin of two polarities. These two
principies, yin and yang, operated through
five forces or agencies, water, fire, wood,
metal, and soil. These agencies produced
all the phenomena of earth, the seasons, and
day and night. Even man and his response
to earth are related to be the consequence
of yin and yang.
There is a basic theory quoted in Taoism,
namely: One yin9 one yang is the Tao.
In other words, Tao is the Cosmic energy;
it is the Absolute but its functioning consists
of the interaction of its two polarities. Tao
is none other than the oscillation of its two
aspectsyin and yang. In this theory there
is much that is contiguous to modem scientific and metaphysical theories as to the
fundamental nature of absolute being.
Mystics tried to sublmate the philosophi
cal view of Tao. They protested that the
Tao is but a ame, and a ame is not sufficient for the realization of the tme nature
of a thing. For a full realization of the es
sence and power of Tao, they proclaimed
that the human must identify himself with
it. In this we see again asserted the ancient,
mystical principie of absorption and unin.
Since Tao was in itself held to be a unity
of all expression of form, or the onenes of
all organisms, therefore what Taoist mystics
sought was unity with unity.
These Taoist mystics accepted the philo
sophical doctrine that the Tao is universal;
it is the oneness of all being. However, they
declared that Tao is not transcendent. It
does not rise above all else. It is not supreme
in relation to that which emanates from its
own nature. In other words, Tao produces
all, but it is not above all. It is in fact,
then, all the phenomena of nature but it is
not any particular of nature or is one ex
pression of it considered inferior to another.
The Tao mystics inveighed against the
study of books or literature which attempted
to delineate the nature of Tao. The sub
stance of their objection to this was that
books require thought and the application of
reason. Thought and reason provide a
knowledge which is related to sensuous
things, the experiences of the senses. Dependence on the faculties of perception and
reason, according to these mystics, arrests
the consciousness, prevens it from attaining

FEBRUARY, 1958

that liberation necessary for the true mys

tical state. The real, of which Tao consists,
it is contended, could only be known by
means of the mystical approach.
This exhortation was, of course, consistent
with traditional mysticism. The usual steps
of the mystic were advocated to constitute
the path to Tao. First, there was isolation
from the world, a separation from mundane
and sensuous things. This was to be followed by periods of meditation. The success
ful meditation would engender illumination,
an understanding which transcends knowl
edge acquired either objectively or through
.the reason. This illumination, then, finally
made possible the last stage, the absorption
or unity with Tao. Generally, mystics would
designate this final state as Union with the
One.
In connection with the mandates to the
neophytes who strove for this unity, we have
the directives of Chwang Tzu: Unify your
attention. Do not listen (to that perceived
by) the ear, but listen (to that perceived by)
the heart. Do not listen (to that perceived
by) the heart, but listen (to that perceived
by) the soul (Chi). That which you under
stand does not come by the ears but by the
heart. The spirit should then be emptied
and take hold of reality. The unin with
Tao is not obtained except by emptiness.
It is this emptiness which is the receiving
of the heart.
Taoism is found to be touching upon pre
cepts of Buddhism and Hinduism in this
pronouncement: The Great Supreme (Tao)
says: Misfortune and fortune have no door;
men themselves incur or win them; recom
pense follows virtue and vice, as the shadow
follows substance. Here in these words is
again found the principie of karma, or the
law of causation.
As to specific points of relationship be
tween the doctrines of Akashic records and
Taoism, we suggest the following:
a. Both Akasa and Tao are indeterminate
substances.
b. Both are self-generated, all things arising from their nature. The Great Tao
overflows everything. All things depend upon it for their existence.
c. The pattern or nature of all phenomena,
either present or of the future, is indelibly recordedthat is, inherent in
both the Akasa and in Tao. Although

Page 87

all things depend upon Tao, we are

told: It does not make itself master.
Through deduction we would under
stand this to mean that there is no distinction or preference conferred upon
any of its manifestations. Rather, it is
man in his desire who makes a distinction in his use of the universal Creative
forces of which the Akasa and Tao are
said to consist.X
Do W e Evolve?
Another frater rises to address our Forum.
A few friends of mine insist that mankind
as a whole will make no evolutionary prog
ress in this world; according to them, only
the individually evolved souls will be lifted
to a higher hierarchy out of their sphere.
In other words, we will always be blinded
by utter mateiialism resulting in wars . . .
I cannot accept this, not because I do not
feel that evolution will lead to a final exalted
existence of the inner self, but because the
attitude seems to lead to some kind of in
dividual cult of defeatism in regard to
humanity.
. . . Mankind has evolved, thanks to men
like Plato, Goethe, etc., and we must try to
evolve as a whole. . . . There is no such
thing as individual evolution achieved by
dreaming, sitting it out. . . . May I know
what viewpoint the Order has in this re
gard?
The question as submitted by the frater
is well thought out and it is a provocative
one. The premise of evolution is that some
thing is progressing from its existing state,
condition or quality, to a superior one. This
constitutes change, of course. Yet all change
is not necessarily accepted as evolutionary
in nature. There are some transitions which
we observe and consider as being devolutionary, while still others seem to have a
neutral appearance insofar as their quality
or status is concerned.
In the human mind there exists the category or notion of complexity. When, there
fore, something goes through a change from
that which is considered simple to that which
is complex, the change is frequently referred
to as an evolutionary process. For example,
a biological organism which in its change
acquires additional functions, or an enlargement of those it already possesses, is said to
have evolved. We think of the accretion or

Page 88

the enlarged function of such an organism

as an improvement, as a progression that
constitutes evolution. Whether in a philo
sophical sense, from the point of view of
nature (not mans estimation), such really
is evolution is not a subject which we will
entertain now.
With man the same type of reasoning is
applied as to the determination of his evo
lution. The elaboration and extensin of his
faculties and powers and the refinement of
his qualities are accepted as his personal
evolution. Anthropologists have proven that
primitive men were capable of reasoning.
Using such reasoning as a basis, the mental
development of the intelligent person of to
day is generally held to far exceed that of
the Australian aborigine, for example. This
is said to be proof that mans intellectual
powers (as they are today) have far evolved
from those of his early progenitors such as
the Neanderthal Man.
In religious matters it is likewise generally
conceded that monotheism and mystical
pantheism are evolved concepts in contrast,
for example, to animism and polytheism.
Fortunately, mans imagination allows for
the projection of a state or quality into the
future. In other words, what appears as
good to us of the Now, can most often be
imagined with a further improved state projected into its future. If man were not cap
able of this idealizing, all progressor what
is assumed to be progresswould have
ceased.
In our present social relationships, govemment, intemational affairs, world economy
and morality, there appear obvious faults to
us. It is not difficult for us to conceive of
the elimination of such noxious conditions.
Most thoughtful people can conceive a
Utopia of a kind, even if such would prove
impractical eventually. The conceived im
proved status for the individual or for man
kind as a whole is then said to be an evolved
one. What is thought to be an ultmate
state for manperfeetion spiritually, intellectually, and sociallyis only an assumption in comparison with mans present evaluation of circumstances. Yet, as one looks
back in retrospect, no matter the puerility
and imperfection of our present status as we
conceive it, there are indications that society
as a whole has evolved. Of course, from the
point of view of morality one may say that

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

all the od evils are still with us. Perfidy,

corruption, and the violation of the commandments for right living persist.
Consider, however, the tremendous increase of the world population from the
aspect of percentage; even morality and selfdiscipline have evolved. Certainly, in the
acquisition of knowledge about himself and
his world, man has evolved. In an evergrowing complex society, the mastery of
certain problems constituting evolution is,
however, often mitigated by ever-rising new
problems.
As to whether mankind as a whole will
evolve, or only the particular individual, we
do not think there is great difficulty in realizing the evolutionary relationship between
the two, that is, man and society. The indi
vidual will and must go through that sublimation, or make that progress which is held
to be evolution, before the society of which
he is a part can do so. At least, there must
be those who begin the evolutionary proc
esses. The ideis for the evolutionary trends
of societyin the spiritual sense, as well
flow from the individual. If we assume or
accept that religin has had a salutary effect
upon mankind or society, then certainly the
first motivation carne from the individual.
It was the individual, the avatar, the
founder, the Messiah, who was illumined
and inspired and who by his preachments
led a multitude from darkness to what is
considered to be Light. Zoroaster, Moses,
Buddha, Jess, Mohammedthey are some
of the relatively few who through personal
evolvement tended to lift mankind by its
proverbial bootstraps. The same may be said
of Thales, Scrates, Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and a host of other ancient and mod
em thinkers.
Mystically, we may postlate that one
would not be truly evolved who did not or
could not pass on his evolutionary changes
to his fellows. The thought and the deeds
of the evolved personalities or intellects must
be contagious. They must be capable of
transmission and of the inspiring of society
at least of a portion of mankind. Certain
individuis have been so evolved as to com
pletely admbrate all the achievements of
their fellows. The personality evolution of
some humans has so greatly exceeded their
time that their contemporaiies could not
comprehend their words or behavior. Such

FEBRUARY, 1958

exalted personages, under such conditions,

frequently paid for their great personal evo
lution with their livesat the stake or on
the rack.
Though the individual must first con
tribute his personal evolutionary effects to
society, yet the latter in tum may reflect
its progress upon the individual. Society
adopts certain standards, ways and means,
which it expounds as being evolutionary.
In turn, it exposes its members to those in
fluences. Such practices then become endemic to the particular culture of the period.
The individual who lives in that society
consequently gradually assimilates the ideis.
Consciously or unconsciously he participates
in these ideis and practices and thereby
further contributes to the evolutionary trend.
For analogy, there are undoubtedly millions
of persons in our most civilized nations to
day who would not compel their children
to attend school were not the law enforcing
that practice. Their children are thus evolved
in the educational sense even perhaps against
the will of their parents.
For the general evolution of mankind
there must be reciprocity between what the
frater calis the larger circle and the indi
vidual. We hold that the particular individ
ual can evolve without the larger circle, but
unfortunately no one will realize it except
himself. Even to him the evolution would
be in concept only, rather than in accomplishment. Society must go along apace for
most men to know when one of their fellows
exceeds them in something so that they may
be called evovled.X
W hat Is An Avatar?
A frater of Japan addresses our Forum,
and asks in substance, What, specifically,
is an avatar? Do Rosicmcians accept the tra
ditional meaning of the word? Who were
the avatars, and are there any now living?
The word avatar is of Hind and possibly
of Sanskiit origin. In the Hind religin,
the term referred to any of the pantheon of
Hind deities who incaraated in human
form. One who has attained spiritual illumi
nation and is, in fact, a deity, or the equivalent in attainment, and one who retums
to mortal existence to serve mankind is con
sidered to be an avatar according to the
Hind religin. Mystically speaking, an av-

Page 89

tar is one who has reached a state of Cosmic

Consciousnessthat is, when his conscious
ness is in perfect harmony with the Universal
Mind, he is no longer Cosmically obligated
to incamate in physical form; the soul-personality has learned its specific lessons and
has, in fact, completed its needed cycle. This
cycle begins with the extensin of the soul
forc outward through the human form to an
eventual state of full realization of mans
Cosmic unity. When this realization is at
tained, the soul has then retumed in con
sciousness to its source.
Upon such a traditional, mystical premise,
many mystical philosophies, religions, and
metaphysical concepts are founded. The
manner of explaining the principies and laws
involved in such a process vares to some
degree with each system. It has generally
been accepted that an individual who has
expounded great spiritual truth and who has
demonstrated transcendental powers did not
acquire that knowledge and power in one
life. It may be contended that he is a highly
evolved soul-personality. Perhaps it will be
proclaimed that such a person is on the last
plae of consciousness to be experienced in
human form. Because of that, he has acquired a psychic visin and a personal power
exceeding that of other mortals. Such an
individuals theurgical ach ievem en ts are
explained on the grounds of an exalted
theophany or spiritual experience.
In the mysticism of the East, no particular
individual avatar was thought to be the only
son of the sol god. In pantheistic religions,
the avatar was one who became more fully
conscious of the universal Intelligence, the
all-pervading God-Mind. He was one through
whom the plethora of Divine Light would
flow. To most mysticsperhaps other than
those of the Christian sectssuch personages
as Zoroaster, Moses, Vishnu, Buddha, and
Christ were thought to be but a few of the
avatars. There were others who had like
wise attained the perfeetion of the soul-per
sonality. Included, too, would generally be
those who had throughout history attained
a great influx of spiritual light. The par
ticular religionist, however, the devotee of a
distinct sect, as for example the orthodox
Christian, would probably resent the spirit
ual head of his faith being considered but
one of a pantheon of avatars. To him it
would seem as though his spiritual leader

Page 90

or Messiah was being relegated to an in

ferior order.
To the mystic whose teaching is mystical
pantheism, every human has the potentiality
of becoming an avatar equal to the greatest
spiritual leaders known to man. The path
to such attainment is strewn with severe
obstacles. The way is a difficult one; temptations and human weaknesses exist on all
sides. It is extremely arduous for the human
will to master and discipline the physical
man so as to attain the needed perfeetion.
As a result, in the history of the world, the
truly great avatars can figuratively be counted on ones fingers. Most mortals fail somewhere in lifes tests and triis, fail to make
the required sacrifices which would gain
them that great illumination that would
constitute them avatars, even after many existences.
From a wholly objective and rational point
of view it is to be questioned whether every
great Messiah or founder of a religin is
eligible to be considered an avatar. Some
have had theurgieal experiences which could
not truly be said to have been induced by
the mystical elevation of consciousness, but
rather to have been solely experiences of
emotional ecstasy. Though emotional ecstasy
is part of the psychological nature of re
ligious experience, yet such can orignate
from other causes quite removed from the
spiritual. For example, persons with nervous
disorders can have hallucinations which
have, to them, the reality of a religious ex
perience. The line of demarcation would be
not what the individual claimed was revealed to him during such a state, but the
powers he displayed subsequently as a result
of the experience.
Most of the avatars of the living religions
have had attributed to them great manifes
tations of spiritual power. They are credited
with the exhibiting of strange and unusual
phenomena equivalent to the direction and
control of natural law. Miracle is the
word that is usually associated with such
phenomena. The true avatar would be
capable of acts and feats seemingly mysteri
ous and supernatural to the unenlightened.
Actually, the avatars greater understanding
and mastery of Cosmic and natural law
would make it possible for him to accomplish
things which to others would seem to be
miraculous.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

We would seriously doubt, however, the

right of one to be acclaimed an avatar mere
ly because he had attained the leadership
of a sect and expounded what he professed
to be spiritual truths. The real avatar must
be able to demnstrate in his own life some
of the precepts which he postulates. At
least, such a personage should reveal and
teach such knowledge as when seriously
studied and applied by others would give
them some mastery over the affairs of their
lives. In other words, by their works they
shall be known.
Are there avatars now living? There are
undoubtedly many illumined minds who
have the qualifications of eventually becom
ing avatars. Great mystics of today, moral
and ethical philosophers and spiritual teachers are acquiring that evolvement of the
soul-personality that will make them tomorrows avatars. For any of those now living
to be justly termed avatars would mean that
they would have to have that Cosmic mastership attributed to the great spiritual lights
of the past. Although there are numerous
tales and legends about such personages,
there are none who, in our opinion at this
time, are in the same category as the tra
ditional avatars. There are undoubtedly
many, as we have said, who in relatively
recent times and at present are evolving to
this point.
Every mystic is not necessarily an avatar.
There is a hierarchal order to mystical or
spiritual evolution. For example, there is the
neophyte, the zealot, the evolving intellectual
and spiritual consciousness that finally begins
to have a series of mystical experiences. His
insight and respective behavior eventually
warrant his receiving the appellation of
aspiring mystic and perhaps, finally, that
of mystic. Then, the mystic himself must
grow in experience and illumination to be
capable of that accomplishment which is the
climax constituting him an avatar. Like a
pyramid, mystical aspiration is broad at its
base but narrows toward the apex of attain
ment.X
Marriage and Membership
A frater of England rises to ask our
Forum: Is a man or woman justified in
extricating himself or herself from a mar
riage contract when the other party has

FEBRUARY, 1958

brutally taken measures to stop the first

partys relationship with the Rosicmcian
Order? . . . Also the nonmember is not mys
tically minded in any sense whatsoever and
refuses to investgate the nature of the Rosi
crucian Order.
There are extenuating circumstances that
have a bearing on the answer to this ques
tion. A marriage, intellectually and socially,
begins before the nuptial rites are performed.
In other words, both parties to the marriage
contract should have a free exchange of
mind. As near as possible they should recite
to each other their likes and dislikes to discem their mental and, to an extent, their
emotional compatibility. It is, of course,
rare that two individuis, particularly a man
and a woman, will have mutual interests in
all matters. Sex alone is an assurance that
there will be interests that are generally
more masculine or feminine. There should,
however, be certain dominant mutual inter
ests that will transcend other differences in
thought and activity. If there are no such
dominant interests other than sex itself, the
prospect of a successful marriage is very
dubious.
First, where there is a difference in re
ligin, each being of a different faith, it is
essential to determine immediately the liberality and degree of tolerance of the intended
mate. To the infata ted and to young lovers,
religious difference seems inconsequential.
Perhaps they overcome that barrier at first
by ones agreeing to a Service in the church
of the other. After marriage, however, extemal influence may be brought to bear.
The parents of one or both of the young
couple may inveigh against the others faith.
They insist that their son or daughter have
the children of the unin brought up in their
particular faith. If it is not the grandparents
who so interfere, then perhaps it is the
clergy. The situation can become a complex
and an unhappy one. Unfortunately, there
is nothing that breeds intolerance like overzealous religious faith.
In line with this reasoning, the Rosicm
cian member, who intends to marry, should
frankly discuss his or her membership with
his future mate. Naturally, it is advantageous in many ways for man and wife to be
companion-members. However, it is not
necessary to induce the intended husband or
wife to become a Rosicmcian. It is impor

Page 91

tant, however, to leam whether a tolerant

attitude of mind will be had toward such
membership. If one, after explaining the
philosophical and humanitarian nature of
the Rosicmcian Order to the other, finds
the latter evincing an unreasonable hostility
toward the Order, he should consider that
sufficient waming. No marriage should then
be consummated unless there is a change in
the hostile attitude.
To proceed with a marriage, knowing that
a strong prejudice exists on the part of a
mate, is to invite incompatability and unhappiness. One should not gamble on being
able to change the viewpoint after marriage
when the relationship then imposes many
other obligations. Sometimes a man or a
woman erroneously tries to measure the love
of another by the willingness of the other
person to make great sacrifices for it. In
other words, in a selfish way one may demand that the other give up certain cherished and constructive habits and interests
just as an indication of love. Such is a
brutal attitude and reveis a weakness of
character that should constitute a tacit wam
ing of what can be expected in the subsequent married state.
Where one does not, before marriage,
reveal his interests, studies and affiliations
because he is afraid the discussion might be
disturbing, his cowardice may be creating
future havoc for him. If one later discovers
an unreasonable objection to his studies, he
has in part at least by his previous silence
brought the tribulation upon himself.
There are psychological reasons, as well
as religious prejudices, that may cause a
husband or wife to object to anothers Rosi
cmcian, Masonic, literary, sport, or some oth
er kind of affiliation. A wife, for example,
may not wish to feel that she has competition
for her husbands interest in her. She may
think that her husbands life should com
pletely revolve about her interests like a
satellite. If he spends any time away from
her or in interests foreign to her under
standing or choice, she considers that as
competition for her affection. The reaction
will be one of quite unfair criticism of the
husbands interests. The criticism may be
made along economic lines, that is, that they
cannot afford the membership now that they
are married. Yet the wife will not offer to
sacrifice interests of her own for the same

Page 92

economic reason. Then, again, she may say

that the studies take too much of his time or
that they are in some other way detrimental
to them.
Husbands and also wives for the above
reason have been known to get an illiberal
clergyman who looks upon all mystical and
philosophical studies as pagan and heretic
to condemn the affiliation to the mate. In
other words, the protest is then being put
upon a religious basis to give it prestige
when, in fact, underlying it are entirely
other and selfish motives.
It is hardly necessary to state that indi
viduis cannot all have similar likes and dislikes. Our personalities, talents, training and
experience account for our varied interests.
Many persons are not temperamentally or
intellectually adapted to the study of any
system of formal philosophy, metaphysics or
mysticism.
An individual may be an extrovert and
dislike reading and study except when neces
sary. Often such persons would like to have
such an interest, that is, they would like to
have the knowledge that comes from study,
but without the effort required. Frankly,
then, they envy the knowledge that their
mate has acquired due to such studies. It
inculcates within them a sense of inferiority
and envy. They want to be equal to the
mate in all things and yet are not willing
to sacrifice time and effort to do so. They
will not embarrass themselves by revealing
their true feelings. Consequently, they strive
for an equality by attacking the interest, the
study, of their mate. They make it appear
that they do not personally pursue such a
study because they knowwhen they actu
ally do not because of their unfamiliarity
with itthat it is harmful or useless.
What should one do under such circum
stances of intolerance when married? This,
of course, is a question that must be decided
by the individual because circumstances vary
in each case. If there are children in the
family, divorce should be avoided at almost
all cost. The first obligation is to the future
welfare of the children. If there are no chil
dren, then the individual must consider
whether separation or divorce is a greater
sacrifice than the denial of his personal selfimprovement and knowledge. If he believes
that his married life is contributing in many
other ways to his happiness, then perhaps

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the sacrifice of his Rosicrucian membership

is necessary.
If one finds that objection to the Rosicru
cian study is due to religious prejudice, in
tolerance, and such selfishness as we have
cited above, then a parting of the ways is
probably best. Where the character of one
person in a marriage unin is of such a
despicable type, the sacrifice of Rosicrucian
membership would not be an ultmate remedy. The unjust criticism would soon center
upon some other interest of the mate.
The Rosicrucian, of course, if he follows
the precepts of the Order, will never do any
thing in his membership that will unduly
arouse animosity toward it. He or she will
do everything within reason not to let the
studies and membership interfere with nec
essary household duties, marital relations,
and mutual family interests.X
This Issues Personality
It has been said that India is religiously
intoxicated. This phrase does not have refer
ence to the variety of religious sects found in
that country because the United States, for
example, has perhaps the greatest number of
religious groups and cults in the world. The
intoxication undoubtedly refers to the Indian
temperament and inclination toward spirit
ual and philosophical pursuits. The subjective interests are often far more dominant in
the individual in that land than are the
temporal pursuits. One bom in India must
make a considerable effort to bring about a
balance in his life between the traditional
influences and the rapid transition now un
der way toward industrialization and the
participation in physical sciences.
It was in such an atmosphere that Dhanjishaw D. Patell, our Inspector General of
AMORC for Bombay, was reared. Frater
Patell was bom in Bombay on October 6,
1904. At the early age of eleven years, he
was initiated into the solemn rites of the
Zoroastrian religin. Such an occasion is
called Navjote Day. The ceremony took
place in a small city, Igatpuri, not far distant
from Bombay. At the time, it was a railway
junction. In addition to the induction cere
mony, an incident occurred on the same day
which left a lasting impression on young
Patell. His father was a locomotive engineer
(driver). A strike was impending against

FEBRUARY, 1958

the railway, and his father was under pressure to discontinu working and thereby add
to the chaos that would ensue. His father
resisted the threats and pressure, and continued his duties at the risk of great personal
danger. This courage to stand for ones convictions under all circumstances was a moral
lesson young Patell did not forget.
After completing his high school education
with honors, Frater Patell enrolled in an
architectural school. There was as yet no
certainty as to just what he intended for his
future. He subsequently served as a draftsman in an architectural and engineering
school, thinking that such practical training
would be useful, even if in the future he
should change the direction of his career.
The aesthetic side of Frater Patells nature
was very strong. He saw the beauty in many
things in his daily life not appreciated by
others. At every opportunity he would
sketch and paint what he saw.
Frater Patells ambition finally flowered
into wishing to be an artist. He subsequently
passed successfully govemment examinations
in drawing and painting. In photography
he found the opportunity to combine science
and art. He became a partner in a photographic enterprise. From there it was but
another step upward to the Wadia Movietone Studios where he applied his artistic
ideas. Not long afterward he became a cinematographer. To his credit, Frater Patell has
had several noted cinema pictures produced
in three languagesEnglish, Hindi, and
Bengali. The hard work demanded of him
in this enterprise caused ill-health, and he
was forced to retire from it. Soon afterward
he entered the insurance business in which
he has been successful.
The subtlety of mysticism and the philoso
phy of the East was innate within the nature
of Frater Patell. Time found him always
browsing in secondhand bookstores, purchasing works on occultism and mysticism. In
1934 he became associated with the Sri
Ramakrishna Mission. He became a student
of its teachings under a learned disciple.
But, it was an incident in the spring of
1948 that led him to the Threshold of the
Rosicrucian Order, AMORC. A friend paid
him a visit in his office. This friend was
learned in mysticism and related subjects,
having authored two such books which Frater
Patell had illustrated. During the visit, he

Page 93

revealed his psychic power by relating that

another associate in the office was a member
of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC. The as
sociate was deeply surprised at this revelation and admitted gladly his affiliation.
Frater Patell was greatly impressed with the
incident and requested information as to how
he might enroll in the Order. He subse
quently crossed the Threshold that same
year.
Frater Patells enthusiasm and love of the
Order resulted in his organizing the Bombay
Pronaos in 1953 which he served as Master
for two terms. He has subsequently rendered
great Service to the A.M.O.R.C. He conducted public meetings in Bombay for the
Order in 1953, and two more in 1956. He
also organized two charity shows, one for
flood relief and another for a tuberculosis
fund; these events likewise brought the
Rosicrucian Order, AMORC in Bombay fa
vorable publicity.
Frater Dhanjishaw Patell was honored
with an appointment by the Imperator to
the office of Inspector General of AMORC
for Bombay in June of 1957. Frater Patell
says of his membership, the Rosicrucian
Order, AMORC has given me the oppor
tunity to serve humanity in distress.
Frater Patell has a lovely wife who shares
his interests, and a daughter eleven years
od. His daughter is a member of the Rosi
crucian Torch Bearers. In Frater Patell are
the qualifications which the Order considers
the epitome of Rosicrucian membership.X
W hat Is the True Sabbath?
A soror, addressing our Forum, says: 44We
are not taught in our studies the importance
of keeping the seventh day holy. . . . Does
it make any difference to the Cosmic which
day we keep holy? . . . Can you clear this
point up?
The Sabbath, as a day of rest or its equivalent, is not only kept by Christians and Hebrews but by Buddhists, Moslems, and even
primitive peoples. The connotation put upon
the day, and its origin as well, has varied
with different cultures and peoples since re
mote antiquity. A rest day among primitive
peoples was not influenced or inspired by the
practice of higher cultures or civilizations.
Most frequently their day of rest is not any
particular period. These primitive rest days

Page 94

are not always associated with the devotions

to a god or a religious worship.
When a tribe finds it necessary to impose
taboos, that is, the prohibition of certain
conduct and activities, a day would be set
aside to give emphasis to them. The rest in
such instances is really not the principal ob
jective but follows out of the restrictions
which have been placed upon the individuals
conduct. The rest, then, is the negative
aspect of the day, not the positive one.
Again, these primitive rest days have
been established for the purpose of especial
tribute or honor to be paid to some sacrosanct
character. It may be in honor of a chieftain
who is believed to have a divine nexus.
Though there is a sacrosanct atmosphere
associated with the individual who is being
honored, the day chosen for the event may
not be considered in itself sacred or holy.
These particular primitive days of rest have
a parallel in degree only to some of our
holidays.
The distinction between a modem holiday
and a primitive day of rest is the kind of
restrictions imposed in the primitive society.
Among Australian tribes such days are
marked by fasting and abstinence from
stimulating drinks, sexual intercourse, loud
noises, dancing or singing. A general quiescence prevails. Prophylactic communal
rest days are also common among primitive
people. In other words, if a people had been
under an exceptional emotional and physical
stress and strain, the result of some cataclysm, catastrophe or epidemic, a day would
then be ordered for the opportunity of recuperation. In such instances the day might,
in addition, become the occasion of solemn
worship and religious ceremony. Prayers
might be offered in gratitude by the survivors. Libations and oblations might also
be made to the god to appease his wrath and
to seek his intervention in any recurrence
of the calamity.
Among primitive pastoral people, shepherds and herders, there is rarely observed
a day of rest. Their occupation being such
that little exertion is required, it has been
apparently thought that a separate day of
rest for them was not necessary. However,
in the same society it has been observed that
agriculturalists whose labor is more arduous
were granted a day of freedom from their
labors. It has been theorized that, with the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

transition of the people from a pastoral to

an agricultural society, the influence of a
needed day of rest resulted in contributing
to the periodic adoption of one day weekly.
Usually this rest day was made to correspond to market days. Here we see the
utilitarian aspect entering to establish the
custom. Agriculturists, shepherds and craftsmen, for example, cannot visit the market
and buy wares unless there is a period of
freedom from their daily labors. A combina
tion of the two circumstances, rest and mar
ket day, was a practical and efficient concep
tionexcept for the merchants at the market
place. This custom of combined market and
rest days is common among tribes in New
Guinea, Sumatra, and Java.
Superstition, as well as necessity and re
ligin, has played a prominent part in the
establishment of a day of rest. Certain days
among primitive peoples are considered unlucky. The notion arises probably from an
association of ideas. A certain unfortunate
or disastrous event occurs on a certain day
of the week or period of the month. The
elementary reasoning would deduce that
there was a contagious influence (magic)
between the two. Therefore, that period in
the future would be one of curtailed activi
ties, consisting of taboos imposed upon the
people. This became their Sabbath, consist
ing of rest, restriction, and retrospection up
on the significance of the origin of the day.
Though there is no proof of the theory,
it is generally assumed that the Hebrew
Sabbath, as an institution, had its origin in
Babylonia. Many of the religious customs
and concepts of the Hebrews have parallels
in the beliefs and rites of the people who
were once their captors. The Semitic nomadic tribes of which the Hebrews mainly
consisted were a relatively primitive and
simple people compared to the Egyptians and
Babylonians. The Egyptians and Babylonians had attained a high state of civilization
and organized religin when the Hebrews
were their slaves. The alert Semitic mind,
open to new ideas or experiences, would
readily borrow what seemed plausible to it.
In Babylonia, however, the Sabbath (Sabattu) was not established because of the
creators resting on the seventh day. It was
a celebration, a festival, on the occasion of
the full moon on the 15th day of the month.
The event occurred when the earths satel-

FEBRUARY, 1958

lite rested for a while at the height of his

brilliancy. The Babylonian calendar eventually had months of 29 or 30 days each.
Three of the weeks consisted of seven days
each, the fourth week being nine or ten days
according to the length of the month. There
are two theories advanced for the seven-day
week of the Babylonians. The first is the
seven divine planets of which the early
astronomers knew. There was perhaps conceived a correspondence between the earthly
time, the week, and the number of planets.
Second, these Babylonian astronomers knew
that the lunation may be roughly divided
into four periods of seven days each.
The Babylonians designated the Sabbath
Sabattu. This is probably the source from
which the Hebrews derived their word Sab
bath. Scholars assume that the word originated in the still earlier Sumerian S-bat. This
compound means mid-rest or heart-rest.
In the fifth tablet of the Semitic story of
creation, most of which tablets are in the
British Museum, we find an interesting reference. We quote below only a few lines:
At the beginning o f the month, then appearing in the land,
The horns ( moon) shine forth to make
known the seasons.
On the seventh day the tiara perfecting,
A Sabbath (Sabattu) shalt thou then encounter? mid-month ( ly?)
The Hebrews merely changed the day of
rest in its place in the week.
To the Hebrews the Sabbath was the result of a covenant between God and the
people. Ezekiel, one of the four great Hebrew prophets, in reviewing the history of
Israel from the day the people were chosen
by God, presents this message: uHallow my
Sabbath. A sign between me and them that
they might know that I am the Lord that
sanctify them. There are other similar references as And Creator of all days blessed
this day which he had created for a blessing
and a sanctificator and a glory above all
days. It was then a day that the Hebrews
offered thanks to their god for his liberation
of them from the Egyptians and his subsequent protection.
As the Sabbath became definitely a day
of rest as well as a sacred one, specific taboos
of conduct were proclaimed. In the Mishrath
there are defined 39 main categories forbidding work. It is interesting to speculate

Page 95

upon why work is held taboo on sacred days

even among primitive peoples. It would appear that the psychological premise is that
work is principally a self-interest. Whether
one is employed by another or labors for
himself, he does so because of basic selfinterest as sustenance. Most labors are likewise concemed with profane, mundane activities. On a sacred day when a god is to
be worshipped, one must by his attitude show
that his mind and his hands are both free
to serve the higher being, and His requirements. One cannot serve two masters simultaneouslythe self and the deity.
The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening. The modernization of the Jewish
rituals has varied the acceptance of when
the Sabbath begins for worship. Seneca, the
Romn statesman, misunderstood the significance of the day. He construed the day to
be one of idleness. To the Jews, however,
one would rest only from daily labors but
activity was expected from them in study,
prayer, and certain types of recreation.
The early Christian successors to the Hebrew Shabbath called it Dies Dominica or
Lords Day. The Moslems have a similar
holy day of rest and worship which they
term Al Jum ah, the meeting. The meeting is for worship. The practice is derived
from the Jewish and Christian customs but
the day is Friday. On that day, labor is sus
pended only while services are being conducted at the mosque.
The Buddhists in Buddhist lands have a
sacred day of rest, a cessation of activities
and fasting. It is known as Uposatha. It
falls on the day of the new moon, on the
day of the full moon, and on two days which
are eighth from the new and full moon.
This custom is of Aryan origin and has no
relation to Judaic or Christian influence.
It actually matters not, mystically, what
period one sets aside for the reverence of
the God of his heart. A day is sacred not
because of historical events or any designation given it, but by the attitude of mind, by
the conduct of human beings on that day. A
day, of course, is not inherently sacred.
Mans state of consciousness becomes sacred
only by its elevation. Also, there is no universally sacred day. Due to the difference
in time, the day called sacred by men in
one nation is either the day before or after
in another part of the world.X

A Book That
Challenges
Belef!
This book, T he Conscious Interlude, provides stimulating adventure. It presents a liberal philosophy of life. Figuratively, this
study places you on the threshold of reality surveying with an
open mind all that you experience. The book opens a world of
radical thought radical only in that the author has succeeded in
freeing himself of all traditional ideas and honestly reappraises
what we have been told and are accustomed to believe.

Consder These
Chapter Titlesl
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII

Inquiry into
Consciousness
Adventure into Self
Inquiry into
Knowledge
Nature of Truth
Will
Is Absolute Reality
Mind?
Illusions of Law and
Order
Causality

IX
X

XI
XII
XIII
XIV
XV
XVI
XVII
XVIII

Mysteries of Time and

Space
Fourth Dimensin
Conscience and
Moris
Immortality
The Dilemma of
Religin
The Mystical
Consciousness
The Philosophy of
Beauty
Psychology of Conflict
The Human Incentive
Conclusin
Index

TH E A U TH O R
Ralph M. Lewis, F. R. C., Imperator of the Rosicrucian
Order, AMORC, is the author of the books, Behold the Sign!
and the Sanctuary of Self. The Conscious Interlude is considered one of his most thought-provoking and fascinating
works. It is the culmination of years of original thought.

Beautfully Bound and Prnted

To our Commonwealth Friends
Our friends in the Briish Isles are permitted by their Government regulations
to obtain this book direct from the
U. S. A. But it may also be purchased
from the Rosicrucian Supply Bureau,
25 Garrick St., London, W.C. 2, England.

O NLY

*375
PO STPAID
TO YOU

Man's M oment

In Etemty

one behind, and the one ahead of us. Our

whole span of life is but a conscious interlude
literally an infinitesimal moment of existence. How we live this split second of
existence depends upon our consciousness
our view, our interpretaron of lifes experi
ence. The purpose of this unusual book,
The Conscious Interlude, is how to make the
most of this interval of life.

ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU

Rosicrucian Pr*rk,
San Jos, California, U. S. A.
G e n tle m en :

Please send to me a copy of T h e C o n s c io u s I n t e r l u d e as advertised,

postpaid. I am enclosing (#3.75) or ( 1 / 7 / 3 ) .
YOUR NA1E.

ADDRESS

(Write or print carefully)

April, 1958
Volunte XXVII!

No. 5

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

THEODORE H. LY O N S, F. R. C.
Inspector G e ne ral o f A M O R C fo r D allas, Texas, area.

Page 98

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

A R TIFICIA L IN SEM IN ATION

Dear Fratres and Sorores:
sexual relations for parenthood were not
possible, the artificial implanting of the
Periodically, the subject of artificial inspermatozoa provided a remedy. It caused
semination arises to provide a flurry of conpregnancy and brought about healthy, nor
troversy, and then it subsides beneath a
mal offspring. The child is, of course, of the
barrage of religious objection. The recurrence
blood of the mother, but the father-donor
of interest in this subject is more frequent
usually remains unknown.
and is gaining support in many circles hereThe physicians who perform the artificial
tofore silent upon it. The questions concerninsemination, in accordance with legal re
ing artificial insemination, or the artificial
quirements, employ the experience gained
conception of human life, may be divided
from the study of genetics. A father is
into three categoriesbiological, social, and
selected whose health and heredity meet the
religious.
required standards. He is usually one whose
Eugenics, as a science, has shown the
intellectual qualities are of a class compa
importance of heredity and of the transmitrable to that of the prospective mother. In
ting of characteristics from generation to
other words, the spermatozoa of a moron
generation. The principies of controlled con
would not be impregnated in a woman of
ception, as in the breeding of cattle and
intelligence and sensibility.
horses, have proved its valu. A stock or
Socially, in certain categories, the human
breed is definitely improved in specific char
race could be definitely and rapidly ad
acteristics by the mating from the strain with
vanced by means of controlled mating. It
the desired qualities. Among humans the
would consist of a uniting of only those who
normal biological improvement is very grad
met higher standards than now existing to
ual and to a great extent a result of chance.
reproduce. But such a scientific method as
With primitive peoples, natural selection
used in cattle breeding would obviously be
culis out the physically weak and those less
offensive to the social principies. A purely
able to survive. An advanced society, how
scientific breeding of humans could not take
ever, is govemed by moral principies and
into consideration romance, love, or even
greater sensibility. It does not prohibit from
marital compatibility in the psychological
marrying, and producing offspring, indi
sense. The biological principies, alone, would
viduis whose characteristic traits may be
prevail. Any attempt at such measures obvi
detrimental to society in some particular
ously would disrupt and eventually destroy
way. It likewise does not insist that those
the institution of marriage. Such has been
who have attained only a certain intelligence
tried with degrees of success in past civiliza
quotient shall mate.
tionswith success only so far as the physi
There are, however, requirements in mod
cal and mental evolution of the descendants
em society that make it mandatory that only
are concerned.
those who meet certain physical specificaAdvocates of artificial insemination de
tions shall reproduce. It is only in comparaplore the lack of dissemination of the seeds
tively recent times, and in only some areas
of brilliant minds. Great thinkers, poets,
in the world, that society compels the physi
cal examination of those wishing to marry
artists, and scientists who have contributed
by their achievements to the human race
and prohibits the mentally defective or those
may have but one or no progeny. It is con
having serious communicable diseases from
marrying. This is a step in the right direc
tended that, if under scientific control, a
tion, but obviously a slow one in the im
bank of the spermatozoa of such persons
could be preserved and implanted in women
provement of the race, as compared with
the scientific techniques learned in cattle
whose qualities would complement them, a
race of geniuses could be propagated. In
breeding. Artificial insemination in humans
began with the purpose of alleviating a con
other words, there would be a super-race
dition of physical disability. Where normal
bred from this select, human stock. It is

APRIL, 1957

PAGE 99

subsequently become what he is, as a natural

process of organic life? Suppose the soul in
man is a product of evolutionary progress,
does this detract from its attainment? Does,
for analogy, the fact that our great telescopes
have evolved from simple beginnings lessen
in any way the valu of their highly efficient
modem contribution to the advance of
knowledge?
That man has grown into his estte as a
consequence of Cosmic and natural laws is
no less a tribute to Cosmic intelligence. Eyes,
ears, and fingers were not spontaneously
created to serve their functions. They evolved
out of circumstances which made them necessary so that the organism might survive.
Other species no longer needed snouts when
they developed prehensile characteristics,
that is, when they could clutch and grasp
with their forelimbs. They could then bring
objects up to their eyes and nostrils to identify them by these senses. They were no
longer obliged to put their snouts in direct
contact with the object. When certain Pri
mates no longer led an exclusively arboreal
existence, they lost the power of opposing the
first toe to the other toes of each hind foot.
The rear feet then became mere supports
for the body. The toes of the front limbs
remained prehensile for clutching and climbing. The intelligence within these beings
adapted itself to the circumstances in which
it was precipitated.
The soul is not a substance. It is the
ame given a state of consciousness which
the human has come to recognize. It is a
consciousness of the intelligence resident
within the Vital Life Forc and which intel
ligence has developed an organ capable of
its self-realization. Everything that is alive
has this vital intelligence. The intelligence
in other things, however, is not able to reflect
and respond to itself. In other words, there
is no consciousness of consciousness. The self
is a reflection of what we cali soul. The more
the organism is capable of responding, not

just to its environment, but to itself as well,

the greater becomes the selfthe personality.
The complex self, the highly evolved con
sciousness, is aware of its innate urges and
impulses which are a part of the stream of
intelligence within it. It is this innate motivation, this inner self, that men identify
as soul. Part f this motivation is inherited
from the long line of human descent. It is
the memory of the genes. Part also is the
very breath of life, the universal intelligence
which life establishes in the physical or
ganism and which is, as all energies, Cosmic
in origin.
Every living thing, a blade of grass or
the simplest invertebrate, has soul essence
within it, that is, it is potential with the kind
of soul expression that man has. It is only
potential for it does not have the complex
brain and nervous systems and glandular
structure to permit its development and
expression. For analogy, we may pass a ray
of sunlight through the crudely beveled edge
of a piece of glass and we will perceive some
of the spectrum. We will not experience,
however, the magnificent visible spectrum
which we would if the ray of sunlight passed
through a perfect optical prism. Nevertheless, the radiation source, or the light, is the
same in essence in both examples. So also,
the universal intelligence of the Vital Life
Forc only awaits the mdium that will provide it with the qualities expressed by man.
Only when an organism attains the char
acteristics of the human, do we have the
living soul. Soul is not made for man. Man
becomes the soul when he acquires the
means by which he manifests those qualities
of soul that the human reects. With the
first breath of life, man becomes a living
soul. First, however, he has reached upward
and organically evolved to become man.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 of the U. S. Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum s Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of the Supreme Council of AM O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $2.25 (16/6 sterling) ANNUALLY FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page 100

It is, however, rational to believe that society should carefully analyze the methods
used and generally exercise control of arti
ficial insemination. The practice should not
be restricted because of its function, but only
as to the purpose for which it is used.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
Rosicrucian Sunshine Circle
Undoubtedly, you have been searching all
your life for a means whereby YOU could
put into actual practice the rule of helping
your brother. You have undoubtedly also
felt the urge to aid in making this world a
better place in which to live.
As you know, every material thing that
exists in this universe was first conceived in
the mind, be it the mind of God or the mind
of man. You also know that, after the idea
is fully matured in the mind, the next step
consists of opening channels through which
a physical manifestation may be permitted
to materialize. Gods method was through
the WORD. The method used by man is
that of laying the actual groundwork for the
manifestation desired.
This means that if you truly and sincerely
desire, in your heart, to help, aid, and assist
in solving the problems of todays world
if you desire to put into actual practice the
law do unto others as you would have them
do to youyou cannot sit quietly in some
comer and wish the solution or law into effect. Rather, you must first study the situation, leam what is needed, and then through
physical effort on your own part put into
material manifestation that which you have
leamed is necessary.
Throughout the centuries past, man has
come to realize that his brother in distress
must receive some kind of assistance if he,
the distressed brother, is to again rise and
take his place in society. Man also realized
that he singly would not be able to satisfy
all the requests for aid which come to him
unless some orderly system of distributon
was arranged whereby others might join him
in creating a wherewithal through which
suffering and distress might be relieved.
Because of this realization there have come
into being institutions and organizations
whose members devote themselves alone to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

helping those who are suffering misfortune.

These institutions and organizations, which
are now known as organized charity, operating to do the most good, must limit them
selves to the immediate needs of those who
come to them. Otherwise their field of
activity would be confined to a few, and
many requests would go unanswered, thus
defeating the very purpose of their existence.
Under the circumstances, organized char
ity must assume an impersonal attitude.
Because of this impersonal attitude there is
lacking, in the procedures of these institu
tions and organizations, that warmth of
personal interest which is so necessary for
the recovery and well-being of the one who
receives.
To supply this need for a touch of kindness, a friendly smile, and just a ray of sun
shine, there carne into being an organization
known as the Rosicrucian Sunshine Circle.
The Rosicrucian Sunshine Circle is a body
of men and women who may or may not be
members of the ROSICRUCIAN ORDER,
AMORC, but who, upon authority of the
late Imperator of the Rosicrucian Order,
AMORC, have united themselves into a
group so that through their unified effort
they may spread a ray of sunshine over
a greater area.
The objective of the Rosicrucian Sunshine
Circle is to voluntarily offer their services to
help any who are in need. The services
which are supplied include the giving of
advice, metaphysical help for various ailments, practical help, and encouragement.
For instance, we could tell you how the
Havana Sunshine Circle with a donation
from other Sunshine Circles of 500 drams of
Streptomycin was able to make hospital
treatment available to many who could not
pay the cost of the drug. We could tell you
of the wonderful donations made to a psychiatric hospital and how, through the use of
decorations, painted walls, and music, purchased with the donation, some progress
towards normalcy is being made by unfortunates confined there. We could tell you
of the almost miraculous responses to the
metaphysical aid rendered.
We could continu telling you soul-stirring
stories taken from the lives of those who
needed immediate help, but we are sure you
are not reading this resume just to be entertained. Rather, we know you continu to

APRIL, 1958

read because YOU personally want to help

someone, somewhere, sometime; that you
want all the people of this great world of
ours to become one big brotherhood and
through this brotherhood of man bring to
the world Peace Profound.
There is no better way of understanding
your neighbor than to go to his or her as
sistance at the moment help is desperately
needed. And there is no better way to render
such assistance than through the Rosicrucian
Sunshine Circle. It doesnt matter whether
you are a member of the Rosicrucian Order
or not, you can become a member of this
great world-wide movement for better un
derstanding through services r en dered.
Whether or not you are your brothers keeper, you certainly can help him when he
needs help. So, the next step is up to you.
We are holding open the door of service, and
we are extending a welcoming hand of fellowship. We are inviting you to join the
Sunshine Circle and through such affiliation
really come to know your fellow man.F
For further information write to:
Rosicrucian Sunshine Circle
Rosicrucian Park
San Jos, California
Seeing Cosmic Attunement
A soror has recently asked the Forum: Is
it possible to see perfect Cosmic attunement
in a dream, and have others with you also
see the same thing?
To properly answer this query, we must
analyze both parts separately, discuss what
we mean by Cosmic attunement, and then
review the nature of dreams. Attunement
with nature and the Cosmic is not something
which can be seen as such. Rather, it is an
awareness, a state of being, something which
can only be experienced. Our entire exist
ence is govemed by unseen forces and laws
which reglate the actions and reactions
throughout all facets of life. The phrase
Cosmic attunement embraces the state or
condition of our realizing or being aware of
these Cosmic forces or lawsnot only knowing that they exist, but knowing within one
self why they exist, how they function, and
what effect they have upon us. But more
than that, attunement also indicates a reali
zation of how one may control these laws
and put them to use for the good of mankind.

Page 101

In order to see a thing, there must be

something present which is capable of being
perceived, and from the above remarks it is
obvious that there is nothing capable of per
ception in the idea of Cosmic attunement.
It may be asked, Since attunement cannot
be seen, how can we know if such an aware
ness becomes ours? The fulfillment of this
awareness will make itself known to differ
ent people in different ways. Some may
even achieve attunement without knowing
it. To others, the realization may be very
dramatic, as with Buddha and Amenhotep
IV. One may have what he would term a
spiritual or mental awakening or he may
experience a complete mental and physical
rejuvenation, so to speak. But the main point
is that no matter how the attunement itself
manifests, it will come in the general form
of an awakening rather than as something
perceivable with the objective senses.
The dream, being of the nature that it is,
is not the conveyor of Cosmic attunement.
Attunement probably would not come in a
dream, since dreams most often have their
foundation in ourselves. They are the result,
in the main, of impressions, subconscious or
objective, or physical discomfort. Even those
dreams which seem weird and have no basis
in our objective consciousness are usually
easily explainable in the light of conditions
which prevailed during the time we slept.
They are the result of worries or problems
of the day, or perhaps of the pleasant things
which have transpired recently.
Unpleasant dreams may be brought about
from discomforts suffered during sleep
either excessive heat or coid, or muscles which
tense during the night. It is not true that
each and every dream we have, even if recurrent, has some deep psychological or
spiritual meaning which can be interpreted.
Occasionally a dream may have some bearing upon ones spiritual development, but
even then it is only a small part of a general
over-all change or transition taking place
within the individual, and Cosmic attune
ment would not make itself evident in dream
form.
Going further, because of the private na
ture of the dreamby this we mean the fact
that dreams manifest within the mind of
the individual who has themit is very unlikely, if not impossible, that others present
would be able to tune in on the dream and

Page 102

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

thereby witness what occurs in it. Thus,

even were it possible for Cosmic attunement
to come in the forrn of a dream, others present would not be aware of it. The individuality of attunement, also, would have the
effect of precluding others from witnessing
the coming of the attunement.
Cosmic attunement is something which
must be striven for. We cannot sit back and
wait to receive it. Through introspection,
silently tuming our thoughts inward and
upward in an effort to awaken and realize
the Christ Consciousness which dwells within
us, we can attain toward the achievement of
attunement with the Cosmic. This introspec
tion cannot be shared with others or can
others go with us as we delve into ourselves.
Therefore, when we have at last found the
key to the divine consciousness, it becomes a
personal thing within us. It is not one which
can be shared with others except through the
results of our attunement, wherein we use
our newly awakened powers for the general
good of those around us.W
This Issues Personality
That intellectual curiosity which makes
for knowledge and personal advancement
often manifests itself early in life. It may
rise above the restrictions of environment as
an immanent impelling forc. This was the
case with Theodore H. Lyons, Inspector Gen
eral of AMORC for the Dallas, Texas, area.
Frater Lyons was bom in Sheboygan,
Wisconsin, on Christmas Day in 1906. His
home environment was one of intellectual
stimulus on the one hand and a rigidity of
religious formality on the other. His father
had been a professor of languages in a Mich
igan college and was a clergyman until his
transition. There was inculcated in young
Lyons a deep admiration for intellectual attainment, but he also had a restlessness of
spirit which was not content with the usual
presentation of learning. This restlessness
had not crystallized itself into any specific
ideas until later in his youth.
When but thirteen years of age, Frater
Lyons left home to make his way in the
world. At that tender age, he became selfsupporting. He worked his way through
school and the University of Minnesota. At
sixteen years of age, the lectures of a pro
fessor struck a responsive chord in young

Lyons. This professor spoke often about the

lives of eminent men of the past, eulogizing
them. He told of their admirable personal
qualities as well as of their achievements.
Frater Lyons fell to wondering what strange
powers these men had access to and what
gave them . their exceptional far-reaching
visin, insight, and clarity of reasoning.
Actually Frater Lyons made his inquiry
a prvate mission. He set about asking others
what the source of wisdom was that eminent
men had and others did not seem to possess.
He was told that it carne to them as a result
of divine inspiration. But Frater Lyons was
likewise admonished by his informers that
the usual academic and religious channels
were not adequate for such illumination.
These remarks only tended to shroud in
mystery the whole subject.
After completing post-graduate work at
the University of Minnesota, Frater Lyons
travelled extensively throughout the Middle
and Eastem states of the United States. He
finally decided to make his home in the
South. It was while he was in Florida that
he chanced upon the advertisement of the
Rosicrucian Order, AMORC. This adver
tisement challenged his interest because it
referred to that unique source of wisdom
that brings enlightenment and personal power to the individual. The advertisement so
corresponded to his interest that he was
frankly skeptical. However, it became the
mdium by which he was led to the threshold of AMORC and affiliated. Frater Lyons
says of his extensive studies with AMORC
that they introduced him to a new realm
of self-confidence by virtue of complete re
banee on Cosmic Guidance.
After the usual business vicissitudes, Frater
Lyons, in 1953, organized his own busi
ness in Dallas, Texas. It has successfully expanded into the manufacturing of a product
used extensively by the ceramic tile industry
in the United States.
When the Triangle Chapter in Dallas was
formed in 1952, Frater Lyons made his first
contact with other Rosicrucians through it.
He became the Chapters first chaplain. Sub
sequently, he served as Master and then
Deputy Master. Frater Lyons enthusiasm
and organizing ability made it possible for
him to take an active part in the formation
of the first Rosicrucian rally held in Dallas.
He has participated as well in the organiza-

APRIL, 1958

tion of various pronaoi in Texas. In March

1957, Frater Lyons was honored by the
Grand Lodge in receiving an appointment as
Inspector-General of AMORC for the Dallas,
Texas, area.
Frater Lyons versatility and Creative ability are displayed in his recreational activities
and hobbies. He has a home workshop well
equipped with power tools. Chess, too, engages what time remains after his work,
home duties, and Rosicrucian studies. He
has well earned the appellation Cyclone,
given him by his brothers and acquaintances.
Frater Lyons helpmate, Soror Alice
Lyons, is also a splendid Rosicrucian and has
given him support and much assistance in
his various Rosicrucian activities.X
Delusion of Black Magic
A soror, addressing our Forum, says: A
perpetual problem with many persons is
black magic, though many do not know or
recognize it by that ame. People just do
not understand that they are the principal
cause of the conditions which they attribute
to black magic.
It is a mistaken idea that the fear of black
magic or of what it is thought to consist
exists only among people of a primitive society. The psychological elements that make
for the belief in black magic are prevalent
in the most modem and so-called advanced
society.
The basis of black magic is, of course, that
of magic itselfnamely the belief that there
are supernatural forces which can be invoked
and directed at will. These forces may be
independent of substances, as free agents,
spirits or entities. They may also be in
tangible forces resident within objects as
within stones, sticks, trees, and flint. There
is also believed to be an intangible nexus
between objects and supernatural forces. In
other words, these supernatural agencies
may be attracted to a stick, to a pebble or a
piece of cloth.
The method of directing and employing
these forces constitutes the subject of magic,
the belief that individuis have the knowledge and power to accomplish these things.
Actually, magic assumes a science, a technique, whereby it is presumed that certain
laws underlying these supernatural forces

Page 103

are put into effect. The only real distinction

between magic and black magic is the effect
that is conceived to follow from them. Black
magic is the practice of employing the con
ceived magical agencies and property for
some malevolent purpose.
The one who practices black magic may
actually presume to be using natural and
supernatural forces to bring misfortune,
hurt, disease, and death upon another.
Whether the victim actually believes in its
power is the important factor. Without the
belief in the efficacy of black magic, no one
can become a victim of it, for its basis is
entirely psychological. The very fear which
hatred and malice awaken in the hearts of
those against whom they are directed creates
an atmosphere in which black magic may
have its roots. When one knows that thoughts
of hatred are directed toward him, combined
with curses and magical rites, the power of
suggestion is very strong. It requires an intelligent person, one not inclined toward
superstition and not susceptible to sugges
tion, to refrain from imagining that any illness or disease he acquires is not caused by
the thoughts and acts of his enemies.
One who is open to suggestion without
reasoning upon its plausibility and believes
in the potency of black magic will sooner or
later experience death because of his susceptibility. To such an individual any accident,
the cause of which is not obvious, or any
mysterious disease is attributed to black
magic. The disease weighs heavily upon the
mind of the individual. He is convinced that
supernatural forces directed by someone are
undermining his health. C onsequently,
he resigns himself to his fate. This negative
attitude of mind becomes a psychological
depressive on the will to live and the curative powers of the individual. Among primi
tive tribes such a victim comes to believe
that his ill-health is due to someones pointing the munguni (death bone, pebble, or
flint) at him.
We have seen in tribal areas of South
Africa the witch doctor use such a mun
guni for a multitude of goetic purposes. In
rites of prognostication, a small odd-shaped
bone, either of an animal or of a human, is
popularly called by the tribe the talker.
It, with other small objects, is shaken like
dice by the shaman or witch doctor who
squats on the ground before a tanned skin

Page 104

of an animal. These objects when shaken

are then thrown by him on the skin and
allowed to fail as they will. He then begins
to read the future of an individual or group
from the relationship of the talker to the
other objects. The talker is thought to be
imbued with supematural power. It is as
sumed to place itself intentionally in the
relationship that it assumes to the other
objects. This same talker can be used to
execrate a victim, if it is pointed at him or
in his direction with accompanying words
depicting what should befall him.
As one anthropologist has stated: A savage does not recognize natural death. To
him all death is the result of some sinister
arts being practiced against him. Perhaps
the only exception would be actual combat
and even then, if he is not a victor, he
imagines that evil agencies have been aligned
against him.
The power of suggestion in black magic,
where its potency is believed, is evident in
the following typical case. In a village in
China there was a local deity known as
fu-ti. He was believed to prepare the underworld for those who pass through transition.
In other words, he was the god of the dead.
A list of several ames of persons in the
village was found lying upon the little stone
altar of the village tu-ti. This caused constemation among those whose ames ap
peared on the list. It is related that several
of these persons died within a fortnight.
The psychological premise is that the person believed that the god, seeing this list
of ames placed upon his altar, would assume
*hat they had died. He would then imme
diately make preparation for them in the
world of the dead. There would be, conse
quently, from this type of reasoning an
inescapable bond between these death rites
and preparation by tu-ti and actual death
itself. The victims imagined that death must
result because their ames were known to
the deity as of persons having died, when,
in fact, they had not.
Perhaps the most effective and simple
book, showing the causes of black magic and
its whole fallacy as a superstition, is Mental
Poisoning by our late Imperator, Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis. We shall quote a few brief
paragraphs from this intriguing and instructive book by Dr. Lewis: He who fears
black magic through a sincere belief in its ex

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

istence and potency, automatically, through

self-suggestion within his own mind, becomes
not only enslaved by that fear but a ready
victim of the evils his mind invents. Here
Dr. Lewis makes clear that positive defense
against black magic is a disbelief in it. The
potency of black magic lies within the vic
tims own mind, not in any forc invoked
by others against him.
Dr. Lewis further relates: There are two
strange characteristics of the human mind
that have bearing upon the belief and prac
tice of black magic. The first is that the
human mind or consciousness has a tend
ency, a very definite impulse, to believe and
accept as truth what it wants to believe or
what it feels is a compliment to its ability
to reason and reach conclusions. Second,
there is the ever-present inclination to accept
as a belief, as a truth, as an unquestioned
principie, an idea or conclusin that agrees
with another idea or group of ideas previous
ly established in the mind or consciousness
from personal experience.
Dr. Lewis here makes plain that the indi
vidual who wants to believe in black magic,
and who resents any consideration of the
facts to the contrary, is making himself a
natural victim of self-administered mental
poisoning. Dr. Lewis in this work, Mental
Poisoning, points out that the suggestion
which black magic may assume on the part
of others may be audible, as commands, or
visual suggestions like pictorial ones.
The woman who says to another, every
time she sees her in the course of a few
days, that she looks ill, seems pal and not
like her usual self, is, in fact, sowing seeds
of black magic. One who is susceptible to
suggestion will take such remarks in a posi
tive factual way. She will become supersensitive to her condition, imagine symptoms
of illness. Eventually after several days her
belief will be confirmed because her fears
will make her ill. She will perhaps actually
appear pal and lethargic.
We are all inclined to act upon the stimulus of suggestion. In fact, most of our
activities are the result of responses to what
we see, hear, feel, and so forth. It is neces
sary for us to analyze or at least think about
the reality of a suggestion before we ac
cept it.
Dr. Lewis, in regard to this, succinctiy
says: For these reasons and many more,

APRIL, 1958

it behooves every man (and woman) carefully to guard his thoughts, his words, his
gestures, and his actions. The human mind
is more sensitive than the most sensitive
photographic film or the most sensitive
microphone.
We can inadvertently poison the mind of
unthinking persons who are particularly
susceptible to suggestion. We can also influence for good the minds about us. Dr.
Lewis says in reference to this: We can
pour into the mind and consciousness of another a smiling attitude, an increasing determination of will power, a picture of bright
future, an open doorway to opportunity, a
cleansing power that will reach to every part
of the body and a divine effulgence of spiritual joy that will rejuvenate and redeem the
most hopeless of ere atures.5
We cannot too strongly urge that all interested in this subject obtain the book,
Mental Poisoning. It is a small work very
economically priced but invaluable in the
information which it provides. It is obtainable through the Rosicrucian Supply Bureau,
Rosicrucian Park.X
Visualizing for Success
A frater of France states to our Forum:
Visualizing is for many of us a great law
and a great problem at the same time. How
can two Rosicrucians compete, for instance,
in a stadium for a race, and both visualize
victoiy for themselves, presuming, too, that
both perfectly visualized? How could either
be the victor?
This question is an interesting hypothesis
that, upon the surface, appears confounding.
Let us briefly, at first, review the mystical
and psychological principies and laws involved in visualization. Mystically, visualization consists of painting upon the screen
of consciousness an image, simple or com
plex. A person does not begin with a whole
complex picture of the end he wishes to attain or some thing he wants to acquire.
Knowing what he desires, he begins first to
paint the picture, that is, forming on the
screen of his mind symbols or representations of that which he desires. This means
that in his minds eye he gradually sees
forming this picture of his desire.
Suppose, for example, that one wishes
to visit relatives at a distance whom he has

Page 105

not seen for many years. He begins his

mental picture perhaps with seeing himself
walking to the bank and depositing a sum
of money. Then he sees the entries in the
bank account accumulating until the amount
needed for transportation or fare has been
attained. The actual travel he sees as no
difficulty so he concentrates upon this mental
image, this visualization of accumulating the
funds. When he sees the picture as com
plete as he can visualize it as a mental im
age, he then dismisses it entirely from his
mind.
There is a mystical reason for the dismissal of the mental image. One wishes the
image, the visualization, to be transferred
from the objective to the subconscious and
thence outward into the Cosmic. According
to Cosmic principies, and as often demonstrated, Cosmic forces or powers will be attracted to the mental image and cause it
eventually to become a reality. In other
words, the individual by the positivo thought
transmitted into the Cosmic will be drawn
to those conditions and circumstances by
which he will bring the visualization into
reality in objective ways.
From the mystical point of view, the con
ditions of ones mental picture do not actually exist inchoate in the Cosmic. Rather,
the various relationships of ideas in the
mental image cause the one who is visualiz
ing to be attracted to those experiences and
conditions in his affairs that will make pos
sible the fulfillment of the desire. If one
does not dismiss the mental image when he
feels it is complete in his mind, then he objectively arrests it. In other words, the im
age is bound to his objective consciousness
and cannot work for him. It cannot reach
out into the Cosmic and draw those compelling influences that will lead him into
channels of fulfillment. Persons with no
knowledge of mystical laws of visualization
have nevertheless succeeded by the use of it
unawares. A Cosmic and natural law functions for those who ignorantly apply it as
well as for those who do so with understanding. Of course, the latter can apply the laws
more frequently and usually more beneficially.
Mystically, too, the image on the screen
of consciousness must become so realistic as
to be actulized. There must be such sincerity associated with the formation of the

Page 106

mental pieture that our other senses, in addition to sight, participate in the experience.
We will be able to respond to the picture
in such a way as to almost feel, hear, or
taste its elements, depending upon its nature.
A perfect visualization of an apple, for example, would likewise excite our memory
of its taste and its fragrance. The apple
would have the qualities of our other senses
besides that of sight. If the mental image
is not accompanied by this feeling of reality,
it will not be effective in attracting that Cosmic impulsation toward its realization.
As for the psychological aspect of visuali
zation, there are several parallels between
it and the mystical concept. Visualization
requires concentration, focusing of our attention, on visual images. One must be able
to rapidly altemate in consciousness one
image after another so as to be able eventually to construct a complete, a unified men
tal picture which one can hold for a brief
period of time. It is extremely difficult to
focus the consciousness upon several images
at the same time. In fact, it is psychologically impossible to do so. We know that
it is difficult to focus our sight objectively
upon several things, as we look about at our
surroundings. The reason is that the con
sciousness can realize only one visual impression at a time. It can, however, vacillate
or altemate so rapidly that we may seem
to be looking at and be aware of many things
at one time.
Actually, then, in visualization, we should
begin with a simple desire rather than a
complex one, if we wish our mental imaging
and visualizing to be successful. In visualizing, we hold in consciousness for a fraction
of a second or more an element of the ult
mate mental picture. Then our attention,
our focused consciousness, altemates to an
other image or part of the picture. This is
done until the composite, the whole picture
as a unit, can be perceived by us on the
screen of consciousness.
To use an analogy* we may wish to visualize a rose with its stem and lea ves. We
first see the flowr portion itself, its shape,
color and even the drop of dew on its petal.
Next we visualize the deep green stem with
its thorns. After concentration on both of
these elements separately, seeing them clearly in mind, we then bring them together.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

We finally see the composite, the flower and

stem.
Before one can expect to visualize effectively, he must develop his observation, his
faculty of concentration on what he sees, so
that he will be able to realize his impressions. If one does not observe carefully, he
cannot retain in memory what he sees. If
you do not have definite memory impressions, you cannot recall them so as to form
a mental image. You cannot, for example,
visualize a building which you pass on your
way to work in the morning, if you have
never noticed it as you walked before it.
There are differences in each individual
in regard to powers of observation, ability
to concntrate, the extent of will or persistence and memory, which make results in
visualization different for nearly every person. Consequently, two persons, as in the
example given by the frater, who were both
visualizing the same subject and who each
had the same knowledge of the laws and
principies involved, would not have exactly
the same degree of success. The physiological
and psychological variations in each indi
vidual, though perhaps minute, would cause
one result to be superior to the other. Especially would this be so in the case of the
footrace cited by the frater, where the physi
cal aptitude and functions of the individual
might vary also.
Visualization, mystically, is a tremendous
aid in drawing to oneself, as explained, Cosmic power. Psychologically, too, the image
arouses emotions that stimulate the mind and
body and co-ordinate their functions so that
the individuals power of personal accomplishment is greater. Visualization, for further example, excites and strengthens the
will with its driving forc.
Good visualization can, therefore, many
times mean the difference between success
and failure in a venture. It will not, how
ever, overcome completely serious deficiencies upon the part of individuis. For
example, one may visualize himself promoted
from a bookkeeper to an accountant in position. He will fail, however, no matter how
great his visualization, if he has not also
studied and prepared himself for higher
accountancy. Further, the Cosmic should
not be expected to help when one has not
first helped himself through proper preparation.X

APRIL, 1958

Attracting W hat W e Lack

A frater of South Africa, rising to address
our Forum, says: In the book, Rosicrucian
Principies for Home and Business, Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis states, What you lack is not
your possession, or at your disposal, because
you have not attuned yourself to it, or have
not attracted it to yourself. This sentence
has been puzzling me for a long time, and I
have gone through the monographs time and
again and do not seem to be able to put my
finger on the answer. . . . I hope you will
see your way clear to provide the meaning
of attracting (and the technique) in our
Forum.
It is first necessary to give some considera
tion to the word lack. There is a natural
lack and there is also an artificial one. By
natural lack, we mean that which constitutes
a deficiency in our health, physical or men
tal, or that which is required for our neces
sary welfare. If one is, for example, anemic,
there is then a lack of the proper blood
content. There is a deficiency of that which
is required. If one is also unable to acquire
sufficient food for a balanced diet and he
lacks nourishment, again then we have an
example of a natural lack.
If one is out of employment, there is then
an insufficiency in his economic status, and
we may cali this, too, a natural or an essen
tial lack. There are many so-called essential
lacks for which man should strive. It is incumbent upon man to advance himself
physically, intellectually, spiritually, and
economically. As far as the last is concemed,
it must be qualified. It is in this latter category that we enter into a phase called the
artificial lack.
The artificial lacks are those that are not
essential; that is, they are not really a defi
ciency that would interfere with normal
health or even moderate economic security.
This kind of lack is a matter of desires that
are cultivated or intensified by our imagination. For example, a man who desires an expensive sport car which is not essential to
his normal welfare and does not constitute
a natural deficiency is, therefore, seeking an
artificial lack. We say it is artificial because
it is not a tme lack. Man only conceives it as
such because he does not already possess it.
Anything we think we want, we may assume
to be a need when actually it may not be.

Page 107

Consequently, not having a thing, psycho

logically, will appear to us as a lack in our
lives. To Cosmically ask for aid in gaining
these kinds of artificial lacks is actually to
request the Cosmic to assist one in acquiring
excesses or luxuries.
From the point of view of Cosmic morality
and justice, we have no right to ask or demand such excesses or luxuries, unless we
have proportionately compensated for them.
This compensation is just not a matter of
paying someone else for them. In other
words, if we have made some sacrifice to
help someone, or others, to receive natural
lacks to overcome their essential deficiencies,
then we are justified in asking for Cosmic
aid in acquiring a personal luxury. Many
persons who fail in gaining these artificial
lacks have not actually personally analyzed
their own affairs. They have not come to
realize that what may seem so important to
them may be actually a luxury, and it may
be one for which they have not compensated
in the least as explained. Consequently, they
cannot Cosmically attract it.
Let us look frankly at the matter of lux
uries. There is nothing immoral in the ex
cess of possessions. One may have far more
things than he can readily use or even fully
enjoy. But the objects themselves have no
inherent immoral nature. The factor that
is important is whether the habit of desiring
luxuries as excesses in living will work detrimentally upon the human character and
personality. Do such luxuries cause the in
dividual to have wholly self-centered inter
ests? Are all of ones desires for his own
sensual living? Do such desires so dominate
the personality that all moral vales are
subordinated to them, causing the individual
to be mthless in his aggressive approach? If
luxuries do this, then they are harmful because they are undermining the moral self
and weakening the character.
Perhaps there are those of you who are
now thinking of persons you know who
seem to be acquiring an abundance of lux
uries which they may not need and who are
also selfish; yet the luxuries seem to have
no adverse effect upon them. However, later
in life, such persons may bring upon them
selves circumstances which you would not
want to experience. Many wealthy people
who are without noble principies devote their
wealth to personal gratification and satiate

Page 108

themselves. They become debauched with

their numerous appeals to their senses. Final
ly, nothing relieves the ennui which they
eventually experience. They find themselves
continually pursuing the appeals of new
things, always hoping to stimulate their
diminishing happiness in life. They become
embittered by the satisfaction which others
find in things of a simple nature.
In life we should first work toward essen
tial lacks wholeheartedly, and by so doing,
gradually attain success which will in itself
attract the Cosmic power by which one may
later have luxuries. Such things will have
then been eamed and will then be fully appreciated. A man must have a job, a profession, of a business as an essential to his
well-being and to those who are dependent
upon him. To be without such is a natural
lack. However, when one is in business for
example, if he strives to observe common
ethics, to be just and honest in his relationships with others, he is then attracting Cos
mic support. It is quite natural that one will
desire to promote and advance his business.
He will leam all the techniques necessary
to stimulate his sales and expand his organi
zation. Or, if working for another, he will
do all he can to impress his employer with
his worthiness.
The promotion of ones business or profession, however, is not quite enough to expect Cosmic support. Such an interest alone
would be a wholly self-centered one. One
must also see that his product or the Service
which his business renders is fair to others.
Is the product being misrepresented? Is the
business being advanced by dishonest or unethical means, unfairly hurting others in
some manner? Does one truly feel proud of
what he is doing? Can he conscientiously
assert that others, as well as himself, benefit
as a result of his business activities? The
answer to these questions determines wheth
er you are attracting such Cosmic power as
will provide luxuries for youwithout ill
after effects.
In the matter of attracting to ourselves
certain things which we consider natural
lacks or essentials, there is a preparation we
must make. Our attitude of mind is of first
importance if we are to have Cosmic attune
ment. It must be realized that life has no
obligation to us. We are animate conscious
beings endowed with faculties that are appli

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

cable to our needs as humans. The rest

depends upon us. We can dissipate our
intelligence if we will; we can fail to reason
and to contmplate; we can fail to study and
acquire new knowledge if we choose. If we
do these things, we are barring ourselves
from becoming a channel for Cosmic support.
Let us not think of the Cosmic as a determinative power, as an arbitrary will that
nods favorably in the direction of one human
and denies another. Such is an anthropomorphic conception of the Cosmic, not
worthy of an intelligent person and most
certainly not a conception to be held by a
Rosicmcian. The Cosmic is a congeries of
what one may term laws. By that, we mean
a series of powers and forces that impersonally and uniformly work for the benefit
of man, if they are invoked in the proper
order. The manner in which man places
himself in contact with the Cosmic deter
mines the powers that he will attract to him
self. Likewise, he canlike the contra pole
of a magnetrepel these same Cosmic pow
ers by his conduct.
If one believes, after serious thought, that
what he desires is an essential lack and that
by deriving it he will help others to benefit
as well as himself, then he should prepare
himself for what he wants. To resort just
to prayer itself is not sufficient. If one prays
in such an event, whether as a part of a
religious system or not, he should at least
ask in that prayer for personal enlightenment, not just for a supematural intervention in his behalf. He should ask for ways
and means of leaming what he can do to
bring about personally what he desires.
If it requires that one take a special course
or study, a particular subject, to become
more proficient in his job or business, that
is a proper step. If one thinks it necessary
to reorganize his business, to reduce it, or to
change the mode of operation to acquire the
essential lack, that also is a proper way of
attuning ones self with Cosmic power to
overcome a lack. X
W hat Makes Matter Animate?
A frater, addressing our Forum, asks:
What causes matter to become animate?
Since matter is a complexity of vibrations,
does animation occur within the range of

APRIL, 1958

certain combinations of waves of different

length?
Rosicrucian principies explain the animation of matter in this manner: There is first
nous which is a universal cosmic Creative
forc. It is a harmony of dual polarities of
energy, that is, positive and negative. The
positive aspect emanates as a vital life forc.
In other words, it is the forc that impregnates matter and makes it living and con
scious. This positive polarity is vibratory in
character. Though the vital life forc is predominantly positive, it also has within it the
negative quality. Consequently, in the living
cell we find both polarities manifest, the
nucleus being positive and the outer wall,
negative.
The negative polarity of nous is referred
to by Rosicrucians as spiritmeaning, literally, energy. This negative energy or spirit
is the underlying substratum of all matter.
It is the particles of the spirit, as electrons,
that give matter its substance. But spirit,
too, though predominantly negative, is dual
in its polarity. It has its positive aspect. It
is this duality of the polarity of the particles
of matter that bring about their attraction,
repulsin, and the complexity of matter or
masses of molecules which man can discem.
Thus we have matter predominantly nega
tive and vital life forc predominantly posi
tive, both emanating from the same source,
the universal Creative forc termed nous.
When the vital life forc, after emanating
from nous, combines with the manifestations
of spirit or inorganic matter, we have that
creation called life. In the Rosicrucian Man
ual, nous is defined rather extensively. We
here quot from it: It operates through a
system of harmonics by means of a Cosmic
Keyboard of eighty octaves. Each octave
represents a definite number of vibrations of
Nous, beginning with two vibrations per second for the first octave, and ending with
trillions of vibrations per second for the last
one.
Nous, in more understandable language,
may be said to be a combination of Vital
Life Forc and Cosmic Consciousness moving
from the Source toward earth in an undulating manner, in an infinity of waves, travelling at different rates of speed, each rate
characteristic of a special phase of manifestation. Within these waves, travelling with
the same speed as the waves themselves, are

Page 109

to be found those particles of Nous essence,

which, grouped together according to specific
number combinations, make cognizable all
manner of creation. It is due to the vibratory
rate of each Nous wave that the created
masses themselves are able to send forth the
vibrations by which they are known and
recognized.
Since the days of the alchemists, man has
sought to find the Philosophers Stone, the
key by which not only matter can be transmuted but life created chemically. Modem
science, in the field of biochemistry, is still
experimenting with the creation of elementary life forms. Just recently it was announced in a technical science journal that
a noted biochemist believed that he was on
the verge of the creation of life from certain
nucleic acids. It was determined, he stated,
that these acids were present in an extensive
form in all living matter. The problem
seemed to be to transform nucleic acid from
an inert state into an active one.
The article further related that, if a very
simple form of life were eventually devel
oped from this nucleic acid, biochemistry
would still not know how to evolve it into
even a simple cell. Just how nature formed
the cell from the very essence of life as yet
remains a mystery. The simplest cell is a
very complex development far beyond the
ability of present science to accomplish.
Now, let us suppose that science does even
tually create animate matter from nucleic
acids or other inorganic matter. How could
such an achievement be reconciled with the
Rosicrucian teachings as briefly outlined
here? Inorganic matter of a certain constituency becomes receptive to the infusin
of the vital life forc. It has the power in
certain compounds, yet a mystery to science,
to attract the positive polarity of nous, whose
vibratory nature produces the phenomenon
of life when combined with matter or spirit
energy.
Let us suppose that it is finally established
that nucleic acid, under certain conditions,
compounded with other elements, generates
simple life. It could not be said that actually the nucleic acid was the conveyor of
the vital life forc. Rather, it would be more
proper to state that nucleic acid, with the
other elements in x-proportions and under
x-conditions, attracts and retains in a state
of proper relationship the vitalizing energy

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page IIP

of lifethe positive polarity of nous. This,

then, would be consistent with the researches
and findings of science and the postulation
of Rosicrucian scientific principies, if and
when science brings about at will the generation of life.
Biochemistry, of course, at this time in its
researches to find life-producing substances,
entertains no idea of any external energy,
such as the vital life forc, impregnating matter. Rather, it thinks in terms of chemical
reaction under which such a phenomenon
arises as will constitute life. On the other
hand, the recent journal, as we have said,
admits that nucleic acid, isolated from living
matter, in itself suggests none of the characteristics of life or how it actually may con
tribute to life.X
Finding the Answer
Have you ever stopped to think how much
of our life is devoted to finding the answer
to some question or problem? In our everyday experience, we are repeatedly faced
with problems of various kinds, and to answer
some question which is a result or a phase
of the problem that confronts us at any par
ticular moment is the purpose toward which
much of our effort is directed. Everyone is
necessarily involved in the process of living
and that process seems to carry also an involvement in the solution of situations that
repeatedly face us as we go through our
duties or periods of recreation or whatever
we may be doing.
At times these problems are relatively
simple, insofar as we judge the whole course
of our life in relation to the particular prob
lem. On the other hand, we are sometimes
faced with major problems of which the
solution will be a key or a vital part of the
course of our entire lifetime. Problems take
on different appearances, insofar as our
analysis of them is concerned, insofar as they
affect situations that may be more or less
temporary or affect conditions that are vital
to our living as a whole.
Also we are never completely able to devote all our time exclusively to one problem
because questions and problems of various
degrees of intensity frequently are a com
posite of a situation which we face as we go
ahead with our lives, trying to take care of
our business and general life plans. In other

words, we may have a major economic or

health problem in the background of our
minds at all times. At the same time, we
have smaller problems or questions that
arise in the course of each day or in the
course of our plans for the future. The Solu
tions to these problems, the answers to the
questions that we want to find, are a phase
of our existence to which we must devote
a great deal of attention and time.
If it were possible for every human being
to go to a reference book or to seek advice
from someone else that would immediately
answer any problem, it would then appear
that life would be much less complex than
it is now. The very nature of life itself prohibits this condition from existing. If our
lives were such that the solution to each
problem, the answer to each question arising
within the scope of our lives, could be found
by referring to some previously written instructions or if the answer could be secured
from some other individual, then experience
would probably be nonexistent. We would
simply live from one reference to another,
and progress would come to a complete
standstill, insofar as we know it for the civilization of which we are a part and for our
lives as individuis.
If all questions that are going to occur to
us had already been answered, then they
would cease to have importance. Problems
would not challenge us, and we would have
no mpetus to attempt to be different, to improve ourselves, or to adjust ourselves to the
circumstances of life which is a part of the
experience necessary to cope with in the
process of living.
Actually, experience has shown us, as we
look back over our lives, that most questions,
regardless of what they may consist, once
they are solved appear to have relatively
simple answers. We may deal with a prob
lem to the point of exasperation and in its
eventual solution, it sometimes seems that
we have arrived at a conclusin which was
apparent all the time. Frequently, we wonder why it was that a problem or question
occupied so much of our attention and effort
when in the final analysis, the solution was
so simple.
In surveying the solution from this point
of view, we seem to forget that the process
of dealing with the problem or question has,
in a sense, simplified it. The fact is, if we

APRIL, 1958

conscientiously apply ourselves to the solu

tion of a problem or to the arriving at an
answer, we have familiarized ourselves with
all the circumstances involved. When that
problem is eventually solved or the answer
to the question has been found, we have in
the intervening periodthat is, in the period
which we have applied ourselves to the
solution of the problembecome so familiar
with the situation involved, that the solution
appears far more simple than did the com
plexity that created the question in the first
place. In other words, familiarity with the
situation makes the answer appear more
simple than it actually is.
The questions of complexity and simplicity
are completely relative. For a mathematician
to solve an involved mathematical equation
is comparatively simple because of his prior
knowledge and experience. An individual,
however, with no knowledge of the solution
of such an equation would find the problem
very complex until after he had studied the
necessary material, had gained the necessary
mathematical knowledge with which to solve
the problem. For this reason, many students
who attempt to use the principies taught in
Rosicrucian teachings in regard to intuition
and concentration fail to understand that in
tuition or concentration does not provide the
objective knowledge which man can obtain
by his own efforts.
Let us go back to the question of mathematics as an example. If we might create a
hypothetical problem that involves mathematics, we might be able to better see the
meaning and complexity of problems as
a whole. For example, if you found it neces
sary to arrive at an answer to a question
involving a mathematical computation and
you tried to arrive at that answer purely by
exercising your intuitive abilities and by
concentrating on the problem, this entire
complex problem would be hopeless unless
you fortified yourself or created a background of knowledge in mathematics sufficient to arrive at the solution to the problem.
The tools with which to work, in other
words, are conditions and parts of knowledge
that we must obtain by our own efforts. If
in the entire span of your life you had never
learned even the elementary principies of
arithmetic, you could not expect to arrive
intuitively at a solution to a mathematical
problem.

Page I 11

It may be difficult to grasp this situation

fully, but it is well to remember that intui
tion is the sixth sense that puts together in
our consciousness the things which in a de
gree we already know. A student of mathe
matics who is studying some particular
phase of mathematics may have difficulty in
solving a problem, but by concentrating upon
it, by using his intuition, he is better able
to grasp the meaning of principies he has
already learned. Then through the use of
intuition, he may be able to put these bits
of knowledge together in such a way that
he will arrive at the solution to the com
plex problem with which he is dealing.
I believe that everyone has had the ex
perience of working on a problem, such as a
mathematical problem, without satisfactory
results. Then dropping it entirely, possibly
going to bed, he would, after a full nights
sleep and rest, arrive at the solution much
quicker than he would have if he had continued to concntrate his efforts upon the
problem itself.
Intuition is that phase of our consciousness
that brings together the blocks that create a
complete structure. If you are going to con
cntrate on any problem with the purpose
of arriving at a solution through the use of
intuition, be certain that you are prepared,
be certain that the building blocks that will
crate the eventual solution are already in
your mind. If you are going to build a house
out of blocks, you must have the blocks. In
other words, you must have the raw ma
terial. It will be your imagination, your
manipulation of the materials, your concen
trating upon the ideas and the eventual
structure you hope to create, that will give
you the mpetus, or forc, or inspiration to
put these blocks together. Thus they will
eventually bring about the completed con
struction, but you must have that material.
So it is with the solving of all problems in
life. We must have the raw materials with
which to work, the experience of life, the
education, the knowledge which we are able
to accumulate. These are the raw materials
which we can use. Then, by following the
principies taught us in the Rosicrucian teach
ings conceming concentration and intuition,
we will be able to bring these materials to
gether in a form that will create what we
hope and what we desire.A

Page 112

Were There Women Philosophers?

A soror asks our Forum whether women
have been prominent as philosophers, mystics, and leaders of thought in past centuries.
In primitive society, women have frequently
participated as priestesses and sorceresses. In
ancient Egypt, the priestesses were promi
nent and exercised great authority in the
temple rituals. Some functioned in ceremonies on an equal footing with men. In the
ancient Egyptian religin, goddesses were
worshipped equally with the gods. The
sacred Egyptian Trinity, the Holy Family
of Egypt, consisted of Osiris, Isis, and Horus.
Statues of Isis were in nearly every household. She was the goddess of love and fertility; in other words, she was representati ve
of the mother qualities.
Among primitive peoples in Greenland
and among tribes of American Indians, Negroes, Siberians, and Fijians, women func
tioned as sorceresses. It is generally held
even todaythat women possess a supermysterious power, a particular supernatural
bond in excess of that of men. Consequently,
it is believed that they are most proficient
in prognostication, in revealing events of
the future. Because of this belief in womens
exceptional supernatural endowment, witchcraft was, therefore, generally attributed to
women. Since women are more emotionally
constituted than men and thus have a greater
sensibility in most instances to extemal influences, this is probably the reason for their
being thought to be contiguous to the super
natural.
We recall our safari in South Africa to the
village of the Balobdu tribe of the Basuto
Nation. This was the capital of the celebrated Rain Queen, Mujaji III. In our account of the visit to this remte area in
Africa, appearing in the October, 1954, Rosi
crucian Digest, we said in part: Among the
tribes and villagers in the area, it was reputed that she possessed a supernatural
faculty for producing rain. She transformed
the hovering clouds into sheets of water by
ritual formulae, thus saving the land and
its people from the ravages of drought. In
one hundred forty years there have been
only three such queens, each ruling over the
little wildemess empire almost autocratically,
with the power of life and death unquestionably lying within her domain.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

We personally met this tribal queen and

participated in her ceremony of formal acceptance of our presence. This consisted of
our drinking a special beverage proffered
us, which was made of a traditional brew
similar to beer, and had quite a high alcoholic content. It was poured from an earthen
vessel into small calabashes resembling cups,
which were given to each of us white visitors
composing the safari. There was no question
of the intelligence of this tribal queen and
the power which she exercised over her peo
ple of both sexes.
Among the Oriental nations generally,
with the exception of ancient Egypt, there
was not much attention paid to the education
of women. In China of the past the women
of the wealthier classes were permitted some
literary training. In India, with the excep
tion of the Parsis, in the past it was thought
improper for women to either read or write.
Custom did permit the entertainers, as the
dancing women, to become literate.
When we tum to the ancient Grecian
world, we find varying customs regarding
the education and leaming of women. The
Spartans insisted that girls be given physical
exercise and training in the gymnasia simi
lar to that provided for the men. They
leamed running, leaping, discus-throwing,
and even wrestling. The motive behind
this particular training was the ideal of
health and strength held by the Spartans.
It was expounded that such training was
necessary for the perfection of the race. It
was considered an important factor in attaining beauty of the body and in adding
to ones social standing.
The women of Sparta also participated in
many religious festivals. The Parthenia of
Alemn are choral songs in which especially
trained girls participated. They were not
only trained in singing, but had gone through
a rigorous course of physical exercise so that
their bodies might appear as beautiful as
their voices. Once married, the training of
the women of Sparta ceased. However, such
women had greater leisure than their warrior husbands, and it is assumed that they
attained a higher intellectual level. In
Athens, at this time, girls received no edu
cation outside the home. The Athenian ideal
for women was that they should become
prudent housewives. In the 6th and 7th
centuries, B. C., the intellectual level of

APRIL, 1958

women was considerably higher. Women

became more prominent socially, the exception being in Ionia where the freedom of
women was considerably restricted, as was
their opportunity for leaming. In the rest
of Greece, this freedom permitted women to
go freely into the streets, unescorted, on foot
or in carriages.
Plato appears to have seen no essential
difference between the nature of men and
women. In his Ideal Republic he planned
for equal education for both sexes.
In the Age of Pericles, women of culture
emerged. One such group was called
Hetaerae. They composed music and songs.
However, in terms of the moral standards
of today, they would be considered licentious. This moral laxity was perhaps adopted
to depict their personal freedom from the
restrictions under which most other women
of social standing were confined. The
Hetaerae were neither wives or mothers.
The goddess Hestia of Greece was the
divinity of the hearth fire. In temples of
ancient Greece a select group of chaste
young girls, intelligent and of good families,
was trained to tend the sacred fire of Hestia.
These girls were taught music, dancing, art,
and many of the handicrafts as weaving and
the painting of pottery. They became leamed in the prevailing myths and religious
traditions of the time. Similarly, in Rome
there was a school of vestal virgins who
tended the sacred fire of Vesta from which
they derived their title, Vesta being the
Romn equivalent of the Greek goddess Hes
tia. It is from this school of vestal virgins
and similar early practices in ancient Egypt
that our present-day Rosicrucian colombes
have their traditional origin. In the Romn
forum there still may be seen the ruins of
the school of the vestals or virgins.
Sappho was the Greek lyric poetess of
Lesbos of the 7th century. She is perhaps
the greatest of all women poets. She had a
brilliant mind and transformed her ideas on
many subjects into poetry. Because of her
political frankness, she and her family were
banished to the Island of Lesbos. There she
became the center of a literary circle. This
actually evolved into a school for beautiful
and brilliant girls. These girls coming from
the upper classes devoted their whole time
to composing music and song. Sappho was

Page I I 3

guided by the principie that it was a disgrace

to be illiterate.
Sapphos brilliance of mind and warm
personality caused her to be idolized by her
young girl students. Their affection for one
another is reflected in the poetry they left
for posterity. This cultural group aroused
the envy and hostility of many of the Greeks
who slandered the relationship between
Sappho and her students. History has long
repeated this slander. Only in comparatively
recent years have modem historians vindicated her character.
In later Rome, with the exception of the
school of the vestal virgins, most of the edu
cation for women wras carried on at home
under prvate tutors. In some cases girls
were permitted to attend the ludus or
primary school. The higher schools were
exclusively for boys. Moving on to the
Christian period, we find education consid
ered necessary as a preparation for the future life. St. Jerome advised women to
leam the Scrptures. It was implied that
the good Christian must leam to read and
write so as to take full advantage of the
tenets of his faith.
The Renaissance gave mpetus to the edu
cation of women. Ones social standing de
pended upon polite leaming. Education
was held to be a complement to the graces
of both sexes. However, there were no special schools for women. They were taught
prvately by the great masters. Many of the
women themselves becam e outstanding
teachers and occupied chairs in the universities of Italy and Spain. In the 19th century,
the leading nations of Europe, England,
France, and Germany, gradually gave equality to women in the secondary schools and
generally even in the universities.
Many brilliant women in the literary
world and especially in philosophy did little
to make public their leaming. There was a
reticence about belonging to a female intelligentsia. Astuteness and leaming were
still principally associated with masculine
achievement. To be well educated or to
exhibit exceptional intelligence had a tendency in the society of the last century to
detract from the femininity of the indi
vidual. Many women thus concealed their
interest in such subjects as philosophy for
fear of losing the respect of the opposite
sex.

Page 114

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Psychologically, it has been established

that men have no greater capacity for in
telligence than have women. The pursuit of
advanced leaming may often cause a woman
to sacrifice many of those traditional social
qualities associated with her sex. Thus many
women have hesitated to pursue such sub
jects as philosophy. Women are more emo
tional than men and so are less inclined
toward speculation and abstraction, again
accounting for the lesser appeal of philoso
phy for them. Where, however, philosophy
is interwoven with intuition and idealism,
as in some phases of metaphysics and mys
ticism, women take a more prominent and
notable part.X
Does Reading Relax?
A soror now addresses our Forum: Some
friends and myself were discussing the effects
of a treatment and whether it makes any
difference if one reads to make the time pass
faster. . . . If our mind has so much to do
with our body, would reading shorten the
time of treatment? Would it be reasonable
to suppose that our body would derive more
benefit from the treatment if time seemed
longer, that is, if we did not read during
treatment?
The question here is really whether read
ing, a preoccupation of the mind, would
cause the individual to be less conscious of
the passing of time, less tense and, therefore,
more conducive to aiding the therapeutic
treatment. If the reading matter is of sufficient interest to hold the attention of the
individual and if the sensations had from the
treatment are of less stimulation than the
reading matter, the patient would, in most
instances, be more relaxed. The particular
treatment to which the soror refers is of a
high-frequency electrical nature.
Of course, a great deal depends upon the
content of the reading matter if one is to
become relaxed. An exciting novel, though
it may hold the consciousness or attention
from wavering, would stimulate the emo
tions. Every one who has read an exciting
and thrilling adventure novel knows of the
emotional reaction that occurs. The heart
may palpitate, the blood pressure rise slowly,
and there is an unconscious rigidity or tensing of the muscles. It is patent that such
type of reading is hardly conducive to the
furtherance of any treatment.

As to whether reading causes time to ap

pear shortened depends again upon the literature read and its effect upon the attention.
Intense concentration on reading matter is
likely to cause one not to be aware of extemal stimuli. The duration or period of
consciousness is determined by changes in
the stimuli. In other words, a period of con
sciousness or time is measured by intervals
and their changing. Change to change or
altemation to alternation of consciousness
gives rise to the idea of perceptual time. We
measure time perceptually by counting altr
nate periods of rest and motion. For example,
the face of a clock has fixed points or numer
is upon it. These are at rest; that is, they
are motionless. The hands of the clock move
from one point or hour to another. We count
the intervals of change, the number to num
ber, and that designates our perception of
time.
If we are so occupied by our reading as
to be aware of no other impressions, we lose
consciousness of measured time. Under such
conditions the time may seem to be either
very long or short to us. If the contents of
the book have a number of incidents described which, in reality, would take a long
timeeven though they take only a few
minutes of readingwe might have the im
pression that we had actually been reading
for a long time. It is because the ideas in
the book would become subconsciously asso
ciated with actual experiences which we
have had and which correspond to them.
Let us use an analogy to understand this
point: Suppose one were reading an article
conceming the hazardous predicament of a
solitary mountain climber. The writer goes
into detail to relate how the climber sudden
ly broke through a thin covering of ice and
was plunged part way down a steep crevasse.
In his fail, he managed to brace himself
against the slippery shaft-like walls of the
crevasse.
He then realizes that he has fallen twenty
feet from the surface. His feet are hooked
in a ridge of ice on one wall and his back
braced hard against the other so that he is in
a crouched position. Beneath him the walls
widen and drop a sheer five hundred feet
to a rocky gorge. If he dares, even momen
tarily, to lessen the tensin of his legs against
the wall, his feet will slip or his back will
slide. Since the crevasse is wider beneath

APRIL, 1958

than aboye, if he slips, he will have no further possibility of again checking his fall
and regaining a position similar to his pres
ent one.
The loose ice caused by his break-through
from the surface is cracking and shearing
off and crashing down on him. Then after
striking him it slides off his head and face,
bouncing against the crevasse walls to the
gorge far below. His face is now bleeding
from the abrasions caused by the falling ice.
The calves of his legs are beginning to ache
from the constant rigidity and the coid. Yet
he dares not even move a toe. One slip of
his feet and he will hurtle to his death.
There is one chance possible, he discovers,
by twisting his head and tilting it back
against the wall. He can see above him another ice ledge about twelve inches in width.
It is on the same wall against which his back
is braced. Now across from him he sees on
the opposite wall a ledge of similar width
and above these on each wall are other projections. These constitute a kind of ice ladder. If one could reach them and spread
his legs so that each foot engaged one of
these opposite ledges, he might be able to
climb upward.
But the nearest projection is at least eighteen inches over his head. If he extends his
arms slowly above his head very carefully,
he might be able to grasp this ledge back of
his head. He would then be holding on behind his head, his hands grasping in an
awkward and reverse position. To pul oneself up and to hold on would be an extremely
difficult task. He would have to be able to
swing his legs upward and out to the ledge
on the opposite wall. The body would then
be stretched horizontally across the crevasse
or ice canyon. Could he, is the question
pounding in his brain, then release his hands
and, bracing his shoulders against the wall,
inch himself up so as to be able to grasp
another projection above his head and then
on and on again until the top was reached?
If you have followed this description closely, mentally visualizing the predicament of
the fallen climber, you would have a con
sciousness of more time than has actually
transpired in the reading of it. It would be
because you were living the experience subjectively. You would be conferring upon the
words you read the actual time that you
would imagine it would have taken the

Page I 15

climber to think and do the things described.

The whole interval of consciousness might
seem like many minutes to you as you emotionally live the experience with the climber.
Yet the reading perhaps would be a matter
of seconds.
Certainly, too, such reading as the incident
described here would not contribute toward
relaxation. In treatment the time required
depends not upon your realization of time
but rather the actual measured time necessary for the desired effect. Let us suppose
that one is taking a heat treatment by infrared light. It might require actually ten min
utes to induce sufficient heat in a certain
area to relieve the pain or congestin, as the
physician might advise. By reading or sleeping, the time might seem less or more to the
patient. The consciousness of time, however,
would not accelerate or retard the effect of
the infrared heat.
It is true that the time factor has a psychological importance in many affairs of our
life but not in the matter about which the
soror asks.X
Televisin Versus Reading
Does televisin affect detrimentally the
reading habits? It is assumed in some circles
that a large portion of the public has been
converted from the reading habit to a prolonged viewing of televisin. Just recently,
we heard an executive of one of the largest
publishing houses of the popular pocket-size
books state that televisin has seriously affected the circulation of many periodicals in
the United States. He simultaneously declared that the cheap, paper pocket-editions of
books were increasing their sales. He admitted, however, that this increase was principally in the fiction type literature.
The majority of televisin viewers are
those who seek entertainment, though a
great number endeavor to justify the time
they spend before the magic screen by relating the utilitarian and educational advantages of such indulgences. The greater
portion of nightly televisin viewers were
the former habitus of radio plays and
periodicals of a fictional nature. To them,
televisin is principally a transference of a
similar interest to a mdium providing an
increased satisfaction through the added
visual senses.

Page 116

The dual sense impressions, visual and

auditory, likewise require less concentration
than attention through one sense alone. In
other words, it is less difficult to focus atten
tion on stimuli derived sim u ltan eou sly
through sight and hearing than, for example,
just hearing. One sense faculty supports the
other in implanting impressions on the mind.
That which when heard may not be readily
grasped may be so visually perceived as to
complete the cognition and the idea. Therefore, less concentration is needed for an
appreciation of a televisin program than
when listening to one by radio or from reading about the same subject.
Where entertainment is the principal
motivation, there is a certain amount of indolence on the part of the individual. We
do not want to expend effort in seeking enjoyment unless such is satisfying in itself.
Consequently, the less concentration required
by the usual televisin program makes an
appeal of which many persons are not aware,
but to which they respond. As a result, the
individual who becomes addicted to televi
sin, though he may eventually be spending
less time before his magic screen, is nevertheless reluctant to return to the former
mdium of entertainment. He finds it increasingly difficult thereafter to exert the
same effort of concentration, as previously,
on other interests.
Assuming that one actually does resort to
televisin for cultural improvementthe enlightenment of the mindhow does it com
pare with reading for the same purpose? Let
us suppose that a prominent philosopher or
scientist is to give an address over a tele
visin network. In the majority of the
countries, the law requires a submitting of
the manuscript in advance to the televisin
staff authorities. They examine it to deter
mine whether it conforms to regulations and
the particular policies of the management.
The speaker is thus hemmed in, immured by
restrictions. What he states is definitely
constrained and is often not fully representative of his true convictions. At least, his
opinions and expressions are not as comprehensive as they should be.
Even when a noted thinker, such as a
philosopher or scientist, is being interviewed,
he is often screened before the interview. He
is given to know what general questions are
to be asked and what subjects are considered

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

taboo for the reasons previously stated. How

ever, in a book that an individual has published, or in an rdele, he is not so confined.
Obviously, one would not go to the trouble
to have a book published on an informative
or technical subject if the publisher would
restrict him in the manner of the televisin.
Further, in a book there need not be the
compression of ideas, the synthetic presentadon, or the resort to generalities required by
the limited time of a televisin program.
Further, the speaker, as an educator, sci
entist, or philosopher, knows that he has an
audience viewing the televisin different from
those who read. Regardless of what many
profess as their reasons for viewing televi
sin, they are predominantly the entertain
ment seekers who view a prominent thinker
whose books they may not have read
mostly as a kind of curiosity; their interest
being more in the personality than in the
substance of his address.
If, for example, Albert Einstein were
living and were to speak and be seen over
one of the principal televisin networks, one
could be assured that a great number of his
audience would only be intrigued by a view
of the celebrated man. To them, he would be
a kind of intellectual oddity. There would
be a paucity of listeners and viewers at the
conclusin of the program who would seek
out and read even the books conveying the
simplest presentation of his thoughts.
Psychologically, education by televisin
for the masses, even where they profess in
terest in it, is not comparable to reading.
There are too many factors of distraction.
Unless one has cu ltiv a ted concentration
through study, there is the proclivity to
digress in interest because of the diverse
appeal. The speaker himself is closely
scrutinized. There is a fascination, perhaps,
for some gesticulation or facial expression of
the speaker. His attire or the accent of his
voice may likewise distract from the thoughts
he endeavors to convey.
Though all these visual impressions may
be interesting to the viewers, requiring less
focusing of attention than does reading and
studying, they are obstacles to leaming. The
book by comparison is far more impersonal.
It is more direct in the conveying of its
ideas. The ideas of the printed word alone
engender the mental picture. They are,
therefore, more true to what the thinker

APR1L, 1958

wants to communicate than are the spoken

words by means of televisin. Even if one
says the same words on the televisin screen
as in his book, his actions and appearance
compete with them for the attention of his
audience.
The important advantages, as we see them,
and the principal educational vales of tele
visin are twofold. The first of these is the
contemporary potential of televisin programs; the second is their exhibitional char
acter. As for the contemporary, it permits
the presentation of current events and
thoughts while they are still related to
existing circumstances. The immediate opin
ion of Sir Winston Churchill, for example,
on a matter of pressing intemational political
importance, or the explanation of some
scientific principie or development having
immediate influence upon the lives of the
masses, by an eminent scientist on the sub
ject, would have valu even if presented in
a language for mass understanding. The
valu is the time factor, the thought being
immediately related to the elements which
gave it cause.
The exhibitional valu of televisin is
obvious. The viewing of a scene, the demonstration of a device too complex for the mass
mind to comprehend readily from reading
is an important contribution of televisin to
public education. But for general improvement of the mind, where one truly wants to
leam, televisin is no substitute for read
ing.X
Handwriting Analysis
A Rosicmcian has asked our Forum: Can
one truly judge a persons character by an
analysis of his handwriting?
The analysis of handwriting is not an
absolute science. The practice has been gen
erally given the ame graphology. By stating that it is not an absolute science, it is
meant that no uniform laws have been discovered from which absolutely similar effects
follow and which are beyond any question.
Characteristics and trends are found in hand
writing analysis which have a high degree
or percentage of accuracy, but they do not
have the reliability of the laws of the basic
sciences. At the present time, there is more
theoretical than empirical knowledge asso
ciated with character analysis by means of
handwriting.

Page 117

To a great extent, handwriting analysis

may be said to be in the same category as
much present-day psychoanalysis. The latter
is a construct based upon psychology and
such sciences as physiology and neurology.
As yet, it is a composite of fact determined
from clinical observations and statistics on
the one hand, and theoretical conclusions on
the other. From such experimentation and
study, facts of an empirical nature are
emerging as will make the present theo
retical aspects of p sy ch ia try eventually
worthy of being declared a science. That it
is yet hardly a specific science may be deduced from the opposing schools of psychi
atry, as the followers of Freud, Jung, and
Adler. Their basic premises are different.
In what we may cali an absolute science,
the approach or technique may be different,
but the primary laws must be and are the
sameor else the practice is still in the the
oretical stage.
Handwriting analysis in the field of criminology is an art that does employ several
sciences and their related artsas chemistry,
physics, and photography, as well as pre
cisin methods of measurement. Handwriting
experts in the analysis of questioned documents, as forgeries, will make a chemical
analysis of paper and ink, and of the typewriter keys and the ribbons used. They will
show similarities or dissimilarities of ink and
definite objective means about which there
can be no question. Where positive scientific
means are used in such analyses, handwriting
experts will not differ. However, in any
resort to theory or personal conclusions going
beyond the border of science, they may disagree. This disagreement arises only when
there is a departure from the objective and
factual aspects of their profession.
We have personally known one of the
greatest handwriting experts on questioned
documents who appeared in some of the most
prominent legal cases in America concem
ing such matters. He and his colleagues had
absolutely no faith in character analysis by
handwriting. They claimed that the deductions of graphology are not apodictical in a
great number of cases, and therefore become
only assumptions. They point out that the
premises are as yet too speculative to be
classified as a science or as an art founded
upon sciences.

Page 118

Is the hypothesis of character analysis by

handwriting sound? In general it assumes
that persons of certain temperaments have
definite physiological and muscular reactions
when writing. A dynamic, aggressive, person, bold in his thinking and actions will
perhaps form letters and arrange the sensations of his writing in a specific manner.
Conversely, a phlegmatic personality, one
given to a vacillating will writes in such
manner that the looseness and irregularity
of his handwriting will depict his characteristics. Again, one who is methodical, cautious, and meticulous is said to reveal these
qualities in the precise, almost uniform
height and spacing of his letters. They
would appear as though each were first carefully studied before being written.
Each general disposition of an individual,
each broad element of character, virtue and
vice, according to graphology, is said to be
reflected. in the appearance of ones hand
writing. An egregious nature is depicted in
a broad, sprawling hand; a penurious char
acter, they state, is disclosed in the height
and configurations of letters and words
these symbolizing the close-fisted nature of
the individual.
However, handwriting experts, those in
the field of criminology, assert that no broad
ground, such as related, can be established
to determine character from ones penmanship. The way we write, the style, vares
with our moods and emotional response to
circumstances. But the way we form certain
letters, the manner in which we cross our
ts, loop our ls, or drop or curl the lower line
of our y s, for example, are habits that remain with us. They are the identity of our
handwriting and they are distinctly personal.
These configurations repeat themselves un
der all conditions under which we write.
Such, however, do not prove character, these
same authorities state.
Men of opposite personality and living
habits may employ a similar formation of
letters. It is likewise noted that when one
is fatigued, ill, or under great emotional
stress he may write quite differently than
customarly. He will continu to form cer
tain letters in his usual manner; he may,
however, sprawl his words, loosely run his
sentences uphilla practice not followed
when in a more calm mood. One whose writ
ing a graphologist would ordinarily inter-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

pret as being quite self-disciplined would,

under anger, write in a jerky or bold hand.
Graphologists, in defense of their practice,
point out what they relate to be similar qual
ities found in the handwriting of well-known
persons. They select individuis whose characterstics are known historically or as observed contemporaries. They analyze, for
example, the handwriting of great statesmen,
jurists or philosophersmen whose lives
have a broad similarty as being perhaps
leaders and dynamic or profound thinkers.
They then profess to see in the signatures
or manuscrpts of such persons similar formations or styles. It is then theoretically
deduced that such configurations symbolize
a quality of human character applicable to
all persons of a similar temperament.
The premise is precisely this. We shall
say for convenience that A represents a par
ticular class of individuis, as perhaps lead
ers, great warriors, or noted artists. In this
handwriting certain formations peculiar to
their class are noted; these peculiarities are
B and C. If, then, B and C are found in the
handwriting of other individuis, it is reasoned that they fall into the classification
of the people designated A.
Now, if every time B and C appeared it
could be indubitably established that they
conformed in character to what their hand
writing symbolized, such analysis would be
an absolute science. Unfortunately, such is
not yet the case.X
Conscientious Objectors
A frater from England addresses the
Forum: Dr. Lewis, on page 303 of Rosicru
cian Questions and Answers, when speaking
of those not permitted to join the Order, says,
This naturally eliminates . . . those who
pretend to be conscientious objectors to the
upholding of the nations best interest in the
time of peace or war. Does this passage indicate that an individual may not dissociate
himself from anything laid down as law by
the state if he feels it to be wrong? Is it
aimed at those who pretend to be conscien
tious objectors simply because it suits them,
or does it imply that all objectors are hypocritical and misguided?
The frater further relates that he was
imprisoned for refusing military conscription
during peacetime, because he could not

APRIL, 1958

reconcile military service with the teachings

of Christ.
Dr. Lewis statement was certainly aimed
at those individuis who pretend to be conscientious ob jectors for reasons of per
sonal gain or safety, rather than those few
with legitmate religious exemptions from
military service. However, the difficult
thing about this question is drawing the line
between the honest and the hypocritical.
This is especially difficult outside the established groups of conscientious objectors, of
which there are a few in the United States
and in Great Britain. Outside of these
groups it becomes extremely hard to make
this distinction and the State, whether rightly
or wrongly, takes the practical outlook that
anyoe not a member of a recognized sect
is just attempting to stay out of the service.
In time of war, the conscientious objectors
usually find some type of employment essential to the war effort other than direct mili
tary service. Most of the time, only the in
dividual himself truly knows whether he is
honest in his refusal to serve, and sometimes
even he doesnt know.
The teachings of Christ, we all know, ad
vcate a doctrine of loving ones neighbors,
both in the local and in the universal sense.
However, there is nothing in the Christian
philosophy which states that a man must
refuse to serve his country because of a socalled adherence to Christs doctrines. Usu
ally such people base their objections on the
Commandment Thou Shalt Not Kill, since,
at least in time of war, that is the duty of
the soldier. However, for each person on the
fighting front there are many behind-theline noncombat jobs which must be performed, and these essential posts can be
filled and served honorably. Surely, the
clergy are pledged to uphold the teachings
of Christ, yet all of the services of the free
world have chaplains of all faithsordained
clergymen serving with them and ministering to the spiritual needs of the fighting
men.
On this basis it would seem at least impractical to serve time in prison, with the
resultant stigma on ones citizenship, when
one can serve his country quite honorably
at any one of hundreds of noncombat jobs,
from clerk to medical corpsman.
The frater evinced the feeling that the
state and its laws are acceptable only so far

Page 119

as they do not interfere with the individual

and his feelings. The individual must have
a conscience, as he put it, which he is prepared to defend against all opposition. He
then likened the state and its regulations
over the individual to the communist oppression. The state, at least in the free world,
is entrusted by the people to provide for their
common good through passing of timely and
judicious laws binding upon all people. If
the individual does not abide by these regu
lations, there can be only chaos as a result.
Surely, the individual must retain certain
personal ideis and prerogatives, but these
must not clash or interfere with those of his
fellow citizens, or should they go against
the common good of the state and its whole
population. The individual must relinquish
some of his individualism to the state. He
must abide by its laws, pay its taxes, serve
it faithfully both in good times and in times
of need. He must be willing to forego his
personal freedom, when need be, to protect
the freedom of the state and its general citi
zenship.
This is just as important in these peaceful
but uncertain times as it is during periods
of world-wide holocaust. The state, recognizing this, has passed laws, with the consent
of the people, for mandatory military conscription in order to keep a standing military
forc of certain proportion. It has to provide
a necessary backlog of trained and experienced personnel who will be ready, with a
minimum of refresher training, to form a
sturdy defense forc in time of a possible
future war.
In these times, especially when another
war would be so disastrous to the entire
world, it is of vast importance for each in
dividual to be willing to sacrifice a small
part of his personal freedom. This is done
in order to become a definite part of the
purchase price, so to speak, which we
must pay to deter any power from making
the move, overt or accidental, which would
start the destruction which must attend a
future world conflict.
It was true at the time Dr. Lewis wrote,
and it is even truer now, that we cannot afford the luxury of supporting those who
would be unwilling to give up a part of
their individualism temporarily so that the
world as a United body might later enjoy
the benefit of universal freedom.W

Authentic

Egyptian
Temple Lamps

Imported
Solid Brass
Hand-blown Glass

In order to bring students authentic and distinctive items for their sanctums, the Rosicrucian
Supply Bureau imports many student accessories
from other lands. The photographs on this page
depict the special care and attention given to
one of the fnest items we offer for sale the
Sanctum Lamp, made in Cairo, Egypt.

The

photo at right shows factory workers preparing

lamps for shipment while officers of Cheops
Chapter, AMORC, inspect the quality and de
sign. Below lamps are inspected, crated, and
stand ready for shipment to the United States.
An od legend about these Egyptian lamps states that because
the lamps were hung in a sacred place where the prayers of men
were offered and the powers of the gods invoked, there was imparted to them, a strange influence, which affected the lives of
all who carne within the rays of light they shed. A wish made
while one was being touched by a ray of light from a mystic
temple lamp would come true. Thousands journeyed to the
temples that had these rnate, strange lamps.
Although we relegate such beliefs today to bygone superstitions, we must still admire the
splendid workmanship of these temple and sanc
tum lamps of Egypt.
Handmade, by craftsmen possessing the art
and skill of centuries, the lamps are of handblown glass and solid brass, elaborately designed
with symbolic, Rosicrucian figures. They will
lend a superb mystic charm to your sanctum,
den, or study room. These genuine Egyptian
articles are available to you for what is an exceptionally low cost outside of Egyptonly $7.50
(2/13/7 sterling), postpaid.

Send Order and Remittance to:

The ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA

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

c| g g | s

TH E ROSICRU CIA N P R E S S , LT D.

ON LY

$7.50
( 2 /1 3 /7 sterling)
Postpaid

June, 1958
Volume XXVIII

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

BA RRIE BRETTONER, F. R. C.
Inspector G eneral of A M O R C fo r Eastern A u stralia

Page 122

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

SUBLIM INAL SUGGESTIONS IN AD VERTISING

Dear Fr aires and Sor ores:
Do we see and yet not seesimultaneously? Can we perceive something visually
which may influence our subsequent thinking and acting and yet not be ordinarily
conscious of the impression?
The recent experiments in connection
with motion-picture advertising have used
what is termed subliminal perception. There
were rapidly flashed on the motion-picture
screen, periodically during the course of a
photoplay, simple word suggestions. These
suggestions had reference to refreshments
which the viewer was to buy and which
were available in the theater. The spectators,
it was reported, were motivated to buy the
refreshments and as a result increased sales
were noted. They experienced a desire for
the refreshments without any realization of
having perceived the visual announcement
about them on the screen. How this was
accomplished was a seeming mystery to the
general public. It also, of course, raised the
moot question as to whether such a practice
was ethical and legal.
An impulse registering upon one of our
sense organs as that of sight, for example,
must be intense enough in its stimulus and
be sustained long enoughthat is, a matter
of a fraction of a secondor we are not objectively conscious of it. In other words, in
the sense of having vibrations of visible light
act upon the retina of the eye, we can see
and yet at times not be aw are that we are
seeing. The fact of our attention or the
focus of our consciousness is also important.
If we are concentrating our attention on
auditory impressions, that is, sounds, as
when intently listening to an orchestra, we
may not be aware visually of our surroundings. Our eyes physically respond to the
light waves reflected by objects around us
but the consciousness is, instead, directed to
certain other impulses and we do not realize
what we visually perceive.
As you walk down the Street, deep in reflection, perhaps thinking about a problem
of the day, myriads of visual impressions are

being received by you. How many of them

can you recall? Few, if any. Your objective
consciousness was not responsive to any par
ticular visual stimulus. Each day of our lives
there filter through to our subconscious
numerous impressions which are sublimi
nal. This means that they are below or
beyond the threshold of our objective percep
tion. The impression is being received in
the normal way, but the stimulus is of too
short a duration to be realized by the con
scious mind, by means of objective per
ception.
Let us use the analogy of the motion
picture. As we look at the screen, it appears
that the film is in continuous motion. Actual
ly, however, each individual frame or pic
ture remains a fraction of a second in our
visin before another comes into view. Each
frame is a separate still photograph. The
conception of motion is had by the sequence
of these still photographs rapidly following
each other. In commercial and sound motion-pictures, these pictures usually follow
each other at the speed of 24 per second.
Between each picture we see, there is, then,
a fractional period of darknessof no new
visual impressions at all. We do not realize
such darkness because the visual stimulus
of the preceding picture is being retained
by nature on the retina sufficiently long to
bridge the gap of when we do not see.
In other words, a visual stimulus must
remain in consciousness a certain length of
time so that we may realize it objectively.
However, our eyes are open during that
period and impressions are falling upon the
organ of sight of which we are not consciously aware.
Many impressions that arise in our con
scious mind seem vague and unfamiliar to
us; they are things which have been registered in our subconscious previously with
out our objective realization. Such unconscious or subliminal impressions, heard or
seen, help fashion our thoughts from which
follow many of our actions. Like other im
pressions which are consciously perceived,

JUNE, 1958

Page 123

they produce sensations; the sensations are

only experienced when they come to the
fore of the conscious mind. When looking
at the theater screen, if there is rapidly
flashed upon it the phrase Drink So-andSo! the visual impression would be of too
short a duration to cause any ordinary perception of it. It would be subliminal, below
the threshold of visual experience as ordinarily had. The suggestion would, however,
reach the subconscious. There, the impres
sions would stimulate any desires or appetites which would be related to it.
Suppose it were a hot night when the
spectator was in the theater. Further, let us
suppose that that which was flashed upon
the screen was the ame of familiar brand
of soft drink. The familiar ame registered
in the subconscious, and the subliminal sug
gestion would create the desire for the drink
equivalent to having a conscious picture of
the brand. The only difference is that the
spectator would not realize the cause of his
having a rather sudden thirst.
Many of our desires are roused in this
subconscious manner. We commonly and erroneously think of such desires as being
caused by something not related to them.
Many times we all have said to ourselves
or to others: I do not know why but I have
a craving for this or that. The cause of
the suggestion stems from a latent impres
sion implanted unconsciously in the sub
conscious. We use the word unconscious
here to mean that which is not realized objectively.
Is this type of advertising ethical? Does
it take advantage of the unconscious processes of the human mind? In the first place,
subliminal suggestion can in no way have
an effect upon one if subconsciously he does
not already have a related desire for what
is suggested. Suppose one has, as many do,
an innate dislike of tobacco. This resistance
to the nature of tobacco is well established
in the individuals subconscious. Subliminal

advertising appeals that he smoke a certain

brand would in no way create the desire
for it.
This principie is closely related to the psy
chological ones of hypnotic suggestion. Our
own personal conclusions constitute a far
stronger suggestion to ourselves, to our own
subconscious, than do any that may be im
planted there by others. It is a well-established fact that in hypnosis a subject will
not act upon a suggestion contrary to his
own moral character. He will not commit
an act under hypnosis which normally
would be offensive to him. Likewise, one
could not be immorally motivated contrary
to his moral precepts by any form of sub
liminal suggestion.
Subliminal suggestion can move us to do
things which are acceptable to us but which
we might not otherwise have thought of or
willed ourselves to do.
It can be said, figuratively speaking, that
this type of advertising is an attempt to
sneak in through the back door of the mind.
In this sense it is not a frank form of salesmanship. It can, however, scarcely be injurious to an individual. It would not lead
him, for further example, to buy something
beyond his means. For further example, if
one has not made a purchase of something
he likes because of the need for economy,
then that sense of economic restraint within
his subconscious would block or inhibit any
subliminal suggestion to him to buy it.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
Nuclear Tests
The 1958 series of Nuclear Testing now
starting in the South Pacific has brought
further comment and expressions of concern
to our Forum. These letters can be summed
up by a soror who asks anxiously about the
possibility of a nuclear explosion developing

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 of the U. S. Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of +he Supreme Council of A M O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $2.25 (16/6 sterling) ANNUALLY FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page I24

into an uncontrolled chain reaction which

would envelop the earth.
Although scientists admittedly are not yet
fully aware of the capabilities and destructive powers involved in the experiments they
conduct and the weapons they develop, they
do know to a good degree the extent of im
mediate damage any given weapon will
cause. The energies released by a man-made
atomic explosion are minute when compared
with .the forces created within any goodsized storm.
On the other hand, there is an aspect of
the atomic tests which has recently begun
to receive much publicity, and which should
cause concern in all of us. This is the buildup of radioactive Strontium-90 in the atmosphere.
The material is a by-product of H-bomb
explosions and is carried up in the form of
radioaGtive dust particles. Gradually, over a
period of weeks, months, and even years,
these particles filter back down and build
up the radioactivity level of the planet
surface.
The insidious thing about Strontium-90
is that it finds its way into the calcium bone
tissue, especially among children, and, if too
much lodges there, it can be instrumental
in causing bone cncer. Also, unlike many
radioactive substances, Strontium-90 does not
diminish in radioactivity over a period of
time, so far as is known.
The strontium-contaminated fall-out ma
terial settles on vegetation which is either
consumed directly, as vegetables, or indirectly through dairy cattle eating it and pass
ing the Strontium-90 into the milk. This
provides a direct avenue to the bones, since
milk forms the calcium in our bones.
At present, the radioactivity levels are not
dangerously high. However, science has, as
a result of its atomic research, lowered
rather than raised its estmate of the mxi
mum safe dosage of radioactivity which
the human body can withstand. Thus, it
becomes more and more apparent that there
are dangers involved which are not readily
discemible.
This, coupled with the fact that the ef
fects of Strontium-90 are cumulative, indicates that, as some scientists now realize,
there is no true minimum or mximum dose.
Each little bit builds up on the preceding
amount, with the result that in time these
small accumulations exceed in total the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

safe amount of exposure, causing disease,

or even death.
Recently, several eminent scientists wamed
that the amount of Strontium-90 will reach
four times the present level in the bones of
children by 1977, even if no further atomic
tests are made in the future.
Should the tests continu at the present
rate, they feel that the level in bones of
persons in the Northeastem United States
would reach 200 times the present Strontium90 level by the year 2100, bringing it to
twice the level now considered to be the
mximum permissible.
The question and problems involved in
the solution of this situation are manifold.
The dangers involved in the continuation
of atomic testing are obvious if one looks
into future generations. Unfortunately, the
possible hazards presented by not furthering
our atomic development, for war as well as
peace, are also apparent, and not nearly so
longterm as are genetic hazards to coming
generations, and more conceming to the
world military and political leaders.
The humanitarian decisin obviously
would be to stop, or at least seriously curtail,
nuclear testing on a world-wide scale. Soviet
Russia would no doubt strenuously object .to
such a plan, since her level of refnement of
nuclear weapons is below ours.
The United States has approached the
limits of power development and is now
concentrating on the production of more
compact, portable, diversified atomic weapons.
Much of the testing is not in the line of
new development, but rather amounts to
shooting off already tried and tested weap
ons. Since we know that the nuclear tests
will not be stopped entirely, .the obvious
answer lies in limitation or curtailment, not
in the scope but in the quantity of test shots.
Rather than fire four or five examples of
a given weapon in order to study all its as
pects, the scientific and military program
should be so well mapped out and co-ordinated that the same amount of information
can be obtained from one or, at most, two
explosions. In this way, the increase of
Strontium-90 will be slower than if the tests
continu at their present rate.
We agree that prevailing world conditions
tend to make some atomic testing necessary,
but not at the expense of certain, unseen
disease and death for .the future world
population.W

JUNE, 1958

Will Man Control Nature?

In a respected scientific publication, I recently read an article in which the author
concluded, as he summarized mans conquest
of space and his achievement of a certain
degree of control over the forces of the earth,
that eventually man will control all the
forces of naturethat man is endowed with
the intelligence by which he can utilize, and
in fact control, all the forces existing in the
universe. Although the author did not say
so, the intent was that man has the authority
and the birthright, as it were, to eventually
exercise his control over everything that exists. Most of the article was based upon the
principie of a form of materialism that is
frequently found in many modem scientific
approaches.
I could not help being amused because his
conclusin reminded me of a philosophy with
which he might not agree a philosophy of
religin. It is stated in sacred literature that
man was given dominion over all things up
on the earth and within it. So it would seem
that science and religin may finally have
approached a point of unity, of agreement.
Fundamental religin .that bases its beliefs,
conclusions, and philosophy upon a strict
orthodox and literal interpretation of sacred
writings has advanced for centuries the idea
that man is the dominating intelligence in
the universe and that God created him so
that he might control everything that existed about him. This is the philosophy of
religin, the valu of which has been depreciated by many scientific minds, particularly those who uphold the philosophy of
naturalism which has so definitely influenced the thinking of the modem world
philosophies.
To me this is more than interesting; it is
almost fantastic that after centuries of controversy, of differences between the fundamentalists of religin and the liberis in the
materialistic field of philosophy there should
finally be found a point in common. The
point is that man should be endowed by his
creator either from the standpoint of religin
or by native intelligence and brain power
from the standpoint of biology to be the ruler
of all that exists about him including himself
and fellow crea tures.
We might refer to all the universal forces,
regardless of how they may be subdivided

Page 125

in the terminology of philosophy, religin,

or science, simply as the forces of nature.
In the Rosicrucian teachings, we much prefer the term cosmic, and usually we refer
to the cosmic forces as that which includes
the divine mind and all that emanates from
it. In other words, I like to think of the
Cosmic as including everything that ever
was or ever will be. The Cosmic is, in a
sense, the expression of the mind of God, or
we might even go further and say that the
mind of God and the Cosmic are the same.
They are synonymous.
However, to occupy our time with this
nominalistic philosophy which simply sets
forth terms to which man assigns meanings,
to help his understanding of the earth or to
confuse his fellow human beings, is to avoid
the central point instead of directing atten
tion to it. When we consider mans relation
to all forces both within and outside himself,
whether those forces be called the laws of
God, the Cosmic, the material forces of the
universe, or the laws of nature, we need for
convenience to agree on terminology.
Nature is an all-inclusive term which I
will proceed to use here for the simple reason
that it is well known and well understood.
I will mean by the word nature and the laws
of nature, in these comments, what I have
already defined in the terms of the Cosmic;
that is, nature constitutes all that is, all that
has ever been, and it contains the potentialities of all that will be. In other words, nature
is the universe and all that is a part of it,
including man himself and all forms of life.
We would enter into a long philosophical
discussion and probably arrive at no con
clusin if we examined the basic premise as
to whether or not man exists upon earth,
either by creation or evolution, for the purpose of dominating natures forces and its
manifestations. I have already pointed out
that we can find substantiation for such a
point of view both in religin and in science.
Religin says that man is the ultmate of
Gods creation, and that everything else that
God created or makes manifest is secondary
to man and is for him to control, modify,
use or otherwise develop, in any way he
sees fit.
Now I have advanced at least the opinion
of one scientific wiiter that science takes the
same point of view, that everything existing
in the universe, including all of natures

Page 126

laws, is a challenge to the intelhgence of

man and not only a challenge, but an m
petus which man should use to control,
modify, and revise the functions of nature.
It is true that man has done this to a cer
tain extent. Man has hamessed many nat
ural forces. He uses water power as a forc
to move other objects. From the very first
time that man hamessed a stream with a
water wheel to the modem hydroelectric
plants of today, he has utilized for his own
purposes the forc of water, which was
caused of course by the forc of gravity.
I, however, believe that there is a difference between hamessing the forces of nature
and controlling them. The early individual
who conceived the idea of using a falling
stream of water as a means of turning a
wheel and then used the energy thereby
created to do his work, which would have
taken him a long period of time or required
much greater expenditure of energy, simply
used his native intelhgence or those natural
forces within him for the purpose of directing the already existing forc into another
channel. In other words, when man harnessed water power he did not create a new
forc, he did not take over the work of God
as it were, he did not make the water create
forc, he simply used the forc that was
already there and used it constructively in
that he himself recognized his modifying it
in such a way as to produce something of
valu for him.
To use a forc and to control it are two
distinctly different things. At present, man
toys with the idea of not only utilizing nat
ural forces as he has done in many cases
the hamessing of water power being only
one of many thousands of possible examples
but he proposes to take over the managing
of nature as it were and bending it to his
own ways. One manner in which man has
attempted to do this, and which has brought
considerable publicity in recent years, is his
attempt to control the weather.
I live in an area where rain making is
practiced seriously. Rosicrucian Park is located in Santa Clara County in California,
and each year an appropriation of the taxes
paid by the residents of Santa Clara County
is used to hire a firm which sets up apparatus
at various points throughout the valley, and
the mountains that surround it, with the
idea to seed the clouds and produce more

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

rain. Whether or not this has been completely successful is still a matter of some debate.
It would appear that the current year
might prove these attempts quite successful
if it can be ascertained that the more than
average rainfall in this area is a result of
mans tampering with nature and not the
result of nature itself. The interesting fact
is that we have had this year an unusually
heavy rainfall since the date the services of
the rain-making company were discontinued.
I am not implying that man should not
hamess and utilize all the natural forces he
can. Rut, at the same time, he should consider carefully before he steps into the con
trol of such forces or he may find that the
forces will control him. Many intelhgent
people today believe that mans hamessing
of the forc of the atom may be his downfall.
Man has released energy that may defeat
the very purpose he had in mindthat is,
cause him to be destroyed himself by the
forc that he is attempting to control.
In studying achievements of ages past, we
leam that man has tried to control factors
in his environment throughout the period of
his history. Man does control certain fac
tors by the establishment of political units
and the instituting and enforcing of laws
among men. Mankind has done a great deal
to regida te the behavior of men. Today we
surreder voluntarily a great deal of our
individual freedom to governments on the
supposition that these govemments can serve
us better than we could serve ourselves.
Such facts are, of course, elementary. Not
every individual could establish a plice system for his own protection or set up a fire
department to protect his own home and
property; therefore, he willingly assigns such
responsibility to his municipal, county, state,
provincial, or other unit of government. Such
acts seem to be indications of plain common
sense, and it is true that it is to mans advantage in many ways to work as a part
of a political group rather than to work and
live simply as an isolated individual.
Where man has tried to control other
men, .there have frequently been disastrous
results. Many govemments have failed, and
the failure is in direct proportion to the
amount of control exercised by that govemment. Dictatorships which have taken over
practically all the freedom of individuis
and have directed all their functioning

JUNE, 1958

even to the very simple acts that men nor

mally, voluntarily, and individually perforen
have failed. Every great dictatorship in
history to date that has suppressed the free
dom of individual expression to the extent
that the individual no longer had any valu
has not been able to survive. In other words,
we can say generally .that where man has
tried to control the social and political as
pects of mankind, he has usually failed
miserably.
Do we, then, want to think of man as
controlling all the factors of environment?
If man cannot control at least some of the
factors that affect social relationships, how
then can he control all of nature?
As I concluded reading the article which
stated that the time would come when man
could control all natural forces, my first
reaction was to hope that I would not live
to see such a time. I am not interested in
what we could technically cali an anthropocentric govemment. I believe that nature it
self is as much an expression of all that is
in .the universe as is man, and that man
was not placed here in this universe merely
to develop a control of natures laws, but
rather to leam how to work with them and
to benefit by that process. Those who believe
that the ultmate aim of man is to control
nature, I believe, missed the point as to the
ultmate vales of existence.
There are many who believe with me
and will accept the philosophy that one of
the ultmate purposes of the universe is
mans right to attempt to relate himself harmoniously with the forces that he finds
functioning in the universe. And in his experiencing his relationship with those forces,
he will realize that he is living in a universe
which is theocentric rather than mancentric. In other words, we should learn to
develop a kingdom of God on earth as we
have a degree of relationship with the king
dom of God in ourselves.
Mans control of nature then, it seems to
me, is a dream of those who would want to
domnate, who would want to become little
dictatrs. I am confident that most of us
would rather leam to use the forces about
us for a means that will bring peace, har
mony, and happiness to a group of individ
uis working in cooperation with the laws
of nature rather than to shatter them com
pletely, or rather to shatter our own lives

Page 127

and our own hopes of future evolvement, by

entering into an attempt to control the
forces which were made for us to use.
In the days before mechanization, domestic animals were used for more purposes
than they are today. I am sure .that all who
are at least as od as I am will remember
the days when the primary method of trans
portation was provided by the horse. Horses
were used for work and to transport man
from one place to another. We found in
those days that the horse was an intelligent
animal. He could also be a pet and in many
cases was treated as such. He was loved
and respected by those who owned him. He
was treated kindly by those who had any
degree of consideration for the expression
of life and for the manifestation of natures
laws. Thus we see a simple illustration how
natures forces were hamessed.
The horse was used .to bring us convenience, to provide transportation and a means
to make our livelihood, but that did not
mean we controlled the horse. We did not
make the animal completely subservient to
us. The horse was still an independent en
tity and even when mistreated had at times
an individual existence. So I believe that
all the forces of nature can continu to exist
without mans dominating them. If I may
go so far as to say so, the differences be
tween hamessing a forc and dominating it
is the difference between success and failure,
between happiness and despair. When we
hamess and constructively utilize natures
forces, we do it for the welfare of all. When
we exercise control, our motives are fundamentally selfish and must end in disaster by
the nature of the laws themselves.A
How Donations Are Used
A soror in Texas says: I am a fairly new
member of AMORC, and I am receiving aid
from the Council of Solace for ill-health.
You must receive a lot of donations from
your members. What do you do with the
donations you receive from time to tme
from members such as myself?
First, let us answer by asking a question.
What are the sources of revenue of AMORC?
They are primarily three in nature: A
dues; B Supply Bureau; Cdonations. The
largest single source of revenue is the mem
bership dues and registration fees. But

Page 128

against this stands the greatest expense of the

Order, that is, the research and preparation
of the teachings. This expense includes also
the mailing of the monographs, the Rosicru
cian Digest, the correction of examinations,
the enclosure of study charts, the answering
of correspondence, and acknowledgment of
membership activities. All of this expense
too, of course, includes the necessity of maintaining the buildings for operation, the purchase of functional equipment such as typewriters, yariety of office machines, vaults
with files, and furniture. There is also the
payroll for the large staff of stenographers,
clerks, membership instructors, maintenance
crew, janitors, gardeners, technicians, truck
drivers, and related essential expenses.
The continual increase in the price of paper and printingand now postageas well
as that of wages to personnel, makes the total
practically equal to the amount of dues.
There are then to be met as well the huge
property taxes which AMORC is obliged to
pay. Though AMORC is a nonprofit organization and is so recognized by all of the
govemments in the lands in which it functions, it still must pay realty taxes. The
exemption which the Order receives is for
income tax only. If we were a religious organization, which we are not, we would not
have to pay realty taxes. We think this in
itself is sufficient answer to those who believe that we are a religious organization.
For after all, we are classified as not being
one by the tax departments of the vaiious
govemments.
The revenue derived from the second
source, the Supply Bureau, must first meet
the expenses incurred by that Bureau. This
consists of the publishing costs of our numerous books and the manufacturing ex
pense of the items that the Bureau supplies
to our members, as well as the forwarding
of them to the members. The residue of
this fund is then used to meet dficits in
dues. In other words, the Supply Bureau
helps meet the increasing costs .to which the
fixed dues cannot adjust.
The third source of revenue, donations,
bequests, and contiibutions, no matter how
small, are essential to compnsate for al]
of AMORCs nonrevenue activities. Let us
take the Council of Solace to which the soror
refers as an example. There are no fees for
such services. Yet, the Council writes thou-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sands of encouraging, advisory, and helpfu]

letters to members and to nonmembers
throughout the world. Such activity is a part
of the humanitarian service rendered by the
Rosicmcian Order. The Council of Solace
employs several people constantly to keep
records of the cases, read reports, and give
special free instruction to those who solicit
its help.
How are all such expenses to be met?
They cannot be added to the expense of
active membership, for the dues would be
inadequate. It requires donations to carry on
this good work. Those who receive the ser
vices of the Council of Solace are requested
to contribute whatever they can. But whether
they do or not, its facilities are available to
them nevertheless.
AMORC is not a school organized for
profit as are some correspondence schools in
accounting or law. It is, in fact, a fraternal,
cultural, humanitarian Order. It has the obligation to contribute something to the betterment of mankind. We are Rosicrucians
not just for our personal enlightenment and
satisfaction. We are expected to advance and
help humanity in tura as we receive from
the Order. The Order itself must conform to
such principies and traditions. Therefore,
various nonrevenue-producing activities are
carried on by AMORC. By nonrevenue we
mean these other activities which are conducted without fees or charges of any kind,
as they should be.
What are some of these nonrevenue-pro
ducing cultural activities? The Rosicmcian
Egyptian Museum is one. It is visited by
over 115,000 people annually. These visiting
members and a vast host of the public are
from throughout the world. In a pleasant
atmosphere, they see scientifically and artistically displayed the finest collection of
Egyptian and Babylonian antiquities in the
westem United States, and they leam of
the early struggle of mankind. They see
revealed in various devices mans handicrafts
and evidence of those advances which man
has made and the very foundations upon
which much of our present sciences and arts
have been built.
The visitors go home to their respective
cities and towns in various lands with added
knowledge and deepened respect for the
noble purposes of the Rosicmcian Order. Admittedly, it requires a large outlay of funds

JUNE, 1958

to maintain the Museum and its exquisite

collection. However, the same amount of
money could not be expended in any other
way to produce the same excellent public
relations for the Order.
There is then, also, the Planetarium and
Science Museum. In the Planetarium, the
observer witnesses the spectacular role of
the Cosmic bodies, of astronomical phenomena. The visitor pays a nominal admission
fee which, of course, in no way retums the
money originally invested in the building
and construction of the equipment. In the
same building is the Science Museum. Entrance to this is available free to all. Here,
the visitor sees exhibits of devices which
demnstrate in a fascinating manner numerous natural laws. Such an experience
quickens his interest in science and provides
the visitor with an appreciation of physical
phenomena of the universe and of AMORCs
activities.
Every principal library in the world
this side of the Iron Curtain at presenthas
one or more of the Rosicrucian books. These
Rosicrucian books are published by AMORC
in several languages. The books are donated
to these public libraries, hospitals, penal in
stitutions, and numerous reading rooms.
Who pays for these books and the thousands
of free copies of the Rosicrucian Digest and
its equivalent in other languages, such as
El Rosacruz and the L a Rose-Croix? Certainly such costs are not met from the membership dues, for they would not be adequate.
It is the loving, thoughtful contribution of
donations by members that makes this pos
sible. Each donation, whether it be a few
cents, shillings, or many pounds or many
dollars, makes this possible. It is another
of the many ways in which donations are
used.
Then there are the numerous series of
illustrated slide lectures which are sent free
to lodges and chapters by the Technical De
partment of AMORC. The preparation of
the illustrations, with the research that is
required for them, the final photographing
of them, the writing of the discourses, and
the recording of them on magnetic tape is a
very definite expense. Rut such lectures and
illustrations are extremely beneficial to all
members who see and hear them. Again, it
is only the donations by members, over and

Page 129

above their dues, which they make occasionally that make this possible.
We must not fail to mention as well the
interesting and instructive color-and-sound
motion pictures which are produced by the
Technical Department of AMORC. These
bring to members and to their friends, with
out charge, a unique presentation of subjects
and places not usually available in the commercial film world. These cinema films are
also made available as a cultural contribu
tion by AMORC to schools and universities
and various history groupsall, of course,
without charge. This creates interest in
AMORC on the part of the public and causes
them to have the right opinion of its purposes. Rut again we say it is only the
donations that make this possible. Your dues
alone would never be sufficient if it were
not for an occasional donation.
Hundreds of thousands of Rosicrucians
and the general public .throughout the years
have visited Rosicrucian Park. It is a place
of beauty. It symbolizes the tranquillity, the
harmony of nature, and in fact, what
AMORC is striving to bring about within
the consciousness of every Rosicrucian. This
beauty of the Park is obviously an expense
to create and maintain. It could be done
away with and the Order could use a drab
concrete commercial office building. How
ever, in doing away with this beauty, this
esthetic setting, we would also be depriving
the Order of part of its spirit. Your donations
make Rosicrucian Park possible. It is a
thing for the membership to be proud of,
in that it creates respect for the Order.
Further, have you ever realized that, unfortunately, not every member pays his dues
promptly? Just think what it means when,
let us say, two or three thousand members
become lax at times in paying their dues
and this happens rather frequently. Suppose
members forget to send their dues for two
months. Multiply the sum of two months
by, we shall say, two thousand. Think of
that dficit for those months. Yet, the post
office has to be paid promptly, so do the
employees, the printers, the taxes, and all
of the other expenses we have mentioned.
It is for this reason that the Rosicrucian
Order, AMORC, depends upon and deeply
appreciates whatever donations or contributions you make, as well as your remembrance of the Order in your Will. As a non-

Page 130

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

profit organization, every officer and staff

member of AMORC is on a definite salary.
No funds inure to the personal benefit of
any individual serving it.X
This Issues Personality
Music held a magical charm for the little
boy. Whenever music was heard, he would
stop his play and sit at rapt attention. The
little face did not reveal the great emotional
response going on within. Music transported
the small lad to a psychical realm where
neither time or space existed. The childs
whole being seemed to feast upon the mu
sical strains. There was evident a tense
straining to absorb each note heard.
This boy was Barrie Brettoner, now In
spector General of AMORC for Eastem Aus
tralia. He was bom in West Riding Township of Ossett, Yorkshire, England, February
22, 1913. Barries precocity as to music continued. When he was but six years of age,
his playing drew special commendation from
the National College of Music. When he
graduated from that college with honors at
the tender age of 12, he was then recognized
as a child prodigy. Some years later, Frater
Brettoners mothers health required that she
leave England for warmer dimes. The fam
ily decided on New South Wales, Australia.
This afforded young Brettoner an experience
which made a lasting impression upon his
active mind. Enroute to Australia, he contacted much of the mysterious East Suez,
Port Said, Alexandria, and Colomba. It was
a new and fascinating world that challenged
the youthful imagination.
In Australia, young Brettoner continued
his musical education. By contra st, he also
took special training in draftsmanship in a
local technical school, but music dominated
his life and his talent was ever evident. At
the early age of sixteen, he received the
coveted and highly prized honor of being
made a Fellow of Trinity College of Music,
London. The depression of .the 30s compelled the young man to utilize his musical
training as a livelihood. He eventually did
become a noted theater organist in promi
nent Australian cinemas. It was during this
period that Barrie Brettoner met Frater
Stefan Kowron, one of the first Rosicmcian
dignitaries in Australia. Frater Kowron, with
patience and skill, answered questions that

music had been emotionally engendering in

the mind of Frater Brettoner. He shortly
thereafter crossed the threshold of the Rosi
crucian Order, AMORC.
Frater Brettoners popularity at the organ
in Australia resulted in his accepting an
offer to tour New Zealand where he was
acclaimed. By now, a love of travel had
been acquired and he accepted another proposal to tour the United Kingdom, and later
the continent, as an organist. The highlight
of his life, Frater Brettoner has often said,
was while on the continent. He received a
Rosicmcian Initiation in the beautiful tem
ple of the Grand Lodge of AMORC in Copenhagen. The huge bouquets of tulips pre
sented to me in the theater at this time . . .
were as nothing compared to the exquisite
fragrance o f' the deep red roses whose intoxicating perfume permeated that mystic
Temple and ceremony.
After a highly successful concert tour in
Europe, Frater Brettoner returned to Sydney
and was soon serving in the Australian Army
(1940). After the war, Barrie Brettoner, as
did many men, was seeking to find himself
in varied ventures. During this interval he
assisted Frater William Norris, first interaational lecturer for AMORC in Australia, in
locating lecture halls. Later, during the sec
ond series of such lectures by Frater John
La Buschagne, Frater Brettoner again helped
in various capacities.
Frater Brettoner was recommended for
and accepted the Mastership of the now wellestablished Chapter of AMORC in Sydney.
He lent his ability and enthusiasm to his
term of office. In the spiing of 1955, he was
appointed by the Grand Master of AMORC
as Inspector General for Eastem Australia,
an office in which Frater Brettoner contines
to serve faithfully and efficiently. In his
private life, Barrie Brettoner is associated at
present in an administrative capacity with
the Australian Broadcasting Commission in
Sydney. He lists his personal interests as
being a trinity; namely, mysticism, music,
and classical ballet. He adds to this, however,
the usual Australian love of water sports.X
Psychic Immunity
A soror in Japan addressing our Forum
states: There are Biblical accounts of people
who were immune to fire, water, and other
physical hazards; there are also accounts of

JUNE, 1958

bodily levitation performed even to this day

by the yogi in India. Through developing
the psychic faculties, is it possible to attain
immunity to fire and other accidents that
confront us daily in the physical world? Or,
in other words, how far can we go in changing the conditions of the physical world
psychically?
The many miracles recounted in the
hagiography of the past and in the Bible can
be questioned in the light of modern knowledge. Many of such, undoubtedly, were the
application of natural laws which, to the
generally ignorant and uneducated classes,
would seem like miracles or divine intervention. We can but imagine the amazing
impact the commonplace technical developments of our time would have upon people
of the Biblical period. Not knowing the
natural laws employed, only one answer
would seem probable to them, that is, that
divine or supematural agencies were performing the feats.
We can recall when we were upon the
frontier of Tibet, in the Himalayas, that one
of the Tibetans who was hard of hearing was
shown by us a modem hearing aid. When
he was shown how the sound carne out of
the receiver when it was placed in the ear,
he evinced amazement! When the device
was proffered to him to examine and try,
he backed away in obvious fear. When we
endeavored to persuade him, he became
alarmed and fled. To him the whole device
was an awesome unnatural phenomenon
something between a feat of magic and a
miracle.
We do not mean to imply that men in the
past could not use their personal power and
processes of mind to perform unusual feats.
Undoubtedly, the Biblical miracles were
demonstrations of the exceptional application
of Cosmic power and the unusual knowledge
possessed by the individuis. In South Amer
ica and in primitive sections of Africa, native
witch doctors, or shamans, have exhibited
strange telepathic powers. They have revealed immediate knowledge at times conceming events that had just happened or
that occurred but a brief time before. Their
location sometimes was a hundred or more
miles away and lay across almost impene
trable terrainfar from the scene of the
event. Thus, the circumstances excluded any
possible physical means of communication.

Page 131

Australian aborigines living in the desert

area of central Australia have likewise ex
hibited mysterious psychic powers of transmitting thought; such has been part of their
black magic practices. The fear that one has
of the magical powers of another may make
him apparently susceptible to the thoughts
which are related to the practice.
In discussing psychic powers and their
possible effect upon the physical world, one
must arrive at an understanding of what is
meant by the word psychic. In the psychological sense, psychic refers to mans sub
liminal nature. It consists of all those aspects
of mans being which are distinct from his
physical functions. Consequently, in this
sense, the instincts, the sentiments, intuition,
and mental processes generally are held to
be psychic. Therefore, if one arrives intuitively at an idea by which he is able to
accomplish something objectively not otherwise possible, it could be said that he has
used his psychic powers to do so.
In the realm of parapsychology, the word
psychic also alludes to the inner, subliminal
powers of man as distinguished from his
physical ones. But psychic in the field of
parapsychology particularly refers to the extrasensory powers which man has, as set
apart from his known mental ones. Metaphysically, psychic generally denotes the
divine or spiritual properties which are resident in man. It is commonly identified with
soul. In the Rosicmcian philosophy, psy
chic refers to the inner nature of man
which transcends in power and scope of influence the physical attributes of his being.
In this latter sense, psychic constitutes that
transcendental aspect of consciousness called
the inner self. However, this inner self is
only more divine than the physical and
mental functions in that it is more contiguous to the Cosmic. Actually, the physical
functions of man are but a more gross
manifestation of the divine.
We may think of the Rosicmcian explanation of the psychic from this point of view.
White light is more perfect than red light
because it contains all of the wave bands of
visible light, whereas the color red contains
but one of the vibratory bands of which
visible light consists. Therefore, by comparison we can say that the psychic self of
man is a more extensive aspect of the human
than any other single manifestation of his

Page 132

whole, integrated selfthe whole self being

of the psychic. Further, the psychic self has
a greater contact with other aspects of the
whole Cosmic reality. Thus, when properly
directed the psychic self has access to powers
of the Cosmic and acts as a channel for such
powers which the physical self cannot ordinarily discem or command.
When placed in a psychic state, such as
that induced by hypnotism or trance, the in
dividual acquires an immunity to many sen
sations which are ordinarily experienced.
Surgery can be performed upon a properly
hypnotized person so that the hypnosis is
the equivalent of an anesthetic. The subject
experiences no pain whatsoever. Hypnotism
is often used in the delivery of a child with
out the mother experiencing any distress.
Mass hypnotism has frequently been conducted by a skilled operator so that his audi
ence will seem to see or hear whatever
suggestions he implants in their minds. This
practice has often been demonstrated in the
Far East. The audience will be told that a
certain phenomenon is occurring before them
while they are in this hypnotic state. The
audience, of course, is not even aware that
they have been gradually induced into a
subjective state where they are subject to
the will of the operator. He then cleverly
describes and dramatizes what they are to
see. To the audience, while in this condition,
what the operator relates is reality, though
to any spectator not under this spell, it is
nonexistent.
At the conclusin of the mass hypnosis,
what is termed the post-hypnotic effect takes
place. The individuis then recall from their
subliminal minds the ideas that were implanted there. To them, then, when in a nor
mal state, it is as though they were recalling
an actual experience which they had perceived. The most fantastic tales are thus made
to appear as realities. This phenomenon of
mass hypnosis has been conducted in Amer
ica and Europe as a demonstration of the
powers of the psychic self, the subliminal
world within man.
However, under emotional stress of urgency and of profound, deep sincerity, man
can personally appeal to the psychic levels
of his consciousness and then can perform
remarkable feats. Men have resisted pain,
endured suffering and undergone great or-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

deals by an appeal to their psychic and sub

liminal natures. Some of the martyrs bumed
at the stake by the Church would seem to
have experienced no pain whatsoever in the
ecstasy of their religious fervor; however,
such individuis may not have considered
that they were under any kind of psychic influence at the time. Orthodox religionists,
after making fervent appeals to a saint or to
a personage considered sacred, have received
psychic help and have believed that the im
munity to suffering carne directly from that
source. It is most likely that the prayers
they offered brought them into communion
with their own psychic powers. There then
would be experienced a sudden influx of
power as a positive condition, or perhaps it
would be the negativo aspect of psychic support, that is, an immunity to some extemal
condition.
In certain psychic or trance states, a cataleptic condition is induced, producing excessive muscular rigidity. During such states
great weights have been placed upon the
body of the individual without any evident
discomfort to the person. Again, under such
conditions, the respiratory system of the in
dividual can be so arrested that, without
careful medical examination, the subject who
has lost consciousness appears not to breathe,
and to have died.
During the Middle Ages, when such cata
leptic states were brought about by accident,
and when there was no law in existence
relative to embalming, many individuis
were actually buried alive under the assumption that they had died. The exhumation of
the body later, for some reason, proved that
they had been buried alive. The individual
in a cataleptic state can be confined in a tiny
space, as a coffin, for days where there would
not be sufficient air to sustain life in a normal
person. When brought out of this cataleptic
state, such a person will display no physical
ill effects!
Our psychic self, the psychic levels of our
consciousness, bordering directly upon the
greater spectrum of the Cosmic, can extend
our personal power in many ways. The most
beneficial way is to receive the intuitive
illumination that can flow to our conscious
mind by the stimulus of our psychic self in
certain perfectly natural ways. X

JUNE, 1958

Page 133

Creative Thought
A question brought to my attention in
recent correspondence was concemed with
Creative thought as differing from any other
kind of thinking. The individual making
the inquiry was a student well enough ad
vanced in the Rosicmcian teachings to be
impressed by the fact that mental creating
is an actual existing condition, that thoughts
do have power in themselves.
Any individual who has experienced the
effectiveness of thinking, either in his Crea
tive process, or by using any form of mental
effort for the purpose of bringing about con
ditions which may not have existed otherwise, is well aware that there is an effective
forc behind the process of thinking. We, as
Rosicmcians, believe there is effectiveness in
thought, that it is literally true that what a
man thinks is an indication of what he is,
that thoughts can be conveyed other than
by the process of speech or writing. In other
words, we believe that the condition known
as mental telepathy actually exists.
To bring such facts into the open for the
matter of substantiating their existence, or
for proving their existence to an individual
who may have no consideration for the possibility that thought transference, for exam
ple, can exist in actuality, is a very difficult
matter. It is hard to present a subject
completely unrelated to what another indivi
dual may be thinking. This entire argument
or procedure has its foundation upon the od
controversy between materialism and vitalism; that is, the individual who is thoroughly
convinced that all the valu in the world, all
the facts in the world can be related to a
mechanistic system, is not prepared to be
convinced that he is wrong. In other words,
to convince a materialist that thoughts have
certain power or forc, that mental creating
is possible, or to convince him that thought
transference is possible, is to try to undermine that individuars own beliefs and convictions.
To put this in another way: If an indi
vidual is sincerely convinced that material
ism and mechanism are the fundamental
processes of the universe, that there is no
higher forc in all existence than that of
mechanical laws which function here on
earth, then we are asking him to give up his
own beliefs and convictions when we try to

convince him there are other vales and

forces that to us supersede or transcend ma
terial vales, and that actual effective mani
festations and functions of thought exist in
the world of actuality.
If you were to approach a sincere, religious
person and tell him you were going to prove
that what he believed in from a standpoint
of religin was fundamentally false, then
you would be faced with a severe problem
of the individuals being biased against any
argument you were to present. To use this
same illustration in another form: Stop and
think for a moment of some idea, concept,
belief, or conviction that to you is one of the
most important things in the world. Consider
something you believe in to the extent that
you will not even believe it is a belief, some
thing you know and of which you are confident; then imagine my trying to present
an argument to disprove that inner convic
tion of yours.
It is very difficult for an individual to have
his own convictions overthrown by an argu
ment. More than argument is necessary.
Actual experience of a condition opposite to
what he believes, working consistently, is
usually the only thing that will change
fundamental beliefs or convictions.
That which I believe in is something I
hold to be my own personal property. It is
one of my most sacred possessions, and I will
resent any effort on your part, or any other
persons part, to overthrow those beliefs. It is
true that the broad-minded individual will at
least listen to arguments opposed to his fun
damental beliefs and convictions, but the fact
that I may be open-minded, that I will listen
to you trying to arge against my beliefs
and convictions, and that I will carefully
analyze the proof you are attempting to pre
sent does not mean my convictions will be
overthrown and abandoned merely on the
basis of one, two, or three sessions of argu
ment and proof presented by you.
It usually takes time to alter the funda
mental beliefs and convictions of one indi
vidual. I have gone into this matter in
considerable depth in order to impress upon
any reader of these comments that we cannot
judge the materialist or the individual whose
philosophy is based on mechanism merely
by his refusal to accept our arguments for
something entirely contrary, or definitely
opposed to that which the individual believes

Page 134

in as a part of his or her philosophy of life.

What is necessary is for every individual to
live to the best of his ability the principies
in which he has found valu, and in that
manner a method will be set up by which,
in the actual living of principies, the ideis
will become fundamentally more potent, or
at least more definite in expression. Intelligent individuis will observe these manifes
tations or forms of behavior and will be more
prone to take into consideration the possibility that they have validity.
W e who claim to believe in the power of
thought, and in the factor that thought is a
function of the universe having a relation
ship to actual fundamental vales and forces,
sometimes forget there is a difference be
tween just ordinary thinking and Creative
thinking. The thoughts that pass through
our minds in the course of the day are, as
the psychologists tell us, substantially no
more than the ideas with which we are dealing in our daily life. W hat we think about
most is simply the putting into words of the
ideas with which we are concemed. To put
it simply, most of our thoughts are no more
than subvocal speech; that is, we are talking
to ourselves about the things with which we
are concemed at any particular time.

Creative thinking has to be more than

silent conversations with ourselves. Creative
thinking has to cause us to be concemed
more vitally and to direct our mental powers
toward that which we are trying to create.
This, of course, is analyzed in some detail
in the monographs where concentration and
meditation are dealt with insofar as actual
functioning forces. There is a difference be
tween merely thinking of an idea and con
centrating on that idea. To concntrate upon
it directs our vital forces, as it were, to the
thing we have in mind. There is even a fur
ther step. The actual process of concentra
tion can be obtained from the monographs
and need not be repeated here, but even
equally as important as the process of con
centration is the attitude behind the process.
I recently read an article in one of this
countrys outstanding scientific publications
in which a scientist reanalyzed the controversy between vitalism and materialism. He
is an intelligent individual, and he presents
very strong arguments for materialism and
gives some v ery con v in cin g arguments
against vitalism. In doing so, he presents his

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

case well, and he shows the importance of

dependence upon material things and upon
our objective faculties to judge and cope with
these factors of the material world. As I
read his article, I admired his presentation.
I was partially convinced by some of his
arguments, but it seemed to me that the
article lacked something and I tried to summarize in my own mind what was lacking.
The missing element for me was that his
argument provided for no explanation, or,
in fact, took no consideration whatsoever of
the factor of feeling.
Now, I am convinced, and I believe almost
any intelligent human being will agree, that
a human being is as much a feeling entity
as he is a reasoning entity. We have feelings
whether we like them or not. Almost every
thing we do concems not only a series of
facts and ideas which we can put into words,
either in expression or in thought, but the
same ideas and facts leave a certain emo
tional factor in our consciousness as a result
of or because of the ideas.
Should someone come into this room while
I am dictating this discourse and state a fact, I
would react differently than if I were sitting
at my desk doing nothing in particular and
the individual entered and stated the same
fact. If the door opened at this moment and
some individual stepped in front of my desk
and made a simple statement, I would be
very annoyed whether the statement were
trae or false or had anything to do with any
situation with which I was concemed. I
would be annoyed because of the interruption in the writing of this particular dis
course. I had directed my thoughts to it
over a period of time. Now I am concentrat
ing on my notes, and going through the
process of putting them into words which I
hope will convey these ideas to someone else.
To be interrupted in that process should
not, from a standpoint of analytical reason
ing, have anything to do with the discourse
itself. In other words, if my preparation has
been adequate, there is no reason why, after
the interruption, I cannot pick up where I
left off and complete the discourse. But I
know from experience and my own nature,
and from my own ideas and inner thinking,
that an interruption before my completion
of this dictation would be annoying. The
annoyance would be due not to my reason
ing about the interruption, but to my feelings

JUNE, 1958

in the matter. It would be a completely

emotional reaction. I would be irritated; I
would probably be short with the individual
who approached me and would not give the
idea proper consideration. This reaction
would probably apply to almost any person
who is interrupted during deep concentration.
Now, everything with which we come in
contact in life is dealt with in terms of reason and of feeling. Whether or not my re
action to an individuals interruption is
proper, whether it is polite, or even reasonable, is not the most important question. It
may be unreasonable of me to be short with
an individual. It may not be proper to be
unwilling to discontinu what I am doing
and listen to someone else, but nevertheless,
the fact that I will not be reasonable, that
I will be annoyed, is a part of my total behavior pattem, which is based partly upon
reason but principally upon emotion. Regardless of the right or wrong in the matter,
or regardless of the arguments anyone may
present, we are influenced. by our feelings.
This is an important fact to remember to
be used constructively. Anything we attempt
to do in the field of mental creating, any
thing we attempt to direct our thoughts toward for a purpose, must be done with the
full realization that how we feel about it is
as important as how we do it. To approach
a problem or any activity with the proper
mental attitude is as important as to ap
proach it with the proper mental thoughts
and knowledge to do it properly.
I recall a quotation from a well-known
writer in the field of business that I think
illustrates this point. The late B. C. Forbes
wrote in an editorial some years ago, I re
call reading about a young woman in an
organization who had something to do with
sending out letters, and who reaped substantially more satisfactory responses than others
similarly engaged. A superior complimented
her, and asked her if she could account for
her better showing. She replied, I endose
prayerful thoughts in every letter. We dont
know everything. May it not be that goods
produced by loyal workers carry with them
an aura or something which somehow conveys a favorable impression, which sometimes induces consumers to choose them in
preference to products manufactured by
coldly disinterested workers?
To me this is a remarkable statement, and

Page 135

it was made by a man who was a student of

business and also a student of human nature.
He realized that there was a factor which
could enter into a coid, business process and
influence its ultimate outcome. In other
words, I think Mr. Forbes was familiar with
what I have been sayingthat it is not only
the knowledge and efficiency with which a
thing is done, but the attitude underlying
the thought in the making up of the whole
process, that will affect the results.
If everything you do is approached with
the idea that two factors are involved, both
knowledge and feeling, then you will find
your problems are more apt to be resolved
than they are if you approach them purely
on the basis of coid logic. I am sure that
proper feelings, the proper awareness of our
emotions, tend to make thoughts function
more smoothly. In other words, properly
directed feelings and emotions are the lubricant oiling the thoughts which permit them
to work in a way we hope will tend toward
a satisfactory outcome. Never underestimate
the power of thought, but re a liz e that
thoughts can be more powerful when their
intent is based upon those feelings that assure their outcome in a way acceptable to
us.A
The Capacity of the Brain
It is recognized that the human brain
has a capacity to grasp many factors of
environment. Many amenities of modem
civilization and much of what is enjoyed by
mankind living in the modem world are
products of the function of the brain. The
human beings ability to hamess his thinking
apparatus to the extent of producing what
a few hundred years ago would have been
considered miracles is evidence of the fact
that the human brain has potentialities of
creating in a physical world far beyond
anything anticipated in earlier times. It
would appear in consideration of the growth
man has made in so many fields in the last
few years or decades that the limits of the
human brain are still far beyond our grasp
today.
It is quite possible that our achievements,
in the control and manipulation of the physi
cal world, will continu to advance. There
is no reason to believe that man should not
within another hundred years be as far ad
vanced over what he is today as he is over

Page 136

the circumstances that existed a hundred

years ago. We can reasonably anticpate
such adyancement provided man does not
tum all his physical energies and all the
constructive abity of the human brain
towards those things that will cause his
destruction, instead of insuring an environment conducive to the functioning of life
and growth.
It is in those functions lying outside of
mans cise relationship to the physical world
that we find the capacity of the human brain
may be somewhat limited. The brain is, from
a physiological standpoint, one of a number
of sensitive organs within the human body.
It is a physical entityits construction is
in a sense similar to that of any other physi
cal organ and its performance is parallel to
other physical organs in that it serves a
definite purpose within the anatomical structure of the human body.
There is a tendency to confuse the uses
of mind and brain. The brain, as I have
pointed out, is a physical organ. The mind
is not a physical thing; in fact, its existence
is denied by empirical philosophers and by
scientists who claim that their basis for
validity of any truth or supposition must be
based upon the existence of physical facts
to support that belief or proof. It has always seemed more or less odd to me that
the most material-minded individuis who
claim to have no belief whatsoever in any
function or existence of mind or any other
nonmaterial thing will, nevertheless, reach
conclusions in the processes of their own
thoughts which are in themselves nonma
terial and impossible to localize in direct
association or connection with any physical
or material thing.
We presume that the brain is associated
with thinking because injury to the brain, or
its being drugged so that it cannot function,
also eliminates the ability to think and our
awareness of a conscious state of being.
Nevertheless, it is the belief of some psychologists, and such belief is supported by many
philosophies and religions, that the brain is
only the mdium through which the mind
functions and that many functions of the
mind lie completely beyond the capacity of
the brain to grasp, analyze, or even to indicate the methods or procedure by which cer
tain types of thought take place.
There are many functions which the hu

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

man brain cannot explain. There have been

many illustrations of events related to telepathy, to the conceiving of future events, to
prophecy, and to mans relationship with
forces which lie outside the material world.
It would seem that such phenomena take
place, not exclusively in the brain, but in
what we cali the mind, that is, the awareness
of the individual of existence which may or
may not be directly related to the rest of his
physical being.
The human brain has a great capacity, as
I have already attempted to outline here, and
due to it man will continu to evolve, we
hope, toward better living and better adaptation of himself to the circumstances of his
environment. But it should be understood
that since the human brain is a physical
organ, it is in a degree limited to the same
restrictions and limitations as is any physical
object. So the human brain cannot within
selfthat is, by its own processesjudge the
complete activity of all its functionings and
the functionings that work through it. The
human brain cannot judge the mind or
judge the conclusions that are reached as a
result of thought within the mind, just as
we cannot overtake our own shadows. In
other words, the brain is not in a position to
judge what is of an entirely different nature
from that which it constitutes.
For judgment to be exercised properly a
certain amount of association and tolerance
must exist. We cannot always judge the action of another person unless we place our
selves, as nearly as possible, in that persons
environment. Unless we know that persons
thought, his background, his problems, we
are unable to reach honest judgment. Neither can the objective thoughts that pass
through the brain purely upon a day-to-day
physical level be the basis upon which judg
ment shall be made of our relationship to a
Supreme Being or to the nature of the soul
or to the conditions that may be existent in
that phase we describe as immortality.
Everything in the universe has its place
and its function. Whether or not man accepts the belief in a divine purpose in creation and a divine end for that creation,
material science itself has proved time and
time again that every part of the whole seems
to fit in the manifestation of the whole, and
so it is that the brain has a very definite
function. Without it, we would not live as

JUNE, 1958

human beings, we would not have a channel

through which consciousness could apparently function. We would not be aware of our
being. But just as everything has a place
everything has a limitation. The capacity
of the brain is to adjust our physical struc
ture and our physical existence to the physi
cal world of which we are a part. Beyond
that, it can serve only as a mdium. The
brain can be a mdium of thoughts, of ideis
that must be instituted within our thinking
as being inspired from a higher level, and
can be made to function upon a physical
level merely so that we, as physical beings,
may be aware of those ideis.
Therefore, while we may hope for the
growth of mans ability to control environ
ment and for physical progress, the great
future of mankind lies in the realization of
those functions which go even beyond the
limitations of the brain and reach into the
essence of being itself. Our awareness of the
realization that all physical things are transient and will eventually cease to be will
prepare us to exist in whatever other media
may be that of our future existence.A
Our Personal Crimes
A frater rises to ask the following ques
tion: To what extent does human society
have the right to make laws goveming the
conduct of its citizens? At the present time
in America, for example, there are many
laws against rash criminal acts. Yet lesser
criminal acts, such as tobacco-smoking, alcohol-drinking, which harm others as well as
the offenders, are tolerated by the majority
of the citizens. If there is nothing harmful
in the lesser crimes, then let us all partici
pate. If a person has a right to make little
errors, then he has a right to make big ones
without the interference of society.
Crime is an offense against society. It is
society, by its laws, that determines what
conduct of its members shall be an offense.
In a broad sense, the philosophy of law is
the establishment of a code regulating hu
man conduct for the benefit of society. The
theory of what constitutes society enters an
other extensive philosophical realm. There
are numerous conflicting ideologies, political
systems, today, each with a more or less
different concept of the function and pur
pose of society. Whether man lives for the

Page 137

purpose of society, that is, whether the per

fect society is the ultmate ideal in Ufe, or
whether society is merely a means for the
personal advantage and happiness of the
individual are the two main opposing conceptons of society.
Anthropologically, man existed long be
fore the organization of society. The early
roots of society were first the family, then
the clan, next the tribe, and finally the
merging into a nation. Men are obliged to
organize into forms of society for mutual
achievement, to accomplish collectively what
they realize they cannot do singly. Conse
quently, the basic motive for the formation
of society is utilitarian, the advantage of the
individual. Notwithstanding some contem
porary ideologies, society is a construct for
man, not man for it. It is true, as some
modem philosophers have proclaimed, that
society makes possible the fuller personality
of the individual. Only as man partcipates
in society does the self expand by the demands which are made upon it. Yet society
must be but the vehicle for man, not his
final end.
The laws which society enacts emerge
principally from customs. The basis of Amer
ican common law, for example, is the prin
cipies founded upon early English customs.
In their particular environment, their way of
living and behavior, men have to accept cer
tain conditions as constituting the good.
This good is not only defined in terms of
moral or religious precepts but in benefits to
the individual. Most often what seems to be
the most efficient and beneficial is declared
to be the good, the right. What satisfies the
sense of justice of a peoplethat is, what
appears to them as the mean between two
extremes of conductis selected as the preference. It is followed as a custom and finally
becomes a law of society. In effect, law is
the enforcement of a stipulated practice or
principie which the goveming power of so
ciety wishes to perpetate.
What, then, is the criminal? He is the
one who violates the prescribed laws of so
ciety. The criminal, from the psychological
point of view, is not doing wrong personally;
that is, he does not consider his acts as crim
inal. The criminal always does what he
thinks is best for himself. He will not wilfully work against his own interests. He is,
however, the anti-social, because he puts his

Page 138

personal interests above the aim of society

which is the welfare of all people. The thief
steals because what he acquires is to his
personal benefit. To do so is, psychologically,
wholly right from a personal point of view
because it is to his personal, but limited,
advantage. To the individual, then, he has
committed no personal crime, even though
he may be quite aware that society considers it as such. He has, in his own thinking, only violated what others want him to
do or not do and which they have declared
to be law.
It is obvious that each individual will try
to advance his own interests, exercise his
own powers to the fullest for his own gain.
If all persons were permitted to do so, society
would be nonexistent. What the criminal
does not realize is that a just society protects him in more ways than it restricts him.
Revolutions and anarchy have occurred
when society enacts and enforces laws which
too greatly restrict the liberty and powers
of the individual and tend to enslave him.
In other words, society then no longer func
tions for the welfare of the individual but
for his exploitation. Under such conditions,
the intelligent citizen considers that his in
alienable right as a human being has been
infringed upon. His rebellion, in the tech
nical sense, is a crime because he has vio
lated the laws of organized society. He, how
ever, is not a real anti-social but rather one
desirous of reforming society.
In so-called democratic society, the people
extend the power to it to legislate laws for
their own self-goverament. The law makers
have full power to enact any laws goveming
the conduct of the people that will not
abridge the rights of the citizens which, un
der that government, they have reserved for
themselves. Consequently, a person observing
such laws of society, of the state, is never a
criminal, no matter what his conduct may
be like. A person, for example, may be exceedingly unethical and unfair in his relation with others. He may lie, he may use
vile profanity, he may lead a dissolute life
but, if he is living within the pal of the
law, he is not a criminal in the legal sense
of the word.
There are, of course, other mandates
which men recognize in addition to the laws
of society. There are Cosmic laws and those
of nature, the moral laws or codes and social

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

customs, as good manners and the like. One

can be a criminal in the sense that he violates these things. There are, for further
example, the laws of health. These may be
recognized in dietary provisions, in the laws
of physiology and related sciences conceming mans physical well-being. If one abuses
the body through wrong eating and dangerous habits of living, use of narcotics, excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages and
smoking, he becomes a criminal against
nature. Some societies do not incorprate
such health laws into legal statutes unless,
in their opinion, the welfare of the whole
people is concem ed.
The wrongful use of narcotics is an ex
ample of where the violation of the personal
health of the individual is made a legal
crime as well. The reasons for this are ob
vious. The prohibition of the sale of liquor
has been and is made by some govemments
a law. The same premise applies to alcoholic
beverages being injurious to the health of
the citizenry. Public opposition has frequent
ly repealed such a law, the conflict being
whether such drinking was but a personal
crim e in a strictly moral or religious sense
or whether it was actually a detriment to
society generally.
If alcohol taken as a beverage even in a
moderate form would be injurious to society,
then logically its prohibition by society
would be unquestioned by intelligent, just
persons. Medical authorities and others,
however, aside from the moral point of view,
have contended that moderation in such
drinking is not injurious. Thus arises the
conflict about such laws.
The individual, then, may commit many
abuses of nature, even of Cosmic principies,
for which he has no responsibility to society
only to the Cosmic and his own conscience.
Society is reluctant to interfere, unless there
is a consensus of opinion that such behavior
is detrimental to the people colleGtively. If
this attitude is not taken, then we have a
tyrannical society. For example, in some nations today there is a prohibition of certain
activities of all other religions except that
of Romn Catholicism. For other sects to do
what is banned by those govemments is illegal according to their laws. In such we
have an example of the arbitrary infringement of the inalienable rights of the indi

JUNE, 1958

vidual by govemments with a perverted

purpose.
An individual should be permitted to worship his god as he conceives him in the light
of his own conscience, so long as he does
not interfere with the right of others to do
so as well. If his personal conception and
practice is Cosmically wrong, his then is a
personal Cosmic crime, and only such.X
Is Speed of Light Ultmate?
A frater now brings to our Forum an
interesting subject. According to Einsteins
theory of Relativity, an object of any mass
cannot exceed or approach the speed of light.
This theory does not seem to tie in with
the theory of the expanding universe, in
which matter is said to b accelerating away
at an ever-increasing speed, as shown by the
red shift.
We have briefly in our Forum in the past
touched upon the theory of the expanding
universe. It will be necessary to do so again
in connection with the subject introduced
by our frater. Astronomical observations reveal that remte stars and nebulae have the
appearance of rushing away from the earth
and from each other at terrific speeds. These
speeds are calculated to range up to 7200
miles per second! It is estimated that these
receding masses are traveling at speeds, gen
erally speaking, which are in proportion to
their distance from us. The greater the distance, the greater the acceleration. For ex
ample, a nbula that is at a distance of 10
million light years from earth will, according to the calculations, have attained a speed
of 900 miles per second.
In tracing backward the course of the
nebulae speeding away from us, it would appear that at one time they all congregated
in the immediate regin of our sun. At the
distance at which such are now estimated
to be and their assumed speed, it is only a
few thousand million years ago when they
were neighbors of the sun. If .this theory be
right, then we are living in an expanding
universe. Further, this expansin began in
the relatively recent astronomical time of a
few thousand million years ago.
The speeds assigned to these receding
Cosmic bodies, nebulae, are not absolute.
They cannot be directly measured. The
speeds are deduced by what is known as the

Page I39

Doppler principie, or more popularly, the

red shift. For example, the sound of a whistle
of a railway locomotive that is going away
from us is deeper in pitch. As a locomotive
approaches us, the pitch rises. According
to the Doppler principie, as a locomotive
approaches, the waves of sound crowd in
upon each other. In other words, the ear
hears more waves per second. This increases
the pitch of .the sound. As the locomotive
speeds away, the ear hears fewer waves per
second and the pitch is lower. The same
principie is applied to light emitted by a
receding body. The light is reddened by the
recession of the nbula. The more distant,
the redder is the color of the light emitted.
This determination is accomplished by an
examination of the spectral lines of the re
ceding body. This means observing at what
end of the spectrum of light the waves of
the particular body fall. When the nebulae
are receding from earth, the waves of light
are apparently spread farther apart. Their
lengths are greater; the dark lines are dis
placed toward the red end of the spectrum.
It is from this action that the term red shift
originates. The study of .these spectral lines
determines also the speed of the object.
However, there are nebulae that are red
der than they should be for their apparent
distance. There are also other factors which
cause redness of celestial bodies and, there
fore, cause some doubt to be cast upon the
application of the Doppler principie to re
mote nebulae. Some stars have a light
which reddens in a mysterious way. A
noted astrophysicist, De Sitter, postulates a
theory of the nature of the universe. In
this he contends that distance alone pro
duces the reddening of light; that is, it is not
due to the receding of a mass. Still another
physicist contends that the gravitational pul
of nebulae and stars on light passing near
causes defleotion and the reddening in color.
Dr. Arthur Compton, a noted authoiity on
cosmic rays, has shown that radiation is deflected and reddened when it encounters
electrons in space. Further, when radiation
in space interacts with stars and other mat
ter, it is duplicated and reddened. Another
puzzling observation in connection with the
theory of the expanding universe is the ex
ample of our nearest nbula. The nearest
nbula is growing bluer. Light is only made
bluer by an actual physical approach. This

Page 140

would mean that the nearest nbula is ap

proaching rather than receding.
What causes this expansin of the Uni
verse? This theory is greatly dependent
upon Einsteins postulations which we will
not consider further at this time. However,
at incredible distances in space, masses ap
pear to exert a repulsive forc even greater
than the attractive forc of gravitation.
There is therefore the hypothesis that at
some remte time the older nebulae, those
that have been receding longer, will be
blocked by the compression of their own
radiation. In other words, it is contended
that these masses move rapidly through
space emittng the greatest radiation of energy ahead of them. This radiation will then
become so compressed as to cause these
bodies to be retarded and to eventually come
to a relative rest.
Light is the greatest speed of which man
has knowledge. It is estimated to travel at
186,000 miles per second! It is a vital factor
in the determination of space-time relaonships. Objects moving at varying speeds
change their mass and their dimensin, ac
cording to the theory of Einsteins Relativity.
This concept has subsequently been proved
in various simple ways. The measured length
of a yardstick becomes shorter, if it be given
a velocity in a direction along the line of
its length. Simply put, if a yardstick is
moved rapidly enough along the plae or
direction of its length, it will shorten in proportion to the velocity.
This shortening effect only becomes appreciable when the velocity approaches the
speed of light. For example, at only 30 miles
per hour velocity of an object, the amount
of apparent shortening is 1 ten-million-millionths of 1 percent. But at a speed of half
that of light, or 93,000 miles per second,
the apparent shortening of an object is 13.5
percent. At 186,000 miles per second, the
speed of light, there is a 100 percent shortening! This means that at the speed of light
the mass becomes infinite; it has no nature
to us. Its length contracts to zero.
Further, the clock stands still at the speed
of light. Our time is measured in the frame
of the passing of light from apparently mov
ing cosmic bodies. If a mass attains the
speed of light, then there is no passing of
time. There is no relative frame for contrast. In other words, we have no reference-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

body for the telling of time. As Einstein

has said, Every reference-body has its own
particular time; unless we are told the ref
erence-body to which the statement of time
refers, there is no meaning in a statement
of the time of an event.
Walter Kaufman, noted Germn physicist
in the early part of the century, found that
the mass of an electrn could be changed if
its velocity were sufficiently increased. But
the ratio of the apparent mass when moving
to the stationary mass depends upon the
velocity of the electrn and that of light.
The velocity of .the light acted as limiting
valu.
It is generally held in the realm of physics
today that a speed exceeding that of light
is physically impossible. The masses that
we perceive as matter have a radiation ve
locity lower than that of light. They become a reference-body to light. At a veloci
ty of the speed of light, the measured length
of an object would become zero and its mass
infiniteboth inconceivably impossible. In
fact, the highest velocity with which a ma
terial particle of any mass has been found
to travel is a beta particle from radium C.
This velocity is equal to 98/100 of that of
light or 182,800 miles per second.
Therefore, the receding bodies of our
universeif they are increasing their veloci
tywill never attain the speed of light as
we know it. If they would, they would no
longer have any identifiable form; they
would become light itself and infinite.
For further reference to the various theories, postulations, and findings conceming
this interesting subject, I give the following
few reference works as a bibliography:
Earth9 Moon, and Planets,
by Whipple
Nature of the Physical W orld,
by Eddington
Mysterious Universe, by Jeans
Space, Tim e, and Relativity,
by Sheldon
It is quite possible that some or all of
these books may be found in your public
library. There are, of course, numerous
other technical works touching upon or go
ing into the subject more extensively.X

JUNE, 1957

PAGE 141

IN D EX OF V O LU M E X X V II (Comprsing the entire Six Issues of the 27th 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
Abbots, Preceptors, 71a-d
Absolute, 103b-105a, 134d
Adhesin, Cohesion, Magnetism, 116a-117c
Adversity, 19b-21a
Agatharchides, 108d-109b
A Glance at Fundamentis, 83d-87a
Ahriman, 94b-c
Akhnaton, 60c
Alchemists, Rosicrucian:
Ashmole, 112c
Boyle, Robert, 112c
Dee, John, 112c
Fludd, Robert, 112c
Locke, John, 112c
Maier, Michael, 112c
Newton, Isaac, 112c
Paracelsus, 112c
Wren, Christopher, 112c
Alchemy, 108b-112c
Alexander, Dr. Rolf, 40d-42d
Alphabet, Hebrew Cabalistic, 40b
AMORC:
Aim of, 15a, 68c-d
Contributions to, 69a
Hierarchy, 75d
Sixth Degree, 20d, 85d
Spanish-American Section, 43c
Tradition, 127d
Ampere, Andre Marie, 117a
Andrea, Raymund, 79c
Animis? Should W e Risk L ife For, 66d-68a
Anthropomorphic Experiences, 30d, Illa
Appeal, 60a (See also: Prayer)
Appearances, Outward, 82b-83c
Applying the Laws, 107b-107d
A Practical Emotion, Love, 90c-92a
Approach to H ealth, Rosicrucian, 20c-22c
Aptitude, 4d-5a (See also: Talent)
Archives, 70d-71d
Are Persons Possessed of Evil? 94b-95d
Are Sins For given? 124a-125a
Are There Soul Mates? 92a-94b
Aristotle, 51c, 110c
Aspirations, 15a
Astronomic, Life of our Sun, 63b
Attunement, 76b-77a, 85c
Aura, lOOd-lOlb, 117b-c, 137d-138a

B
Babylonians, 30b
Beauty, 135b-136b
Being, 50a, 90d-92a
Belief, Im mortality and, 130b-132a
Bible, 26d, 27a, 29a, 34b, 98a
Black Stone, 100c
Blackwell, H. C., 66c
Body, Psychic, 138c-d
Booklets:
The Eternal Quest, 46a, 69b
Mastery of Life, 46a, 69b
The Listener, 53a-b
Book of Genesis, 98a
Books:
Behold the Sign, 40c
Primitive Culture, 135d
Rosicrucian Manual, 40c, 117b
The Golden Bough, 135d

Unto Thee I Grant, 71c, 129d

Brahma, 22d
Brahmanism, 34b
Brotherhood, 67c
Buddha, 16b, 95d
Buddhism, 70d
Buddhist, 16b

c
Can Opposed Religions Coexist? 15a-16d
Cathedral, Contacting the, 107d-108a
Cathedral of the Soul, 107d-108a
Catholic (See: Romn Catholic)
Causation, 124a
Cause:
Adversity, 19d-20c
Cosmic, 65d
Dreams, 57a-58b
Illness, 138b-139c
Karmic, 123b-125a
Pain, 22b
Somatic Sensations, 61a-b
Vibratory Rate, 47a
Ceremony, Rosicrucian Initiation, 5d-6a
Character, 19b-20b
Christ, 125a
Christian:
Bible, 26d, 27a, 29a, 34b, 98a
Clergyman, 16b
Sects, 22d, 60d
Sin, 124b
Christianity, 60d, 94c, 98a, 100b, 112a
Churchill, Sir Winston, 10b
Clement of Alexandria, 109d
Coconscious Mind (see Mind)
Code of Ethics, Rosicrucian, 21b
Cohesion, Magnetism, Adhesin, 116a-117c
Compassion, 67b-68a
Compensation, Law of, 123a
Concentration, Power of, 41a-42d
Conceptualist, 123b-d
Confidence, 27d-28a
Conscious Mind (see Mind)
Consciousness, 2a-4a, 31a-32b, 76c, 88a-89a, 98d-99b,
125b-126b
Conservation of Matter, Law of, 9a
Contacting the Cathedral, 107d-108a
Continuity of Life, 131a-b
Convention, Rosicrucian, 119b
Corpuscular Theory, 137c
Cosmic: 18d-20c
Attunement, 2c-4b
Consciousness, 3d, 7c-d, 32a-b, 55b-56c
Forc, 19b-c, 29b-c, 31c, 40c-42d, 134d
Laws, 44b, 50c, 65c-66a, 71c, 90c, 95d, 99a, 118d,
124d
Mind, 47a, 118c, 132b
Obligation, 90c
Principies, 64b-66a, 124c-125a
Realm 119a-d
Scheme, 70b, 128a
Sin, 52a-b
Cosmic Theft, 89b-90c
Cosmic Versus Human Laws, The, 50a-52b
Creative Forc, lld-13d
Creeds, Religious, 124b
Cross, 39d-40b
Cycle, Incarnation, 118a-119d

Page 142

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

D
Damocles, 54a
Days of Rest (see Sabbath)
De Oliveira Paulo, Jos, 3d
De Sitter, Willem, 139d
Debussy, Claude, 46c
Decalogue (see Commandments, Ten)
Defense Against Catholicism, 62b-63b
Deity (see God)
Delusion of Black Magic, 103a-105a
Demonstrating the Principies, 41d-42a
Desires, 26a-28a
Destiny is Near, Our, 77d-79c
Di Castellammare, Giuseppe Cassara, 3d
Dictatorship, 126d-127a
_
Disassociation (see Hypnosis)
Diseases, occurrence, 78c
Dissatisfaction, 31b-32a
Divine: 59a
Being, 57d
Forgiveness, 30c
Goodness, 58d
Guidance, 62c
Light, 89d
Mind, 8a
Do W e Evolve? 87c-89b
Do You Want Help? 80c-82c
Does Reading Relax? 114a-115c
Does the Soul Enter at Birth? 55d-56c
Does the Universe Expand? 54b-55c
Donations Are Used, How, 127d-130a
Dopplers principie, 55a, 139c-d
Dreams, 101c-102a
Duality, 15d-17b, 66a

E
Eddington, Sir Arthur Stanley, 52a, 140d
Education, 2b, 52d
Egypt, ancient, 112a-c
Einstein, Albert, 52a, 116c, 139a, 140a
Emotion, 21b-c, 134c-135a
Environment, Tim e and, 21d-23d
Epicureans, 43b
Epicurus, 58b-c
Escapists, 54a
Eschatology, 35c, 36a
Eugenics, 98a
Evil, definition, 58c-d
Evil, Human Freedom and, 57d-62b
Evolution: 16d-17b, 87c-89b
Mystical, 89b-90d
Evolution of God, The, 44d-46c
Evolve? Do W e, 87c-89b
Exemption from Responsibility, 32c-33d
Exercises:
Eye, 5d
Projection, 39c
Rosicrucian, 39d-40b
Visualization, 105b-c
Expanding Universe, Theory of, 54b-55c, 139a
Experiment, definition, 39b
Experiments, How to Conduct, 39a-40c
Explanations, Importance of, 56c-57d
Eye: 44b-c, 122b
Exercise, 5d
Ezekiel, 95b

F
Fatalism, 8c-10a
Farran, Ruth, 65a-66a
Photograph, 49
Fear, W hy People, 79c-80c
Films, 2d, 129c
Finding the Answer, llOa-llld
Fludd, Robert, 47b

Forbes, B.C., 135b-c

Forces:
Control of natural, 125a-127d
Cosmic, 13c, 105c
Superphysical, 83c
Universal, 38b
Franklin, .Benjamin, 46c
Freud, Sigmund, 117c
Frustration, The Age of, 26a-28a

G
Genesis, 29d, 30a
Germany, 3d, 113d
God, 13b, 17d-19d, 28d, 30c-31a, 33d, 35c, 38a, 44d46c, 52d, 57c, 58c-62b, 100a, 125b, 126a
God, T he Evolution of, 44d-46c
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang, 87d
Goodness:
Definition, 137d
Divine, 58d
Valu, 59d-60b
Graphology, 117b-118d
Greece, ancient, 112c-113c
Guesdon, Jeanne, 41b-c

H
Handwriting Analysis, 117b-118d
Happiness, 32b-c
H-bomb, 124a
Healing:
Absent, 68b-69c
Spiritual, 38a
Hebrews, 93d-95d
Help? Do You Want, 80c-82c
Hetaerae, 113a
Hinduism, 87b
How Donations Are Used, 127d-130a
How to Conduct Experiments, 39a-40c
Human Freedom and Evil, 57d-62b
Hypnosis, 42c, 77b, 132a-b

I
I? What Am, 38a-39a
Idealism, 35c
Immortality, 37b
Immunity, Psychic, 130d-132d
Importance of Explanations, 56c-57d
India, 92d-93d, 112c
Insemination, Artificial, 98a-100a
Interlude, conscious, 38c
Intolerance, 91b
Intuition: 78d, 11 Id
Processes, 70a-d
Intuition Always Helpful? Is, 69d-71d
Is Intuition Always Helpful? 69d-71d
Is M orality Declining? 52b 54b
Is Speed of Light Ultmate? 139a-140d
Italy, 3d, 113d

Jainism, 67b
Jeans, Sir James, 52a, 55a, 140d
Jefferson, Thomas, 46d
Jess, 88d, 89d, 119b
Joad, C. M. E., 18c
Joan of Are, 69d, 71c
Jung, Cari Gustav, 117c

K
Kant, Immanuel, 45b
Karma, 36c, 85a
Kaufman, Walter, 140c
Kingsley, Charles, 37c
Knowledge, intuitive, 70d
Koran, 42a
Kowron, Stefan, 130b

Page 143

JUNE, 1958

L
Lack, Attracting What We, 107a-108d
Laws:
Cosmic, 30d, 108c, 125c
Mosaic, lia
Self-evident, 39d
Lesbos, Island of, 113b
Lewis, H. Spencer, 42c, 81a, 104b-105a, 107a, 118d
Lewis, Ralph M., 3d, 28a, 41c, 52b, 65c, 75d, 100a,
123d
Life, 17a, 109b
Natural creation, 99b
Vital Life Forc, 109b
Light, speed, 140a
Light Ultmate? Is Speed of, 139a-140d
Lives Decreed? A re Our, 8c-10a
London Conclave, 2d
Lyons, Alice, 103a
Lyons, Theodore H., 102b-103a,
Photograph, 97

M
Magi, Ancient Order, 63c
Magic, 82c-85b
Magic, definition, 83c
Magic, Delusion of Black, 103a-105 a
M arriage and Membership, 90d-92c
Mass, ceremony, 84a
Masters, Cosmic, 6b-8b
Materialism, 125b, 134b
M atter Animate? W hat Makes, 108d-110a
Meaning of Tolerance, The, 20a-21d
Members? W ere They, 46c-47d
Membership, M arriage and, 90d-92c
Messiah (see Jess)
Metaphysics, 34d-35b, 52d
Mind: 33d-38a, 136a-b
Cosmic, 12a-13a, 44d
Divine, 8a, 125c
Peace, 28d
Universal, 46a-b, 89c
Mind, and Soul, Body, 33d-38a
Miracles, 90b, 131a-b
Mission, Sri Ramakrishna, 93b
Mohammed, 88d
Monotheism, 45d
M orality Declining? Is, 52b-54b
Moses, 88d, 89d
Moslems, 93d, 95d
Mt. Wilson Observatory, 54c
Moura, Mara, 3d
Mueller, Wilhelm Friedrich, 3d
Mujaji III, Hain Queen, 112b
Murphy, Dr. Gardner, 65d
Museum, British, 95a
Museum, Roerich, 65c

N
Nature, definition, 125d
Nature? W ill Man Control, 125a-127d
Neanderthal Man, 88a
Nebulae, 54c-55c, 139a-140d
Nervous system, sympathetic, 5a
Newton, Isaac, 46c
Nirvana and Cosmic Attunement, 66a-68a
Nonconformist (see Radical)
Norris, William, 130c
Nous, 56a, 109a-c
Nuclear Tests, 123d-124d

o
Object, The Subject and the, 15d-17b
Objectors, Conscientious, 118d-119d
Observation, 106c

Our Destiny is Near, 77d-79c

Our Personal Crimes, 137b-139a
Overpopulation, 11c

P
Parapsychology, 131c-d
Parinirvana, 66d-67d
Patell, Dhanjishaw D., 92c-93d
Photograph, 73
Peoples:
Ancient, 112a-113d
Primitive, 98b, 103d, 112a-b, 131b-c
Pericles, 113a
Personality:
Facets, 75b-c
Seat, 37a
Soul, 56a, 59a-b, 62b, 63d
Standards, 74a-b
Personality, This Issue's, 4a-c, 40d-41d, 65a-66a, 92c93d, 102b-103a, 130a-d
Phenomena:
Cosmic, 38b, 45a
Objective, 34d
Psychic, 42d
Philosophers? W ere There W omen, 112a-114a
Philosophy, original meaning, 35b
Photographs:
Bernard, Raymond, October 1957
Brettoner, Barrie, June 1958
Farran, Ruth, December 1957
Lyons, Theodore L., April 1958
Patell, Dhanjishaw, February 1958
Souza, Ted, August 1957
Planets, Attunement with the, 13d-15d
Plato, 37a, 50c, 60b, 87d, 88d, 113a
Polytheism, 45d
Prayer, 84d-85a
Press:
American, 54a
European, 54a
Principies, Demonstrating the, 41d-42a
Prognostication, rites, 103d-104b
Projection, 42d
Pronaos, ,Bombay, 93c
Psychic:
Body, 76b-c
Centers, 5a
Definitions, 131c-132a
Impulses, 4d-6b
Phenomena, 43d
Self, 8a, 70c
Sight, development, 5c~6a
Psychic Immunity, 130d-132d
Psychic Sight, 4c-6b
Psychic States? What Are, 75d-77c
Psychoanalysis, 28b
Pythagoras, 88d

Qualities, Admirable Human, 74a-75d

R
Radhakrishnan, 67d
Radical, definition, 50b
Rain making, 126b-c
Reading Relax? Does, 114a-ll5c
Reading, Televisin Versus, 115d-117b
Realms of Being, 17b-19d
Reconstruction of Society, 50a-52b
Records, T he Akashic, lld-13d
Relativity, Theory of, 139a, 140a
Religin: 35c, 51a-c, 94c, 125b-d
Zoroastrian, 92d
Renaissance, 113d
Rendering Cosmic Assistance, 68b-69d

Page 144

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Responsibility, Exemption from , 32c-33d

Roimer, Albin, 3b
Rome, ancient, 113c
Rosicrucian:
Activities, 2a-3d, 128c-129d
Colambes, 113b
Convention, 3b
Council of Solace, 81a-82c, 127d, 128b-c
Digest, 2c, 6d, 41b, 65d, 112b, 128a, 129b
Dignity, 69a-c
Egyptian Museum, 128d
El Rosacruz, 129b
Exercises, 5d, 39c-40b
Experimentation, 39c
Forum, 3b, 6d, 21 d, 77b
L a Rose-Croix, 129b
Membership, 33b-33d, 47c
Order, 62d-63b, 91c, 100c
Order, France, 40d-41d
Park, 126b, 129c-d
Perfect, definition, 36a
Philosophy, 35b, 82d, 131d
Planetarium, 129a
Principies, 109a
Revenue, 127d-128b
Science Museum, 129a
Supply Bureau, 105a, 127d, 128b
T q xss

128a -b

Teachings, 12a, 39b-c, 40a, 42d, 56c, 71c, 76b, 79b,

82d, 109d, 125c, 133a
Technical Department, 129b-c
Terminology, 36d
Torch bearers, 93d
Rosicrucian Sunshine Circle, lOOa-lOla

s
Sabbath? What is the True, 93d-95d
St. Jerome, 113c
'
St. Paul, 78d-79a
Sappho, 113b-c
Seeing Cosmic Attunement, 101b-102a
Self:
Consciousness, 63d
Physical, 42a-43c
Psychic, 8a, 70c
True, 39a
Self, Transference of the Physical, 42a-43c
Seneca, 95c
Sheldon, H. Horton, 140d
Sight, Psychic, 4c-6b
Skepticism, 75c
Society:
Crimes against, 137b-138d
Individuals part, 51b-d
Laws, 137d
Materialistic, 53b
Moral practices, 52c
Moral precepts, 74b-75d
Womens position, 112a-114a
Society, Reconstruction of, 50a-52b
Scrates, 59d, 60b, 88d
Soul: 33d-38a, 56a, 59a-b, 62b, 63d
Cathedral of the, 6c
Development, lOb-llc
Entry at birth, 55d-56c
Personality, 55d, 56b, 75a
Universal, 38a
Soul, Body, Mind, and, 33d-38a
Soul T)evelopmentp Birth Control and, lOb-llc
Soul Enter at Birth? Does the, 55d-56c
Souza, Ted, 4a-c
Photograph, 1
Spectrum: 43c-44a, 55a-c
Cosmic, 132d
Spinoza, jBaruch, 46b-d
Strontium-90, 124a-d

Studios, Wadia Movietone, 93b

Subject and the Object, The, l5d-17b
Subliminal Suggestions in Advertising, 122a-123d
Success, Visualizing for, 105b-106d
Sufis, 42a-b
Sunshine Circle, Havana, lOOd
Sunshine Circle, Rosicrucian, lOOa-lOla
Supernatural, 17c-18a
Superstition, 94c, 104b
Symposium, international, 3a

T
Tao:
Definition, 86c
Steps to, 87a
Taoism and the Akashic Records, 85b-87c
Taoism, origin, 86b
Teleology, 35c
Telepathy, 133a
Televisin Versus Reading, 115d-117b
Tests, Nuclear, 123d-124d
Thales, 88d
This Issues Personality, 4a-c, 40d-41d, 65a-66a, 92c93d, 102b-103a, 130a-d
Thought, Creative, 133a-135c
Tim e and Environment, 21d-23d
Toleranee, The Meaning of, 20a-21d
Trances, 132c-d
Transcendence-immanence relationship, 18c-19d
Transference of the Physical Self, 42-43c
Transition, 8b-10a
Triangle, Law of, 70d
Trinity, Egyptian, 112a

u
Universe Expand? Does the, 54b-55c
University, Columbia, 65b-d
University of Minnesota, 102b
Unselfishness, 75b

v
Valu o f Confession, 28b-31a
Vishnu, 89d
Vision: 122a-123a
Color, 43d-44d
Photopic (daylight), 44c
Scotopic (twilight), 44c
Visualization, 105b-106d
Visualizing for Success, 105b-106d
Vital Life Forc, 109b
Vitalism, 134b
Von Leibnitz, Gottfried, 46c

w
W ere There W omen Philosophers? 112a-114a
W ere T hey Members? 46c-47d
W hat Am I? 38a-39a
W hat Are Psychic States? 75d-77c
W hat is an Avatar? 89b-90d
W hat is Color Blindness? 43c-44d
W hat is the True Sabbath? 93d-95d
W hat M akes M atter Anmate? 108d-110a
Whipple, Fred Lawrence, 140d
W hy People Fear, 79c-80c
Will, 26a
W ill Man Control Nature? 125a-127d
Women:
Position in society, 112a-114a

Zoroaster, 88d, 89d

August, 1958
Volume XXIX

No. 1

Rosicrucian Forum
A prvate

pu blication for m e m b e rs of A M O R C

CLIFFORD C. A B R A H A M S , F. R. C.
G ran d Councilor of A M O R C fo r the C aribbean A re a

Page 2

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

AGGRESSION AND AD JU STM EN T

Dear Fratres and Sorores:
Aggression most often suggests the promotion of personal interests, a thrust in ones
own behalf without regard for the rights
and welfare of others. Psychologically, ag
gression is an instinctive chive for the furtherance of self. It is the motivation to
satisfy the natural inclinations, the desires,
of ones own being. Every individual who
has attained success, the realization of an
ideal or the satisfactory culmination of an
enterprise, has been aggressive. Society ad
mires and, in fact, has nearly made a virtue
of ambition. Yet ambition, when converted
from a mere dream or wish into a deed,
must become aggressive.
The active human being is constantly
brought into a state of unavoidable conflict.
We are in continual conflict with the forces
of nature; with elements of our environ
ment; with our fellow-humans; and always
in some manner with our own selves. Every
producer of food, as the farmer or grower,
knows of the perpetual war in which he is
precipitated in combatting weather and insects. The manufacturer, retailer and gen
eral businessman, is confronted with the eco
nomic cycles of his society, his environment.
In a contracting world, we are aware of the
aggression and hostility created by our fellow-humans, whose interests and ideis are
different from our own. Further, each of us,
as well, is conscious of the conflicts of self,
of doubts, anxieties, and frustrations.
To succumb to these conditions, to retreat
or to avoid coming to grips with any or all
of them, would mean abject personal failure.
It would likewise mean the deterioration of
society. Fortunately, our innate desires, or
ganic and mental, are strong motivations.
They impel us toward an end which we
conceive as being progressive and satisfying.
We are thus aggressive, we thrust forward,
encroaching upon circumstances which disrupt the status quo of another or others. A
student in college who strives for a single
scholarship cannot be troubled in conscience
that, if he wins it, some other person may

be deprived of the opportunity. An employee

can have no remorse when he has so conducted himself that he has won the approval
of his employer and gained a promotion
over his associates. Life, biologically and
sociologically, is competitive. Without such
competitive aggression, there is no survival.
The continued existence of society is dependent upon the co-operation of its mem
bers for their mutual advantage. If every
individual were to pursue a personal course
at all times solely for his own personal in
terests, the purpose of society would be defeated. In fact, the individual would then
lose advantages which he could not acquire
by his own efforts exclusively. A society
thus, in accordance with its culture and
general level of intelligence, establishes cer
tain standards, moral, ethical, and legal, to
preserve itself as an entity. These are im
posed on the individual.
The proscriptions of society become re
strictions upon the functioning of the individuals aggressive spirit. Society, generally,
in principie, inveighs against and prohibits
an aggressiveness that would vilate the
personal security and property rights of
others. To use a simple analogy, two players are permitted to race after a ball but,
when one gains it, the other is not permitted
to seize it from him.
In many individuis, aggressiveness would
never amount to trenchant conduct. Only
under great emotional stress would many
persons ever thrust their desires and ambitions upon others to the injury of the latter.
But unfortunately this degree of self-disci
pline does not exist in all persons. Aggres
sion, therefore, must be channelized; in other
words, the conflicts in life must be confined
to rules.
Intelligent adjustment in an advanced
society becomes an excellent substitute for
unbridled primitive aggression. It is not that
this adjustment actually supplants aggres
sion. There is and must always be the mo
tivation to thrust forward and surmount
obstacles which man sees confronting him

AUGUST, 1958

Page 3

and compelling the adjustment. The adjustment is a function resorted to in place of

certain otherwise aggressive behavior which
society would condemn. Instead of plowing
down the middle of the field like an infuriated bull with head lowered and destroying
everything in ones way, the individual
weaves, tums and alters, his course as may
be necessary. He eventually attains the same
objective, perhaps a little later, but without
incurring .the wrath of society.
A straight line is not always the best
course between two points in life. The unthinking person experiences a desire and
then looks about for that which will represent its satisfaction. He next drives in the
direction of that end. He struggles with and
pushes against all obstacles and conditions
that seem to impede him. In fact, opposition and frustrations in getting to an objec
tive excite the desire and heighten the ag
gressive spirit. Psychologically, this is a very
important and necessary factor of our being.
If opposition were to dampen or diminish our
desires, we would never achieve. Under such
circumstances man, if he survived at all,
would perhaps still be living an arboreal
existence.
Adjustment does not lessen the aggressive
spirit. Rather, it evaluates the approach to
an objective. Instead of just looking ahead
to the goal, adjustment causes one to consider the circumstances and conditions that
lie between it, the individual, and the pres
ent moment. It causes the individual to build
and create ways to bring about the climax
progressively by negotiation and compromise at times.
One is reminded of the psychological tests
conducted with a chimpanzee, where a ba
nana was suspended over .the primates head.
The fruit was so placed that the chimpanzee
could not reach it by stretching for it. In
the same room in one crner were two
wooden boxes which the chimpanzee ignored.
The primate leaped, time after time, for the
banana and could not reach it. Its blind

aggressiveness drove it to what seemed the

shortest course, that is, jumping up from
where it stood. Finally, the chimpanzee be
came tired. The futile effort, however, had
not diminished the natural desire for .the
fruit. Adjustment then entered in. The pri
mate looked at the boxes in the crner of
its cage upon which it had often climbed in
play. It walked over to one box and dragged
it beneath the banana and climbed on it.
The box was not high enough for the banana
to be reached. After some surmising and
experimentation, the primate placed the
second box on top of the first and then
climbed on the stack and obtained the fruit.
The error often made by society today is
the imposing of too great a restriction upon
the individual. The aggressive spirit cannot
be completely immured or extirpated. It
must at least be allowed adjustment. If not,
it will throw off all inhibitions and resort
to primitive savage behavior, resulting in
brutality. Before we condemn the aggressive
attitude of certain nations in our time in
overthrowing their own govemments and
uniting themselves into a federation of states
which seem hostile to the rest of the world,
let us consider the impositions which may
have been put upon them, as history often
reveis. How have they been exploited by
the more powerful nations? Have their peoples personal ambitions been curtailed in
past decades or centuries to a point where
the achievement of a better standard of liv
ing may not have been possible? Have their
resources been utilized by other nations to
little advantage to themselves?
It is true that some such small nations
may be the naive tools of systems of ideology
which wish to exploit them and are purposely inciting them. However, if they previously
had been given co-operation for intemal ad
justment by the sovereign states that now
cali them aggressive, the present trend of
events would probably never have occurred.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS, Imperator.

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 of the U .S . Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of the Supreme Council of AM ORC, at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sferling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 s+erling) per year FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page 4

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

This Issues Personality

It often takes time and maturity of mind
before ones restlessness of spirit can be
properly and personally interpreted. Before
the arrival at that point of self-analysis, it
may seem to one that quietude can only be
attained by physical reorientation, that is,
travelling from one place to another. Simultaneously, one may indulge in a series of
diverse interests hoping to find in them the
satisfaction that will bring to rest .the inner
turbulence.
Frater Clifford C. Abrahams of Port-auPrince, Hait, was one who sought desperately to find himself. This restlessness of spirit
began with Frater Abrahams at an early
age. He was bom at St. Andrews, Jamaica,
British West Indies, September 6,1909. After
completing his early schooling there, he took
special courses in business and accounting.
When he was but seventeen years of age, he
left his native land and decided to establish
himself in Port-au-Prince, Hait. There was
the belief that probably this physical change,
this new environment, would bring him
something, he did not know just what, that
would give to life what he vaguely sought
from it.
Although Frater Abrahams had been bom
in the Episcopalian faith, his restlessness of
spirit caused a mental search for satisfying
truth. At sixteen years of age, he affiliated
with the Romn Catholic Church, .though
st sincerely searching. Frater Abrahams
was destined to make Hait his home. As a
young man, he worked with several busi
ness concems in various capacities cashier,
salesman, and chief clerk. In the meantime
he devoted himself to the study of law and
finally became an attomey.
In 1950 Frater Abrahams ventured to es
tablish his own Wholesale and commission
firm, dealing in pharmaceutical and medical
producs from well-known American and
European manufacturers. Evident success in
business still left an emotional and intellec
tual void which the frater tried to fill with
prolific reading of works on mysticism, philosophy, and historical subjects. Religious
dogmatic creeds and tenets provided no lasting satisfaction.
One day a member-friend loaned him the
Rosicrucian Digest. This became the open
sesame. There was immediate response on

Frater Abrahams part to its contents. It led

him to the portis of the Rosicrucian Order,
AMORC, and he crossed its threshold in
1941. Since then Frater Abrahams has been
an ardent student of the Rosicrucian teach
ings. He says:
. . from which I acquired
satisfying answers to the buming questions
of Whence? Whither? and Why? Most of
all, I know an inner peace that I have never
previously experienced.
Frater Abrahams, having found his mission, actively participated in Rosicrucian
functions in Port-au-Prince. He was one of
the organizers of the Martnez de Pasqually
Lodge of AMORC in his city. He served as
its Secretary for the years 1954-55. He
finally became Master of this Rosicrucian
body in 1957. He has twice visited Rosicru
cian Park in San Jos, and studied for one
term at the Rose-Croix University. In 1957
he was duly appointed, by the Grand Mas
ter, to the honorable and important position
of Grand Councilor of AMORC for the Caribbean area.
Frater Abrahams is married and has five
children. His oldest son, he proudly proclaims, is the present Treasurer of the Mar
tnez de Pasqually Lodge of the Order. His
youngest daughter is now a Colombe.
Frater Clifford Abrahams has allowed the
activities of the Rosicrucian Order to deeply
penetrate his life and has found the experi
ence a fruitful and beneficial one.X
The Psychic World
Only two of our peripheral senses have a
quality in common. Both sight and touch pro
vide sensations that give rise to the ideas of
form and dimensin. As for the other senses,
each is a world of its own. Certainly the men
tal images established by smell have no correspondence in ideas to those of sound. If, for
example, one person can hear but not smell
and another person can smell but not hear,
it would be extremely difficult for them to
communicate about the experiences of these
two respective senses. Yet both types of
sensations are of the objective consciousness.
The psychic realm constitutes octaves or
levels of the same stream of consciousness to
which our peripheral or receptor senses respond. The psychic is that aspect of con
sciousness which responds to or is attuned
to variations of vibratory energy of a higher

AUGUST, 1958

frequency than that of the physical senses.

The psychic consciousness is no more disassociated from what is termed the conscious
ness of the objective and subjective mind
than are hearing and smell unrelated to the
objective mind, just because they are dif
ferent in function. The functions of the organs of hearing and smell are dissimilar.
They give rise to unlike sensations but such
sensations occur in the sam e stream of con
sciousness. The psychic has its particular
organs, its glands, centers, and nervous sys
tem. The sensations which they produce are
unlike those produced by our receptor senses
but they have their seat in the same single
stream of consciousness.
We may use the analogy of light for bet
ter understanding of this point. Infrared
light is of such wave bands, rate of vibra
tions, that it is not discemible by the naked
eye. Nevertheless, it is of the energy of
which light consists. It is characteristic of
the human mind to conceive as separate all
phenomena whose impressions appear as distinct to it. We often fail to realize that there
may be a continuity of the nature or sub
stance of something, even though its func
tion is different. It is only in recent years,
for further example, that Einstein has estab
lished the fact that mass and energy are but
two different aspects of the same funda
mental quality. For example, the mass or
matter could be called the objective; and
energy, because its manifestation is quite
different, could be called the psychic.
The word psychic is but a designation of
a different manifestation of a Cosmic energy
in our united stream of consciousness. It is
erroneous to think of psychic as being divine
and spiritual in contrast to the experiences
of the objective and subjective. The psychic
is more infinite in its extent than are the
impulses received through the receptor
senses, but the psychic is part of the Cosmic
keyboard of universal energy in which the
world of reality or .the material world participates. All vibratory responses to which
the human organism responds are basically
of Cosmic or divine origin.
A psychic experience is one whose phe
nomenon is related to the higher levels of
consciousness. It is subliminal, that is, it lies
beyond or behind those levels of conscious
ness that respond to the physical world only.
The psychic experience stems from our at

Page 5

tunement with impulses which are not lim

ited to the finite range of sight, hearing, and
so forth. It would appear that such categories
as time and space, to which our sense ex
periences are bound, do not apply to the
psychic experience.
From a psychological point of view, even
a dream can be said to be of a psychic na
ture. In other words, psychologically, it is
psychic because it is an involuntary mental
function, one lying beyond our objective
faculties. On the other hand, from the mys
tical point of view, dreams are not considered
a psychic experience. They are thought of
as being a mechanistic process of that lower
level of consciousness of the so-called subjec
tive mind.
To the mystic and metaphysician, the
psychic experience drives its impulse, its
stimulus, from a higher order of phenomena.
The psychic experience may originate as a
transmission from other minds; thus it would
be telepa.thic. However, it may also come
from an ecstatic attunement with Cosmic
forces and intelligence which He outside the
individual organic being. Succinctly put,
one may have a momentary realization of
the Absolute, renowned as Cosmic conscious
ness. The Christian would refer to the same
experience as a revelation of an experience
of the Christ consciousness.
To realize personally that one has had a
psychic experience or has made conscious
contact, the phenomenon has to be translated into terms of our sense qualities and
associated ideas. We are only capable of
thinking of ideas with which we are familiar.
Ideas are the bricks that compose the struc
ture of our thought. If one were to discard
all the ideas and the sense qualities in which
they are framed, such as colors, forms, dimensions, and so forth, his consciousness
would be a void.
Whenever we have a sensation it becomes
related .to some notion that gives it identity
to us. For example, there are epicritic sen
sations, a type of cutaneous reception permitting discrimination between small degrees
of sensation, as of heat, coid, and pain. Op
posed to these are the protopathic sensations
capable of only gross sensory discrimination.
There also are somaesthetic sensations; these
are realized as a feeling of our own skin.
The psychic experiences are translated into
variations of these kinds of sensations as well

Page 6

as those others which are known to us. Psy

chic experiences are, however, first had in
the higher octaves of consciousness and are
of a vibratory nature of which as yet we
have no specific knowledge. They do, how
ever, when received, produce harmonics of
their own effects, lower in the scale of con
sciousness. In other words, they reach down
into the subjective level of consciousness.
There they become associated with images,
ideas, by which we know that we have had
a psychic experience.
Let us suppose -that a psychic experience
was had and that there was no corresponding
ideation in our subjective consciousness. The
psychic level of consciousness would have
realization of the experience when our self
was functioning at that level; that is, in a
psychic state of consciousness we would have
the psychic experience, but it would be realized only in sensations discernible to that
level of consciousness. If the experience did
not transmit its stimuli to the lower level
of consciousness and produce sensations
there, related to common ideas and qualities
of the objective, we would never know we
had the experience.
When we have psychic experiences that
we realize, they seem to us as either ecstatic
feelings, titillations, visual images, as magnificent colors and forms, or perhaps auditory images. The latter would be exquisite
music, singing, or perhaps a verbal message.
Our objective consciousness has, in such an
instance, adapted to the psychic sensations
those kinds of images which, in objective
experience, though limited, represent to us
something of the exalted nature of the psy
chic. It is, therefore, not proper for one to
imagine that his Cosmic experiences in the
psychic world will be devoid in conscious
ness of any imagery or sensations similar
to his subjective or objective experiences.
If the psychic experience were to be al
ways unlike anything you had ever otherwise experienced, we repeat, you would not
know that you had had it. It is quite prob
able that we do have numerous psychic ex
periences of which the psychic or exalted
state of consciousness alone is aware. In
other words, the stimuli, on some occasions,
do not reach down into the subjective to
arouse ideas such as we can realize. This
probably accounts for other persons at times
being aware of our projection of the psychic

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

self, even though we ourselves have no memory of the experience, no objective realization
of it.
The psychic experience, when it is objectively realized, will always conform to what
we hold to be the best, the most noble, con
duct or thought. The psychic experience will
never appear ridiculous, absurd, or contrary
to our best reasoning. The psychic is in harmony with the Cosmic forces. It will, there
fore, not be contrary to what human
intelligence comes to accept as logical and
rational. More simply put, in the psychic
world your conduct and method of func
tioning would be orderly, seemingly according to law but, of course, more extensive
in its accomplishment.
The individual who believes that, when
he enters upon the psychic, he rejects and
discards all intelligent purpose, is deceiving
himself. In entering upon the psychic, one
has a specific purpose in mind, which is in
accordance with that level of consciousness
and progresses toward it in a rational man
ner, though, of course, one is not hindered
by material obstacles. But the higher intel
ligence is always intelligent; it does not
function as a mere caprice or fancy. If the
experiences which you have are not construed in a rational way by you, if they
have no intelligent meaning to you when
realized objectively, they are not psychic and
not of the phenomenon of Cosmic con
sciousness.X
W hat Is Positive Thinking?
A soror in Caada addressing our Forum
says, We are exhorted to keep our thinking
positive. Is this possible? Is it possible for
anything or any function to be entirely
positive? From the Rosicrucian teachings
we gather that each polarity of energy,
whether it be positive Vital Life Forc or
negative Spirit underlying matter, is likewise dual in its polarity. Therefore, I re
peat, is it possible for anything to be wholly
positive?
In any consideration of what is positive
thinking, which is a rather hackneyed term
today, one must first have an understanding
of the nature of positive. The positive, aside
from the special connotation it has in electricity, is the pleroma or fullness of a thing
or condition. A thing, let us say, is recog-

AUGUST, 1958

nized for its particular quality. Its positive

state is then the complete representation of
all of those elements that compose this quali
ty. It is the absolute assertion of that which
is necessary .to its nature. We say, for ex
ample, that something is positively alive. It
manifests those qualities basically characteristic of life, such as irritation, assimilation, excretion, and reproduction.
To use an analogy which we have cited on
previous occasions, a liquid quart container
is positive in its state or condition when it
becomes filled. When it has any amount
less than its potentiality, its capacity, it is
negative. The quart container is then not
manifesting its potentiality, its true nature.
Positive, consequently, is the fullness of a
function or quality of something. When
something has no such fullness, it is negative
but only in relation to a standard of fullness
which has been established for it. A pint
is a negative incomplete condition of a quart,
but a pint in itself is positive because such
is the fullness or capacity of its own nature.
Positive has always been associated with
action. Therefore, that which is said to be
inactive or inert is a relatively negative state.
This definition, however, only applies where
the essence or the quality of a thing is con
sidered to be action. Obviously then, its opposite must be inactive. On the other hand,
let us use .the example of a building. Its
ideal state is one of stability or inertness, so
its apparent motionlessness in such an ex
ample would be its positive condition. If,
however, the building eventually reaches a
state that its ordinary use produces tremors
within it, it then would be said to be in a
negative condition. From this we surmise
that positive and negative are really terms
whose vales are not innate but are related
to human conceptions.
All thought is an active function. It requires cerebral energy, so consequently,
thought is motion. However, because thought
is active, we cannot say that it is always
positive in its effe c ts. Philosophically,
thought may be said to be positive when
it moves the individual to action. When
thought is causative, when it compels one
to objectify his ideas in action, it is positive.
However, this does not take into considera
ron any moral or ethical vales. In the
individual sense, a criminal planning a robbery, which he executes according to plan,

Page 7

has been positive in his thinking. Military

strategists who plan .the details of the war
which they eventually materialize have
thought positively.
When a group of individuis even planned
to thwart or obstruct some function or venture, and successfully achieved it, they have
thought positively. They have caused, by
their thoughts, conditions or things to come
into existence. Let us say that two nations
engage in war and plan for the defeat of
each other. Both are positive in their think
ing to the extent that they cause acts to
correspond or to participate in the thoughts
which they have.
From the mystical and esoteric point of
view, a thought is positive not only when it
is causative but when it contributes to a
certain moral or ethical ideal as well. It
must be in harmony with what is interpreted
or accepted as being good. In this instance,
the plans of a criminal or any group seeking
to attack the accepted good would be nega
tive. Such a negative is obviously relative
to that conceived to be good. There are
religious sects who consider the doctrines of
rivals as being negativethat is, negative
in content to what they hold or believe to
be divinely right.
Psychologically, though all thought in it
self is active and positive (because it is
energy), it may also be negative in its effect.
Thus if one holds thoughts that inhibit or
arrest ones actions necessary for well-being,
his thoughts are negative. For further anal
ogy, if one is ill and thinks he will not recover and consequently negates any treatment given him, his thoughts are negative
but they are only negative in their effect,
not in thought itself.
It is not true that just positive thought
alone is power. All thought is power! It is
the application of that power which we normally cali positive or negative. Thought is
negative if it nullifies or prevens the attaining of what is conceived to be a desired
end.X
Which Philosophy Is True?
A frater now addresses our Forum. He
asks: A question arises in my mind: Why
have so many different philosophies, religions, and varieties of religious experience
in the past claimed to have been originated

Page 8

from a spiritual revelation basis? Why, also,

should not all these various philosophies be
the same as the Rosicrucian philosophy?
What part of these different philosophies can
we take as truth? How would we recogniz
truth when we come face to face with it?
Most philosophies do not claim a divine
revelation as their source unless they are
fundamentally of a religious nature. By re
ligious standards, some philosophies are even
proclaimed to be atheistic or heretical, so
obviously they could not purport to be divinely inspired. Spinoza, actually a religiously intoxicated man, was execrated by
the rabbis of his own faith and by Christians
alike. Scrates was condemned to death as
alienating the thought of the youth from
the traditional religious beliefs.
For a religin to have acceptance by the
masses, it must be authoritative. Religin ex
pounds a way by which man can conform
to the will of a god. This means the accep
tance of certain doctrines as well as the
prescribing to a specific conduct. What gives
a religious system or teaching its authority?
One man is not accepted as a more spiritual
or divine mdium, than another unless some
condition is considered to have brought about
such a transformation. Men prate that they
have been in communication with the Divine,
the Supreme Being; other men, however, are
not inclined to accept .their statements un
less they are accompanied by some evidence
of a special gnosis or power. So-called miracles (the application of natural law in an
exceptional or unique demonstration) have
seemed to substantiate religious founders
claims to a divine revelation. Usually, astute
knowledge alone is not sufficient. Many
philosophers and astute thinkers have been
known to the people and yet such are not
accepted, necessrily, as being messiahs or
sacrosanct personages.
Fanatical zeal combined with an appealing doctrine causing the individual to resist
and survive opposition is often construed as
being indicative of a divine power. Once
faith in the authority of the religious founder
is established, there is little question in the
minds of his followers conceming the teach
ings which he promulga tes. Each great re
ligious founder did go through a mystical
and psychological experience in which he
was illumined by an influx of knowledge
that he considered a divine revelation. He

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

thought of himself as a channel for the light

which he had received.
At such a time the self-evident tmths, the
convincing conception which most often re
moved previous tortuous and confused
thoughts of long standing, brought about a
transformation of the personality. The indi
vidual was then relieved of discursive
thought; his whole concentration was no
longer toward an understanding of a previ
ous problem of life but rather now to proclaim its solution. It resulted in dynamic
action. Enthusiastic conviction is contagious
not only in the religious world but even in
profane circles. Those who associated with
such zealots would be incited by their con
fidence and the evident power of their personalities. They were thus convinced that
the messiah, or founder, had tmly been infused with a divine power and irradiation.
All religious doctrines come to man directly from men, and, indirectly, from the
Divine source. In such instances, the tmth
is had on faith, the implied authority of
the words of the founder, or messiah. How
ever, it is no longer faith but belief when
one meditates upon the teaching expounded
and comes personally to believe it in the
light of his own mind; the religious exponent
then has caused .the devotee to have a per
sonal religious experience. The enlightenment and understanding are wholly the devotees own. They have only been engendered by another.
In mysticism, the spiritual understanding
is an intmate one. The individual enters
into a state of consciousness where he ex
periences what he interprets as a unin with
the Absolute or God. The interpretation, the
ideation that flows through the conscious
ness as an after-effect of the experience had
during that interval, is construed to be a
Cosmic or Divine infusin. The mystic seeks
no intermediary, as priest or clergyman. He
feels he is equally as capable as any other
mortal of invoking divine uninwhich is
the basis of mystical and religious experience.
Once the experience is had it becomes its
own authority, held to be equivalent to that
of any other mortal who makes like claims.
Now the question as to why all philoso
phies are not alike, or the same as the
Rosicmcian teachings. We must, if we are
to understand the question clearly, consider
the assumption behind it: each philosophy

AUGUST, 1958

emphasizes that its concepts are truth. Consequently, if what each expounds is truth,
how can they vary from one another if each
received its knowledge from an Absolute
source? In other words, why are they not
in agreement?
Let us attempt an answer by asking the
question: what is a philosophy? It is a system of beliefs which may or may not be
demonstrable and which constitute knowl
edge to the believer. A system of philosophy
begins as an attempt to answer questions
about nature, self, and mans relationship
to the universe. It is thought that each phi
losophy will provide the thinker with a happy adjustment to life. Every philosophy is
a practical one to the extent that it provides
a satisfaction of a kind. If it does not do so
it is soon discarded.
One of the principal inquines of most
philosophies has been the nature of truth. It
is the very substance of philosophy. No mat
ter how a philosophy may define truth, its
tenets must be of such character as to pro
vide a reliable dependence and to constitute
a knowledge sought. A philosophy may contend, as did that of Plato, that .the basic ideas
men have in common, which are universal,
such as the concepts of j usti.ee and beauty,
are truth. Since a men have these concepts
to some extent, they are said to be innate,
implanted in them from a Divine source.
Thus, they and other such universal ideas
are thought to be truth.
Another philosophy may assert that truth
is whatever men come to accept as being
real. Thus, truth becomes relevant to perception and understanding. If something has
an inexorable clarity to the mind, or a reali
ty which is indisputable, it is held to be
truth. Belief, then, can make its own truth.
It has only to have convincing reality to the
mind and be irrevocable.
Many of .the doctrines deny absolute truths
that .there are unchanging elements and
conditions existing beyond the human, which
in some manner or other man must endeavor
to perceive and understand. According to
the Rosicrucian philosophy, there is reality,
but it has no fixed nature unless we think
of its etemal motion and consciousness as
such. Over the whole period of human existence, the change of certain phenomena of
reality has been so relatively slow that it
has a persistence which men come to cali

Page 9

law, and even to think of as absolute. Rosicrucians postlate that some such phe
nomena can be perceived objectively and
demonstrated, as in the realm of science.
It now has that quality of reality which is
truth. A hundred .thousand years henee
more or less such phenomena may so
change that what was once conceived as
truth would no longer be accepted as such.
In this respect, all philosophies which
place any dependence on the human senses
will naturally agree on certain persistent
experiences as truth. However, with the Rosicrucians and c e rta in other philosophies,
knowledge and truth must not be limited
to just that which falls into the realm of
empirical or objective experience. Abstractions, contemplation about subjects which
cannot at the moment be substantiated ob
jectively but which do provide a rational
explanation, are also to be accepted as truth.
However, they must not be refuted by any
empirical proof as, for example, the findings
of science. If they are, they must be rejected
as truth. To do otherwise would be to deny
entirely the experience of the senses.
The fact that several philosophical systems
may have abstract truths which they teach
and which do not agree with each other,
does not prove .that any one of them is necessarily wrong. As abstract truths, they are
entirely relevant to the human understand
ing and are to be accepted unless the senses
can provide opposing evidence. Since there
are no fixed or absolute truths, all experi
ence is relative to the evolving human un
derstanding. One cogent system of philosophy
is, therefore, as acceptable as another.
We must, however, reiterate that the fact
of their being just different ideas had by a
school or system of philosophy does not justify them to be claimed as abstract truths.
They must not at the time be possible of
refutation by fact, though, of course, they
may eventually become fact in their own
right.
For further explanation, let us say that
system A and system B are both expounding
abstract truth, but they are not in agree
ment. If subsequently A can substantiate,
that is, demnstrate in a phenomenal way,
its truth, and B cannot, then what A ex
pounds must take preference over B. It is,
then, a matter of the preponderance of evi
dencereason supported by the senses.X

Page 10

Is There a Supernatural?
A frater writes: Does the Rosicrucian
Order at the present time claim to have a
reliable avenue of knowledge which is not
accountable for in naturalistic terms and
which reveis a supernaturalistic (taken here
to mean not of .the space-time-mass order)
reality?
Briefly, this person has noticed, in studying the theory of knowledge, that the ordinary avenues of leamingas sensory perception and logical reasoning, traditional reportsmay lead one to infer a nonphysical
reahty but do not seem to be capable of
confirming ithe existence of such a reality.
And doubt can be cast upon intuitive and
extrasensory avenues of knowledge in at
least two wayswhat they reveal is apparently not publicly verifiable, and human
nature is, unfortunately, quite capable of
distorting impressions to coincide with emotional or intellectual predilections or to
fabrcate impressions by use of the imaginative power of the mind.
Succinctly put, the frater desires to know
whether that which religin and much of
philosophy and mysticism hold to be knowl
edge is but self-delusion. Since most of their
postulations are not apodiGtical, that i?, clearly demonstrable to all other people, what is
the basis for contending that they are true?

Almost all rehgions subscribe to a belief

in the supernatural. The term is rather selfexplanatory. It connotes a realm or state
which transcends the natural, or phenomena
having a physical basis. The assumption is
that the supernatural is of a quality or con
dition that lies beyond the capability of
human objective perception. The supematural in religin is generally held to be that
not discemible by any of the receptor senses.
If such phenomena are said to be so discemed, they are then usually declared to
be miracles.
There is the further assumption that there
exists within man an extensin of this proclaimed supernatural, that is, the soul. This
soul, then, has its own unique methods of
communication with its supernatural source.
It can and does realize, it is contended, its
infinite or cosmic unity. This unity is ex
perienced as an immanent or indwelling
state. The individual, therefore, has experiences which he attributes to a supernatural
phenomenon. It is impossible for him, how

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ever, to reduce such experiences or transfer

them to a physical category that can be
verified by others extemally. In other
words, the religious exprience of the socalled supernatural is a subjective one.
It is for this reason that religin stresses
faith, which as a category is quite epistemologically separate from empirical knowledge
or that of the senses. However, time has
proved that much which man once attributed
to the supernatural definitely falls into the
category of the naturalistic and is quite
verifiable by the senses. This has been the
chief conflict in function between religin
and science.
The Rosicrucians do not contend that
there is a supernatural. Rather, they speak
of a sol reality, the Cosmic. The Cosmic is
a matrix of all phenomena, that declared to
be physical as well as the so-called spiritual
and that which falls into the category of
the psychical. The distinction is, according
to the Rosicrucians, merely in the manner
of manifestation and perception of the phe
nomenon. Those feelings, experiences and
impressions which we have and which can
not be objectified, or made publicly verifiable, are termed psychical. They are,
however, part of the whole Cosmic energy
affecting the nervous systems and levels of
consciousness of the human. They are nat
ural but of a higher or transcendent order.
It is, for analogy, just as that energy which
we experience as visual light, infra-red and
hertzian waves is of a higher vibratory
nature than that of sound, and yet it is of
the same basic phenomena of nature as
sound.
With the advancement of science, much
which is termed psychical, or classified as
being spiritual, will be found to have a phys
ical relationship. It will be determined that
the sensations received are the result of
causes acting upon our nervous systems, our
brain and our emotions. To a Rosicrucian
this does not detract from their significance
or their Cosmic valu. In other words, the
phenomenon would not be depreciated by
being shown to have a physical relationship.
For example, it is generally held in many
metaphysical and m y stica l system s of
thought that intuitive knowledge is not nat
uralistic. It is thought to be a transmission
of knowledge to the individual from a spir
itual or divine realm.

AUGUST, 1958

Rosicmcians do not accept this. Rather,

they take an intermedate position. They
speak of the Supreme Mind or Intelligence
or Cosmic as permeating each cell and it is
that intelligence which, working through
the human brain and nervous systems, pro
duces the ideation which we refer to as in
tuitive knowledge. The Rosicmcians say that
this cell intelligence has a functional effect
upon our reasoning, resulting in intuition.
It is not possible, in an objective way, to
prove that each cell has infused within it
an intelligence which originates in a uni
versal mind. We can, however, in the science
of biology, prove that a cell functions ac
cording to its specific order, a seemingly
inherent purpose which corresponds to in
telligent action.
What do we mean by intelligence? Is it
not the ability of a living thing to (a) adapt
itself readily to new conditions that are to
its advantage, and is it not also the ability
to (b) reason, to evalate circumstances and
to act according to such evaluation? If we
agree to this, then intelligence is not a thing
or a substance but rather a function. We
can only, then, demnstrate intelligence,
prove it a reality, by disceming certain be
havior which we attribute to it. Its funda
mental causes, however, may be quite con
crete. If we perceive in the universe, that
portion of it which man can discern, that
phenomenon that seems to parallel the quali
ties of intelligence which we ourselves ex
hibit, then we have the right to deduce that
there is a universal intelligence.
Science resorts to the deductive method
also. It has its abstractions and its theories.
It does not consider them equal to fact, but
it uses them as an incentive, as a point of
departure and inquiry to arrive at objective
knowledge. The Rosicmcians do not contend
that all they experience is verifiable from
the materialistic or scientific point of view.
Much which to the Rosicmcians is subjective
experience or what mysticism relates as be
ing of an elevated plae of consciousness
cannot be confirmed along naturalistic lines
at least not yet. But the Rosicmcians
teach how the experience may be had. Then
they expound a hypothesis, a theory if you
will, as to the causal nature of the phe
nomenon.
However, the Rosicmcians endeavor to
eventually substantiate, to prove, their hy

Page 11

pothesis so that it is possible of general per

ception and acceptance. The Rosicmcians
likewise contend that certain phenomena
cannot be reduced to the five common recep
tor senses. To use a term borrowed from
parapsychology, man has extrasensory pow
ers. Even these have yet to be proved from
a material point of view. Such extrasensory
powers register impulses, vibrations, that are
beyond the octaves to which our other senses
respond. Consequently, such experiences can
be proved only within the scope of their own
means of perception. For a homely analogy,
one cannot prove that a certain scent exists
by looking or feeling for it. Each kind of
phenomenon exists in the realm of those
senses which respond to it.X
True Nature of Superstitions
A frater addressing our Forum says: I
would like to have explained the principie
of cause and effect in relegating such present-day superstitions as luck to where they
rightfully belong. There is so much superstitious literature today conceming fortunetelling available on -the open market that
such beliefs should have their true nature
revealed.
Another frater addressing our Fomm
states: Are superstition and faith one and
the same? For instance, a person wears a
medallion around his neck to prevent accidents and bring good luck. Is that supersti
tion or faith? A ship or an automobile is
blessed. Is the one who sails on the ship, or
travels in the automobile, superstitious, or
does he have faith in feeling safer? Can
sufficient faith be generated from an object
of superstition (medallions, etc.) to amount
to or bring about Creative thinking?
It is first necessary that we have an un
derstanding of what superstition consists.
Psychologically, superstitions all consist of
two principal factors: (A) a presumption of
the quality and causal nature of a thing or
circumstance; (B) the presumption that such
a quality or cause is of, or invokes, super
natural powers.
When man is not able to discern the operation, the natural causes through which
something occurs, he is inclined to imagine,
to presume them. He presumes to make the
experience, -the phenomenon, explicable to
him. The human mind avoids the unknown,

Page 12

especially if it has a direct influence on the

welfare of man, because such is terrifying.
The unknown induces a sense of helplessness and insecurity. Therefore, to invent an
explanation for the unknown makes possible
either a defense against the mystery or a
use of the phenomenon in some way.
Ignorance and superstition obviously are
related. The first gives rise to the latter.
When man does not know or cannot know,
he provides his own answers. This, in itself,
is commendable. It constitutes a kind of
knowledge. It is worthy belief if it is sincere,
and if it represents the application of reason
to the problem. Many of the great thinkers
of the past believed things which the advance of knowledge has disproved. But such
false knowledge, mistaken knowledge, the
result of abstraction and contemplation, is
not necessarily superstition. Superstition is
a mere presumption as to the cause or quality of something. It is but an opinion. It is
not the result of rationalizing.
The early cosmologists who, after much
deliberation as to the phenomena of night
and day, ventured beliefs as to whether the
sun moved around the earth, or whether the
earth moved around it, were not superstitious. No matter how absurd in the light of
modem factual knowledge, most of those
theories were not superstitions. They were
honest beliefs coming as the consequence of
limited observation and personal reflection.
Further, as related, superstition attributes
a supernatural relationship to those causes or
qualities which it assumes for things. In
other words, since an observable bond or
nexus cannot be perceived as existing be
tween two things or conditions, an intangible
supernatural one is then imagined.
Suppose an individual made a solemn
promise to fulfill a certain important duty
for another person on a particular day. Subsequently, the individual intentionally avoids
fulfilling his obligation. Nevertheless, he is
conscious of his violation and this disturbs
his conscience considerably. He believes that
he has hurt his friend by his default and
thinks that in some way he may be punished
for it. The next day, then, the one who
has defaulted suffers a severe fall with minor
but painful injuries. A few days later he
loses his wallet and a considerable amount
of money. A fortnight later a purchase order
he was anticipating, one which would have

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

brought him a substantial commission, is

canceled.
All of these misfortunes are logical; they
appear as the result of natural, probable
causes. The unusual sequence of such events,
however, is impressive. W hy should they
happen with such rapidity, might be the
thought of the victim. Immediately, he
searches for the cause of that sequence of
events at that time. There comes to the fore
of his consciousness the willful violation of
his promise. He thinks that such a wrong
must be compensated for. He imagines that
some supernatural, inexplicable bond has
tied the conditions togetherhis violation
and his misfortune.
How can gazing at the moon produce insanity? How can tying a string around a
wart and then burying the string cause the
wart to disappear? Why does walkig beneath a ladder bring bad luck? The superstitious cannot explain such beliefs as these
in terms of rational causation. Rather, they
imagine qualities, supernatural forces, to be
causes which are thought to produce the effects. The intelligent person would invest
gate and try to find an actual causal rela
tionship between the act and what was said
to follow from it. A superstitious mind is
always the ignorant and unthinking one, and
makes no such investigation.
Faith often becomes aligned with super
stition because of its psychological nature.
Faith is not a process of rationalization from
actual experience. Faith is not even belief
in ithe true sense of the word because it is
not the consequence of intelligent and logical
abstraction. Faith is reliance upon implied
authority. We have faith in something because of what it represents or because of
what we think it represents. In fact, the
very essence of faith is not to question the
nature of its implied authority.
The orthodox religionist must accept on
faith the dogma of his sect. What is expounded to him is not possible of verification
in an evidential or a factual manner. The
doctrines of his religin are an implied
authority which he must accept. That unquestioning acceptance is faith. Faith is
obviously distinct from knowledge.
It is relatively easier to have faith than
to have knowledge of something. Faith,
alone, is a reliance upon the integrity of
what it implies. Obviously, much of such

AUGUST, 1958

faith is misplaced. The implied, authority

does not always exist in just the manner that
it is accepted. As for integrity, often it, too,
is nonexistent, and then .the faithful are but
innocent victims of exploitation.
It is far better to substitute belief for faith
especially where the subject matter is not
possible of a critical analysis and of ex
perience. At least, intelligent, free thought
about that which is accepted on faith would
show the absurdity of much of the latter.
When one assigns his reason over to faith
in the blind acceptance of it, many super
stitions can become associated with the faith.
The individual never questions such prac
tices because of their relationship to the
conditions of the faith.
To comment specifically on the fraters
question: just how can wearing a medallion
around the neck prevent accidents and assure good fortunewe would remark that
such medallions are phylacteries, amulets.
This practice assumes either one of two
primitive beliefs:
First, that the object, as a fetish, possesses
within itself a supematural power which it
exerts upon the person of the wearer, in this
example, protecting him. Second, that the
object has a sympathetic bond with an extemal agency or forc that can be invoked
for the benefit of the wearer.
Millions of people today have not advanced
beyond the first conception, given above, regarding the wearing of a medallion. They
actually conceive that the blessing or use
of it in a ritual infuses the inanimate object
with a divine efficacy. Others do not sub
scribe to this, and yet they will believe that
the medallion because of its being named
after or bearing the image of some sacred
personage provides the wearer with a kind
of invisible bond with the sacred being.
Most of these wearers when presented
with such statements as these would deny
them. But, why would they otherwise ex
hibit the exphcit dependence upon the
medallions? They are not wom as simple
symbols having no efficacy in themselves.
Rosicmcians, like members of other fraternal
orders, also wear emblems, but certainly no
special powers- or attributes are ascribed to
the object in itself; or do they believe that
the object has any relationship or power
to invoke supematural forces. Rosicmcians
do not wear their emblems for protection

Page 13

when traveling, to avoid sickness or acci

dents when in swimming, boating and the
like. They do not fear any break in a super
natural protective forc when removing the
emblem from their person.
Frankly, much that is held on pur faith
should, for ones personal welfare and enlightenment, be scmtinized as to its worth.
Not to do so, or the fear to do so, is in itself
a superstition.
There is a psychological advantage derived by the superstitious in wearing me
dallions and amulets of a religious nature
which represent their sacred personages. In
their faith, in their believing that the wear
ing of the medallion gives them a protective
influence, their minds are freed from worry;
they are given added self-confidence. Inhibitions are removed permitting one to do
things which if he thought he was relying
wholly on his own resources he would not
have the personal power .to accomplish. In
other words, in such blind acceptance on
faith, one is giving himself a powerful sug
gestion. This quickens his personal powers
and makes him able to accomplish what he
could not do if he thought he was relying
entirely upon his own ability.X
Failure in Cosmic Appeal
A frater in Australia, addressing our
Forum, says: It was stated previously in
our Forum that Cosmic law is immutable
and that it is always uniform in its results
when properly invoked. With this I agree,
but the statement was also made that when
failure resulted after a petition for aid it
was because the petitioner had wrongly
made his request. However, suppose the peti
tion was properly made and yet failure is
experienced. How is this type of failure
explained?
First, one cannot always be certain that
he has fulfilled the method of Cosmic peti
tion as required. Inadvertently, one might
make a proper petition believing that he had
done so and yet failure would ensue. There
are at times extenuating circumstances of
which the petitioner may be ignorant in
making his appeal. These circumstances are
perhaps a violation of Cosmic laws and, as a
result, the appeal remains unanswered.
Let us use a hypothetical case, to explain.
One has been given a business proposal by

Page 14

which it seems, if all contingent conditions

are met, he will be assured of financial suc
cess. However, the individual who has made
this proposal merely desires an investment
of funds for an unethical project. He has
not told the one petitioning the Cosmic all
of the details of the proposed business. He
has not explained perhaps that the methods
to be used in the business would be the theft
of anothers ideas. The petitioner, then, in
good faith, assiduously follows every requirement of appealing to the Cosmic. When the
appeal fails, obviously he is mystified. Of
course, it could be said that the failure is
due to an improper petion because of the
nature of the whole plan, and the question
here concems proper petitions.
An appeal to the Cosmic never fails, when
all the requirements have been met. If the
petition is not met, it is because Cosmically
in some manner it is not justified. The laws
of Karma, compensation, or causality enter
into the matter. One may have set into motion by his previous acts, his behavior, cer
tain causes which make it impossible at the
immediate time for Cosmic fulfillment of
an appeal.
Let us use another analogy, to explain.
Suppose two young men are beginning separately two new businesses, each having
completed college. Each of their businesses
concems the technical manufacture of a
device used in a complex electronic apparatus. There is great possibility that one of
the two concems could receive in .the future
substantial orders for the product from a
large business house. One young man is
aware of the constant need of further study
and research in his business to keep abreast
of the times and to give the best service to
his customers. Therefore, he spends all his
available time in preparing himself and
subsequently improving his product as a
result. The other young man thinks that his
education and his previous study in college,
which was no more than that of his rival,
is sufficient. His principal interest at the
present is to sell as many of his producs as
he can with a minimum of effort.
A day eventually arrives when both of
the young men and their concems have an
opportunity for the huge order that they
are hoping for. However, only one of the
two concems will get the contract. The
young man who was disinclined to study or

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

try to make his product more effective appeals to the Cosmic to aid him to receive
the order. The young man has good character and he sincerely follows the procedure
for Cosmic assistance but he fails! He does
not receive the contract. His competitor does.
There is nothing mysterious about this, of
course. Perhaps the buyer heard that there
was little development being made on the
losers product. Therefore, he was not interested in it. The karmic law of neglect, as
a cause, produced the eventual actual nonresponse to the appeal.
How many times has each of us greatly
desired something which seemed so important to his happiness and yet failed to materialize? Though greatly chagrined at what
appeared as a loss or failure, weeks even
yearslater we found that it was to our
ultmate advantage that we did not realize
our former desires. The desire we had, the
thing we needed or thought we did, may
not have been Cosmically proper for our
lives. Our varying interests, associations, our
intellectual and psychic development can
greatly influence our change of desires.
Things that are essential now, or seem to be,
with the perspective of time are often found
not to be important. Think of some of the
ambitions you had as a youth. With the
maturity of mind which you now have,
those early objectives, as you think of them,
make you smile. You are grateful that you
did not succumb to them.
The attitude to take is that you will sin
cerely, with open mindthat is, without
deceitand with proper purpose, petition
the Cosmic for assistance. If it is forthcoming, one .then extends his gratitude by rendering whatever assistance he can to others.
If no aid is forthcoming, it is first necessary
to review the entire procedure of your ap
peal. Have you neglected any particular
requirement in petitioning the Cosmic?
Again, are you wholly justified in what you
ask? If you sincerely feel that all is proper
in your appeal, then proceed again. If there
is still no further response, you should real
ize that Cosmically there is some reason why
the laws are not perative for you at the
time.
Patience is also a virtue. Where time is
not of the essence, one must realize that the
Cosmic laws perform according to their nat
ural relationship and not to our point of

Page 15

AUGUST, 1958

view of necessity. What you ask for, if

proper, may not materializo today but may
come about weeks or months henee when
the causes and effeets can best be furthered.
X
Becoming Aware of Our Surroundings
A typical symptom of todays preoccupied
existence is brought forth in the letter of a
soror who writes: I have, on occasion, noticed when in town and speaking to a friend
on the sidewalk that people on the Street
seemed not to see us, though they walked
around us. I have often wondered if I have
perhaps walked around other people without
seeing them in the same way.
We have all, at one time or another, been
called out of a daydream or period of unawareness, to suddenly realize that we have
walked or driven several blocks, perhaps
even several miles, without realizing itnot
being able to recall any details of that part
of the trip.
It is very common, especially in large
cities where a person knows relatively few
people out of the total population, for indi
viduis to walk down the streets, not com
pletely unaware of their surrounding, but
immersed in their own thoughts to the ex
tent that they appear to take notice of very
little around them. They look through
rather than at those whom they encounter
in their walk.
To be sure, they notice others insofar as
not walking into them, but these others are
recognized only as obstacles, not as people.
Often, friends will pass one another on
the Street without realizing it or recognizing
each other.
We can become so wrapped up in our
thoughts that the outside world becomes only
a series of fleeting impressions, with no lasting reality or valu. We completely overlook the small but important things which
fill life and the universe.
Nature is a constant wonderland if we
open our consciousness to it, rather than
cise ourselves off and withdraw into a
shell composed solely of our own problems.
Being of a contemplative tum of mind is
a fine thing, but not if we contmplate only
those things which pertain to our jobs, our
personal lives, and those of our immediate
family.

We should train ourselves to be attentive

to the world around us. We should let our
selves be drawn out by the little details of
this world.
Watch a small child or baby animal as it
begins to develop awareness of its surround
ings, especially after it has become mobile
and is in the stage of personal exploration.
Nothing escapes its notice and complete
scrutiny. All the fumishings of its home,
every detail of its surroundings, must be
fully investigated; any container must be
opened and emptied of its contents so that
nothing remains hidden. All moving things
must be caught and studied to see why and
how. Fear is completely lacking. Only
curiosity and the desire to know are present.
As in so many other things, this too is
an area where we can receive a valuable
lesson from the very young.
By watching and following their development, we can gain a rebirth of sensitivity
and awareness which we might never expect to achieve in some other way. They
help us to achieve the refreshing, new outlook toward our life and surroundings which
is so vitally necessary to bring us out of our
all-absorbing preoccupation with ourselves.
They further help us to again bring life and
substance into that series of impressions
which constitutes the universe around us.
W
Power of the Eyes
A soror says: One of our monographs
states that the eye itransmits power into
space. Yet, I am sure that the teachings of
the Order would not commend the idea of
the casting of an evil eye. On what basis
may beneficent influences leave the eye and
be transmitted, and other influences not leave
the eye? Would not a staring eye always be
disturbing to the viewer?
It has long been thought that the eye
transmitted a subtle power. The most com
mon belief has been wholly superstitious in
that the power believed to be radiated from
the eyes was thought to be evil. Many per
sons in past centuries have been executed as
witches and demons because it was believed
that the power from their eyes was a malevolent influence.
The belief in a radiating power from the
eyes and the symbolism of the eye goes back

Page 16

into remte antiquity. Some of the earliest

references pertaining to .this influence of
the eye are to be found in -the pyramid
texts of ancient Egypt, particularly the 17th
chapter of the Book of the Dead. We find
that these records state that the sun and
moon were the two eyes of the sun-god.
There is some confusion in the ancient significance of the idea as related to the sungod. In one place we are told that the eye
of the sun was destruotive and was represented as a serpent. On the other hand, the
sun-gods eye was said to be a goddess and
could protect the living king or nurse a
dead king.
The eye of the sun-god could also be employed as a messenger or agent to do the
gods bidding. The eye is here delineated as
a malevolent forc. It is related .that the
sun-god, Re, sent out the goddess Hathor as
one of his eyes to slaughter mankind. The
right eye was said to be the sun and the left
eye of the god was the moon. It was the
moon eye which was evil.
One of the elabrate rituals of ancient
Egypt was known as The Eye of Hors,
Horus being a god and the son of Osiris and
Isis. The three formed a sacred trinity in
Egyptian religin. Behind this ritual there
is an ancient myth upon which it was
founded. Perhaps, too, some historians think,
the myth may be based upon a legend of a
battle between two prehistoric characters in
which one lost his eye to the other. How
ever, according to the ritual, Horus gave his
eye to his father, Osiris, who had been slain.
With it, Horus opened the eyes of Osiris and
restored him to life.
The whole theme of the ritual is the
resurrection of Osiris by his son Horus. The
murder of Osiris by his brother Seth, then
his resurrection, and his eternal life form
the worlds oldest passion play or religious
drama. From this ritual and its related mystery rites carne the first belief in resurrection,
rebirth and eternal life. Its influence upon
the captured Hebrews and later Christianity
was considerable.
The ritual of The Eye of Horus included
rites of puiification which depicted Horus
purifying his father before the latter was
resurrected. The symbol of the eye, par
ticularly The Eye of Horus, carne to depict the symbol of giving and of gifts. As
Horus gave his eye for Osiris, so mankind

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

gave The Eye of Horusthat is, exchanged

gifts with good will. In fact, any sacrifice
for benevolent reasons carne to be known
as The Eye of Horus.
It appears that, concomitant with the recognition of The Eye of Horus and its
meaning in the days of ancient Egypt, was
the Eye of Osiris. This latter symbolic
eye was called Uta and was a most important
emblem. It is profusely presented in that
collection of funereal texts called the Book
of the Dead. It mystically symbolized the
All-seeing Presence of Divinity This eye
then depicts the all-inclusive visin and con
sciousness of God from which nothing is excluded. No matter where man dwells or
what are his activities at any time, he is
ever in the all-seeing visin of God.
The All-seeing Eye carne to be a symbol
of Egypt. Through the process of syncretism
or borrowing, it carne to be incorporated in
the esoteric symbolism of organizations of
the Western world centuries later. In fact,
today in almost all Rosicrucian lodges and
chapters throughout the world, this symbol
of the All-seeing Eye appears on the Masters lectem in the East, or elsewhere in
their decorations. The same ancient mean
ing is related .to it.
In Greco-Romn times, the various objects
connected with the god Horus acquired
magical properties. The symbol of the eye
alluded to the power transmitted by the eye
of the god. The object itself as an amulet
was regarded as having inherent power
which could destroy or inflict a malevolence.
It is believed that from this early beginning
there developed the notion that the eye can
transmit evil. Today in the Near and Middle
East and in the Orient the belief in the
evil eye is very prevalent.
There are, of course, psychological reasons
for the superstition that the eye is a transmitter of malevolent power. In anger, the
facial expression is contorted, the lips may
curl, nostrils may nflate, and the eyes are
noticed to change. The lids may cise slightly, narrowing the eye. The accompanying
intense concentration gives the eyes the ap
pearance of hardness, that is, of hostility.
The focus of attention on a face is usually
the eyes. Noting these changes in .the eyes,
when one is laboring under the emotion of
anger, they suggest to the viewer that an
evil power is emanating from them.

AUGUST, 1958

Combined with these physical changes observed, the viewer may experience an emotional response to them. He may feel a
tenseness in his solar plexus, probably the
result of fear, which sensation arises wholly
within his own being. The sensations, though
wholly psychological, he may regard as
being directly caused by a power transmitted
to him by the eyes of the other person.
Some persons have a hypnotic stare. This
may cause other persons to becoiiie fascinated and apparently unable to resist looking at their eyes. The viewer then is easily
induced into a hypnotic sleep. Subsequently,
the eyes of such a person may be believed
to be possessed of a strange and dominant
power. In primitive society persons with a
deformity of the eyes or with cataracts were
often thought to be exerting an influence
on the observer, because their eyes became
a focus of attention. Individuis under the
influence of certain drugs may have dis
tended or greatly contracted pupils which
become fixed in their stare. This gives them
a weird and awesome appearance. The emotional reaction of the observer to the appear
ance of such eyes has been falsely attributed
to a power directly emanating from them.
In the esoteric literature of the arcane
schools it has long been declared that a
beneficent power could be transmitted by
the eyes during certain concentration exercises. This power, it was taught, could be
used for mentally creating and producing
changes in ones physical environment. More
specifically the focus of .the consciousness
through visual concentration caused the
energy of thought to actually radiate through
the eyes. This energy, of which the partic
ular nature in terms of vibratory rate was
not known, could alter or affect the energy
of matter. At least this is the premise of
the esoteric teachings. It was likew ise
thought that such transmitted energy from
the eyes could be used for healing purposes.
In these traditional esoteric schools it was
never taught that the power of the eyes
could be malevolent, that is, evil. It was
contended that the psychic energy of a person, the harmony of his own being, was too
strong a protective influence to be affected
by any external destructive power. Ones
thoughts are normally more dominant than
any external thought projected to him. Con
sequently, ones own instinctive desire for

Page 17

well-being would oppose any malevolent

forc directed toward him mentally or by
means of the eyes.
In modem tests in the field of parapsychology, visual concentration has seemed to
produce at times noticeable effects upon oth
ers. Let us suppose, for example, that in a
reception room there are two strangers waiting for an appointment with the physician.
Both are reading. Neither is apparently con
scious of the presence of the other. One
person looks up from his periodical without
any change of position or movement and be
gins concentrating, staring, at the other occupant of the room. Statistically, according
to a number of tests, the one stared at would
feel a strange urge to look up. The sensations
he would have would be difficult to describe.
His own concentration would be interrupted
and he would experience a sort of stimulus
causing him to tum in the direction of the
concentrated gaze.
This, of course, could come under the head
of telepathic transmission or the projection
of consciousness without implying any rela
tionship to the visual gaze. However, in
similar experiments with the eyes closed,
when the subject did not know the experiment was being conducted, the results were
less successful. Thus there seemed to be a
relationship between the focus of the atten
tion and the e je . In other words, there
seems to be in modem experimentation a
confirmation of the esoteric principie of
transmission of power from the eyes.X
Sleep - Learning
A soror of Kent, England, now addresses
our Forum, asking: Is it possible to train
the subconscious mind by audio-suggestion
while the person is asleep?
For many years the early monographs of
the Rosicrucian teachings presented exercises in which parents were taught to speak
softly to their children while the latter were
asleep, to accomplish a certain end. Particularly, the object was to implant within
the childs subconscious the suggestion which
would constitute a subliminal motivation
when later he was awake. The child would
therefore leam the desired subjects or ideas,
or respond more readily to the instruction
than if it had been read or given verbally
while awake. The psychological principie is

Page 18

that in some instances the response to leam

ing is difficult. The individual cannot con
cntrate, or perhaps fails to have sufficient
interest in the necessary subject matter of
the instruGtion.

During sleep the subconscious is more ac

tive than is the objective aspect of mind. The
receptor organs are perhaps just as responsive to stimuli as when awake, but the con
sciousness is inverted and is not as receptive to impressions derived through these
senses. Consequently, deeper levels of con
sciousness may be reached without conflict
from the will and reason of the sleeper.
In the Rosicrucian studies we symbolize
the consciousness as a balanced scale. On
one of the trays of the scale is the objectivesubjective mind with .the respective attributes. On the other tray is the subconscious,
which is more expansive, embracing a far
greater realitymuch of which we have no
objective awareness. When the individual is
asleep, the diagram shows the tray of the
subconscious to be weighed down, that is,
indicating .that it is more receptive than the
objective mind.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Sleep-leaming cannot induce a contra-behavior, that is, an activity which when one
is awake he would consider to be in conflict
with his moral principies or ethics. If, for
illustration, one believes that a particular
type of work is contrary to his ethics, any
suggestions to the subconscious would not
in the least result in the mitigation of such
personal objection. Ones own inner convictions based on his own conclusions and ex
periences are always more efficacious than
foreign ideas implanted by another. No mat
ter how long one may listen -to the voice of
another, or to the repetitious playing of
phonograph records while asleep, that ideation which is part of his own ego, his own
personality, will not be altered in the slightest degree.

Sleep and hypnosis have a great similarity.

In fact, the word hypnosis is derived from
a root meaning sleep. In sleep, of course,
the sleeper is not under the domination or
control of the will of another as in hypnosis.
But, nevertheless, he is susceptible to suggestion which can be implanted in his sub
conscious mind at times without awakening
him.

Conversely, however, if one has certain

fears, doubts or anxieties which are, in fact,
groundless and which are not part of his
moral structure or the result of careful
thought, they can be bridged by a proper
method of sleep-learning. For example, sup
pose one desires to be a salesman but is
afflicted with stage fright and imagines he
could never present himself or his product
in the proper way to a client. In such an
instance, suggestion to the subconscious may
be a great help in ehminating his inhibitions.
During the process of audio-suggestion dur
ing sleep, he may be told in positive terms
that he is an intelligent individual, that he
really is forceful, that his presence instills
confidence, and that he can gain the atten
tion and respect of his clients.

When AMORC introduced these principies

and laws of sleep-leaming in its teachings,
they had not been taught elsewhere. Subsequently, these doctrines were published by
AMORC in Rosicmcian periodicals intentionally made available to .the public. They
were then copied by individuis outside the
Order and commercialized; in fact, some of
the exact phraseology was used. Unfortunately, some of those who copied this ma
terial made absurd claims for sleep-leaming,
statements which had never been made by
AMORC. Today the public is often exploited
by being sold expensive phonographs and
special records for sleep-leaming, accompanied by fantastic claims which are con
trary to metaphysical and psychological prin
cipies and laws.

Of course, the phraseology would not be

as concise as given here; in fact, the method
of presentation is most important. It is not
just a matter of introducing certain phrases
while the subject is asleep. The statements
must have a ring of conviction, and they
must consist of a series of intelligent affirmations. Illogical statements, inane sug
gestions, are rejected by the subconscious of
an intelligent personjust as they would be
rejected by his objective mind while he was
awake. That is another reason why a set
of standard phonograph records prepared
alike for all persons, as sold on the market
by some of the concems advocating sleepleaming, are absolutely inappropriate. The
personality, the ego, of every individual is
not the same.

AUGUST, 1958

Experiments have shown that sleep-leam

ing has been quite helpful in increasing the
memory of a certain subject, that is, the
recollection of points of information implanted in the memory. Some years ago we
read a report from a leading university in
which students preparing for their final and
difficult examination were subjected to ex
periments in audio-suggestion during sleep.
The students were divided into two groups,
A and B. Every one of the students, alike,
studied the textbooks and attended class
lectures for the same number of hours daily
under this plan of controlled experimentation. The A group, however, during sleep,
had played back to them succinct quotations
from the studies of the day, by means of
ear phones attached to the head. The B group
did not particpate in the audio-instruction
while asleep. The findings revealed a significantly high rating on the examination
of the students composing the A group.
What the organizations advertising records
for sleep-leaming do not say is that the
method is not infallible. It cannot accomplish for everyone who partcipates in the
practice that which it claims. Some indi
viduis react to a low threshold of auditory
stimuli. In other words, no matter how softly
spoken the words are to them, they wake
immediately. There are others who appar
ently do not hear unless the sound of the
voice is raised to such a level that it awakens
them. It must be realized that in sleep one
actually hears in the same manner as when
awake. The organ of hearing and the re
ceptor senses are functioning, but the im
pulses, or stimuli, received are not ordinarily
sufficient to arouse the objective conscious
ness, and bring it to focus on the impulses
so that one realizes what is being said in an
objective way.
Another point which some of the advertisers of this system erroneously imply is that
the practice quickens the intelligence. Ac
tually, it adds in no way to the innate
intelligence of an individual. If the method
is successful, it may remove any mental
blocks or inhibitions which prevent the
facilitation of leaming in the usual manner.
There will not be a complete transformation
of the personality of the individual as is often
claimed for sleep-leaming. It will not add
talents or attributes, but it can, if successful,

Page 19

under the proper conditions, awaken talents

already possessed. It never will make a
genius of one who has a low intelligence
quotient.X
W ar and Karma
A frater in Australia now rises to ask a
question of our Forum: Does the sacrificing
of ones own life involve karmic debt where
one is protecting his own country?
Karma is the law of compensation and
causality. This means that for each act or
deed there is a reaction; that is, for every
cause there is a corresponding effect. The
causation of karma, however, is not purposeful or determinative. There is no intent to
inflict punishment or bring about retribution
or confer rewards for acts of commission or
omission.
Karma is the impersonal manifestation of
Cosmic and natural law. Ones thoughts or
acts invoke certain conditions or forces from
which follow results. For illustration, one
who throws a stone into the air has created
a karmic condition. He has set into motion
the forc of gravity. The effect will be to
retum the stone to the earths surface. If
one is struck by the descending rock which
he has cast into the air, he is merely experiencing the natural effect of a cause which
he instituted. There is certainly no intent
behind the result; neither gravity or the
stone intend to inflict an injury upon him.
The whole procedure would be quite im
personal.
According to metaphysical and mystical
traditions, there are karmic laws that func
tion other than in the physical realm. In
other words, they are related to the general
fabric ofphysical laws but are actated in a
different way. These causations are related
to human purpose and motives. Thus, for
example, hatred, malice, and injustice by
which others suffer may bring about karmic
effects where the one who produced them
will experience circumstances of like kind.
Such laws or effects are also impersonal.
They are not functioning to impose a pun
ishment on any human. The principie seems
to be that the effect ultimately causes the
individual to realize the suffering which his
conduct may have imposed upon another.
Such karmic laws in effect would be a lesson.

Page 20

One who is belligerent and offensive to

others brings about a karma. He is not selected to be an object of retribution. Rather,
he has invokd causes, conditions and cir
cumstances, that sometime in his life he too
will have to confront; then he will realize
the same emotions and feelings his conduct
induced in others.
Therefore, in accordance with this higher
aspect of karma, it would seem the underlying motive of our acts is a prime factor as
to the effects that will follow from them.
We are imbued by nature with the instinc
tive drive to preserve self. This means not
only our physical being but the ego, our
human dignity and all that self may include in its embracing nature. Certainly we
include, in the preservative characteristic of
self, our loved ones and what our moral
sense or conscience accustoms us to accept
as the good. A man will thus include in the
cherished precincts of self his family, those
things upon which he confers his higher or
more expansive love, and his countryprovided, of course, that his countrys laws,
customs, and ideis conform to what he holds
to be a common and spiritual good.
It is, therefore, incumbent upon the indi
vidual, unless he is a pusillanimous charac
ter, to defend these elements that participate
in self. He certainly will fight to the extent
of sacrificing his life for them. His motives
will be generally impersonal, though actual
ly he will be acting in the interests of his
more inclusive self and the sacrifice of his
life will be an act of human probity, noble
conduct. Such acts then will not invoke
any karmic effects that would be adverse.
Of course, it must be realized, and we repeat
this as we have on a number of occasions,
that karma and its effects are not all adverse.
Karma consists of causes and effects. We can
also put into motion and preciptate causes
which will bring us beneficent results from
which we will gain good or advantage.
The individual who states that the taking
of life under any circumstances is spiritually
wrong, and that he will not submit to war
of any kind, is unrealistic. He is actually
defying the Cosmic motivations of life forc.
He is opposing the basic nature of his own
being. Somewhere along his ancestral line
someone took a life in a protective and defensive manner or he would not have been

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

propagated and lived to proclaim his impractical philosophy. Suppose he had been
subject to an attack by a mentally deranged
person when a child. Further, suppose his
father had accepted a philosophy similar to
his own. No defense would then have been
offered and his life would have been taken.
In the matter of a war, a people must be
very cautious before they agree to allow
themselves, as a collective citizenry, to be
precipitated into one. Individuis who live a
personally circumspect life and who incur a
minimum of adverse karmic effects may,
however, experience the collective adverse
karma of a nation wrongly at war. We, as
citizens, in a war where the populace has
any voice in the affairs of their government,
are responsible for the acts of our public
officials and of the nation as a whole. If a
nation assumes an arrogant attitude toward
the rights and requirements of other peoples
and pursues an unreasonable and belligerent
course that leads it to war, its citizenry incurs adverse karma. They have, by their
thoughtlessness, set into forc causes of a
destructive nature whose effects the indi
viduis must experience, such as disease, per
sonal injury, loss of property and loved ones
and other calamities.
Nations that throw about the weight of
their military power and intimidate other
sovereign powers are creating adverse karma
for their people, regardless of .the beneficent
and peaceful lives that their individual citi
zens may live. We know people who give
no thought to intemational affairs, tariff
restrictions, trade blocks, unnecessary mili
tary aggression, and intemational cartels with
their unfair monopoly. Subsequently, such
people, then, bemoan the economic and po
litical complications which eventually ensue
from such conditions and which reach down
to inflict personally some distress upon them.
We may ask, What is the difference be
tween the sorrow and suffering of experi
ences in what may be considered a morally
justi.fi able war and one that is brought about
by a peoples indifference or improper con
duct? So far as the individual suffering or
personal injury or grief over the loss of loved
ones is concemed, there is no difference, no
matter the cause of the war. However,
where the public conscience, the sense of
righteousness based upon an intelligent sur-

AUGST, 1958

vey of events, necessitated the war, there are

compensations that mitgate the effects. The
personal sorrow is offset to an extent by the
feeling that the sacrifice is being made for
a contribution toward the uplift of mankind
and the eventual betterment and security of
humanity. No one will deny that a war
which frees a people from inhuman bondage,
even though individual lives are lost, is a
worthy action, if men are to express their
spiritual idealism.
We must realize that sacrifice in life must
be made. There are prices we pay for even
tual karmic effects that make life worth
living.X
The Anticipation of Tomorrow
The mysteries of time and space have al
ways intrigued men. W e find it very difficult
to free our consciousness from this considera
tion because in the physical world we are
always faced with conditions impressing us
with time and space whether we want to be
aware of them or not. As far in the past as
we have a record of mans thinking, there
have always been in every culture those in
dividuis who because of their concern with
the problems of time and space have devoted
considerable effort to attempts foretelling the
future or to the regaining of youth.
It would seem to be a contradiction for
man to be simultaneously interested in the
future and the past. This interest is associated with concern of the unknown. Every
mature adult has some desire to recover the
energy and enthusiasm of youth. We also
would like to peer into the future as a place
for the expression of the vitality which we
would have if we could regain all the powers
of youth and at the same time retain our
present knowledge and experience.
These desires on the part of man are the
basis of much fantasy. They are, in a sense,
no more than a series of daydreams. The
late P. D. Ouspenski, in the only novel that
he wrote, attempted to tell in story form the
events in the life of a man who had an
opportunity to live his life over again. In
the novel, the main character through a
series of complex situations is able to return
to his youth and to live his life again with
a complete memory of what had occurred
before.

Page 21

This mans life had been a failure. He

hoped to benefit by the errors that had oc
curred in one life and to make a new life
upon the basis of his previous experience.
Actually, this individual found that it was
impossible for him to act any differently
than he had before. He had been wamed
that he could not make new decisions and
correct the errors that he had committed in
the past.
What we forget if we ever dream of be
ing able to live over again is that our relation to environment will be the same un
less one or the other is modified. Unless the
environment or we are fundamentally dif
ferent, the reactions between the two will
always be substantially the same.
We can think of many events or acts that
have occurred in our lives which, if we had
the privilege to live over again, we believe
we would modify. But in order to modify
them, we would have to be different per
sonalices. We could not behave other than
we did before unless we were placed in an
entirely different environment or unless we
were a completely different entity. Knowl
edge in itself is not enough to change the
relationship between self and environment.
In other words, in the story by Ouspenski,
even though the character had .the ability
to remember what had occurred in the past,
memory itself did not change the environmental pressures that existed at the time of
certain events. The individual in the book
behaved in the same manner as he did be
fore and again arrived at a mature age regretting the same mistakes that he had made
in the previous life.
A great deal of time is consumed by us
in thinking of the future. We think that
tomorrow will be a new opportunity, that it
will be the chance to do something different
and even something better. But in .the eternal mystery of time and space, the whole
crux of the matter goes deeper than our
mere desire or hope to take advantage of
a future situation. The fact is that tomorrow
is a realization that exists only in our minds.
The future is not an actuality in the sense
that the term is defined in Rosicrucian phi
losophy. The future is only a realization
which we have anticipated and imagined out
of our own memory, experience, and what
we believe we want. Furthermore, most of

Page 22

our anticipations in relation to the future

are bound closely to the material vales
which we find so important today; conse
quently, since tomorrow does not exist as an
actuality, it cannot be proved to be an existent in terms of material actualities. In
fact, tomorrow has no existence at all except
as we may imagine it. Tomorrow will never
be found in terms of todays material vales.
The individual who expects to accomplish
more tomorrow than he did in the past, when
his accomplishments are directly related to
the material universe in which he functions,
will frequently be disappointed because the
material vales of today are only transient
things that cannot be made to have actuality
in an imaginary period of time that has not
yet come into existence. This fact explains
why .tomorrow can often be so disappointing. We should seek new and enduring
vales and at the same time strive to attain
the knowledge and perspective which will
permit us to recognize such vales.
The human being is the only living entity that places great emphasis on time. In
the rest of the animal world, time is of little
consequence. If you will observe the average
domestic animal, you will notice that it exists in terms of consciousness, and, as explained in our monographs, the life of an
animal illustrates perfectly to us that time
is actually no more or less than a measurement of the duration of consciousness. Dur
ing that duration, the animal is alert. When
it is not alert, it usually rests or sleeps. It
does not spend any interval being concemed
or dwelling upon the possibilities that may
be produced in terms of an unknown or
indefinite future.
The only way that future vales may be
obtained, and in which the future can benefit us, is through the process of growing into
it. The future as usually defined is the
moment in advance of the one in which
we actually exist. That it will actually exist
there is no proof except in experience, and
our experience has been that previous present intervals have been followed by future
intervals. But as these intervals are transferred from the present to the future, they
immediately take on all the complexities
and involvements of the present and no
longer contain the opportunities that they
may seem to have promised in the im

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

aginary concept of the future within our

consciousness.
Growth is a process that takes place in
the present, and as it carries over into other
segments of what we cali time, we ourselves
grow too, and in such growth we fulfill
certain functions and purpose of our being.
Our objective awareness of time and our
usual reliability upon its infallibility causes
the future to assume unreal aspects. We can
do with the future whatever we want as
long as the future is purely a state in our
minds, but when we grow out of the present
into other intervals of being, then we find
that the same situations of self and environ
ment in relation to each other are as complex
as ever. It is only by drawing upon all the
ingenuity that is possible from the greatest
depths of our being that we are able to cope
with situations existing as a result of the
combination of self and environment which
we as individual entities experience in rela
tion to time as the flowing mdium in which
we exist.
The soul thrives on experience. As finite
beings we can see no purpose for the soul
to function at the level of environment, this
material world, other than to provide itself
the opportunity to participate in certain ex
periences. Through this participation the
soul, in itself, does not become more perfect.
However, the realization gained through the
experience of the soul causes us to evolve
the personality which will accompany that
soul and which will become such expression
of it as we will ultimately become at some
other time and place. To the soul in its
process of growing through experience, time
is of no consequence. Growth is simply a
process in which the soul participates with
out consideration of what we know as time.
The eternal rhythm of being is the mani
festation of the forces that cause the uni
verse to be. This rhythm is the manifesta
tion of Cosmic Law which has been ordained
by a forc external to us to manifest the
existence of being as it is expressed in the
universe. In this eternal rhythm of being,
the accents are placed by God, or we might
say by the first cause of the universe. The
accents are such that the rhythm activates
the fundamental processes of all being and
of the universe.

AUGUST, 1958

The rhythm of being is like the sound of

a chord played upon a great organ that
seems to echo the rhythm of its own nature
through all time and space and into eternity.
Our obligation as individual entities is to become attuned to this rhythmto feel our
selves a part of the basic vibrations of the
Cosmic. This rhythm exists as the pacemaker or the pattern by which man can
co-operate and co-ordinate his efforts with
those which exist elsewhere in the universe.
To get into step with the Cosmic is to gain
conscious realization of the divine rhythm
which is the cause of universal manifesta
tion. To acquire an awareness of that rhythm
is identical with what we cali attunement or
the attainment of the mystic state where
our soul, our personality, and our realization
become at one with the ultmate and final
forces of the universe.
The concern of every mystic as well as
every individual who seeks mystical knowl
edge should not be for the future. In fact,
the concern of the mystic should not be with
time because inasmuch as the mystic, or the
aspiring mystic, relates himself to material
vales and to those physical entities which
are measured by physical standards, he is, in
a sense, identifying himself more firmly with
the material standards which he is trying
to escape in order to reach the realms of be
ing that lie outside a material world.
' The experiences lying in the field we
know as psychic or spiritual are those not
associated with the physical standards and
material entities with which we are familiar
in .the environment of our physical existence.
In order to associate ourselves with vales
which are of God and ordained by God for
man to attain, we must conceive of those
vales as being something that exists as
much in reality as do the material things
about him and which his senses perceive as
existing in actuality.
What I am trying to summarize is this:
to the extent that man concems himself with
physical vales, he limits his relationship to
any other kind of vales. To live in a physi
cal world giving most of our attention to the
accumulation of material things, and be con
cemed about those material things at a
future time, is literally chaining ourselves
to those physical entities which are about
us. To be able to raise our concepts, to di

Page 23

rect our consciousness, to the realization of

our inherent powers and to the attainment
of the understanding of God as an actual
existing entity, we must associate ourselves
with those higher vales and dwell upon
them. We must release the hold of material
things that would tend to limit our ability
to grow.
The consideration of any material entity
detracts from mystical awareness. Surely, all
of us know -that concentration and medita
tion is difficult under circumstances tending
to emphasize in our consciousness the exist
ence of our surroundings. Concentration and
meditation can best be achieved when we
are in a place that is comfortable, quiet, and
conducive to what we want to do. Whenever
material vales are the primary things of
our awareness, then we are chiefly attached
to such vales and only secondarily directed
toward the consideration of the higher con
cepts we wish to achieve.
This does not mean we do not recognize
the existence of physical actuality and the
necessity of the realization that a part of
our experience must be the result of our
ability to cope with those actualities, but it
does mean that in our placing of vales all
material and physical entities should be of
secondary valu. Time is certainly one of the
most prominent physical vales that restrict
us to a physical level. For this reason we
must leam not to emphasize the importance
of time in our Uves.
Mysticism is a philosophy of mans relation to God; .therefore, the mystic, and he
who aspires to be a mystic if he is going to
succeed, should in every way possible also
try to be god-like in his estmate of vales
and in his outlook toward the universe. It
is only by dwelling upon the ideis and
vales that transcend those on the physical
level .that man finds in his own nature the
ability and the incentive to lead himself
from the finite toward the infinite, from the
physical to the spiritual, from being a physi
cal entityas is all life on earthto being
a soul entity which is .the expression of the
greater light that infuses all the universe if
we but open ourselves to permit its entry. A

A ttcU nina

Gqmc GortAxune

P&nonal ORAL INSTRUCTION

AT-ONE-NESS
with the Infinite . . .
The most sublime ex
perience of which man
is capable! In every age
men have sought it. Theologians called it revelation . . .
Psychologists refer to it as sub
liminal motivation . . . Mystics know
it as Cosmic Consciousness. Now available for the first time . . . personal oral
instruction in the technique for attaining this
unity with the Absolute. Not only does Cosmic
Consciousness provide an ecstatic experience,
it likewise affords added personal insight, resulting in inner peace and power. This excellent
recording was made by Ralph M. Lewis, F.R .C .,
Imperator of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC.
It is replete with exercises which can be used
daily with pleasure and benefit. (for members
of the A.M.O.R.C. only)

40 Minutes of Explanation and Exercises!

ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU >2

S A N JOSE, C A L IF O R N IA , U. S. A.

33 i R P ll

Long-Playing
Hi-Fdelity

(Sterling 1/1/9)

October, 1958
Volume XXIX

No. 2

Rosicrucian Forum
A prvate

pu blication for m e m b e rs of A M O R C

M A R IA M O U R A , F. R. C.
Director, Granel Lod ge of A M O R C , Brazil

Page 26

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

DOES SCIENCE NEGATE GOD?

Dear Fratres and Sor ores:
Does science invade the province of the
Divine? The answer is yes, with qualifications. Before the great advance of science in
the eighteenth century, many phenomena,
whose physical or natural causal relations
were unknown, were attributed to the direct
will of the deity. In other words, such events
or phenomena were conceived by the average man, if a devout religionist, to be arbitrarily brought into existence by a fat of
God.
A common example of this was the weather. Severe storms or droughts, with their ad
verse effects, were generally believed to be
the consequence of Gods volition. It was
often proclaimed by the clergy from the
pulpit that God was imposing his wrath
upon the people for some omission or commission. Prior to the advent of the theory
of organic evolution and advanced researches
in biology, it was contended that man was a
spontaneously created being, this idea being
principally supported by theology. Man was
held to be arbitrarily chosen by God to be
in the particular form which he assumed.
Mans hands and fingers, for further ex
ample, were declared to have been separately
designed for their functions rather than to
have evolved by the demands of environ
ment.
Even Descartes, the noted French philoso
pher, deplored any similarity between animals and man. He tried to explain away the
fact of their organic relationship, especially
that animals might think. He says: The
greatest of all prejudices we have retained
from infancy is that of believing that brutes
think. The source of this error comes from
having observed that many of the bodily
members of brutes are not very different
from our own in shape and movements. . . .
and . . . I have held it demonstrated that
we are not able in any manner to prove that
there is in the animals a soul which thinks.
I am not at all disturbed in my opinion by
those doublings and cunning tricks of dogs
and foxes, or by all those things which

animals do. . . . I engage to explain all that

very easily merely by the conformation of
the parts of the animals.
Geology and archaeology have also been
accused of violating and invading the precincts of the Divine. Geology has shown the
tremendous age of the earthsince sup
ported by demonstrations of radio carbn
which far exceeds the era of the beginning
of creation as set forth in traditional sacred
writings. Archaeology has likewise thrown
light upon the periods of mans society,
changing entirely the time formerly estimated by religin. Medicine has shown the
origin of disease and plagues, attributing
them to lack of sanitation, improper diet, and
neglect of hygiene, rather than to Divine
displeasure. Psychology has expounded that
moral vales are not wholly a supernatural
mantle or infusin that enters into men.
Conscience is in great part due to our society,
customs and associations.
Further, all revelations and visions are
not necessarily the consequence of Divine
insight. Some are the result of a disintegrated
personality, the inability of the individual to
distinguish between subconscious impres
sions, mental images, and the world of
reality. Psychology will contend and prove
that much of what men heretofore have
called soul is really a matrix of finer sensibilities and sensations, the result of deeper
emotions arising out of the forc of life it
self in the organism. These urges are part
of the vital forc of the organism setting up
stimuli within, just as stimuli from the outer
world act upon mans peripheral senses.
These inner sensations are another aspect of
the stream of consciousness which man, for
want of understanding, has named soul.
If these things, these manifestations, and
the manner in which men have presumed
they carne into existence, actually constitute
Gods exclusive function, then, of course,
science could be said to now parallel the
Divine. Such reasoning consists of limiting
the deity to certain qualities. Then, of course,
when such phenomena prove to be demon-

Page 27

OCTOBER, 1958

strable by science, it appears to diminish

Gods nature. What, however, is necessary is
an entirely different evaluation of the Divine,
or God. If He always remains sufficiently
transcendent, then the increasing wave of
materialism and the advance of knowledge
by science can in no way detract from
Divine eminence.
The religious view that contends that sci
ence is gradually negating God is the theistic
conception. It conceives a personalized deity
who has pre-determined all reality, all the
particulars in the universe from pebbles to
stars, from the amoeba to man. It confers
upon the deity a series of particular purposes
and plans. Each thing is not thought to be
a development, as a part of forces and pow
ers inherent within it or working upon it,
but rather is thought to be the fulfillment
of a preconceived design in Gods mind. Each
thing, it is believed, is a separate creation in
that it was divinely foreseen that it should
be, or that it would come to pass as it actual
ly is. According to this theistic conception,
God is the creator and His functions are
somewhat like the mind of a human inven
tor. He arbitrarily creates and directly Con
trols all of that which comes into reality.
When science reveis that creations are
not necessarily spontaneous, or preconceived
to be dependent upon each other, then it
obviously appears as if it is making an at
tack upon God. But science, in reality, is
only disproving a particular conception of
the Divine, namely, the theistic one.
Suppose, instead, we presume a teleological
cause behind all existence, that is, a mind
cause which is universal, or cali it Divine
if you will. However, it is not anthropomorphic. It is not human-like or a personal deity.
All things are amorphous and potential
within this mind, for flowing from it, or
actually within it, are the energies, forces
and powers which constitute reality. Since,
however, it is mind, it can be presumed that
it has self-consciousness of its own nature.

It, therefore, continually strives to be. The

mind, with its consciousness of being, constitutes that law and order which men seem
to perceive in nature. The developments, the
evolutionary processes that are experienced
in natural phenomena, do not stem, there
fore, from a plan for the particular forms or
shapes that seem to come about. These are
but mere incidentsmanifestations of the
cosmic or divine forc of which this univer
sal mind consists.
Let us use a simple analogy. The color
sensations that the eyes and brain register
were not designed by this universal divine
mind as such. It was not plaimed that there
be the human eye or the sensation red. Instead, the eye is an organic development
coming forth from a combination of forces
which are of the divine consciousness. The
colors are but wave lengths of another energy, which is part of the consciousness of
the divine, part of its whole harmonious
nature.
The consciousness of the divine mind, in
fulfilling its being, results in mans perceiving a variety of phenomena, the continuity
of the whole not as yet realized by him. He,
in tum, thinks of these phenomena as be
ing separate, as being especially designed
creations.
This conception, pantheistic though it be,
puts God in all things. It makes the forces
and energies, which are discovered and utilized by science, manifestations of a supreme
impersonal consciousness and power. Science
but discovers and uses this divine power. It
reveis empirically how things come into
existencenot by an individual fat of God
or as a result of a preconceived design, but
as a direct result of His own nature. No
matter how extensive the discoveries of sci
ence, regardless of their disclosures of the
universe as a phenomenon of physical forces,
there contines to transcend all such the
oneness, the unity of this spectrum of ener-

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 of the U .S . Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of the Supreme Council of A M O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sferlng) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sferlng) per year FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page 28

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

gies, which exists in the teleological cause,

the divine mind.
The adamant materialist will recognize no
transcendent cause. To him nature is not an
extensin of a supreme intelligence and pow
er manifesting in forces and energies, but,
rather, a physical mechanistic forc, uncon
scious in every respect and with no inherent
motivation or vitalism. This materialistic
universe is monistic, being physical only.
The mystical pantheist conceives a monistic
universe also, but to him it is all God. It is
just as the arms and legs of a man are not
really separate things, but are the elements
of the one organic being, man himself.
Unless man broadens and expands his conception of the nature and power of God, to
him it will appear that science has negated
the Divine. God, to man, is but a notion,
an idea, so far as gaining an understanding
of Him is concemed. Mans understanding
of God, then, must grow at least in proportion to the increasing knowledge he acquires
about the physical universe. Science, even
in its constructive pattem, can unwittingly
make atheists of those who have arrested
their notion of God, who cling fast to an
obviously obsolete idea. They must elabrate
on that idea, because if robbed of it they
would have nothing left.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
AM ORC Motion Pictures
Each generation is not independent of the
one that preceded it. Knowledge, too, is a
continuity. Though each generation may
make startling discoveries and come forth
with revolutionary progressive ideas, the fulfillment and use of them is dependent on the
contributions of earlier mindseven those of
centuries ago. All of the new devices and
the thrilling projects in the realm of electronics are contingent, for example, upon
mathematics and the principies of physics
long well established. The basic principies
of higher mathematics find their root in the
genius of the ancient Greeks and other
earlier peoples.
Our religious systems are founded upon
the revelations had by men many centuries
ago. Many of our social taboos, and that
which we construe as good or wrong be-

havior, are not new innovations. They are

the discoveries of a society dating back to od
civilizations. The Decalogue or Ten Commandments and other codes expounding
right conduct, though now often attributed
to divine revelations, were really the shrewd
observance by men centuries ago of what
is essential to proper human relations.
Theft, murder, rape, lying, are fundamentally wrong, not just from a moral point
of view, but as a matter of necessity if society
is to be held together. In other words, men
must not fear one another but must command mutual respect if they are to work
and live together. Time can littie change
such codes of behavior if society as we want
it is to continu. Consequently, these things
are maintained today because they are es
sential to us.
Men should not be tradition bound. In the
Rosicrucian teachings and in numerous articles and lectures disseminated by the Rosi
crucian Order, it inveighs against submitting
uncritically to tradition. A tradition must
be as effective today as the day it was instituted, or it should be discarded. If a tradi
tion is not effective at present, it then will
shackle mens minds and bodies. But traditions beyond which men have not conceived,
or which time has not brought something
finer, should be preserved.
To a great extent, we leam about our
selves from what has transpired in the past
eras of history. A student of history can see
in the trend of events today the errors of
yesterday which, if not extirpated, may
cause the same circumstances to recur. That
history repeats itself is no idle aphorism,
because we are so constituted that as humans we will always respond to certain
similar stimuli and environmental conditions
more or less alike. The evolution of human
nature is slow. Superficially, our culture,
our way of living, may be quite drastically
different than in the past, but as humans we
have the same emotions as did the Romans,
Greeks, Egyptians, and Babylonians. Modera
education may be more extensive but the
pristine intelligence of the people today in
being able to cope with entirely new cir
cumstances doies not exceed the ability of the
peoples of ancient Rome or Athens to do so.
The present then is a concatenation of
events leading from the past and which will
likewise influence the future. It therefore

OCTOBER, 1958

behooves the intelligent, modem person to

become familiar with history, not only of
events but of thought. We should know why
people thought as they did, why customs
sprang from such concepts, and we will
then understand many of our modem ways
of living which we now just accept. Perhaps
we may discover how fallow are some of
those customs which we preserve and which
we even look upon with an attitude of
reverence.
It is for these reasons that AMORC maintains a museum consisting of the largest
Egyptian and Babylonian collection in the
western United States. This large collection
of treasures has been gathered from the far
comers of the earth for a period of nearly
forty years. It began with the nucleus of
the prvate collection of the late Imperator,
Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, who donated it to the
Rosicmcian Order. Now the Rosicmcian
Egyptian Museum has won national and intemational recognition. Though its maintenance constitutes a definite expense to
AMORC, it is an activity of which each
member should be proudand toward which
he should occasionally make some donation
over and above his dues.
The Museum is visited by over 115,000
persons annually, there being no admission
charge. It is a member of the esteemed
American Association of Museums which
has its headquarters in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The Rosicm
cian Egyptian Museum is regularly visited
by classes of students from the elementary
school level to university groups. Professors
have wiitten works using some of the museums objects as the basis of their text.
Hundreds of persons each day walk
through the galleries and look at the attractively displayed artifacts and see the handiwork of men and women who departed this
life centuries ago. These religious objects,
funeral appurtenances, weapons, utensils,
and jewelry in their art and design speak
eloquently of the heritage which they have
left us today. All of this educational feature
is in the ame of the Rosicmcian Order and
brings the Order recognition, adding to its
esteem among intelligent and cultural people.
To supplement these objects on disply
from the various great civilizations, AMORC
many years ago started a cinema project.
It was planned to film the actual sites of the

Page 29

great civilizationsBabylon, Thebes, Mohenjo Daro, Greece, the Hittite area in Asia
Minor, the American civilizations as the
Incas and Mayas. The Rosicmcian Camera
Expedition went to Tibet, Siam, India, the
interior of the Andes, to photograph these
remte places. Still photographs of these
historie and archaeological places by AMORC
have appeared in the Rosicrucian Digest and
outstanding magazines, encyclopedias, and
school textbookswith due credit being
given to the Order.
Color-and-sound motion pictures have also
been produced showing the mins of these
great temples, palaces, mystery schools, and
sites of once great peoples. These motion
pictures have been shown to womens clubs,
history societies, service clubs, schools, and
have been exhibited over T.V. stations. They
are all exhibited free. The propaganda in the
film is kept to a bare minimum. However,
the ame in connection with the film is
sufficient to evoke questions such as What is
the Rosicmcian Order?, What is its purpose?,
What does it teach? So again, your dues
in partand your occasional donations
make this possible.
The latest in a series of such documentaryand-travel films is the Aegean Odyssey. It
takes the spectator to the great temples in
Greece, to the site of the od Eleusinian
mystery schools, and reveis some of the
great art work and architecture of centuries
ago, and some of the modem settings as
well. It explains and reveis what is not
ordinarily shown in theaters or in the usual
travelogues.
If you are affiliated with an AMORC
lodge, chapter, or pronaos, ask its officers
that they communicate with the AMORC
Technical Department, Rosicmcian Park,
San Jos, and that they obtain the film for
showing. There is no charge for the film.
Ask the officers to arrange a function locally
to which you and other members may bring
friends to see this newest film and other
Rosicmcian ones as well.
As we have said, our Rosicmcian films
have been shown before many public bodies,
such as the Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, Womens Clubs, and church groups.
The only obligation is the responsibility for
the care of the film. Damage, of course, must
be paid for. If you can arrange for and
guarantee an audience of fifty or more per-

Page 30

sons, members or non-members, you may

receive the AMORC film for showing. It is
first necessary that you write the Technical
Department for full particulars. You can do
a good work for others and for AMORC by
arranging to have this film shown in your
community before various groups and people.
X
Hypnotism and Attunement
Many times in the past few months, mem
bers have written asking questions about
various aspects of hypnotism.
That hypnotism was known by the ancients has been well established. Many an
cient mystics were aware of, and used,
certain hypnotic methods in their studies,
even though they were not familiar with
all its aspects.
Hypnotism for years had a bad reputation, largely through the ideas of people
who did not understand it. Franz Mesmer,
an Austrian physician, rediscovered it during
the 1770s, and began experimenting with
it. As a result of his research he was con
sidered a charlatan and dangerous; he was
driven from several different cities.
We are now beginning to understand more
about these phenomena, although all the an
swers are very far from being found.
One of the most prevalent questions con
ceming hypnotism can be summed up in the
letter from a frater who asks: When will
we receive instruction in hypnotism? It
would seem that hypnotism could afford a
mdium through which to improve concen
tration and develop Cosmic Attunement.
Hypnotism is a method of subjugating the
objective faculties and direetly revealing .the
subconscious. However, it is an artifcially
induced process and leaves the subject no
control over the subconscious and what im
pressions are put into it. In a hypnotic state,
this is controlled by the hypnotist, not by
the subject.
By its very nature, then, hypnotism is not
and cannot become a mdium through which
Cosmic Consciousness may be attained.
Cosmic Consciousness can be reached only
through personal inner development, and we
must be aware of, and maintain control over,
the means by which this development is
sought. Since through hypnotism we do not
maintain that control, it is impossible to
achieve our goal by its use.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Regarding its valu as an aid to concen

tration we find the same difficulties arising.
It may be possible, through post-hypnotic
suggestion, to improve temporarily ones
powers of concentration, but the effects would
not be permanent and would gradually diminish. Since we must work objectively as
well as subconsciously to develop our con
centration permanently, hypnotism again
serves little or no purpose.
While we recognize the valu of hypno
tism in many realms, particularly in the
fields of medicine and psychiatry, we realize
that there is little or no place for it in our
inner development.W
Will Elimination of Ego Hinder
Cosmic Development?
At a recent open Fomm, we were asked,
By eliminating the personal I, as we are
told to do, arent we losing our individuality
to the degree that we submerge some of our
Cosmic inspiration, thereby hindering our
development? Do we mn the risk of becom
ing just one of the crowd?
The thing within us which truly differentiates one person from another is the inner
Self, the Personality of the Soul. This is
Divine, and cannot be denied or eliminated
by us.
When we speak of elimination of the ego,
or the personal I, we refer to something
neither permanent or Divine, but some
thing which is objective, material, and transitorysomething which is an affectation,
so to speak.
People tend to forget about their truly
personal or individual inner Self when they
think of their individuality, since it is far
easier to think of the many objective or phys
ical characteristics which make them outwardly different from other persons. There
fore, they feel that it is these immediately
apparent things that truly comprise that
which they think of as individuality.
It is this mistaken idea that we must be
ware of. We must keep in mind that these
outward differences which we deem so im
portant are the .things which often block our
tme personality from appearing. By trying
to subjugate our misleading theories about
the importance of our outward individuality,
we do not really lose individuality and there
by become merely one of the group, con-

OCTOBER, 1958

forming to -the expected behavior of the

group, but rather we allow the inner Self to
manifest itself within to the fullest extent.
We take mximum advantage of the tendency for the expression of the personality of
Self to bring forth the full meaning of our
true inner individuahty.
The monographs state that all men are
endowed with soul and this soul is the same
in all of usan unseparated segment of the
great Universal Soul. How then does one
account for the fact that individuality be
tween persons and peoples exists? We know
that soul expresses itself differently within
each of us.
This difference in the expression of soul
manifests in that which we know as per
sonality. It is in the personality of the soul,
the soul-personality, that our true individ
uality lies.
As we all are aware, it is our personality
which carries our process of development
from incamation to incamation, gradually
gaining experience and development. It is
these different personalities which account in
a large part for the differences in individ
uality between persons.
Thus, by understanding what we mean
by eliminating the ego, it can be seen
that through doing so we do not run the risk
of subjugating or submerging our true in
dividuahty to the point of becoming merely
a figure in the crowd, following like sheep.
or do we hinder our Cosmic development
by deadening or stifling our inner capabilities and differences.
By eliminating the ego, we allow our true
personality to manifest itself anew.W
The Mystery of the Kundalini
A frater rises to ask our Forum: What is
the Rosicrucian interpretation or explanation of kundalini?
In an explanation of the kundalini, we
discover an amazing knowledge had by the
ancient Hindus of the human physiology.
We also discem in their literature an intermingling of mythology and occult lore
with factual matter conceming the human
organism. It must be realized, however, that
much of the terminology used is symbolical
only; it cannot be taken literally. The descriptions given are not taken by the advanced student as actual images of a thing

Page 31

or state, but rather as representative of some

thing that will help the mind to grasp a
function more readily. It is just as we might
refer to the sun as a golden ball or the moon
as a silver disk.
Perhaps one of the important and authoritative sources conceming the kundalini can
be found in the writings of W. Y. EvansWentz. The author is noted for his works on
Tibetan teachings, lore, and rituals. While
in Gangtok, Sikkim, gateway to Tibet, Mr.
Evans-Wentz had brought to his attention
a rare manuscript in Sanskrit. Gangtok is
the point where the Rosicrucian Camera Expedition in 1949 entered od Tibet and filmed
centuries-old lamaseries. The members of
the expedition, including the Grand Treasurer and the Imperator of the A.M.O.R.C.,
know well from personal experience that
these lamaseries are treasure archives of rare
literature. From such a source carne the
writings in the magnificent little book, Unto
Thee 1 Grant, now published by AMORC.
The manuscript which Mr. Evans-Wentz
was permitted to examine and later transate
proved to be the Bardo Thdol (the Tibetan
Book of the Dead). In its original language
the title means Liberation by Hearing on the
After-Death Plae. The treatise concems
the whole cycle, the phenomenal existence
between death and birth. In other words, it
is devoted to an explanation of what occurs
after death and until the event of rebirth.
It dwells quite thoroughly on the subject of
karma. The Bardo Thodol has been referred
to as a manual for guidance through the
underworld of many illusions and realms.
It purports to guide one in preparing himself
for the ordeal he must encounter after death,
when he is to be tried as to his worthiness.
The Bardo Thodol is popularly called the
Tibetan Book of the Dead because its pur
pose is similar to that of what is known as
the Egyptian Book of the Dead. The latter
is not a book as we know the tem. Rather,
it is a series of papyri and scrolls, written
over centuries of time, and constitutes a compendium of funeral liturgies, magical rites,
prayers and ceremonies preparing one for
death, and a prospectus of what one may
expect in the ordeal immediately following
transition from this life.
The Bardo Thodol consists of tantric works.
Tantra in Sanskrit means discourse or trea
tise. The tantra s are usually of a religious

Page 32

nature and belong to a school of yoga called

the Yoga Carya Mahayana. There are two
chief groups of tantras, one Hind and the
other, Buddhist. The Hind tantra is gen
erally in the form of a dialogue between
the god Shiva, as the divine guru (religious
preceptor), and his disciple. The principal
characteiistic of both classes of tantras is that
they are usually based upon the yoga phi
losophy.
A study of the Bardo Thdol and of the
Sanskrit works in yoga indicate that there
are fourteen principal nadi (psychic nerves
or channels) and hundreds of thousands of
minor nadi in the human body. These nadi
may be likened to the nerves as described in
the physiology of the West. However, the
nadi are not identical to the nerves of the
West. In yoga the nadi are conceived to be
invisible channels for the flow of psychic
forces. Actually, the conducting agents in
the organism are said to be the vital-airs
(vayu). There are, then, within the organism
certain vital-airs which become invisible
channels for the flow of psychic energy.
In the Bardo Thodol and in the yoga phi
losophy, it is explained that there is a Great
Highway for the passage of the psychic
forces in the body. In Sanskrit, the Hindus
called this highway sushumnanadi. The
forces are concentrated in centers called
chakras. These are likened to what we could
cali dynamos, stationed along the highway
and interconnected. In this we see certain
amazing parallels between what we know
as the central nervous system, with its sym
pathetic trunks (great highway) lying on
either side of it. Along these trunks are the
ganglia which are connected with it by
means of rami, small nerves. Such knowl
edge of the nervous systems indicates a study
of anatomy and physiology centuiies before
the West had knowledge of these matters.
We are told in these works of the East
that, in these chakras or centers, are stored
the vital forc (vital fluid) upon which all
psycho-physical processes ultimately depend.
Six of the dynamos (psychic centers) are
designated as being of fundamental impor
tance. What is particularly significant to us
is the first Root-Support. It is situated in the
perineum, that is, the regin included in the
outlet of the pelvis. It is related that in this
first root-support is The Secret Fountain of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Vital Forc, presided over by the symbolic

Goddess Kundalini.
The initial aim, the objective of the practitioner of yoga (as practiced in the East),
is to awaken what in the tantras is called
the Serpent Power. This Serpent Power is
personified by the Goddess Kundalini. To be
more specific, we are told in the Bardo
Thdol and in yoga literature elsewhere
that the kundalini is located at the base of
the spinal column. It is given the symbolic
form of the serpent because it is said to be
a mighty occult power that lies coiled like
a serpent asleep.
Once this dormant coiled power is aroused
into activity, it then penetrates, one by one,
the psychic centers. Eventually, it reaches
the thousand-petalled lotus in the brain
center. We are further told that, subsequent
ly, this awakened occult power, this tremendous reserve of psychic forc, feeds all parts
of the psychic body. When this occurs, the
yogi, the practitioner, is said to experience
illumination.
All this we interpret as meaning that there
is a great dormant source of psychic energy
situated at the base of the spine which nor
mally has a slight flow into the chakras
(psychic centers) or in the nadi, the invisible
nerve channels. When, however, it is fully
released, it uncoils like a serpent, perhaps
spirals, and ascends to each center, stimu
lating all of them and eventually sending
its charge to the principal center in the
brain. The whole psychic body, the invisible
nerve centers, are re-vitalized and brought
into harmony, resulting in the great illumi
nation of the individual.
The Bardo Thodol further explains that
certain mantras (secret words), when uttered, set up vibrations which affct the
inner vital-airs (prana vayu). The stimulated
vital-airs, the invisible channels, finally
arouse the Goddess Kundalini, the sleeping
serpent, the great occult power. This, then,
as we have related, ascends from one psychic
center to another.
The vital-airs or vital forc serves as a
psycho-physical link uniting the human
with the divine. When the individual is so
united, he receives Communications from the
Supreme Guru (the great spiritual teacher) .
In other words, it is the Divine Intelligence.
Once the whole organism of the individual is
united and brought into psychic and physical

OCTOBER, 1958

harmony, it is then likewise en rapport with

the Cosmic Mind for great illumination and
inspiration.
Putting aside Sanskrit terms and archaic
occult symbolism, the modem student of
metaphysics and mysticism, the Rosicmcian,
can understand what is being related in the
ancient manuscript concerning the kundalini.
It is a great source of semi-dormant pow
er lying within each human. There ar vital
channels through the psychic centers and
sympathetic and autonomous nervous systems for the release and use of this power.
To an extent a portion of it is constantly
being emanated and directs the functioning
of the psychic self. However, this great re
serve of psychic power can be so stimulated
as to pour forth even a greater amount of
its energy into its channels and into the
brain. When this is done properly, the phys
ical and psychic are so harmoniously interrelated that man finds realization of the
higher self and of Cosmic consciousness, a
glorious and beneficial experience. It is to
be noted that certain intonation of words,
with their vibratory effects, is important in
connection with the arousing and stimulation of this power.X
Happiness in the Next World
Shall all of this life be but a preparation
for an anticipated life in another existence?
Shall men show little concern for the vicissitudes of mortal existence, its strife and suffering, finding consolation only in the*
thought that after death there will be the
reward of happiness?
The essential premise, the sustaining one,
in most organized religions of the present
and of antiquity has been a supernatural or
divine judgment of the soul after death. In
the hagiography of the Egyptians, that col
lection of liturgies known as The Book of the
Dead, there is a detailed description of the
weighing of the soul. In the Judgment Hall
of Osiris the gods were assembled. The
jackal-headed god Anubis placed the human
soul upon one tray of a balanced scale. Upon
the other tray was placed a feather, symbol
of Maat (truth). The soul was, therefore,
being weighed against the truth of the deceaseds confessions as to the manner of

Page 33

his mortal living. The deceased was rewarded or punished accordingly.

The tremendous moral influence of this
judgment in afterlife upon human behavior
in this existence is quite patent. The more
religious the individual and the more convinced that a reward of happiness or penalty
of punishment awaited him after death, the
more circumspect he would become, When
the individual realizes that he is guilty of
some proscribed sin of omission or commission, he quickiy resorts to theology, the creed
of his faith, as a means of ameliorating what
he conceives to be the punishment after
death.
Just as religin in its doctrines promises
rewards after death satisfying the highest
human conception of happiness, so too it expounds terrifying retribution for the sinner.
The doctrines of the particular sect or its
sacred writings do, however, provide ways
of purgation and atonement. These give the
religious votary a psychological lift. They
heighten his morale and assure him that
immortal happiness may be his.
Life is a gamble. There is nothing man
can do in his youth or in his maturity that
will absolutely assure him of felicity here
on earth. The unanticipated arises and will
often counter his plans. Mortal happiness at
its best is not a positive condition but principally, with most persons, one of chance.
Man can, however, by proper living, lessen
the consequences of many factors that bring
suffering. Increased knowledgeproperly directedprevents errors, the violation of nat
ural laws from which arises physical and
mental anguish. But certainty as to continued happiness on earth is impossible.
The science of axiology or the theory of
vales alone reveis why man cannot expect to experience a continuity of happiness
during his mortal existence. Our loves, our
desires, the achievements we have, or those
things that constitute the good for us or appear of great valu, determine not only hap
piness but often invoke the opposite, grief.
The more we love and valu something, the
greater is the certainty that its loss or injury
or damage will bring us remorse and suffer
ing. We are so constituted that we cannot
fail to create these vales. Our pleasures are
mainly the momentary satisfaction of one
of our selvesmental, physical, moral, or
spiritual. There is no way in which the

Page 34

constancy of those things contributing to

such pleasure can be assured. As life is
evanescent, so is its happiness.
To declare that happiness in any form in
which it may manifest is solely a product of
this life, transient though it be, is to invite
the severe criticism of most religious persons.
Life would then appear futile to them and
many would not think it worth enduring.
The fact is that happiness is related to the
human consciousness and the various senses
of man. Happiness in its different aspects is
the pleasurable, the gratifying of some appetite or desireeven the most exalted hap
piness that we term spiritual is the result of
a transcendent desire. To have happiness
in another existence after death, conforming
to mans understanding of it here, would
mean that man would need be immured in
an organism, with senses and nervous sys
tems similar to those he now has. Not only,
in other words, would there need be a trans
ference of those sensations he experiences
as happiness here to a life after death, but
there would also need be a transfer of his
earthly physical and mental qualities as well.
If one wishes to hear the strains of a violin
elsewhere, the violin must be there also.
Is it not better to think of happiness as be
ing a reward on earth for right living, a
reward that is, however, fraught with obstacles and challenges? It is one that is
gained by many sacrifices, but that makes
it that much sweeter. Epicurus, the philos
opher, said: The end of our living is to be
free from pain and fear. And when we have
reached this, all the tempest of the soul is
laid. We make and experience, every hour,
degrees of heaven and hell, for they lie principally in our own consciousness. We can
inherit pain or great ecstasy in an afterlife
only if we inherit as well the body and its
various levels of consciousness.
Unfortunately, too much emphasis is be
ing placed upon happiness in the next life.
The current life is too often presented principally as being an intermedate stage be
tween whence man carne and where he will
be. The present existence is expounded by
many sects as being only an opportunity for
spiritual catharsis and the expiation of sins.
The physical happiness, the pleasures of the
appetits and their indulgence, is repre-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sented as the only kind of happiness that a

mortal can expect here. The ecstasies of the
soul, of spiritual consciousness, are expound
ed as reserved for the religious in a future
life, as a reward for their staunch devotion
in this one. As a result, personal spiritual
satisfaction, true mystical enlightenment that
brings peace profound, becomes the goal of
few men. They think earthly existence incapable of ever conferring such things upon
mortals. In other words, the gratifcation is
by means of bread and wine on earth, but
profound titillation of the moral being is
thought to be left for some intangible realm,
cali it heaven or what you will.
Just recently, a Romn Catholic bishop
in Cleveland, Ohio, addressed an audience
of 60,000 Catholics gathered in a stadium.
He was participating in a ceremony commemorating the visin of Saint Bemadette
in Lourdes, France, a century ago. In speaking of Bemadette, he said: Our Lady urged
Bemadette to lead a life of prayer and
penance and particularly to pray for wayward sinners. She told Bemadette she did
not promise her happiness in this world, but
in the n ex t9
If all this be taken literally, and it is so
understood by untold millions of devotees
of different sects, one resorts to prayer and
meditation especially to escape this life. It
is made to appear that little valu, except as
a step to eventual immortality, is attached to
this existence.
About us are the manifestations of cosmic
and divine laws. In an understanding of
them or an attempt to do so, one will see
the working of the Supreme Reality, God,
Cosmic, the Absolute. Each such experience
can afford its heavenly pleasure to the ob
server. No more spiritual happiness can be
had than this momentary afflatus of the
soul, when perceiving some phenomenon of
nature and then realizing ones unity with
the Divine. There is a sense of peace, and
joy that is heaven on earth.
Such divine experiences on earth make
men worthy of any afterlife that may come.
Do not overlook your present conscious interlude. It has within it some of the elements of
any heaven which mortal man can conceive
for another life and it is for us to experience
here and now.X

OCTOBER, 1958

Life after Transition

My subject is not very original. If all the
literature that has been written and all the
words that have been spoken about life after
transition could be put together in one place,
the amount of material would be overwhelming and, no doubt, very confusing. Furthermore, there could be no one human being
who could judge whether or not any or all
the material was authentic, reliable or truthful.
Man has contemplated the possibility of
life after this one in many ways and has
drawn as many conclusions as there have
been theories. Religin, of course, has tried
to organize these conclusions and establish a
pattern or system which places the answers
in the category of a doctrine. When we find
a group of people agreeing on the nature of
immortality and the kind of life that fol
lows this one, we do not usually find the
conclusions as a result of thinking, we find
them as a result of a creed, doctrine, or a
series of beliefs imposed upon the group by
some external factor, usually a church.
Without questioning the sincerity of many
profound religious convictions, I ask myself
why any religin may actually have authori
ty to describe the kind of existence to follow
this period of life on earth. It is certainly
true that the various interpretations given
by different religions cannot all be right;
therefore, it is natural to ask if any are correct. When very young, I was reared under
the influence of a religin which taught as
literal fact that the future life was divided
into two sections. You would either live in
a city whose streets were paved with gold
and carry a harp through eternity, or you
would literally burn in an actual hell of fire.
There was no intermedate position and there
was no changing from one to the other once
you had been assigned to either place. Actu
ally neither location had a great deal of ap
peal to me as a boy; I do not particularly
like a harp, and such a heaven did not seem
to be worth giving up that which, according
to the instructions of that religions doctrine,
must be given up. Other religions have oth
er descriptions of a future life, and we would
find such a confused explanation conceming
the nature of immortality that the further
we investgate, the more confused we become.

Page 35

Many times I have written in the Rosi

crucian Forum and in other discourses of
the Order that the material world of the
present time has many faults because it detracts from an individuals contemplation of
vales which lie outside the material world.
Possibly, in making such broad statements,
I may have overlooked one beneficial thing
that materialism has brought to the present
generation. It in many ways has lessened
mans concern with immortality in comparison with some periods in the past. Maybe it is good that the emphasis upon ma
terial things should tum mans thoughts
away from a constant considering of immor
tality and a judging or weighing of every
decisin we have to make in terms of wheth
er it will assist us in the final outcome towards gaining another step toward heaven
or avoiding one toward hell.
To ask why we are interested in these
subjects is to explore the very nature of
mans thinking. What has aroused my inter
est at the moment and caused me to make
these observations is that the appeal of im
mortality can be so distorted. Many indi
viduis today seek many things by many
diverse channels; all of which can be directed
or accredited directly or indirectly to this
interest in immortality. If the human race,
as it exists today, had no concern or aware
ness of a possibility of an immortal state,
then many activities now occupying much
time would receive no attention.
I am appalled from time to time at lit
erature that comes to my desk which makes
claims so extreme that I cannot see why
people consider them. I wish for more funda
mental proof when I read that someone has
come from Tibet under present-day circum
stances with knowledge never before revealed to man, or that a flying saucer has
landed in somebodys field and from it has
come an individual to give all the answers
to all the problems that have ever confronted
mankind. Yet hundreds or even more in
dividuis are seeking eagerly to believe an
other individual who reports upon such incidents as these, and such people suddenly
transform their whole lives by believing
implicitly in the inf ormation revealed through
channels of this nature.
Why do intelligent men and women ac
cept these statements as facts? I believe
the answer lies in this fundamental interest

Page 36

in the human being to be immortal. In other

words, the individual, if he were concemed
only with his life today, would not be interested in looking for pseudo-saviors who may
come before men to offer their wares, as it
were. Even religions are aware of these cir
cumstances. We find many injunctions in
sacred literature to beware of false prophets, but unfortunately, the individual who
is most influenced by a false prophet is the
individual who believes that his false prophet
is the only one who is legitmatein other
words, that only other prophets are false.
It is very difficult to reason with an indi
vidual on the subjects relating to his philos
ophy of life, liis religin, his beliefs in immortality and usually also his zeal to want
everybody to believe what he does.
Two recent books on the subject of life
after death have been called to my atten
tion within the past two months. One is a
republication in the United States of a book
published in England sometime ago. Another
is a recent book which is represented to be a
report given by a woman to two friends as
to the nature of her life after transition.
The faults in these two books are to me quite
fundamental. I do not question the sincerity
of the authors. These books seem to be written in a vein that is not for the purpose of
conVerting the world to a new belief or
necessarily proving any already established
facts or new facts, but rather to present a
story as the authors understood it. However,
I do question very much the reliability of
their source of information.
In the first place, I have never been convinced (and let me qualify very carefully
at this time that I could be wrong) that
legitmate or actual valid Communications
have been received through mdiums. I am
speaking of mdiums in the customary sense,
as they are used in spiritualism and in cer
tain forms of psychic phenomena. It seems
to me that the revelations by mdiums are
always open to the possibility of being in
fluenced by the mind of the individual him
self who is acting as a mdium.
No doubt there are many conscientious
and sincere mdiums, even though there are
unfortunately some who are not sincere or
possibly actually fraudulentat least such
has been proved in the past. But regardless
of the sincerity of a mdium, we know from
our studies that the individualities of each

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of us reach very far into the inner-recesses

of our subjective consciousness and the areas
of consciousness that lie immediately outside of our usual objective perception.
While we may not be proficient in being
able to draw from the subconscious, or from
our subjective conscious levels, ideas that
are already in a useable form and which
will benefit us, it is nevertheless true that
consciousness whether subjective or objec
tive, subconscious or unconscious, is the product of one manifestation.
The consciousness of the individual being
is an entity. We cannot at all times be
aware of all of it, and unless we develop
our psychic abilities there will not come a
time when we can be aware of even a very
small fraction of it. All the thoughts that
we have, all the experiences and sensations
that compose our individual selves, are even
tually registered upon the total of conscious
ness; and consciousness becomes in all its
phases a manifestation of our entire being.
It is, therefore, logical to me that regard
less of how deep we may go into the sub
conscious or subjective area of our being,
we will find in all our consciousness traits
certain features that will identify them as
being the I that constitutes each of our
individual selves. In other words, in the very
deepest portion of my subconscious mind are
functions which indicate my individuality
and cause even my subconscious area to be
different from yours.
Were I to be identified by my subcon
scious states, I would still in some sense be
the individual that I am and, therefore, distinguishable from any one else. It would not
be more difficult to distinguish between you
and me as individuis exclusively in the sub
jective area of our being than it would be
to make such distinction in our objective
consciousness. Therefore, everything we do
or think, objectively or subjectively, is modified and regulated to a degree by our indi
viduality. The mdium who may not be
conscious of the message transmitted, while
claiming to be the intermediary between an
unbodied soul and the physical world, is,
therefore, necessarily affected in the interpretation and explanation which that mdi
um conveys by the very nature of his or
her own individuality and conscious or un
conscious states.

OCTOBER, 1958

What seems of equal importance in regard

to books, particularly those referred to in
explanations of existence in a future life, is
a distinct weakness in that everything is
reported in terms of physical phenomena. It
is true that someone might say such reports
are given because we could only understand
them if they were put in terms of the ma
terial world with which we are familiar.
However, in a book I was reading recently,
references were given even to the type of
clothing the individuis in after-life wore,
the buildings they used, and the reference
mentioned earlier included also the way the
streets were paved. This book conveyed the
idea that a rplica of the physical universe
existed in future life. I cannot find any sympathy toward such a point of view. What
exists in a future life, if such individual immortality is to be attained by us at any time
in that future, certainly must be different
from the physical world in which we now
live.
The physical world is as it is because we
are physical entities and we are a part of it.
We know from actual observation that what
leaves the body at transition is not a portion
of its physical essence. Therefore, whatever
future life may be, it is not a replica of the
material world, and when anyone is presumably describing life after transition in
terms of their associations with physical ob
jects and physical entities, I am immediately
inclined to believe that such a concept is
fundamentally wrong, that it cannot be the
truth. We can no more understand the func
tion of a state of being unrelated to physical
phenomena than a child who is first leaming
to say a few words can understand the func
tion of a verb. It would be impossible to ex
plain to a child who has only mastered a
few words in a language what a verb was or
how it functioned.
I also believe it is impossible to have explained what an existence is like that is
entirely separated and apart from a physical
level of being. Whenever we hear or read
of reports of a future life as being parallel
with conditions and entities existiug in the
physical world, then we are, in all probability, only being absorbed by the story which
is a figment of the authors imagination
either consciously or unconsciously. The
belief that there are things existing in a
nonmaterial world which are duplicates of

Page 37

material things in this world is only the

result of our own imaginations and our
feeble hope that the possessions we have in
the physical world may be preserved. It is
indicative of a desire to retain some of the
material objects which we may have worked
hard to achieve.
The question arises again, why all the
interest in a future life? All the teachings
of the great masters, all the inspirational ma
terial which we can find that help to make
us realize vales not related directly with
the material world, stress the importance of
present-day living. The fundamental error,
in my estimation, is to divide immortality
into segments as is our tendency to divide
consciousness into segments. We give these
segments different labelsthe objective, the
subjective, the conscious, the unconscious,
and similar terms. Actually, it is all one
state of consciousness, a part of which we
may not be objectively aware. Immortality
is also merely a man-made term. It applies
to the whole being, the manifestation of a
living forc, and we are familiar with that
living forc as being embodied in the physical
entity.
It is to be presumed from experience that
at transition the physical entity ceases to be
invigorated and enlivened by the immaterial
forc which infuses it, causing it to be a
manifestation of a living soul. But, neverthe
less, if that soul survives the physical ex
istence, then it is a continuity of the ex
istence simply in another form. Immortality
is a synonym for life, for being, and this
state of immortality exists throughout eternity, according to many religious teachings
and the fundamental philosophic principies
of our teachings.
The phase of which we are consciously
aware in our present-day existence is only
a part of our whole existence, but it will
continu and we will eventually come to a
realization of other phases. A time and place
will exist, it is my fundamental conviction,
when all these experiences and phases will
be united into one, and we will then be
conscious of the one importarit factor that
every moment of being has had its purpose.
The most important use we can make of
being is to utilize it in the expression that
exists at each point of our conscious realiza
tion of being. It may sound old-fashioned
and not in accordance with many modem

Page 38

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

concepts when I say that the present moment if lived right is the solution or the
key to immortality regardless of what may
be our personal beliefs as to a future life.
If we live to the best of our ability and to
the best of our knowledge and strive to fit
ourselves into a Cosmic scheme that is great
er than we as individuis, immortality today
or tomorrow will take care of itself.
It is good that man has a curiosity concerning the unknown. If man did not devote himself towards the discovery of the
unknown, he would still be an uncivilized
being. But he should not devote himself so
exclusively to the unknown that he fails to
take into consideration the importance of
the known. The problems, circumstances,
and advantages that are ours today are the
part of our experience which we should con
cntrate upon and the rest will take care
of itself. Speculation upon the nature of a
future life of which we do not have di
rect experience is possibly an enjoyable pastime but not a very productive way to use
our energies at the moment.
Immortality is a state that does not have
to be attained. It is an existing state that we
should leam to use. Our segment of im
mortality is at the moment, and I am sure
that if we live it well, all the future will
take care of itself. Many individuis have
different convictions upon these subjects. I
believe that a personal immortality is attainable, and that the individuality which
is th ego or the I will continu to survive
in some form or another because the cosmic
forces that cause all being to be must be
considered to have a constructive and Pro
gressive nature if we are to relate logically
those forces to the total manifestation of
being and to a teleological concept of the
universe. I believe that we exist as indi
vidual entities and will always continu to
do so, but in what form and what place it
is not our position now to attempt to describe,
and no great advantage is going to be gained
from speculating upon what may or may
not be the circumstances of the future.A
Is Death by Plan?
A soror of Toronto, Caada, addresses our
Forum and asks: I would appreciate it very
much if you could tell me if death is by plan
or accident? Is there a definite time for us
to enter transition?

There are two ways to approach an answer

to these questions. Which one will be preferred depends upon the religious or philo
sophical background and affliliations of the
individual. If one holds to a theistic concep
tion of the deity, that is, a personalized,
anthropomorphic type of god, then each act
in the life of every individual is presumed
to be pre-determined. Philosophy may cali
this same view, finalism. In other words,
from the moment of birth, each event has
been previously established. The so-called
choices of the individual are then not
really such, according to this conception, but
rather they are a series of impulsations. The
person is impelled to act as he does whether
such be for his immediate benefit or not.
All of these acts are so organized that they
lead to the eventual one as foreseen, the
one that results in transition at the time
desired by the ever-directing god.
There is little difference between such a
religious or philosophical view and fatalism.
Each individuals fate, as a course in life,
has been prescribed for him, according to
the fatalist, and it is inescapable. The believer makes of himself, in principie at least,
a puppet. He dangles from the figurative
desires, wishes and volitions of a supreme
power, as though he were being pulled by
strings. Each act, each thought, is not his
own. He is but continually motivated by
the higher intelligence or being.
There is a psychological reason, other than
religious tradition or creed, as to why some
persons cling to the belief that not only
death but all their acts are the consequence
of Gods will. To think thusly obviates the
necessity of a personal responsibility for
ones life. One is then inclined to give way
to his impulses and inclinations with little
concern for their effects. The effects are
easily excused to oneself, at least, on the
grounds that they are not self-initiated. In
fact, it is but a transference of responsibility
to God, or to whomever or whatever one
believes holds the puppet strings of his fate.
The other conception which proclaims that
the date of death is planned also subscribes
to a teleological cause, that is, a divine and
purposeful mind. In this mystical and meta
physical conception, the date of death as
such is not pre-determined. Rather, it is held
that the soul-personality of the individual is
of such a level of consciousness, of such an

OCTOBER, 1958

inner understanding, that in the plan of

things, he will attract such conditions as
causes from which a chain of effects will
follow. These effects will eventually bring
about the transition at a specific timeif
there is nothing to interfere with them. We
see, therefore, that the planning in this
connection insofar as transition is concerned
is very broad.
We may look at this subject in this man
ner. We will designate a particular com
bina tion of circumstances by the letter D.
Whenever these circumstances are attained
it will bring about a cessation of life. By
the inherent nature of his soul-personality,
the individual is intemally motivated to proceed from Step A in life to Step B; thence to
Step C; finally to D. When D is reached
transition occurs. The procedure is such that
D is finally reached at the conclusin of the
individuals life at an exact time.
From this viewpoint, the Cosmic or Divine
Mind has established certain impersonal laws
to which each soul-personality is subject. As
each soul-personality is more or less differ
ent, the influences of these laws, the causes
and effects, bring about different times of
transition. The 144-year Cosmic cycle of incamations, the period from one birth to an
other birth, is govemed by these same
principies. Thus, if one passes through tran
sition at 80 years of age, the soul-personality
would reside in the Cosmic realm for the
difference between 80 and 144 or 64 years.
However, there is a certain amount of
flexibility in the date of transition according
to this 144-year Cosmic cycle principie. One
pan vary the time of his transition by the
use of certain Cosmic laws, such as in the
manner of his living whereby he can prolong or shorten his earthly existence. But
he cannot alter in the Cosmic the time that
the soul must reside there. For example, one
may live so harmoniously, using constructive
Cosmic principies that he attains the age of
90 on this earth plae. But he will then have
an inexorable period of 54 years in the Cos
micagain, the difference between 90 and
144 years.
In a philosophical and logical sense, there
is truly no such thing as an accident. Every
thing occurs by what we cali causes and
effects? or rather, a series of events which
appear to have a causal relationship. What
man calis an accident is a combination of

Page 39

urmnticipated circumstances. When two automobiles crash into each other on a highway
it is not an accident in the sense of being
without any order or causal relationship.
The laws of physics apply in the propelling
and meeting of the carsjust as much as if
the drivers had intended the collision and
directed it!
Every death is an accident except murder
or executions if we take the position that
man did not intend it and was not familiar
with the circumstances that would lead directly to a specific time of transition. On
the other hand, no death is an accident if
we think of it as being a condition which
follows from a series of events.
From the mystical and Rosicrucian point
of view, it is best to look at the whole mat
ter in this light: If we give no concern to
our way of living, our death will eventually
follow just the same. It will come as a
propulsin of our tendencies inclining us to
do this or that from which death will follow.
In other words, we will act in such manner
that Step B will follow A; and then C will
follow B, until Dthe transitionoccurs. If,
on the other hand, we act in accordance with
the laws of living as they affect health of
body and mind, and if we Uve as much in
harmony with Cosmic functions as possible,
the time of transition could be extended. Instead of the course of life reaching its climax
at D, it might in such a situation be carried
forward to Step F or Step G .X
AMORC and Christianity
A question which is often asked in one
form or another concems the feelings of
the Rosicrucian Order about the Master
Jess and the so-called iminaculate conception, as well as other Biblical miracles.
A frater from New Zealand sums this up
by inquiring: When you mention Christ,
you refer to Him as Master Jess, and
when speaking of Christianity you appear
to place it in the same category as other
religions. How do you define and interpret
the conception, resurrection, etc.? Can Rosicrucians be Christians, and what happens
to the beliefs of a Christian when he becomes a Rosicrucian?
The unfortunate part of the teachings of
many branches of Christianity is that they
fail to recognize the validity of any other

Page 40

religin. In their eyes, the only way to gain

salvation is through Christ, the Son of God.
People who are unfortunate enough to have
been bom in Buddhism or Moslemism, for
instance, are doomed to Hell before they
start because they are not Christian.
Christianity, they say, teaches brotherly
love, and other Christian virtues, as does
AMORC. They often do not realize that
the Koran, the Tannach, the Hind Scriptures, and most others teach the same lessons, often word for word, as the Christian
Bible. These laws, then, are not necessarily
Christian, but rather they are Universal.
Cosmically, it was necessary for a person
belonging to each geographical area to bring
these Cosmic truths to his people. An Orien
tal would have been a suspect in Jerusalem
just as a Hebrew would have been in China.
Also, the presentation of these laws had
to be different in each area, as were the
time elements concemed. The people of the
Orient, with their contemplative nature,
were ready for Buddha long before the Arabian people were ready to receive Mohammed, and the Western people to receive
Jess.
Each of these was a messenger for the
same God. Moslems, Buddhists, and Christians alike worship this same God, but not
all the Christians, or Moslems, will admit
this. (Christianity is not the only religin
guilty of assuming that theirs is the only
God, and different from that which the rest
of the world worships.)
Jess was a son of God just as we all
are. He was a highly enlightened man, a
Cosmic Master, one among a number of such
great Masters.
The followers of Jess felt that no person
so illumined could have been naturally con
ceived. In fact, among the mystics it had
been a generally held belief that divine conception is possible; that the power of a
mental or audible word by a highly illu
mined being is capable of impregnating
matter and bringing lifeless matter into con
sciousness. Even if the birth of Jess had
not been a virgin one, this would in no way
detract from the Cosmic consciousness he
experienced and in which he was made a
divine being. In fact, there are many personages who have been declared by their
followers to have had an immaculate con-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ception or divine birth, some of whom pre

ceded the birth of Jess.
There are many possible ways to explain
the resurrection. A frater recently evoked the
theory that Jess was not really dead when
removed from the cross and entombed, but
had merely become unconscious, reviving in
the tomb and bursting free. Many authorities feel that his body was removed by his
followers, who spread the story of the resur
rection to further that idea of Divinity connected with his ame which was so necessary
to bring new seekers into the light of his
teachings. Either of these explanations is
possible, though the latter is more probable.
When viewed with an open mind, these
ideas, though perhaps new to many, can be
easily accepted by Christians as well as nonChristians. Rosicrucians, as has been re-iterated many times, can be Christian just as
they can be Jewish, Hind, Buddhist, Moslem, or of any other faith. Nothing happens
to ones Christian beliefs when he becomes
a Rosicrucian other than a possible reorientation of those beliefs, both in their own light
and in view of similar Cosmic truths presented in other philosophies.W
Valu of Autosuggestion
A Texas soror has stated to our Forum
that apparently AMORC does not use the
word autosuggestion in connection with any
part of its work. She asks then if what we
refer to as suggestion is not actually auto
suggestion. She relates that in our teachings
we tiy to bring improvement within our
selves through conscious thought, affirmation,
petitioning the Cosmic for guidance, and
through the practice of suggestion. The soror
also inquires of our Forum if, in our meditation practices, in dwelling within, and in
much of our psychic work, we are not actual
ly practicing a kind of autosuggestion.
Let us be certain that we first understand
what suggestion actually is. We frequently
refer to it, but can we define it so as to
know of what it consists? Let us say that
a suggestion is an idea that has indirect
reference to other than its own content. Most
of our ideas are immediate and self-contained.
If we perceive an object on the river, concomitant with our perception of it we may
know that it is a boat. Subsequently, we may
analyze what kind of boat it was that we

OCTOBER, 1958

saw and whether it was going slow or fast,

and other ideas related to the experience.
However, the first visual perception resulted
in the immediate idea, we shall say, of a
boat.
For further analogy, someone may say
the word rose or green. Our ideas will arise
directly out of those words. The ideas occur
ring to us and the auditory impression of
what was heard would be almost identical.
We might, by thinking about the words,
come to relate many other ideas associated
with them, but such would not be directly
engendered out of the immediate content of
the words themselves.
Suggestions are far more subtle. Most
often we are not conscious of the ideas which
they arouse by association. In fact, the word,
symbol or act taken entirely by itself may
not have any yerbal or logical connection
with the ideas which follow from it in our
minds. For example, let us presume that
someone in conversation mentions the date,
September 12. To one person hearing the
date, it would convey no other meaning than
the intended reference, a point of information which was intended to be conveyed in
the course of the conversation. But to another
person, by the association of suggestion, it
has reference to intmate experiences in his
life. These would be ideas which in them
selves had no logical connection with the
date except in the particular experience of
that individual.
The impressions and sensations that com
pose our ideas become a complex matrix.
They are interwoven. One idea which is an
important element of some impressive pattem of thought is likely to bring about a
recollection of all the other ideas associated
with it. Suppose one spent much time on a
farm as a boy. Then, years later, while riding in the country and getting the fragrance
of new-mown hay, there would be a flood of
suggestion from the memory of all ideas
associated with farm activities related to the
scent of new-mown hay.
Suggestions, of course, are not all visual
or auditory, or do they arise from any one
sense. They may be received through any of
our peripheral or other senses. A gesture
iriade by someone, a facial contortion, a pe
culiar feeling experienced, thermal changes
all these are capable of conveying sug
gestions. A suggestion is ofttimes more effec

Page 41

tive in producing certain stimuli or reactions

than is a direct idea.
A cinema theatre was located next to a
small bakery which also served coffee and
cake to customers. The ventilator of the bakeshop was adjacent to the air intake of the
theatre. About 11:00 p.m., the bakery re
moved from its ovens the bread, pies, and
cakes for early moming sale. The delectable
scent of these freshly baked goods was wafted
into the theatre during the last evening per
formance. The patrons of the theatre would
be subject to these odors, which aroused by
suggestion an appetite for the food articles
they could not see, feel, or taste. In fact,
they were not able, directly from the scent,
even to tell just what baked commodities
were causing it. But their experience with
such scents brought forth from memory
mental images that they imagined to be
associated with them.
This kind of suggestion is continually used
in modern advertising. The psychology of
advertising has determined what colors,
what kind of actions, sounds, and designs
are related to the primary appetites, urges,
and inclinations of people. Advertising is so
arranged as to arouse desires related to the
commodities offered for sale.
Consequently, we are constantly subject
to suggestion. We react to the subtle associations that these impressions make upon one
or all of our senses. In fact, many of these
ideas are not consciously realized by us.
They penetrate to the subconscious and there
they engender related ideas which mot
vate us in various ways. That one person
is more suggestible than another, modem
psychology in clinical tests has determined.
Further, the same person may be more
easily influenced at certain times or in cer
tain states than otherwise.
Let us use the instance of a small boy
who has to walk home past a cemetery after
dark. He has certain anxieties about the ex
perience confronting him. He becomes nerv
ous and tense as he approaches the ceme
tery. All his senses become exceptionally
acute as he vacillates his consciousness from
one to another, listening keenly or staring
into the shadows of the cemetery. Any mo
tion of a tree limb, the flttering of a piece
of paper across the road, or the hoot of an
owl becomes a suggestion to him of a whole
series of mental images, none of which has

Page 42

any direct relationship with the incident it

self; that is, there is no logical connection
between them and the cemetery.
One who is in a highly emotional condition is far more subject to suggestion than
one who is not. This nervous state causes
one to become more responsive to impres
sions. It gives the impressions greater emphasis so that will and reason can be only
with difficulty imposed upon them to analyze
the ideas which they arouse. Children are
more susceptible to suggestion than adults
because they are more inclined to have em o
tional reactions to their environment than
to rationalize their experiences.
Psychology has likewise found that sug
gestion can be an empathic tendency of an
individual to mimic or share in the behavior
of others and to do so unintentionally. In
other words, suggestion can cause us to
project our personality so as to assume the
conduct of others. For example, a person,
seated alone in a room where others in the
group are laughing and smiling, finds the
atmosphere contagious. Even though he may
not know the cause of their merriment, he
smiles, too. He unconsciously mimics their
attitude.
An individual not ordinarily inclined toward reading, if obliged to sit for some time
in a room where all the others are reading,
will be influenced to look at books or magazines. He will do this, even though there
may be points of interest outside a window
near him. The suggestion causes a mimicry
of the social habits of his environment.
Autosuggestion is primarily what the
words imply. It is suggestion to oneself. One
may be conscious of the acts or words and
yet he may not realize that it is a sugges
tion which he is giving himself. One can
so imagine something, by repetition of the
thought, that it becomes a reality to him.
Many religious martyrs, tom on the rack or
bumed at the stake, by believing themselves
to be receiving divine grace, have by such
thought, notwithstanding the circumstances,
freed themselves from pain. The ecstasy and
beatitude they imagined caused them to be
impervious to physical suffering. This, as
autosuggestion, induced a hypnotic state in
which apparently the victim did not feel
pain.
Affirmations may have the effect of auto
suggestion, if repeated with complete con-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

viction as to their eficacy, and if the causes

which would undermine the power of sug
gestion were removed. Thus, for example,
one could not eat unripe fruit and agitate a
digestive disorder while at the same time
affirming he was recovering.
A considerable part of metaphysical haling, or self-healing, is due to autosuggestion.
The distressed person has absolute confidence
in the system which he is using. He believes
he is placing himself en rapport with the
Cosmic or divine curative forces. These become a suggestion to himself. He is less
tense, less fearsome and, as a result, allows
the natural curative process of his being to
function more normally. Every medical physician and psychologist is aware of the psychosomatic effects in recovery from serious
illness or surgery. The thought of the in
dividual can arouse either harmful or
beneficial emotions in connection with his
recovery. In other words, the mental atti
tude of the patient can be in accord with
the treatment administered or counter to it.
In meditation, autosuggestion can be bene
ficial or it can be an obstacle. It depends
upon the procedure used. In exercises concemed with mystical principies, it is not
advisable to tell the neophyte or student,
in advance, details of the results expected.
Obviously, the student wants to know the
reason for the exercise and this should be
explained. But when one relates the particulars experienced by other students, they
become the foundation upon which the participant tries to construct his own experience.
The student is ardent; he is anxious to be
successful. To him, success means mental
images, visual, auditory or tactile, similar
to those of others. Every sensation he has
during the exercise he consciously or even
unconsciously tries to fit into the framework
of the experience of others. In most such
cases his results are wholly autosuggestion.
He has implanted the details of the experi
ence that he wants to have within his own
consciousness.
The beneficial aspect of autosuggestion in
mystical exercise is to implant in the sub
conscious certain definite principies of pro
cedure that are to be followed. They then
become a guiding influenc for the neophyte,
with the power of the subconscious behind
them. They impel the consciousness in a
certain channel when the vacillating will

OCTOBER, 1958

may otherwise fail to keep the mind concentrated on the purpose of the exercise.
Almost every instruction, advice or counsel that arouses an emotional response within
us is a form of autosuggestion. It is what is
psychologically known as image-building.
The mental image is set up in our minds
as an ideal, as the result of certain pleasing
emotions that may have accompanied it.
Consequently, in our behavior, in our actions, we try to emulate the image that ex
ists in our minds and which we have found
pleasing. We act then as we have motivated
ourselves to act. Morality, right living, acting according to conscience, are primarily
the result of autosuggestion.X
This Issues Personality
Many individuis are inclined to think
that destiny shapes the course of their life.
But actually, we are the principal factors,
either consciously or unconsciously, in the
course that our life eventually takes. We
cannot anticipate all the events that come
to transpire in our lives. However, our
thinking, actions, and associations gradually
bring about circumstances that form the
channel through which pass the years of
this mortal existence.
In the instance of Soror Mara Moura,
one of the two executive officers of the Grand
Lodge of AMORC of Brasil, she was the
primary influence in shaping her own des
tiny as she now experiences it. Soror Moura
was bom in Sao Paulo, Brasil, January 30,
1919. As with most Latn-Americans, her
early religious affiliation was Romn Catholic.
At an early age, after completing her col
lege studies, she realized that her spiritual
and intellectual life was not wholly satisfactory. There was something wanting that
church attendance alone did not provide.
Soror Moura was acquiring a very practical experience in the business and professional world. She was meeting many promi
nent persons who, however, often indicated
a serious lack in their personal lives. This
convinced Soror Moura that there was some
unknown ingrediente some secret element
needed to fill the hiatus she was experiencing
in her life. While active for several years
with a large Brasilian air line in the capacity
of public relations and secretarial functions,
she continued her search for this unknown
ingredient.

Page 43

In the year 1948, Soror Moura was undergoing some dental work. During the
dental sessions, she directly or indirectly
revealed the search that she was making
the dentist was a Rosicrucian! The contact
was made and in the latter part of the same
year, she crossed the Threshold of the Rosi
crucian Order, AMORC. It was after this
experience that Soror Mouras destiny be
came closely linked with that of AMORC in
her country. In 1951, she became co-founder
of the Rio de Janeiro Chapter, now a Lodge.
In 1952, she was elevated to the Secretaryship of the Board and simultaneously functioned as Matre, a ritualistic office. In 1954,
she was honored by being appointed Master
of the Rio de Janeiro Lodge. She then entered into the arduous task of translating in
to Portuguese, the language of Brasil, important documents and papers transmitted
by the Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC in
San Jos.
In the latter part of 1957 and early 1958,
she assumed the tremendous task of becoming co-founder of the now rapidly-expanding
Grand Lodge of AMORC of Brasil. Of her
most able associate and co-founder, we shall
relate particulars in our next Forum issue.
Soror Mara Moura is an indefatigable
worker deeply imbued with the principies
of the Order, and devotedly dedicated to its
functions. Her hobbies are all amplifications
of her work, further shaping her destiny as
an executive of the Rosicrucian Order in
her country. Her favorite avocations are
reading, music, traveling, and teaching.X
Black Magic and Superstition
Many of our members, especially in Africa
and the Federated West Indies, ask ques
tions conceming the widely vared forms and
practices of the art of Black Magic with
which they have grown up in their native
lands.
Black Magic, of course, is a demonistic
form of magic, operating through spirits,
generally, used with evil intent to cause
death, misfortune, or other harm.
There exists among the African tribes a
belief of association between an object recently handled by a person and the indi
vidual himself. In such a case, a piece of
clothing or even dust from the victims footprint may be taken, and any injury caused

Page 44

such objects, it is believed, will bring similar

results to the victim.
One of our members who lived many
years in British West Africa tells of a native
boy who carne to a doctor friend convinced
that he would die, for a local man with a
reputation as a practitioner of Black Magic
had accosted him and, smashing an egg at
his feet, stated that his life would smash
like the egg.
One method thought to bring harm to a
family or household is to hide in the roof,
or some other part of the house, an object
housing a bad spirit. Until a native doctor
endowed with the ability to search the ob
ject out and banish the spirit has purified
the house, the family is beset by all sorts
of misfortune.
Besides these forms of magic, there is a
great fear of various kinds of supematural
or spirit beings. There are spirits which
roam at night and will capture and kill or,
worse, will possess the bodies of those who
must venture out after dark. Water spirits
are also described. These inhabit swamps or
certain other water bodies and do harm of
various degrees to the unwary or the unprotected.
Protection plays a great part in the lives
of people in these and many other areas.
The powers ranged against them are so great
that they feel it essential to have some means
of protection. This may be a potion or charm,
but the most common and desired is a talis
mn or a fetish of one kind or another.
Rings or amulets to be wom around the neck
are the most popular. The Rosicmcian Sup
ply Bureau is daily besieged with requests
for such items to protect the wearer not only
from Black Magic and Spirits, but from accidents, poisoning, and any other bodily
harm. All we would have to do to double or
triple our membership ring sales would be
to claim such fantastic powers for them.
In one way, the use and effectiveness of
such talismans illustrates rather than repudiates the true nature of Black Magicthat it
is purely psychological in its method of at
tack. This is shown by the fact that if the
intended victim has a talisman which he
believes, or knows, is powerful enough to
ward off the powers of his tormentors, then
they can east all the spells they wish and
he will not be harmed. If he loses the talis
man, however, he is a doomed man. He

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

knows this, and, surely enough, he falls

victim to the magic and dies, or loses his
wealth, or similarly responds to whatever
form the magic is to take.
The treatment of cases of magic is as
psychological as are the effects of its use. In
the case of the boy whose life was smashed
with the egg, the doctor took the boy in, had
him lie down and visualize the egg broken
in the dust. By talking to him for several
hours, he had the boy visualize the egg as
gradually coming together; first the yolk and
white pulling in, then slowly the bits of
shell forming around them. Eventually the
egg was whole again with only the cracks
showing and, finally, even the cracks were
gone. With the egg whole and sound once
again, so was the boys life. The doctor then
said that his power was greater than that
of the practitioner and promised the boy he
would never again be bothered. In this case,
belief in the power of the white doctor replaced the need of a talismn.
If the peoples in those areas, so fraught
with fear and superstition, could be educated to the tme nature of these beliefs, the
problem of Black Magic would no longer
exist.
The misery and death brought about by
the use of Black Magic comes from no extemal or supematural cause at all. It is
brought about solely because of the victims
belief in it, and is created within his own
mind through his fear of it.
The victim has grown up among these
superstitions and believes in them so devoutly that merely the suggestion that someone
is using magic against him is enough to
convince him of impending doom. If he
would realize that this power carne from
within himself entirely, and truly believed
that the so-called magic could not harm him
unless he allowed it, he would then suffer
no ill effects.
It does no good to accept this fact academically, so to speak, without tm ly accepting
it emotionally as well.
A person in Africa recently wrote saying
that years ago another man pronounced a
curse on him, stating that he would become
insane. It hasnt as yet come about, but
even though the individual has long felt
there probably is nothing to fear from the
curse, he still often worries about it. This
is a case where the victim has analytically

OCTOBER, 1958

determined the truth of the situation but,

because of his long traditional acceptance of
the native superstition, he cannot completely
expel the possibility that the curse might
really manifest. Should he continu to let
that occasional worry grow upon him, the
curse could prove true; not because of the
curse itself, but because of his inability to
forget about it.
The key, then, to ones nullifying the ef
fects of Black Magic is ones refusal to be
lieve, both mentally and emotionally, in the
supposed power which is evoked by its use.
Once a person knows that it works only
through fear, and accepts that fact with his
whole being, he will realize there is nothing,
in reality, to fear. The forces of Black
Magic and superstition then will be truly
nonexistent.W
Mental Pictures of the Blind
There are two separate questions submitted to our Forum which have a relationship
and, consequently, we shall endeavor to
answer them jointly. The first question is:
What sort of mental pictures do blind per
sons perceive? The second query is: Are
blind people influenced by color?
A congenitally blind person, that is, one
who is bom blind, would not have the same
visual images as we do. In most cases, he
would have just color sensations, even though
he had never seen any colored objects. These
color sensations could be induced by the
mechanical means of pressure on the eyelids
or by rubbing them. Let one cise his eyes
tightly or cover them with a cloth so that
no light may come in contact with the eyes.
Then let him press gently, but firmly, on
the eyeballs with the index finger of each
hand and then suddenly release them from
pressure. In most instances geometric pattems of color will be seen. At times these
are more intense than at other times. Rather,
we should say that one will have the sensa
tions of varying color and forms as well.
These colors are due to stimuli of pressure
upon the nerves leading to the retina and
from it to the area in the brain having to
do with color. The stimulus is not due to
light waves coming in contact with the
nerves. A congenitally blind person would
not know the nature of the colors he saw.
He would not be able to identify them. He
would see by the method explained, that

Page 45

is, have sensations of perhaps red, orange,

green, or blue, but he would not know the
colors. He could not describe the colors
which he was perceiving in this manner so
that others could identify them for him.
Eventually such a blind person would assign some ame of his own to the color he
experienced. Let us presume that he was
told that there are three primary colors
red, green, and blue. Let us also suppose
that he was perceiving, by the method we
have described, visual images of these colors.
He would then presume that what he was
experiencing was red, green, and blue. But
which one was red, green, or blue? If he
were, in fact, always just perceiving a field
of blue in consciousness, he might designate
it as red or perhaps green!
One who is not congenitally blind but
became so later in life, because of illness or
accident, would experience mental images
of a visual nature. In our relating to such
a person a description of a house or a landscape, he would be able to recall from mem
ory objects or scenes which he formerly saw
and which would seem to him to parallel
what we are describing. We all know that
a great number of our visal images are
ones recollected from our experiences. The
person who suffers blindness later in life has
a decided advantage, if one may cali it that,
over the congenitally blirid person. This ad
vantage is that, before his blindness, he had
been able to store a vast number of visual
impressions in his memory. He can, subsequently, draw upon them to help his understanding of what others are relating to him.
The congenitally blind are assisted in understanding their world by special emphasis
being placed upon their other sense perceptions. For analogy, a child who is born blind
is made to carefully feel an object like a
glass tumbler, a fork, a spoon, or a chair.
After the object has been carefully felt and
examined in this way and the tactile sensa
tions, those of touch, are registered in the
childs memory, he is told that what he felt
is a chair, a fork, and so on. The mental
image formed of the object is not a visual
one, but is a tactile oneof feeling. For ex
ample, you have never seen air but, when
it blows upon your face, you know from
the sensations of feeling that such is known
as air in motion. The experience has identity,
becomes a mental image to you by touch

Page 46

rather than by sight. So, too, do congenitally

blind persons fill their sense world with
realities.
It is an established fact that most blind
persons develop acutely their psychic sense.
The loss of one peripheral or objective sense
makes them more conscious of the finer im
pressions or stimuli which register upon
their sympathetic nervous system. They cul
tvate a reliance on these more subtle and
finer impressions which they receive. Many
blind persons have related (and it has been
demonstrated) that, if they are not distracted, they will sense an obstacle in a room.
In Crossing the room in which a chair is in
their path or a door is closed, they will dis
cern it. They will suddenly stop before
reaching it and put out their hands and l
cate the obstacle. The famed Helen Keller
demonstrated this many times.
The blind often find it quite difficult to
describe the sensations which they have by
this psychic means of detecting objects accomplished by hyperaesthesia, that is, supersensitivity. This is frequently experienced as
an epicritic sensation, a kind of pressure as
though something suddenly were pressing in
on them from without. It could be, and this
is offered as a hypothesis, that, due to the
blind persons almost unconscious reliance
upon his psychic or subliminal faculties, he
is unknowingly to some extent projecting his
aura out from his physical person. This
aura, we shall say for better understanding,
can be likened to an electromagnetic field.
When this field is disturbed or agitated
and any substance comes in contact with it,
then, like the use of radar to detect distant
planes or ships, an impression is made upon
the consciousness. When the aura is thus
disturbed, it produces, through the nervous
system, a peculiar sensation of pressure as
of contact with some substance. This is the
warning to the blind person to exercise
caution.
All of this proves, too, that we do have
subliminal faculties, psychic powers, which
we do not ordinarily use. They are sup
pressed by full reliance upon our peripheral
senses as a matter of habit. In fact, what
we refer to as intuition or the guidance of
the Divine Mind within us, is principally
due to this psychic perception. Impressions
are registered upon our nervous system which
are not detected by our objective senses.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

They are then transmitted to the brain, and

there reduced to sensations perceivable by
the objective consciousness. They take the
form of some mental image, some notion or
idea. They come through into the objective
with such perspicuity, and in such a flash,
that we entertain no doubt about them.
Let us again refer to the analogy of
radar. The psychic sense receives subtle im
pressions which the objective senses cannot
register. Thus as radar it detects objects
which are not visually disceraible. Then, in
the complexities of the brain and mind there
is a transference of these impressions and
sensations into ideas. Sensations previously
caused by things we have objectively per
ceived become related to the transformed
psychic impressions so that there arises in
our consciousness an image that we can
understand and to which we respond accordingly and to which we refer as an in
tuitive flash or hunch.X
Resting the Mind
A frater now asks our Forum: Would it
be possible to stop the function of our brain
by lowering the temperature in our bodies,
thus inducing a state of absolute rest for our
thinking mind?
A distinction must be made here between
the brain and the mind. We presume that
the frater has reference to the brain and its
organic functioning. In our Rosicrucian
teachings we expound that mind really is a
consciousness and intelligence that infuses
each cell of our being, accompanying the
vital life forc. This mind is an involuntary
function. In other words, it acts independently of the human will. It is this mind that
directs the involuntary action of the heart,
the circulation of the blood, and the respiratory system, for example. Fortunately for
our existence, we do not have to consciously
think about and direct such functions.
The mind, as an infused intelligence resident in living cells of the organism, is never
at rest; it is never dormant. It contines its
functions when we are asleep and its prin
cipal functions are not inhibited even by
an anaesthetic, or we would not be able to
endure surgery. This mind, this conscious
ness, is of several levels or stages of deep
sensitivity. How many, as yet we do not
know. The whole stream of this conscious
ness may be called the subconscious. Varia-

OGTOBER, 1958

tions of phenomena occur at certain of its

levels or octaves. As we are told in our
Rosicrucian teachings, the subjective and ob
jective are only two of its aspects, but they
are the commonest.
Just as the intelligence of this mind func
tions through various organs producing the
different physiological actions, so, too,
through the brain, it causes such states as
perception, reason, will, and memory. Mind
uses the neurons, the brain cells and their
pathways, and the various plexuses of the
brain to produce all those qualities which we
ordinarily consider characteristics of the
brain. In a sense the brain is subordinate to
the superior mind which created it.
Even our usual mental processes, as cogitation or sustained contemplation and reasoning, do not fatigue the brain. It is commonly
said that we become brain-fagged, after using
our mental faculties in a long days labor,
but it has been demonstrated that it is not
the brain which tires. Rather, we, through
concentration, expend considerable nervous
energy. We tire our eyes and muscles of
the neck, limbs, and back by unconscious
tensin while mentally concentrating upan
some work or study. It is not the brain that
needs a rest from strenuous mental effort,
but these parts and the nervous systems.
It is not possible, while conscious, to rest
the brain by decreasing or eliminating stim
uli. In other words, we cannot remain con
scious and completely suppress impulses
coming to the nervous systems and brain.
We may say that objective consciousness is
not a thing but a function. It arises from the
stimulus of the electrical impulses of the
nerve cells. The stimulus produces varying
sensations and ideas and these we identify
as consciousness. In fact, have you ever been
conscious without sensations and ideas? Can
you realize, without realizing something?
As we depress and gradually elimnate one
kind of sense impression after another, our
world, our experience of reality, shrinks accordingly. Shut your eyes and one fifth
of your perception of the external world is
eliminated, at least one fifth of the channels
by which you are conscious of extemality.
Then cover your ears so that no auditory
impressions are possible, and again the world
further contracts. Suppose you did this with
touch, smell, and taste as well. Extemality
would be closed out to you.

Page 47

Under such conditions you would, how

ever, not be completely insensate. You would
still have consciousness of other sensations.
There would continu, for example, what is
known as somesthesia or cutaneous sensa
tions. These are the sensations that arise
from our own skin. Further, there would
be protopathic sensations, as the feeling of
coid, heat, and pain. There are, too, what
are known as epicritic sensations, the feeling
of intemal pressure within the organism.
But, even by shutting out external sense im
pressions and still retaining consciousness
because of the intemal impulses, you would
not feel rested. Instead, you would become
increasingly agitated.
An experiment conducted by Dr. Wilder
Penfield, world-famed brain surgeon of the!
Montreal Neurological Institute, endeavors1
to prove that the brain is a storehouse for
records of the stream of our life and thoughts.
Experiments in monotonous existence
were conducted at McGill University in
Montreal. . . . Yolunteers were swathed
in soft clothes, placed motionless on comfortable beds in dim, sound-proof boxes. Absolutely nothing happened to them! And
their minds, without the usual impressions
gathered by the senses, soon began to play
tricks.
A rest, when one is mentally fatigued,
should consist of an entirely different type
of activity. One should use other sense or
gans or, preferably, resort to physical activi
ty for a change. If we may use a personal
reference, we have often been quite fatigued
from writing or other work requiring mental
concentration, but, by going to a gymnasium
at the conclusin of the days work and engaging in rigorous physical exercise, which
at first seemed quite an effort, we found
ourselves quite rejuvenated within an hour.
Not only were different muscles and nerves
brought into use but the stimulation of the
blood circulation and the quickened breathing revitalized the nervous systems and
brushed away the fatigue.
It has been observed that very elderly
persons who did not have impaired blood
circulation caused by sclerosis, have been
able to retain highly alert and active mentalities and memory. Loss of memory and inability to concntrate in od age are not the
results of brain fatigue or the aging of the
brain.X

THE

mmm
OF

Look at
These Chapters
Profound
Yet Simple
Over 350 Pages!
i The Mystical Life
I I The God Concept

iii Self and Soul

IV Love and Desice

Living Fully
Light and
Illumination
V II Death The Law
of Change
V II I Causality and Karma
IX Karma in Effect
x Entering the Silence
X I Meditation
X II Nature of Prayer
X I I I Afirmations-Their
Use and Misuse
X IV The Lost Word
X V The Technique of
Initiation
X V I Occultism, Hermeticism, and
Esotericism
X V II Illusions of the
Psychic
X V III Superstition
X IX Nature of Dreams
X X Prediction
X X I Mastership and
Perfection
X X II Spirituality
X X I II Cosmic Consciousness

v
vi

An Amazing Revelation for

Attaining Personal Power!
Do

YO U KNOW that happiness begins with yourself? Are you

continually torn by a conflict of desires a restlessness that makes this
or that seem necessary to have or to do? Do you find that things once
longed for, often fall far short of the personal satisfaction you expected of them?
Now you can learn which of your feelings to discard as enslaving
influences and which to retain as worthy incentives. Here is a book
that points out how you can take recourse to your inner consciousness.
There you may find a sanctuary from the bitter disillusions that spring
from wrong thought and action! T he Sanctuary of Self is written in
an easy-to-read style. It contains both a frank psychological and a
mystical analysis of drives that motvate human behavior. This book
goes into the mystical valu of entering the silence not as an escape
from reality and the duties of life, but as a means of discovering new
visin that makes for accomplishment.
In this book the author, Ralph M. Lewis, F. R. C., Imperator of the
Rosicrucian Order, A.M.O.R.C., brings to you the results of his years
of experience with the practical aspects of mysticism. The book con
tains over 350 pages (23 complete chapters); it is beautifully and
well bound, printed in large type. The price, $3.10 ( 1 /2 /9 sterling)
per copy, includes mailing charges.

ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU

R O S IC R U C IA N

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

PARK,

SAN

JO SE ,

C A L IF O R N I A ,

t^ H ^ > T H E R O S I C R U C I A N P R E S S , L T D .

U . S. A .

December, 1958
Volume XXIX

No. 3

Rosicrucian Forum
A prvate

publication for m e m b e rs of A M O R C

JOS DE O. PAU LO, F. R. C.

Director, G ra n d Lodge of A M O R C , Brazil

Page 50

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

CHANGING Y O U R CONSCIOUSNESS
Dear Fratres and Sorores:
During normal times, on Sundays and
holidays, why are the public highways congested with automobile traffic? Is it just the
love of the people for the great out-of-doors,
and for the sensation of an effortless rapid
movement of the body? Those are perhaps
some of the explanations; however, the reason goes deeper and has a more serious
psychological foundation. We avoid monotony and ennui only by the continuous
vacillation of our consciousness. A fixed
state of consciousness, that is, the retention
of an idea which does not change causes
mental fatigue, which develops into irritability. There is no greater torture than boredom, as many can testify.
There are two ways of actuating our state
of consciousness. The first is to have it impelled without volition on our part. We may
look at or listen to something, for example,
which continuously excites our mind with
its varying impressions. Changing sounds,
spoken words, the movement of objects, variation of colorsthese things hold attention
by the sensations they produce within us,
thereby causing our consciousness to be ac
tive.
In fact, consciousness would become dormant if one sense impression, a sound for
instance, would be sustained so that we
could hear or be aware of nothing else. This
is known to workers in shops and industrial
plants, where for hour after hour their ears
may be assaulted by some particular and
constant sound, such as the whir of a motordriven saw. Eventually this sound is blocked
out of their consciousness; they no longer
realize it. Consciousness needs change. It is
kept active only by the varying impressions
it receives, with the resultant sensations from
them.
The second way of actuating our con
sciousness is by our will, by thinking, by
reasoning, by organizing the ideas which
have already registered in our minds into
new and different conceptions. A man may

be seated in a cave, where no external im

pressions can reach him, with no sounds or
sights to attract his attention, yet his mind
may be furiously active because of his reflections. The studious type of individual,
the thinker, can always self-stimulate his
consciousness. Thus, he can be assured that
he will never experience the monotony of an
inert mind. Through practice, his mental
powers have become flexible and intellectual
activity is quite facile for him.
Conversely, however, the other types of
individuis, which unfortunately constitute
the majority, find self-instigated mental ac
tivity strenuous and laborious. They prefer
to remain passive and that the world,
instead, act upon their consciousness. Con
sequently, for this to come about they must
have bodily activity, which they find less
disturbing than the exercise of mind. In
other words, they decide to place them
selves in such a position that their environ
ment willr act upon them, that scenes will
ever change without their even having to
direct their own consciousness.
To use a simply analogy, if you want
something to move before your eyes, you
either exert the effort to move your hand
or something else up and down before your
face, or you can go to the window, remain
stationary and let things on the thoroughfare move themselves before your visin.
The majority of people prefer the latter
type of activity. They find it more pleasing
to move their bodies along the highways for
the changing environment it affords, and
because it continuously assaults the con
sciousness with different sense impressions
that prevent monotony and thereby cause
pleasant, though often superficial interests.
The fact that this is so is evident that they
frequently change the direction in which
they drive their cars for pleasure, and vary
their rate of speed. They are constantly
seeking a new thrill, a further stimulus of
consciousness, without the exercise of their

PECEMBER, 1958

Page 51

mental powers. They prefer to be acted up

on, rather than become active themselves.
The cause of this deplorable condition is
often to be found in the homes of these peo
ple. Many of them are wealthy and own
luxuriously appointed homes, or are in quite
moderate circumstances. When they remain
at home, other than for sleep, dining, or to
entertain, they feel immured in a prison.
The home is not really such to them, but
merely a shelter or residence. There is noth
ing in it which stimulates their imagination
or causes an active state of consciousness
from which they can derive enjoyment.
A home must be the habitat of your in
terests as well as your body. It must afford
an outlet for your emotions and your desires
as well as a place to hang your hat. In its
furnishings, devices, or appurtenances, there
must be something that will challenge your
mind and stimulate your thinking in a pleasing way. A home does not need to be a
schoolroom or laboratory where tedious
mental occupation is demanded of you. It
should, however, provide interests to your
mind which are restful, relaxing, and which
move your consciousness pleasantly, without
the need of accelerating your body 30, 40,
or 80 miles an hour along the highway, to
get the same results.
If you cannot conceive of what to bring
into your home that will afford these men
tally constructive, not dissipating pleasures,
you are poverty stricken, even though you
may be wealthy in material possessions. If
you have no hobby, no special mental in
terest which brings you great satisfaction
in your idle moments, you are abnormal
you are an extreme extrovert. You are thus
unable to create your own environment, and
you are obviously a slave to forces and fac
tors which act upon you. A man who says,
Well, there is no particular avocation
which appeals to me, is in the same breath
saying, I have no desires, except the in
stinctive ones of my appetites. I find no

pleasures, except in eating, drinking, and

bodily indulgences.
Most persons who must continually be
moving about, go here and there for diver
sin, are doing so because they cannot find
it in their own minds, and, yet, they are
always restless. Actually, the external excitement for which they are ever in search
is not thoroughly satisfying to them. If they
would admit it, they are always wanting
something more but they do not know what.
I recommend that such persons read some
of the popular science, mechanics, and crafts
books that are on newsstands. In time, they
may find some craft, some illustrations, or
an article related to it that will appeal im
mediately to their latent talentstalents
which they may not realize they have. I
suggest also that they visit some of the hobby
shops in different cities, that, for example,
have on display model railroad equipment,
and kits for home experimentation in chemistry, radio, and electricity. I further sug
gest that they write for the catalog of
Handee Home Shop Materials.* Its sug
gestions for things that can be made at home,
and the devices and tools for such a purpose
stimulate the imagination of anyone who
might be mechanically inclined.
Also they should visit the display of art
students in schools or universities when they
are open to the public. There is a tremendous sense of satisfaction in creating, in
fashioning ideas into things. You may never
become a Rembrandt or a Rodin, but you
will enjoy your efforts tremendously. You
may never have had clay in your hands
before. If, however, there is any unsuspected art in your being, no matter how ele
mentary, as you start to use the simple tools
of the beginner sculptor, and see a form taking shape under your fingers, you will get
a sense of satisfaction as you have never be
fore experienced.
You do not have to have a palatial home
for these things. A comer in a basement or

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 of the U .S . Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of the Supreme Council of AM O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sterling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sferlng) per year FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page 52

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

an altic will suffice. Even a little table in

some part of one room on which you may be
able to write or draw. Have you ever tried
writing? You may amaze yourself at the
results, if you do. No one can really learn
to write, by going to a school which professes to teach it. Such a school, admittedly
is useful in teaching the rudiments, such as
grammar, English, and technical fundamen
tis for the presentation of ideas, and for
the marketing of your finished product.
However, the development of ideas and the
expression of them comes from practice
try it.
Once you develop mental pleasures and an
outlet for them in your home, you will not
need to rush here and there for recreation
or for a change of scenery. You will not
object to the fact that your body remains
stationary for a few hours, because your
mind will be scintillating and your con
sciousness revolving from one experience to
another, under the magic touch of your
new-found interest and your own will.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
_____
Imperator.
* Chicago Wheel & Mfg. Co., 1101 West Monroe
Street, Chicago, 111.
(From T he Rosicrucian ForumOct. 1943)

Has Palmistry Any Basis?

A soror of New England addresses this
Forum circle for the first time, I believe. She
says: It has been said that no two persons
have identical lines on their respective hands.
Rosicrucian monographs say that memory is
the working tool of creation. Although, of
course, the lessons do not say so, I wonder
whether the lines on our hands must, there
fore, be marks of experience, so to speak.
Every hand does seem to have a few
main lines which are similar. I am not inclined toward superstition, but these facts
make me wonder if there was ever any basis
for palmistry.
Palmistry is an ancient pseudo-science and
a form of divination. Technically it is referred to as chiromancy, and at one time was
part of the official practises of ancient Rome.
Even as late as the year 1475 A. D., the chief
elements of palmistry were codified, that is,
incorporated into a recognized system of
practise and interpretaron.

The theory of chiromancy, or palmistry, is

the assumption that there is a correlation be
tween the hand and the brain and, therefore,
by means of it individual character can be
read. Further, by the same means, it is
claimed that the future of the individual can
be predicted.
It is often not realized by the clientele
of the palmists by what means they profess
to make their interpretations. It is interest
ing to disclose the methods of the palmist
who has made a pseudo-science of his profession. The general shape of the hand is
the first classification they consider. Next,
the flexion-folds (the lines), and then the
muscular projections (the mounds) are examined in connection with the doctrine of
signatures and the influence of planets.
The left hand is usually preferred for a
reading since it is less deformed by work,
that is, its characteristics are less concealed
by callouses or by a roughened texture.
French practitioners of palmistry have
placed hands in seven classes. They are:
elementary, grand (possibly meaning the
hand of an aristocrat not exposed to any
abusage), necessary (this probably means an
ordinary hand subject to common usage, including some menial labors), the artist, phi
losopher, psychic, and the mixed.
The outstanding feature is said to be the
thumb. The line surrounding the base of the
thumb is the life line. At least, that is one
of the suppositions of the earliest palmists.
If the line is without sinuosities (without
winding or folds) the line is said to represent
happiness. The first phalange of the thumb
is said to signify will; the second depicts the
extent of the individuals logic. The ball of
the thumb is termed the Mount of Venus,
and on its features depends, it is said, the
individuals success or failure. Next to the
line of life, which it joins beneath the indexfinger, is the line of the head. Above and
parallel to it, it is declared, is the line of
fate, and parallel to it, and toward the heel
of the hand, the line of fortune. From the
origin of the life line to the base of the little
finger runs the line of health.
The supremacy of man is greatly dependent upon the prehensile characteristic of his
hands. Much of mans environment, now
mastered by him, would have been insuper
able if not for the dexterity of these mem-

DECEMBER, 1958

bers. It is the hands which are capable of

executing the conceptions of the mind. Otherwise, so far as man is concerned, the
world would never reflect his ideas. The
hands have fashioned mans ideas into forms.
Next to the head and the heart the hands
have been eulogized in liturgies as one of
mans greatest gifts. The hands have likewise been thought capable of bestowing
blessings and evoking curses. The hands of
a craftsman were, particularly in ancient
times, thought to be possessed of an inherent
theurgical power because of their Creative
ability. Even, today, as we watch the skillful fingers of a mastercraftsman, a worker
in ceramics, a sculptor, or a goldsmith, for
example, it almost seems as if they possess
an independent intelligence instead of merely following the commands of the mind.
Is it any wonder, then, that people of low
intelligence or superstition in the past blieved that there was a definite correlation
between the lines of the hand and the brain?
It is also a kind of elementary reasoning that
the hands of people performing the same
kind of work should have common characteristics. Thus, it would be believed that the
hands of philosophers should be similar, and
those of blacksmilhs. Scientifically, there has
not, as yet, been discovered any rational
facts to support the hypothesis of chiromancy.
A common misconception in connection
with the practice of palmistry is that those
of an aesthetic nature, i.e. those of an artistic
temperament or profession such as musicians, philosophers, painters, should have
long slender hands and fingers. Consequently administrative geniuses, or those of excellent business executive ability, would have
short thick hands and more or less stubby
fingers. You have heard these claims yourself. Look around you. You will find as
many artists and writers, successful ones
also, with short stubby hands as those with
slender ones and visa versa. The late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, although
having excellent administrative talent, was
artistic in temperament and found his great
est expression in writing and painting yet
his hands were thick and his fingers heavy
and short.
All humans do have, speaking generally,
similar flexion-folds (lines) just as all nor

Page 53

mal persons have ten fingers. At that point

all similarity ends and the variation is as
great as there are people. The fact also
remains that persons with long life lines
have died young, and those with short ones
have lived to a venerable age. It might be
asked, then, how is it that some palmists can
miraculously delineate the character of the
one whose palms they read?
This faculty is not due to palmistry but
rather to the highly developed sense of char
acter analysis of the individualand some
thing more. Some of these individuis are
psychically sensitive. They feel readily the
aura of those persons with whom they come
in contact. From the vibrations of the aura
they are able to detect the personality, the
character of the individual, regardless of his
or her objective appearance. They can tell
whether the individual is spiritually evolved,
kind in disposition, tolerant and sympathetic.
Likewise they can determine whether he is
cruel, niggardly, and bigoted. They are also
able to determine whether a person has
aesthetic tastes, is worried, in good health,
etc.
It would, in all probability, be impossible
for them to describe the sensations which
they have from the impressions of the aura,
but they can, and particularly through ex
perience, define them rightly. The fact that
they hold the hand, ostensibly to read the
palm, actually provides them with a closer
contact with the aura. They undoubtedly
could, and would, obtain the same results
from placing their fingers upon the forehead
of the client, for example. It is perhaps true
that some palmists are not aware of the
source of the impressions they receive, that
is, that enter their consciousness as they look
upon the mounds and lines of the clients
hands. Therefore, they actually believe that
they are reading the palms.
It might be said that those who possess a
high degree of psychic development and are
apt at cryptesthesia, use palm reading, crystal gazing, playing-cards, teacup readings,
etc., as mere props. In other words, they are
used as a material and dramatic background
for their immanent and, often little understood, functions. Further, these props go a
long way in impressing the clients.
(From T he Rosicrucian ForumOct. 1943)

Page 54

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

This Issues Personality

Jos de 0. Paulo was born in one of the
most fabulous cities of the world. The exotic
profile of Rio de Janeiro has sent many a
poets heart singing the praises of that jewel
on the south Atlantic seaboard. It seems fitting that this should have been the setting, in
1908, for the birth of Frater Paulo who today
lends such grandeur to Rosicrucian activities
in Brazil. The equanimity and grace with
which he fulfills his arduous assignments
reflect the delightful and earnest tempo of
the country in which he lives. It is also fitting that here, through Frater Paulo and his
able associate Soror Mara Moura, the Rosi
crucian Order, AMORC, is making great new
strides.
Prior to his association with the Grand
Lodge of Brazil, Frater Paulo spent many
years in the field of commerce. His college
studies and his contacts with commercial
representatives from abroad brought him an
early knowledge of English and Spanish.
This skill in languages enabled him to take
a number of positions as a translator and
proved of inestimable aid when he set about
the gigantic task of translating volumes upon
volumes of Rosicrucian lesson material into
Portuguese, the language of Brazil.
It was through an avid love of reading
that Frater Paulo first contacted the Rosicru
cian Order. While paging through a widelycirculated periodical one day, he carne upon
an ad v ertisem ent which carried the intriguing invitation to investigate further the
mysteries of Being. An age-old fraternal or
ganization known as The Rosicrucian Order,
AMORC, offered to help the sincere seeker
discover the true nature of self.
Here he immediately found a fulfillment
of his search for a satisfying philosophy of
life. It fulfilled both his longing for mys
tical enlightenment and a need to find practical ap p licatio n for his ideis. Being
practical as well as mystical in nature,
Frater Paulo wasted little time in helping to
bring about the establishment of a Rosicru
cian body in Rio de Janeiro. With his
present associate, Soror Moura, he was cofounder of the first Rosicrucian Chapter in
Rio de Janeiro, serving later as Chairman
of its Board of Directors, and serving at
other times as Chanter, Deputy Master, and
Bulletin Editor.

But his destiny led him furtherto the

most important task of his lifeco-founding
the Grand Lodge of Brazil. As a director
of that body he holds the equally responsible
position of treasurer. Since that historie
moment in 1957, Rosicrucian activity has
rapidly advanced in Brazil with its Grand
Lodge now being one of the major divisions
of the International Jurisdiction of AMORC
with its Supreme See in San Jos, California.
Frater Paulo at home is a family man,
having a charming wife and daughter. What
time he now finds free from the many duties
he has assumed, sees him busy at home or
busy with one of his avocations, which in
clude singing, and other aspects of art and
music.X
Creating in the Cosmic
A frater of South Africa addressing our
Forum says, Is it proper to say that under
certain conditions one may create in the
Cosmic world? I understand that even stray
thoughts on the part of an individual have
their impact on his destiny, day by day . . .
and that by concentration, marked concen
tration, he can, through the use of Cosmic
law, create or draw together the elements of
life to make wise dreams come true. As I
understand it, there must be far more than
prayer or more than emotional desire; the
objective must become real, and there must
be put forth knowledge that the objective
is possible, right, and well merited.
Really, we do not create in the Cosmic
though this is the term that we commonly
use to designate certain activities on our
part. What we are doing here is creating
and using the Cosmic to help us materialize
our thoughts so that we may convert them
into reality.
Let us begin by considering briefly the
commonest method of what is called creat
ing Cosmically. We begin by visualization. We must first have a clear conception
of what we want. If we are vague, we can
no more create mentally than we could
create with lumber and tools if we had no
object in mind. Second, we must sincerely
ask ourselves if what we want is ethically
proper; does it have merit? Will the receipt
of it bring harm to another through loss,
economic disadvantage, or distress in some
way? Is what we desire a luxury that will

PECEMBER, 1958

detrimentally affect our health or moris,

or our personal advancement in any way?
Our conscience must be the guide in providing these answers.
If finally we have a clear perception, that
is, an idea of what we want, and if there is
no conscientious objection to it, then we are
ready for the third step. We begin in our
concentration to form a visual image of what
is desired on the screen of consciousness. As
we are told in our monographs, we think
of the screen of consciousness in our mind
as being like an artists canvas. Upon this,
we mentally paint, part by part, element by
element, what we desirejust as an artist
would compose his painting on canvas.
Suppose it is not an object that you de
sire but an experience. It may be that you
wish to take a special course in music in a
distant city. Your visualization of the mental
picture which you paint in your mind must
include all the essential elements that will
make this objective possible. You will see
yourself, by extra work perhaps and income, acquiring the funds for the joumey.
Then you will see yourself so regulating
your affairs that you will have time to be
absent from your regular duties. Then see the
fimshing touches, such as actually attending
the school, studying there and receiving the
knowledge and the benefit which it provides.
The fourth step is the release of the mental
picture into the Cosmic. Dismiss it from your
objective mind. Release it into the subcon
scious, which stream flows outward into the
Cosmic mind and intelligence. For analogy,
suppose you drew a sketch of a cabinet that
you wished to have. Carefully you would
indicate all of the cabinet features in your
design, the dimensions, kind of wood and
paint which it should include. But, so long
as you were keeping the structural drawing
on your person, it would never materialize
into a reality. It would be necessary for
you to give the drawing to a cabinetmaker
as a necessity for its execution. So, you must
dismiss the complete mental image from
your objective mind. We say then that such
a mental image has been released to the
Cosmic to create.
Actually, we are transmitting to the sub
conscious a picture of what we want, and
it is reflected into the Cosmic. The Cosmic
forces and attributes which will further our
mental image will cause us to be attracted

Page 55

to such conditions as will bring it about.

Simply put, there will be a continuous sub
conscious urge and inclination on our part
toward all avenues which will help bring
about the fulfillment of our desire, the actualizing of what we have visualized. We
now find ourselves inclined to Cosmic im
pulses, motivations toward which we might
not ordinarily respond but which would
further our desire.
Individuis say, and you have heard them,
that suddenly things seemed to open up
for me. A way was apparent. I met this
person or I read this notice which brought
me into contact with elements that helped
me to realize my dream. In other words,
these people were really being Cosmically
made more conscious of all those factors,
those elements, which would make it pos
sible for them to bring their mental image
into existence.
Let us use another analogy which we
have often used before. One buys a car of
a certain make. Perhaps previously he has
never paid much attention to that make but
now as he walks down the thoroughfare, he
sees many cars of the same make as his own.
It may seem to him that the car he has
selected has almost ovemight increased in
number. The psychological factor is that he
is particularly conscious of his own car, its
design is very definite in his mind, and he
has an emotional attachment for it. He likes
it; prefers it. Ordinarily, before he made
the purchase, the similar cars going by
would not have attracted the same attention.
There would not be the emotional response
and reaction to the suggestion which they
now provide.
So, too, once having properly released a
mental image into the Cosmic, ways and
means for our personally realizing it seem
to continuously spring up before us or are
brought to our attention. If we take advantage of these opportunities, through our own
efforts, soon then we do create in a material
way what we have desired.
It is essential to note that what we desire
is never suddenly delivered to us like some
thing taken by the Cosmic out of stock from
some infinite warehouse. The Cosmic does
not keep replenishments or a supply of commodities to materialize for us upon our demand. This sort of false notion is one of the

Page 56

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

major factors why so many Cosmic appeals

for the creation of something fail.
There are those who may relate, I was
greatly in need of a certain thing and appealed to the Cosmic for its creation. Later,
perhaps weeks or months, suddenly it carne
into existence. Such a statement, however,
shows a lack of analysis of all the contributing conditions that actually brought about
the desired thing. The individual who spoke
this was failing to realize the various steps
by which the whole was finally consummated.
The Cosmic does not create for us; rather,
it makes it possible for us to create for our
selves. If this were not so, we would, figuratively, almost all of us become parasites
tossing all of our problems and needs into
the Cosmic lap as if it were a genie intended
to do our bidding.X
Disease and Sin
A soror in Glasgow, Scotland, says: I do
not see diseases such as tuberculosis and
cncer as a terrible sin against society. A
person who has suffered a great deal of illness may contribute quite a lot to society.
Many of us have leamed through illness
and disappointment, and even debt can become a compensation. Could you make this
a discussion for the Forum?
Disease is suffering. The theology of od
and some forms of it todaymade suffering
the consequence of sin. From that point of
view, every pain, particularly any misfortune that befell men, augured a divine pun
ishment. In the various orthodox sects of
Christianity with their puritanical creeds
and innumerable taboos, it is almost impossible not to sin. As a result it became
a simple matter to attribute any illness or
disease as being retribution or a punishment
for a violation or because of some sin. God
was literally kept busy imposing punishments upon mortal man because of his
pusillanimous character.
What is sin? In general, it is any con
duct which is conceived to be a violation of
a divine edict. It is construed as human
action intentionallyand sometimes unwittinglycommitted in opposition to a reli
gious or moral code. Succinctly put, a sin
is the breaking of what man interprets as a
divine law. Man is the interpreter of the
divine. All saints and sacrosanct beings who

have professed to have had revelations or

disclosures from spiritual sources were them
selves mortals. Therefore, it is they, as humans, who define what in human behavior
and human relations is good conduct and
what is sinful. It is, of course, held that
God will exclpate the sinner if he performs
certain prescribed rites and by so doing
atones for his sins. Those who do not are
to be punished hereand most assuredly in
the hereafter. Since so many sinners, as
construed by religin, seem to escape the
penalty upon the earth plae, particular
emphasis is placed upon the just compensa
tion that will be meted out to them in the
hereafter.
It has been difficult at times for orthodox
and organized religin to explain convincingly how one who has conscientiously subscribed to their moral, and religious codes
becomes afflicted with disease. Why is he
visited with such suffering if he is a good
and devout person? It is presumed by
them that behind each such event there is a
reasonGods reason. Most times then, it is
further presumed that, notwithstanding a
very commendable display of devotion, the
suffering individual nevertheless must have
been guilty of something not orthodox. In
other words, he must have, in secret or otherwise, sinned.
In the broad sense there is no relationship
between disease and morality. The most
morally circumspect person is still subject
to natural laws which are impersonally directed for and against man. The laws of
nature are a manifestation of the Cosmic.
They stem from its divine source but they
work as impersonally for and against the
interest of human beings as do the natural
phenomena of electricity and gravity. The
criminal can use the power of electricity as
effectively as can the priest or clergyman.
The morally circumspect individual tries
to understand Cosmic and natural laws
which affect his life. He avoids doing any
thing that will cause him to become diseased
or in ill-health. However, he is subject to
the same viruses and bacteria as anyone
else. If, through ignorance, he contracts a
disease it is not an intentional imposition
of suffering upon him by a divine being.
It is really a form of self-punishment. After
all, any immorality which results in a
breach of the laws of health is a sin com-

DECEMBER, 1958

mitted against ourselves. In the mystical

sense, man is only a sinner when he willfully violates Cosmic and natural principies
which degenerate the health processes of his
body and mind, or interferes with what may
be termed the natural rights of other human
beings.
What are the natural rights of other hu
man beings? Again, we enter into the realm
of human interpretation. Today major na
tions are in a state of coid war, principally
due to a difference in the interpretation of
human rights. These rights concern freedom
of the individual; the manner in which men
shall organize in the form of society for the
furtherance of their mutual welfare; and
what shall constitute the human objective
commensurate with certain moral or reli
gious idealism.
Fundamentally, freedom as a right should
allow the fullness of expression of the varied
nature of man to the extent that it does not
deny other persons similar opportunities. It
is held in most nations that mans personal
powers and being, though organically
evolved, are in accord with an original divine
mandate. The exercise of such rights in ac
cord with such an understanding, and with
the necessary restrictions stated above, is the
ultmate objective of the enlightened society.
The man or woman who opposes such rights
of others is not only in violation of manmade law but is considered to be immoral
and a sinner, as well.
The fact is that much of our suffering is
due to karma. It is the logical consequence
of the law of karma. Karma is the law of
compensation and causality. This means that
for every cause we institute an effect fol
lows from it. There is a natural karma.
Through ignorance we unwittingly invoke
certain causes, set into motion certain forces
or conditions from which follow unpleasant
results as disease and ill-health. In the case
of adverse karma, it is not being imposed
upon us as a retribution, or to punish us in
any way. Karma is as impersonal as gravity,
which causes water to fail over the side of
a cliff in some spectacular manner. Five
centuries ago men innocently brought upon
themselves many diseases due to lack of the
knowledge of sanitation, for example. Never
theless, the law thus invoked worked to their
disadvantage just the same as if they had

Page 57

knowingly committed the violation of natural

law.
Today, much of our illness from which we
suffer is likewise due to ignorance of certain
factors which the next generation may learn
to avoid. We may soon discover the cause of
cncer, for example, and how to prevent it.
Men now suffer this malady not because of
any moral sin but due to natural forces
which in some way they oppose in their
modem way of living.
We cannot conclude without repeating, as we always do, that karma is twofold in its effect. It is not adverse any more
than that all causes could be to the disad
vantage of man. There are in the Cosmic
and in natural forces, when invoked, causes
that bring results and effects which are
stiictly to our advantage. Just as illness
is not the result of some sin which we have
committed against God or against some reli
gious code, so too, many of the little rewards
and pleasures which we experience in life
are not special mandates descending to us
from the Cosmic; rather, they indicate that
we have been working harmoniously, either
intentionally or unintentionally, with these
impersonal Cosmic laws. As a result the ef
fects, the pleasure or happiness, is what we
derive from the experience.X
Awakening our Talents
A frater now addresses this body. He
says: I know that in our Rosicmcian mono
graphs exist the laws and exact procedure
whereby we can awaken and develop our
talents and latent abilities. Undoubtedly
some of this information has been digested
previously by me, but for the moment I am
at a loss to organize it for use. What are
talents? How are they acquired? And, most
important, how can I organize any I may
possess, and finally, how can I apply them
to my living?
Let us discard the conventional definition
of talent. As an immediate beginning, to
serve our purpose, we can say that talents
are aptitudes which we display. An aptitude
to most of us means general inclination to
ward something, such as, for example, mechanics, with perhaps more ability in that
than in some other endeavor. This seems
irreconcilable with talent, as perhaps you are
accustomed to think of it. It is the habit to

Page 58

think of one having a talent as possessing

such particular ability that he will exceed
one who does not have the same inclination.
Let me use an analogy: There are two
men; one is a prominent student of lan
guages, a teacher of them, in fact; the other
is a clerk in a large office. The clerk is
restless in his work; he is fascinated with
mechanical things. He likes to toy with
machinery, engines, motors, and devices.
Besides having that love, he displays a me
chanical talent, an ability to do mechanical
things better than anything else which he
does. On the other hand, the other man, the
linguist, has no particular interest in ma
chinery or mechanics. Most certainly whatever he does mechanically is not equal to
his linguistic ability. However, when by
necessity he does devote his time to mechan
ical things, he can accomplish more with
them than the clerk who has a talent for
mechanics.
In your own experience, you have per
haps known people who would have made
fair attorneys or mathematicians, better than
usual perhaps, because they excelled in those
or related fields when called upon, but who
nevertheless detested them and would do
better in their chosen field. This belies the
popular conception that one who has a talent
always can achieve more with it than one
who does not have it.
A talent, therefore, is a personal responsiveness, a sensitiveness on your part to
demands made upon your faculties or in
tellectual pow ers, a sensitiveness which
exceeds any other you have, so far as
Creative ability or ability to accomplish is
concemed. Because of that sensitivity, that
instinctive and organic inclination on your
part, the performing of all acts directly connected with it come easier for you. Since it
is easier, that is, not so laborious, and since
it satisfies you emotionally, you like it as
well. It does prove that greater possibilities
for you lie within the channel of your talent.
There are two ways of explaining this
sensitivity of talents. The materialists theory is that in certain cortical and association
areas of our brain the neurons (nerve cells)
are more highly developed, this development
sometimes being a coincidence, and at other
times a matter of heredity. However, the
materialists are not in accord as to whether

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the predisposition or talents can be trans

mitted from father to son. Dr. August Weismann, whose works have become a classic
on heredity, says Gauss was not the son
of a mathematician; Handels father was a
surgeon, of whose musical powers nothing is
known; Titian was the son and also the
nephew of a lawyer, while he and his bro
ther, Francesco Vecellio, were the first painters in a family which produced a succession
of seven to the artists, with diminishing
talents.
These facts, however, do not prove that
the condition of the nerve-tracts and centers
of the brain, which determine specific talent,
appeared for the first time in these men; the
appropriate condition surely existed pre
viously in their parents, although it did not
achieve expression. The point of interest
in this statement is not whether the talents
have been transmitted from parents, but
that the appropriate condition can exist
with some people and not achieve expres
sion.
The Rosicrucians have a mystical explana
tion for the possession of this sensitivity
amounting to talents, which we all have to a
certain degree. The personality of the soul
is distinctly separate in that it is not bound
by family relationships; that is, each of our
personalities is different, regardless of fam
ily connection. Cosmically, in other words,
we are not ordained to pursue a life or profession similar to that of our parents, unless
such is necessary to the evolvement of our
personality. If it is our mission in life, or
something we must learn, and the manner in
which we must serve, then, of course, we
may be inclined, through a predisposition, to
do those things which our parents have also
donein other words, to follow the same
pursuits.
In this incamation, our parents are those
who, by their training and by their associa
tion with us, can contribute best those ex
periences we need for the perfection of our
souls egothe personality. However, we
may have entirely different predispositions
or talents than our parents. The talents are
endowed on us because by the pursuit of
those interests we can best serve the Cosmic
and acquire those earthly experiences neces
sary for the rounding out of the souls per
sonality, the development of self. However,

PECEMBER, 1958

the Cosmic endowment of those talents is

quite within the findings, in other words,
within the explanations offered by the physiologists and psychologists. In other words,
physically speaking, this endowment consists
of the sensitivity of certain nerve-tracts and
areas of neurons in our brains.
The mechanical process and the physiological aspect are quite necessary if we are to
manifest talents, for, after all, talents are not
something, even though the Cosmic intends
them for us, that mysteriously descends upon
us like a vapor from the heavens. They are
physically and materially developed within
us but the Cosmic has decreed the ones they
shall be. This mystical and Rosicrucian prin
cipie concerning talents further confirms or
is in harmony with science. Each time we
are placed upon this earth plae, unless we
have incurred a great karmic debt, we are
caused to have such parents who will further
our psychic developmentthe perfection of
self. Consequently, our parents will be those
whose native intelligence and sensitivity to
the finer and nobler things of life, and those
ends necessary for creating from their en
vironment, will be greater.
The parents may not have the education
or the fame which the child will attain.
It will be found, however, that they have
those instinctive and psychic qualities which
will contribute to the excellence in attainment of their progeny. A son, because of
his oratorical ability and logic may become a
famed attomey. His father may be a humble
farmer, but it will be proven easily that the
father has a keen intelligence and excellent
reasoning powers.
Again, talent is not always related to in
telligence, that is, the procedure of thought.
Talent springs from certain emotional responses as well. A great depth of feeling, of
compassion, of love, and the ability to express self musically, for example, is as much
a talent as an intellectual aptitude, such as
literary ability.
A particular talent is designated by the
area of the brain which is a seat for certain
powers of mind and the exercise of certain
emotions. When the soul enters the body, its
incarnated ego has the mission, the incentive
to develop along certain needed lines, to express itself in definite channels. That incen
tive is that which causes the areas of the

Page 59

brain best able to bring about that mission

to become especially sensitive and manifest
as talents. Therefore, in reality, the de
velopment of the body and the brain as a
vehicle for the soul and its ego, conform to
a prescribed pattern. It is not difficult for
the body so to develop, because the soul has
been put in a body which has been selected
to meet the demands that will be made upon
it. It is like an inventor with a certain
design which he has visualized and wishes
to create, and is given the materials best
suited to his purpose.
So far it would seem from our discussion
as though we could not escape our talents.
Everything appears to be preconceived for
us; however, let us not forget that we mortals
have been given wills, which permit us to
reject and to deny our powers or to recognize
them. Therefore, whether talents which are
latent within us are exercised and brought
to the mximum of their efficacy, depends
solely upon us as individuis. If we deny a
talent, we retard the development of self,
the personality in this incarnation.
Talents are never so dormant that we can
not become conscious of their existence. The
usual discovery of a talent consists in finding
the easy manner in which we can develop
the technique to do something, or the immediate comprehension we have of the details
of some art or science, combined with our
likeness for it, An inclination to try some
thing, a mere fascination for some endeavor
is not an indication of a talent. Many of us
have thought we would like to do a certain
thing. After some application to it, we
found it laborious and difficult for us to comprehend, and therefore no longer enjoyable.
If you have a longing to indulge an art or
a science, to be a mechanic or mathematician, try it. Do not give up your present
profession or occupation, but make it a hobby or avocation. Very shortly you will find
whether you have the aptitude. This will be
indicated by the ability to concntrate with
out effort on the instructions of whatever
you are pursuing, and, with practice, a
rapidly developing perfection and an increasing, rather than decreasing, pleasure.
Further, you will find that as you exercise
the talent (and this is a further proof that
it is one), you will be able to observe in your
world, your daily environment, ways and

Page 60

means of u tiliz in g your ability never

dreamed of previously. Just as a man who
acquires greater physical strength is able to
lift greater weights with ease, so one who
exercises his talents finds about him more
and more channels for their expression.
There are usually one or more talents
which we possess and of which we are very
much conscious. Sometimes, since they seem
so dominant, we devote ourselves to them, to
the exclusin of othersperhaps one may
even have greater possibilities. It, therefore,
becomes necessary for us to awaken these
submerged talentsrather, to discover that
we have them. To do this, you must suggest
the nature of certain vocations, trades, arts,
or sciences as an idea to your subjective
mind. Allow the stimulus of those ideas to
arouse within you any special responsiveness
you may have to them.
For example, go to an opera, or visit an
art gallery and look at good paintings, try
describing an incident of the day in writing. See if you can mentally create an im
provement on some mechanical device. In
other words, let your consciousness dwell on
unaccustomed experien ces, something to
which any talent sensitivity you may have
can respond. The mental area of which a
talent may consist in your brain may be now
as a parched ground waiting for rain to give
it life.
An excellent way to awaken talent is to
visualize people in different trades, professions, arts, and sciences, to which possibly
you have given little or no thought. When
you visualize them doing these things, if you
feel a quickening in your solar plexus, a
sort of suppressed excitement, that then is
your cue to investgate that particular sphere
of activity further. Go to the place where
these things are being done, those to which
you respond, and see if you can have this
experience directly, or try imitating the ac
tivity in your home, by studying or reading
about it. Many a man never knew he had a
talent for art, for example, until he started
to dab around with someones palette and
brushes. Finally he senses a mastery, an
ease of achievement, and a satisfaction that
inwardly told him, I have discovered a
talent.
(From The Rosicrucian ForumApril 1943)

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

The Mystery of the Divining Rod

A frater of the State of Maryland now
arises to inquire: If the subject of the
divining rod has not been discussed in the
Forum, please do so. I know the subject was
discussed in some detail in a Rosicrucian
Pronunciamento, of which I have that par
ticular copy, but the article left several
things unanswered, such as the exact nature
and source of the energy which attracts the
rod, the type of energy in the human body
which flows toward the earth currents, and
how and why the human energy goes
through the rod instead of through the feet.
For example, what causes the rod itself to
move, and how may this power be strengthened and developed to a point where reliable
results are obtained?
This whole series of questions stems from
having observed a dowser demonstrating his
ability, and the very last question comes
from a selfish interest, as I have discovered
that I possess a very slight ability in this
regard and would like to strengthen it, if
possible.
The phenomenon of the divining rod was
known in antiquity and was used both for
practical and superstitious purposes. The
Romans used a virgula furcata, or forked
twig of hazel or willow, to augur events. The
turning of the twig or rod signified to them
certain omens. The use of the divining rod
was discussed in the work De re Metallico
written in 1546 by G. Agricola. Sebastian
Munsters Cosmogony in the sixteenth century again mentions the use of the divining
rod. The descriptions indicate tht it was
used for locating metallic lodes or subterranean water.
Germn prospectors in the fifteenth century used a divining rod to lcate minerals
in the mountainous regin of their country.
The Germans brought it to England, history
recounts, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. They employed it to assist Cornish
miners in locating mineral deposits. The
English are said to have ascribed the ame
dowser to whoever employed the divining
rod with success. Today a dowser uses it
principally for the locating of streams of
water which are sub-surface.
The practice consists of holding a twig or
rod of hazel or willow in the hands. The
hands grip the rod at its extreme ends. When

PECEMBER, i 958

the dowser approaches a hidden source of

water or metal, the rod turns vigorously in
his hands, the turning of the rod indicates
the presence of the water or metal. It would
appear that the dowser is not exerting any
physical effort or will to turn the rod.
What does academic science say with respect to this phenomenon? The average
physicist will execrate it as either deceit,
trickery, or superstition. Such a scientist,
however, is actually making an offhand surmise as to the opinion of science, on the
phenomenon. The fact remains that science
has made numerous serious investigations of
dowsers and their use of the divining rod in
locating water and metis. An English professor, Sir W. F. Barrett, was convinced that
twistin<5 was not a perfidious display on the
part of the dowser. After an extensive anal
ysis of all elements which, at least, were
observable in the practice, he said that the
phenomenon was due to motor-automatism.
This means a reflex action on the part of
the practitioner in response to some stimulus
upon his mind.
Professor Barrett further concluded, and
this is quite significant, that the dowsers
power lies beneath the level of consciousperception. It was an admission that there
was a mental disturbance of the dowser by
some unknown stimulus and the mental dis
turbance caused him to turn the rod in his
hands without realization that he was the
cause. It would appear that this particular
investigation established nothing more than
that no deception was involved and that
(a) Some forc or energy became a stim
ulus only to certain individuis;
(b) The forc in some way excited the
subconscious mind of the dowser, by
which a muscular power was generated.
This particular investigator further re
lated that his findings revealed that the best
dowsers have been illiterate. This may have
been caused by the opprobrium associated
with the practice. In other words, educated
persons, being aware that in staid scientific
circles the practice was looked upon as a
superstition, did not attempt dowsing for fear
of identifying themselves with a misconception. The illiterate person would not be so
apt to know of such prejudices and would
attempt the practice with sincerity of motive.

Page 61

During the middle of the nineteenth century there was an ever-increasing interest
in psychical research, and dowsing was subjected to many investigations having a truly
scientific approach. The revelations of such
investigations, although not fully or satisfactorily explanatory, were very enlightening.
In 1854, after a report submitted by Monsieur Riondels conceming the discovery of
a spring by means of the divining rod, the
Paris Academy of Science appointed a committee to investgate the phenomenon. The
report of the committee, instead of being
given to the Academy, was finally published
as a book. It was averred in the book that
the committee learned that the rod was
moved directly by the muscles of the dowser
and not by any external agency.
These learned gentlemen carne to the
conclusin that no supernatural forc or
natural energy was turning the rod in the
dowsers hands; his own muscles were doing
so. But because of some subjective sugges
tion or involuntary action upon the dowsers
part, they inferred that he could not resist
turning the rod under certain conditions.
Somehow, or in some way, a powerful sug
gestion coming from the subjective mind of
the dowser was affecting the contracting of
his own arm and hand muscles.
There are other examples of this action
of the subjective mind and the results of sug
gestion upon the movements of the body, but
they are not identical to the use of the divin
ing rod. For instance, there is the use of the
pendulum for purposes of prognostication. A
boy of ten or twelve years of age is made
to stand on the floor within the center of a
circle three or four feet in diameter, so as
to be free from interference. About six
inches from his body he holds a cord which
is suspended vertically and on the end of
which is a small weight. The cord and
weight hang free so they may oscillate like
a pendulum. The boy is asked his age.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the pendulum
oscillates the number of times corresponding
to the years of the boys age. The subject is
quite certain that he held the pendulum still
and sincerely avers that he did not cause it
to move.
Psychologically, the explanation is not dif
ficult. His own knowledge of his age caused
his subjective mind, when the question was

Page 62

asked, to respond and move the body slowly

in accordance with the proper number of
years. Objectively, the boy was not aware
that he was doing this. A slight muscular
movement caused the pendulum to sway.
However, in such an instance the subject
already knows that which becomes the stim
ulus of his bodily movement. In the case of
the dowser, knowledge of the location of the
water is not had, so in fact the phenomena
are not parallel as some have believed.
Further investigation showed eight successes out of eight triis when the dowser
used a wooden rod. When rods of other substances were substituted, the successes were
not high, out of the number of triis. With
a copper rod the results were four out of
seven triis; with the iron, two out of four,
and with a glass rod no success was had. An
other interesting discovery was the relation
ship between the weights of metal detected
and the distance when the rod was affected.
The greater the amount of gold, the further
in distance the rod became affected and began to turn in the hands of the dowser.
Small amounts of gold, conversely, required
the dowser to be much closer before there
was any evidence of movement of the rod.
Experimenters also took various metis,
which a dowser could ordinarily detect, and
wrapped them in heavy sheets of paper,
without causing any apparent different effect
upon the movement of the rod or the lessening of the detection of the metis. Whatever
the emanation from the metis it would ap
pear that the paper was no insulation against
it. It was also determined that there was a
corresponding relationship between the direction and strength of the movement of the
rod and the depth and location of the water.
The greater the depth of the water, the less
vigorous was the movement of the rod. Varying the direction of the water caused an
alteration in the direction of the movement
of the rod, so the investigators related.
The conclusions of these later experi
menters did not differ much from their predecessors. It was their concensus of opinion
that the movement of the rod is the result
of a muscular action of the dowser, a contraction of his arm and hand muscles, of
which he is unconscious, causing the rod to
turn, the muscular contraction being due to
some unknown external excitation affecting
him. The parallel between this unknown ex

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ternal excitation which affects the dowser

and that which affects homing pigeons was
noted. The experimenters at that time were
ignorant of how homing pigeons are able to
follow courses that lead them over great
distances to return to their homes.
One experimenter cites an instance that
would seem at first to oppose the opinion
that the muscles of the dowser turn the rod
because of a mysterious effect upon his
nervous system. In this particular case the
rod was placed in a sheath or hollow tube.
The dowsers hands gripped the sheath and
not the rod. However, the rod was observed
to turn in the sheath where it could not have
been affected by any muscular action of the
dowsers hands. It was then assumed that
the rod might turn without the dowser.
However, it was found that the rod must
be in the hands of certain persons before it
will respond. By certain persons is meant
those individuis having cryptesthetic pow
ers; namely, a certain hypersensitivity.
Attempts were made to determine the
nature of the energy or stimulus affecting
the rod or organism of the dowser. Mager
conducted experiments with a galvanometer,
on the assumption that minute electrical currents were the cause. The needle of the
galvanometer was but slightly deflected in
comparison to the much more vigorous and
uniform movement of the rod. Many dows
ers have been observed consciously to try to
oppose the turning of the rod in their hands.
Nevertheless, the rod would turn. Where
the dowser has been successful in some cases
of apparent violent movement of the rod, in
holding the ends rigid, the center of the rod
was noticed to twist and sometimes to break.
Another curious but, I believe, significant
fact is that silken or woolen gloves worn by
an ordinarily successful dowser immediately
will cause the movement of the rod to cease.
This would indicate that a natural physical
forc subject to insulation was being displayed, and removes the phenomenon from
the category of superstition or a purely psychological manifestation.
It would also appear that metis, and
even water, radiate certain energies to which
some humans are particularly sensitive. Of
course, we are quite aware of the radioactivity of minerals, and we know that they do
affect the human organism. It would also
seem that certain subtle energies affect the

DECEMBER, 1958

nervous system of dowsers and in turn cause

the subjective mind, by excitation, to pro
duce or exert a powerful and involuntary
muscular action. In the hands of these par
ticular persons, the rod becomes an instrumenta form of detector. The rod, placed
between two forces, or at least between the
mysterious radiation from the minerals or
the water and the sensitivity of the dowser,
responds. The subconscious intelligence of
the dowser then causes the muscular action
the actual turning of the rod.
Such persons apparently develop within
themselves with the uses of the rod what we
might term a human radar system. Certain
radia tions from metis or water impinge
upon this magnetic radiation generated by
the dowser, possibly in his own human aura,
and he reacts to it, indicating by the turn
ing of the rod the location of the source
from which are emana ting the radiations.
The homing pigeon, a once mysterious
phenomenon, is now believed to carry with
in his own physiological make-up a natural
radar system. In its flights, certain earth and
other subtle magnetic currents impinge upon
the sensitivity of the pigeon, causing him to
react to them and making it possible for him
to follow a course by reflex action. In his
flights he thus follows these reactions like
a radar-equipped plae flying through a fog,
guided only by the graph and shadows appearing on the florescent end of the cathode
tube of the radar device.
In the light of what science now knows
about the radioactivity of metis and the
exceptional supersensitivity of the aura of
humans, the divining rod is not to be con
sidered a superstition, but a phenomenon
worthy of careful scrutiny. In the August
1943 issue of the Rosicrucian Digest, we pub
lished a photograph that was officially taken
by the British Roy al Air Forc, showing officers of the Royal Air Forc in a desert of
North Africa, using a divining rod successfully to lcate water.
The early Rosicrucian teachings have long
discoursed upon earth rays and their effects
upon living things. When we first introduced these ideas, naturally we were subject
to much scoffing and criticism. Time, of
course, is substantiating them. Experiments
in dowsing (and also telekinesis) have been
conducted in connection with psychical re-

Page 63

search here at the Rose-Croix University,

and it has been established beyond doubt
that there is nothing supernatural about it
whatsoever. It is a natural phenomenon. We
have certain theories about it which we are
trying over a period of time to substantiate.
Just what the frequency of these radia tions
is and what their exact nature is in the field
of electromagnetics is not definitely known
yet.
We live in a sea of electromagnetic radiations, and we are learning more about them
all the time. Many of them truly do lie
below the level of our conscious perception.
W are not aware of their direct effect on
us, only their secondary effectthe things
which they cause us to do and which often
seem eerie or weird. We must remember
at all times that the so-called supernatural
is just that for which man has not yet found
the natural explanation.
(From The Rosicrucian ForumDec. 1945)

How Does the Soul-Personality Develop?

A soror of California asks our Forum:
Does the soul-personality usually develop
along one line ? For example, does one begin
to express himself in music or art and con
tinu in that art from one incamation to
another until he reaches a high degree of
perfection in it, and neglect the sciences and
poetry? Or does he develop in just one, then
the other, until after many incarnations he
has a perfect personality and is very versatile and quite a master of all of the arts and
sciences?
The sorors question reminds me of Ori
ental bazaars I have visited in Egypt, Iraq,
and lands of the Near East. The further one
deviates from the beaten path in his travels
in those lands, the more primitive and true
to ancient customs are the bazaars. In Baghdad, for instance, the bazaars are not mere
places for the sale of native merchandise,
but are centers of manufacture as well. As
in antiquity, there are no wholesalers or
jobbers for the product. The customers walk
through the alleylike arcades, with canopied
tops reaching from one side of the Street to
the other, to keep off the torrid suns rays.
On either side of the Street are cubicles or
stall-like rooms completely open at the front.
They are barely high enough for a man to

Page 64

stand in. Most of them would only accommodate from two to three men. In these are
seated or standing the craftsmen plying their
various trades. The objects they produce are
piled high in front of them for inspection
of the passing throng who barter in raucous
voices for the commodities.
I have stood by the hour before different
of these craftsmen who were working in
metal, principally in copper and brass. The
dust kicked up by the shuffling feet would
settle down on anyone who stood about. Perspiration would be running down ones face,
from the stifling heat and lack of air. Flies,
large and sticky, crawled over ones hands
and neck, which fact did not trouble the
natives swathed in their native garments. I
would watch the craftsman with his crudelooking hammer, skillfully beating a heavy
sheet of heated soft copper into a large
utensil for carrying water. As I saw him
dexterously turn the vessel and strike it here
and then there, I knew I was watching the
same type of craftsmanship as was done centuries before the time of Christ.
Aside from the historie interest, there is
also an object lesson to be gained. To per
fect the shape of the utensil, the workman
never continuously struck the copper sheet
more than a few times in exactly the same
place. First he would strike it on one side
and then on another. Then he would con
cntrate heavy blows in one place, using a
large hammer, and then a series of quick,
light blows on the opposite side. To have
continuously struck the copper sheet in one
place would have distorted its shape. All
sections of the copper sheet had to be hammered, some more than others, so that the
whole would assume the form the craftsman
had in mind.
So it is with the soul-personality. No per
sonality could truly attain perfeetionname
ly, a sensitivity to the fullness of the soul
if it were developed along one line only. The
person who is inclined to science, who is
very analytical and logical, is developing just
one aspect of his personality. It brings him
a particular appreciation of the Divine with
in himself and in nature, whether he realizes
it or not. The personality who develops his
esthetic qualities and pursues an ideal of
beauty is making himself sensitive to still
other aspects of the soul. It requires all of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

these varied responses to completely fashion

the perfect personality, one which the world
would claim as being amazingly versatile
and understanding.
You have seen persons who were master
musicians, but who likewise were helpless in
even the administration of their own simple
personal affairs. I remember traveling by
plae to a foreign country with a renowned
musical celebrity. He was an outstanding
concert violinist, and he was on a tour of
the capitals of South America. His ame is
known to all Americans and to persons interested in cultural things throughout the
world. He has played on many national
radio broadeast programs. He might be
styled a genius in music, yet the man was
very impractical. If it were not for the aid
of his practical-minded wife, who accompanied him, he would have been greatly con
fused by the simplicities of presenting a passport, claiming his baggage, and even, it
seemed, knowing just when and where to
get on board the plae.
Such persons as a rule lack even the most
ordinary mechanical sense, so that the workings of natures laws, other than in music,
are often the deepest mystery to them. You
admire them for their music, but you could
not cali them a balanced or well-rounded
soul-personality. In their lives, for analogy,
they would be like a copper vessel which had
been struck in one place continuously by the
craftsman. Such persons need other incarnations to round out the perfeetion of their
personalities.
It is quite true that a soul-personality may
have a keen interest in painting or music,
for example, for two or three incarnations in
succession. Such is only to complete that
aspect of the soul-personality. Again, it is
like the craftsman in Baghdad who struck
the copper vessel several times in one place
with the hammer before turning it to an
other side to fashion it there. After such a
soul-personality has become sufficiently appreciative of that harmony of the soul which
is realized through music and the arts, it
then becomes interested in perhaps science,
oratory, literature, and so on.
Just as the copper vessel has a bottom, top,
and sides, so man has many attributes of his
being. All of these attributes must be
brought into relation to each other fot* the

PECEMBER, 1958

perfection of the soul-personality. The ex

treme intellectualist must at some time also
become an emotionalist. He must experience
as well the feelings of the esthete and the
consciousness of the mystic. Before perfec
tion is reached, we find a man displaying
great versatility. He becomes adept at matters of science, mechanics, and he is skilled
in one or more of the arts, is versed in writ
ing and speaking, becomes extremely interested in world affairs, and may make useful
contributions to one or more branches of
knowledge. He is as well a philosopher and
a mystic. The world has known many such
men, as Imhotep of ancient Egypt, Aristotle,
Pythagoras, Leonardo da Vinci, Francis Bacon, and I think we can rightly include Dr.
H. Spencer Lewis, first Imperator of the
present Rosicrucian cycle.
(From T he Rosicrucian ForumAug. 1945)

Mystical Meaning of the Crucifixin

A frater from the New York Lodge asks:
What does the religious symbolism of the
crucifixin mean when interpreted into Rosi
crucian teachings?
Unfortunately, many persons labor under
the opinion that the crucifixin was a unique
method adapted to the execution of Jess.
They believe the actual nailing of the body
to the cross has some latent meaning to be
attributed only to Jess5 death in that man
ner. As a form of capital punishment, execu
tion by crucifixin was practiced in the
Romn Empire for a considerable period of
time before Jess. It was a State form of
execution comparable to such common methods today as hanging or electrocution. As
Dr. Lewis points out in his work The Mys
tical L ife of Jess, the fact that Jess was
crucified is evidence that it was a Romn
punishment and not Jewish. It was customary for the Jews to stone to death those
whom they wished to execute, not to crucify
them.
Consequently, Jess appear anee on the
cross under order of execution during that
period would not have excited any wonder
as to the method by which his death was to
be accomplished. It would have been ac
cepted as the ordinary means which Romn
officialdom used to commit to death those
whom their tribunals condemned.

Page 65

The symbol of the cross, of course, in its

various forms had for centuries many esoteric meanings to mystics and philosophers,
before its ghastly use by the Romn State.
However, the crucifix as a symbol of Christs
(Christus) body nailed to the cross never
made its appearance until the seventh cen
tury.
The primitive minds of the early Christians gave great emphasis in their art work,
sculpture, and painting to the physical aspeets of the crucifixin. The cross and all
the implements of crucifixin, as the nails
and the flowing blood, were stressed. Certain
symbology strictly related to the crucifixin
began to emerge, but its temporal meaning
still adumbrated any higher or mystical
evaluation. In the art work this cross of
passion was often depicted in green, the
color green denoting that the cross was cut
from a tree. Sometimes it was colored red to
represent being stained with Christs blood.
Likewise, there was the resurrection cross.
This was frequently done in blue to signify
the blue of the sky, into which Christ, as
related, is to have ascended. At other times
the cross was pur white, to symbolize the
purity of invisible divinity.
The first abstract meaning attached to the
cross by Christianity and which to a great
extent parallels some earlier meanings was
sacrifice. Today I believe the average Chris
tian, not versed in symbolism and the an
cient meanings attributed to the various
forms of the cross before Jess, thinks of it
as representing human sacrifice.
For the primitive disciples of Jess, the
crucifixin accomplished considerably. It es
tablished the glory of the King Messiah; it
showed that Jess could and did rise supreme
over the treatment to which he was subjected. Any lack of coordination of the philosophical precepts and teachings of Jess in
the minds of his simple followers at the time
was overcome by the emotional impact of
the crucifixin.
The full depth of his teachings may have
been lost on the minds of some of these devoted disciples and followers. The crucifix
in, however, disclosed the whole world of
truth and power which lay in suffering. A
man who could invoke the power of God to
perform the miracles, which Jess had often
done, could easily vanquish his enemies

Page 66

through some theurgical act, and this must

have been foremost in the minds of his
followers. Yet he didnt! He preferred to reveal to the common man that notwithstanding the suffering one must endure to preserve
the truththe conviction of his faitha
great reward will be his if he does so. It
disclosed that Jess desired to convince oth
ers by great suffering to himself that man
does not die; the self remains supreme and
ascends, even though the physical being suffers or ends its earthly existence.
All of these constructions were put upon
the crucifixin by the early follow ers.
Through a brutal exposition of physical suf
fering and torment, their inner selves were
stimulated and raised to that sublime ecstasy
where the mystical meaning of suffering and
sacrifice became known to them. To them
the Kingdom of God was no longer anticipated; it was no longer a mythical place or
a probable state of supremacy over the
evanescent events of life. It had been demonstrated that a belief in God actually triumphs over all the artfices of evil persons.
Had not Jess defied all that his enemies
could do to him? Had he not come through
the crucible immune thereafter to human
suffering and the conspiracies of men? Did
he not live again and ascend to a state of
permanent happiness?
One thing alone had won for him that
salvationfaith .and a willingness to sacri
fice for it. This whole meaning was depicted
in the simple words Christ died for our
sins. (I Cor. 15) Unfortunately, later ecclesiastics have put other and oftentimes
ambiguous constructions upon those words,
which have detracted from their true mys
tical meaning.
We must be realistic about the times of
Jess. First, the enemies of Jess were referring to him as a charlatan. They implied
that he was nothing more than a clever
magician and that his mira ces were no ex
ercise of divine or natural laws. They pointed to all the erudite and skilled magicians
of the East who put on many splendid per
formances before the multitudes and who,
in fact, simulated the very miracles of Jess.
Such magicians were learned in optical illusions and legerdemain, namely, the deception of the senses. Many of the people who
witnessed the miracles of Jess were dubious

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

about their being truly theophanic displays

of his divine powers. They would admit
that they couldnt explain how he accomplished these things, but they were skeptical
of Jess explanations.
To such multitudes it would naturally
seemand to like multitudes today under
similar circumstancesth at Jes s should
have averted his arrest and crucifixin. If
a man has the power to raise the dead, for
example, why should be submit to being put
to death himself? The crucifixin of Jess,
therefore, was a momentous test. The survival of his teachings, his whole mission,
hung upon the event. The crucifixin and
the expected subsequent death meant either
utter defeat or the fulfillment of his promises.
His resurrection was the triumph of his
teachings.
As one theologian has said, Suffering
needs no key, it is its own interpreter. All
human beings are closely united by suffering.
The hours of physical and mental suffering
in the average individuals life are far more
numerous than the ones of happiness. You
do not need to explain suffering; everyone
has at sometime in his life intimately ex
perienced it. It becomes only necessary then
to show that suffering is not in vain but that
it is an alchemical process. Through it, mans
nature is purged of false conceptions. Truths
of life, of death, of happiness, of love are
known for their real valu. Suffering is sac
rifice! Only through travail and pain do we
know what the good of life really is by comparison, by being conscious of one of the ex
tremes of existence.
This, then, is the mystical significance of
the crucifixin, and the Rosicrucian interpretation, of course. The body must be purged
through human experiences, that the soul
may be seen and heard.
(From T he Rosicrucian ForumApril 1946)

Why Various Human Races?

A frater now asks this Forum the follow
ing thought-provoking questions: The how
and why of the existence of the various
human races puzzles me. What is the role
each race plays in the unity of mankind?
In other words, what does each race con
tribute to the destiny of all humanity? Is
the human consciousness, or rather the soul,

PECEMBER, 1958

obliged to pass through the various races to

acquire its necessary experiences, and is that
why the races exist? Which is the superior
race?
In many occult circles, and in schools purporting to teach mysticism, it is frequently
expounded that God, or the Divine Mind,
created the races as they are by a fat and
for a purpose usually associated with the
mystical progression of human consciousness.
In such a doctrine, these organizations reveal
a fault common to their philosophy, and
divergent from the true principies of mysti
cism, and from the Rosicrucian teachings.
All things are not the fat of God or the
Cosmic Mind. Upon a first consideration,
this may even seem blasphemous. In the
ultmate, of course, every manifestation in
nature, every reality is the consequence of
teleological order, that is, of the order of
which the Divine Mind consists; however,
this does not denote that each function, each
change, each particular of our world or of
the universe, which we can perceive, has
been ordained to be just as it is at the time
we experience it.
We can believe and accept that the initial
cause of all, the Divine Consciousness having
an awareness of the whole, knew all things
in their potentiality, that is, was aware of
any results that would come from the causes
that were established by its natural laws.
We do not believe, however, that there were
always intents or purposes for each result
beyond the laws themselvesnamely, that
the Divine Mind ordained the law of gravity
so that its function could be used by man in
his construction of things, and in his per
sonal industry. Rather, we contend that
gravity is one of the laws of a stupendous
Cosmic order not yet fully realized by man,
and its functions are only conceived by man
to have been designed for his benefit. In
this we agree with Spinoza, philosopher and
mystic, that after men had persuaded them
selves that everything that happens happens
for their sake, they had to regard that qual
ity in each thing which was most useful to
them as the most important, and to rate all
those things which affected them the most
agreeably, as the most excellent.
Such students assume that man is the
pivotal point in the universe. They contend
that nothing is only the natural consequence

Page 67

of a physical law. They hold that its final

end exists in some relationship to man. Thus
to them, for example, light, heat, color,
sound, and the chemical combinations are
not fully understood, or their function com
plete, until the human mind can see in them
some Cosmic purpose to serve man. This
kind of reasoning is based upon the od
orthodox religious concepts that the universe
was created as th theatre for man, and that
he was spontaneously created to act in it.
It is the result of confusing man, the highest
manifestation of nature, with the idea that
all else exists for him. A majestic tree in a
forest is no more a product of nature than
a toadstool, or are all of the surrounding
living things conceived to bestow grandeur
upon the tree.
Man himself is the result of a number of
causes which are of the Divine system. His
functions as man are also of the great uni
versal order. Therefore, there are many
things contiguous with his life and with his
existence here on earth that are part of the
same Cosmic order as himself, but they were
not designed to serve him. It is part of his
nature that he can see in them benefit to
himself and command them, but this does
not mean that the purpose he perceives is
one that exists in the mind of God as well.
Therefore, we boldly say that the races
are the result of physical causes, natural
laws, and that they were not created with
the intent of serving any spiritual or ma
terial end for man.
Several of the fraters questions can be
answered by the facts and particulars of the
science of Anthropology. Exactly where and
when man carne upon earth is not yet agreed
upon. It is not definitely known. If it is
finally accepted in scientific circles that the
Sinanthropus Pekinensis was actually a
human, then man roamed the earth the
early part of the Quaternary Age, perhaps
ten million years ago. If we wish to have
man begin with the earliest known date of
his artifacts, that is, the first flint instruments which he has left us, then his ex
istence was comparatively recent, about
three hundred thousand years ago. It is a
corollary that man must have tramped the
earth not unlike the dumb beasts about him,
for eons of time, for centuries upon centuries of mental midnight, before even that

Page 68

light of intelligence which made possible the

chipping of flints dawned upon him.
The first real differentiation of man, that
is, where we can determine the various
characteristics of him, is the Cro-Magnon of
about 10,000 B. C. Variability is one of the
most potent factors in mans ascent to his
status today. We know that no two people
are exactly alike, even identical twins of
the same ovum can be recognized apart by
those who know them very well. These differences produce kinds. If these kinds are
isolated and perpetate themselves, and are
kept separated, we eventually have types.
And finally these types develop into what
we term races.
After isolation, adaptation appears, which
is still another contributing factor to racial
development. For example, people living in
tropical areas where solar radiation is ex
treme become adapted to it by an intense
pigmentation, a darkening of the skin, which
shields them from the strong ultraviolet rays,
and this adaptation also causes their flaring
nostrils, because of the heat and moist climate. Conversely, a coid, dry climate causes
depigmentation, as the ultraviolet rays are
required for heat. Likewise, the nose becomes narrow and pinched at the nostrils.
In temperate and northern climates, the
stature is much greater than in the tropics.
Sexual selection also contributes to the char
acteristics of a race. Therefore, if those liv
ing in the jungles, whose pigmentation is
more intensenamely, those of black skin
are healthier and produce more children, the
racial color will tend toward deeper pigmen
tation. The reverse is true in the northern
climates.
Anthropologists today recognize that there
are three great races of man. The constituent individuis have many points of resemblance, that is, they have many physical
characteristics in common. These three
races have occupied the continents of the
Od World, and have spread to the New
World where they freely mix. The three
races are the white, yellow-broivn, and the
black. They are so called because the color
of the skin is the most obvious and discernible physical chara cteristic. There are no
species of man. Man himself is a species.
Consequently, all of the races breed freely,
with subsequent fecundity. All of the groups
are just races, or rather sub-races, such as

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the Alpines, Nordics, and Hamites of the

white race. The Mongoloids, the American
Indians, and the Malays are of the yellowbrown race. The Negroes, the Negrillos, and
Negritos are of the black race. This divisin
of the species homo, or man, it is believed,
carne about through six great dispersis of
humanity over the face of the earth.
1. The spread of the Neanderthal man
over habitable Europe. The late Nean
derthal man existed about 20,000 B.C.
2. The spread of the Australoid type, who
was like the Neanderthal man, but
slightly more modern, until he reached
Africa. He was perhaps the pre-Dravidian, who eventually carne to settle
India.
3. The spread of the Negro over Africa
and eastw ard through Egypt and
through Arabia to India, the Philippines, and the Malay Peninsula.
4. The spread of the Aurignacian types
of the Iranian plateau to modern Asia
and back to Europe. The Aurignacian
is a later modification of the Nean
derthal man.
5. Spread of the Neolithic man, not later
than 5000 B.C., from the Asiatic pla
teau, through Asia to America, and
also over Europe to Great Britain. It
is this type which is believed to have
become our American Indiansthe
Mayans, Aztecs, Incas, etc., isolation
and adaptation accounting for the differences in their physical appearance.
6. The spread of the Neolithic man from
the Eastern Mediterranean to India,
and also through Egypt into parts of
Africa along the shores of the Medi
terranean.
The black and white races are the most
divergent. The yellow-brown race is nearer
to the white race. Anthropologists give us a
schematic diagram of the races and subraces.
This diagram is in the form of a tree. The
tree springs from the Neanderthal man. The
first branch is the black race and it has its
various limbs, the Negroes, Negrillos, and
Negritos. Further up the trunk is the yel
low-brown race, with its subraces, and final
ly the white race, with its branches, the
Alpine, Nordics, Hamites, etc. In blood assimilation, the yellow-brown race is closer
on this tree of races to the white race than
to the black. The order of arrangement is

DECEMBER, 1958

not by superiority, but in order of appearance.

The black race has been held back by its
geographical location. The climate greatly
affected them. They were enervated by the
extreme heat, and handicapped by dense
jungles and the diseases which are so prevalent in them. In other words, the black race
was compelled to spend so much of their life
energy in just living that their intellectual
and cultural attainments were resultantly
slower. The white race was stimulated by
the coid winters and the healthiness and
fertility of the temperate zones in which
they flourished.
The Negro, however, when removed from
these environmental obstructions and afforded the same opportunities for intellectual
development has advanced himself rapidly,
and there are many noted examples of his
contributions to science, literature, and the
arts. We only need mention one of these
the renowned Dr. George Washington Carver. He is now (1942) eighty years of age.
He was born a slave in a log cabin; today
he is an eminent scientist and a collaborator
with Henry Ford in the experimentation for
producing sy n th etic foods. Simply, it
amounts to the fact that the white race had
a tremendous advantage which the Negro, or
those of the black race, are gradually overtaking, to their credit.
The Neanderthal man, who settled in the
Nile Regin, perhaps about 8000 B.C., had
a rich soil with an ideal climate to further
him. He flourished in this incubator of
civilization, at a time when the black race
was still struggling with the far more rigorous, almost insurmountable forces of nature
in Equatorial Africa.
From the mystical point of view, the soul
essence in each of the three primary races
is the same. It is the same flow of Divine
Consciousness from the Universal Soul, and
it is no more or less perfect in the black
man, than in the white or yellow-brown
man. The soul gravitates to the physical
body best suited for the development of the
personality which accompanies it. In the
Cosmic scheme of things, it is the personality
which evolves from incamation to incarnation, until it is as perfect as the soul which
it reflects. If the soul, with its personality
needs the experience of a life within the

Page 69

body of a Negro, or within the body of a

Mongol, it will enter such bodies.
It is a false conception or doctrine to be
lieve or expound that the soul enters the
body of the white man last because it ex
periences its greatest expression in that
form. The highly evolved personality displaying spiritual qualities may frequently
dwell in the body of a Negro. Certainly
each of you of this Forum, in your own
worldly experiences, has known men and
women of the black race who exhibited more
compassion, more humanitarian qualities,
more kindliness, more tolerance, and more
love for their fellow human beings than
many persons of white skin whom you know.
The pigmentation of the body does not de
note the degree of ones spiritual attainment. . . .
In a Cosmic sense, they are equal, and in
an intellectual sense, the black race, as a
whole, just needs the advantages which the
white race has so long enjoyed, and then it
will make equally tremendous strides.
(From The Rosicrucian ForumAug. 1942)

Lodestones and Luck(?)

A soror in St. Louis asks this Forum the
question, Just how did occur the superstition that the wearing of a lodestone imparts
to the wearer good luck or good fortune?
There are actually concerns in America and
elsewhere that sell such stones, set in rings,
with the suggestion that they exert a benevolent power to the one who wears them.
This is but another form of amuletic be
lief. Amulets or talismans are inanimate
objects such as, for example, stones and oddly
shaped sticks, which are believed to be imbued with protective influence. Sometimes
it is thought that one having supernatural
powers may, by certain practices, rites or incantations, instill these occult forces within
an object. There they remain to influence
the one who may have the object in his possession. At other times the priest or shaman,
or one believed to be possessed of occult
efficacy, may transfer it to the object. The
amulet then is thought to be animte, that is,
alive with this particular power which may
envelop its possessor.
Belief in this primitive magic still prevails
in our present society, because there are

Page 70

minds whose reasoning processes are as ele

mentary as those of early man. Amulets, as
lucky pieces or charms, are worn today by
millions of persons who mingle with and are
a part of our modern civilization.
Almost everyone knows of someone who
carries on his person a lucky coin, effigy or
some odd little object to which he attributes
some power. Those, who are obsessed with
this superstition, in their own defense point
to some event that brought them good for
tune upon their coming into possession of
the amulet. Perhaps, after having their at
tention attracted by an oddly shaped pebble
which, out of curiosity, they had picked up
and placed in their pocket, some unexpected
event occurred shortly thereafter which
greatly furthered their welfare. The two
incidents are related in the mind of the indi
vidual because of the impression each made
upon him at about the same time. The oddly
shaped pebble, he believes, must have augured or portended good fortune. Therefore,
it instilled confidence in him when circum
stances would otherwise depress him. Thus
fortified by the mere suggestion he makes to
himself, he acquires mental and physical
stimulus and the will to achieve, which he
might otherwise lack. The subsequent result
or success of his venture is really caused by
the psychological factor, the personal assurance which inhibits hesitancy or anxiety.
A lodestone, because of its magnetic property of attracting iron, must have greatly
impressed our ancient predecessors and
primitive minds of all periods who were
aware of it. Here was an object that had the
physical appearance of an ordinary piece of
ore. Yet it seemed to have qualities which
suggested that it was animate or alive. It
could attract and embrace particles of ore
and it could likewise repel others of its own
kind. If suspended, it would revolve and
seem to adjust itself in space as if by some
invisible forc. In fact, it appeared to exert
invisible power.
William Gilbert, M.D., p h ysician to
Queen Elizabeth, was especially interested in
the strange magnetic phenomenon of the
lodestone. In 1600, he wrote a treatise on the
subject, Lodestones and Magnetic Bodiesand
on the Great M agnet, the Earth. He experimented in the field of magnetism and electricity and the above book relates his dis-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

coveries. He particularly discovered the re

lationship between the magnetic properties
of the lodestone and that of the earth. In his
erudite work he discloses how profoundly
impressed the ancients were by the mag
netic properties of that ore. The ancient
Egyptian historian, Manetho, relates that the
Egyptians called the lodestone the bone of
Horus, implying that it was a supernatural
phenomenon. Of the multitude of ancients
who wrote about the lodestone and the many
to whom Gilbert refers, the following are
but a few: Plato in the lo; Aristotle in his
first book, De Anima; Theophrastus, the
Lesbian, in Caius Plinus Secundus; and
Galen, the great Greek physician and med
ical authority of the second century after
Christ.
Some of the superstitions attributed to
lodestones by the ancients are rather amusing. Pliny relates (Book XX X IV , Chapter
IV) that a lodestone which is rubbed with
garlic will not attract iron, that it will lose
its virtue if placed near a diamond. Gilbert
shows that his experiments soon disproved
such contentions. Some of the ancient priesthood, like some of those of today, were not
beyond deception to awe. They inspired
their devotees, and created the impression
that they were vested with supernatural
powers. Pliny relates that the temple of
Arsinoe at Alexandria had an arched roof
of lodestones and that the effigy of the god
dess appeared to be suspended in the air.
Ancient philosophers held the universe to
be permeated with a universal soul. This
divine forc animated all things, both men
and stars. The lodestone was the most effec
tive example of this universal soul, as ex
pressed in the lower forms of matter, that is,
minerals or ores. It was believed that it was
this universal soul or intelligence which per
meated the heavenly bodies and, as a forc
of attraction and repulsin, kept them in
their rightful places. Thus, the lodestone,
whose immanent forc was so evident, was
believed by the superstitious, to have a direct
and strong influence upon the human soul
and the course of events. In other words,
it was so imbued with beneficial occult pow
er that it brought good to all who had it in
their possession.
William Gilbert was reverently impressed
with the phenomenon of magnetism. He

DECEMBER, 1958

realized that it was a manifestation of the

natural cosmic forc which existed through
out the whole universe. To him it proved
that the whole universe is animate, that is,
imbued with a vital forc and that nothing,
as we Rosicrucians say, is truly dead matter.
Said Gilbert, As for us, we term the whole
world animate; and all globes, all stars and
this glorious earth, too, we hold to be from
beginning by their own destnate souls govemed and from whom also to have the im
pulse of self-preservation.
We Rosicrucians are quite in accord with
Gilberts admiration of the phenomena of
magnetism and its properties. The funda
mental property of attraction and repulsin,
so common to the lodestone, the Rosicrucians
have long attributed to spirit energy underlying all matter, and, as the basic property
of the Vital Life Forc in the most minute
cells of living matter. It is truly a quality
of the universe.
(From The Rosicrucian Forum, August 1948)

Initiations Are a Personal Experience

In the past, we have always asked our
members to keep the result of their initiation
rituals confidential, and tried to discourage
them from telling their experiences to other
members, particularly those who had not
yet performed the ritual themselves.
Initiation is an extremely personal thing.
The results which any given individual may
receive are something which will have mean
ing to himself alone. If these are shared, or
told to one who has not yet taken ceremony
he will be influenced, even if only subconsciously, by the others experience.
Lately, much confusion has resulted from
older members telling Neophytes what they
should see and experience while performing
the First Neophyte Degree Initiation Ritual.
This confusion can be summed up by a
frater who writes: Prior to the performance
of my first Initiation, I was told that I would
see many changes in my facial reflection in
the mirror, and that among these would be
my Personal Master, and possibly an Ori
ental High Priest. None of this occurred,
and I do not know what to think.
The letter cited is a case, not only of prematurely revealing the supposed successful
results of the initiation, but of incorrectly
interpreting those results.

Page 71

Until recently, the First Neophyte Initia

tion was a preliminary exercise in reincarnation. If all conditions pursuant to the
performance of the ritual were proper, the
Neophyte would indeed see changes in his
facial reflection. Often these were quite
dramatic, even depicting persons of the op
posite sex, or of other races and other cul
tures. The initiate was advised that these
other faces may have been indicative of his
earthly appearance in a past incarnation.
Many, of course, were fascinated with this
explanation and intrigued by the experiment. A number of members, however, be
ing nervous about the exercise anyway, were
frankly frightened by these startling results.
A number of the officers, including the
Imperator, felt that this dramatic and sudden demonstration of reincarnation, so early
in the studies, and with no previous discussion of the principies involved, or indeed of
the principie itself, tended to constitute too
great a shock to the new member. For this
reason, during a current program of monograph revisin, the First Neophyte Initia
tion Ritual was completely rewritten and
changed, a fact which has been heretofore
unpublicized.
The meaning of the revised ceremony for
the student is just as deep and personal as
the original, if not more so, but the introduction to reincarnation has been conspicuously left out and, in fact, the whole meaning
of the ritual has been redirected.
If a person who has taken the previous
First Initiation tells a new member what to
expect, it can only cause confusion and doubt
in the mind of the Neophyte since he will
by no means experience the results he has
been led to believe he would. By the same
token, even if he should realize that the
present initiation cannot lead to the climax
spoken of, the Neophyte will still carry those
impressions given in his subconscious, and
his own initiation will be influenced by them.
His experience, then, will not be truly his
own.
It is for this reason that we find it neces
sary to again admonish our members to keep
the results of their initiations confidential.
They are of meaning and benefit only to
the individual who experiences them, and
can cause bewilderment on the part of oth
er members in the performing of their
ritualsW

SECRET DOCTRINES
OF JESUS

TH E ROSICRUCIAN P R E S S , LTD .

PR1 NT ED IN U . S . A.

February, 1959
Volume XXIX

No. 4

Rosicrucian Forum
A prvate

publication for m e m b e r s of A M O R C

M R S. H. SPENCER LEW IS, F. R. C.

M e m be r, Board of Directors, Suprem e G ra n d Lodge of A. M. O. R. C.

Page 74

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
v

ARE M ETA PH YSIC S AND PH ILO SO PH Y OBSOLETE?

Dear Fratres and Sorores:
Will science and technology make obsolete
systems of thought which have previously
brought satisfaction to mankind? Is metaphysics to be relegated to a realm of abstraction as a mere intellectual stimulus having
no real valu in an atomic age? Perhaps an
answer to this may be found in the nature
and purpose of metaphysics.
The word metaphysics carne into existence
in connection with the works of Aristotle.
Etymologically, the word means over or
beyond physics. It is related that one
Andronicus of Rhodes, compiling the writ
ings of Aristotle, called the fourth and last
part of the latters works metaphysics because it followed treatises on physical sub
jects. However, Aristotle himself called that
particular part the First Philosophy.
Subsequently, metaphysics became a ame
applied to inquiries into particular subjects.
Generally metaphysics, down through the
centuries, concerned: (A) ontology, the na
ture of being and first causes; (B) the nature
of knowledge; (C) psychology or an inquiry
into the nature of soul. The psychology of
early metaphysics is not to be confused with
the science of that ame today. In fact, the
inquiry into that subject of metaphysics
would be more appropriately termed theology.
These inquiries embraced by metaphysics
were not empirical; they were not the ob
jective, the material analyses and demonstrations of a science. They were rationalized
processes of logical thinking for the purpose
of ascertaining truth. The ultmate end of
metaphysics was the same as that of pur
science, that is, the enlightenment of man.
In the realm of ontology or reality, man
pondered as to whether there was a prima
materia, a first matter. Was there, in other
words, an ultmate substance from which all
else carne? Further, did reality have a beginning? If there were an underlying cause
behind all being, was it teleological, a purposeful mind, or solely a mechanistic forc?

At the time metaphysics first began the

contemplation of these mysteries, the prin
cipal instrument employed to find a plausible
solution was the mind, reason alone. Chemistry and physics could be, for example, of
little assistance in their elementary stages.
The atom itself was a theoretical particle for
which there was no possibility of substantiation. In fact, it must be realized that pro
found thought upon these subjects provided
to the reason answers having greater perspicuity for the individual than anything
that could be introduced objectively. Rudimentary science did nothing more in ancient
times than leave the thinker suspended in a
kind of vacuum. It tantalized but, because
of its inadequacy and limitations, provided
little satisfaction.
It is plausible that man began to delve
into the subject of epistemology or the nature
of knowledge. Does our knowledgeour
ideashave any correspondence with the
reality outside ourselves? Have thoughts,
ideas, as much substance as things? Is that
which is indubitable (appears as truth to the
reason ) an actuality? How do we arrive at
our knowledge and what aspects of it are
dependable and what others, false? In phi
losophy, and metaphysics which became coexistent with it, the thought processes were
the essential tools. An inquiry into these
processes was an essential requirement. Such
an investigation by metaphysics paralleled
the early study of the nature of knowledge
by psychology.
Psychology itself was for a long time in
the category of a pseudo science. Its activities
were definitely held to be theoretical and
abstract. There was a paucity of knowledge
with regard to the relation of the reason,
the sense organs and sensations from them to
the brain and the mental faculties. Even to
day, logic, not a physical science, needs to
explain not the functioning of mind but the
methods by which we arrive at conclusive
ideas, that which has the conviction of truth
to us. In fact, the problem of truth, what is

FEBRUARY, 1959

Page 75

it, whether there are absolute truths or

whether they are merely contingent and
relative, falls principally into the realm of
philosophy.
Metaphysics and philosophy will give way
more and more to scienceand are doing so
rapidly at this time. Generally, of course,
metaphysics and philosophy are subjective
realms. The stuff of which they consist is
thoughts, ideas, the result not of induction,
that is, not the examination of external particulars. Much of their subject matter, as
stated, was at one time beyond the bounds
of perception, of observation, and of physical
analysis. Certain phenomena existed in hu
man experience. Man was aware of them
but he could not approach an explanation of
them objectively. They were intangible in
a material sense. Metaphysics and philoso
phy provided answers.
The human emotions have a tremendous
personal impact upon our lives. We know
hate, love, fear, sympathy. They have ob
jective relationships; that is, we love or hate
things. But how did these things cause us to
love or hate? What really are these feelings
which we have? Men did not know in the
sense of there being any concrete connection
between things and these feelings. As a con
sequence, philosophy and religin sought to
explain them on an entirely subjective and
idealistic basis. They made love a divine
quality, an attribute of soul. Hate was also
frequently assigned to an infusin of some
supernatural agency.
Now psychology and physiology have introduced hypotheses explaining the emotions on
an organic basis. They refer to the nervous
systems, the hypothalmus, and so on as caus
ing interactions between external sensations
and those set up within the organism itself,
the latter being the emotions. Though these
explanations are as yet theoretical in part,
yet experimentation along wholly objective
lines has demonstrated them sufficiently to

remove them entirely from most of the early

philosophical speculations.
Mind and soul were once the preferred
and privilegedcategories of inquiry of both
theology and philosophy. Now these subjec
tive ramparts are falling to the objective onslaught of a persistent, material, scientific
explanation. Mind has been removed from
the substance theory. It is no longer, as most
of the classic Greek philosophers thought, a
divine substance implanted in manat least
it is no more divine than the functioning of
his heart, lungs, or other organic processes.
Psychology is now establishing the fact that
what most men cali mind or the mental
processes is not an organic substance or es
sence but rather a series of functions operating on levels of consciousness related to the
brain and nervous systems.
Soul and self are, figuratively, at this time
under the microscope of science. Even as the
Rosicmcians in their advanced teachings
have declared for years, soul and self are
attributes of mans highly developed selfconsciousness. In fact, in this regard psy
chology is gradually objectively proving
what many of the modern philosophers, with
the exception of the idealists, have ex
pounded.
The classic subjective realm of meta
physics and philosophy is gradually being
converted into the objective, into material
proofs or disproofs. Metaphysics and philoso
phy have always had, as their sincere
objective, the acquisition of that knowledge
having the efficacy and conviction of truth.
Therefore, they lose nothing by having their
speculations demonstrated as truth or east
out as misbelief. It is better to have thought
wrongly about something than not to have
thought about it at all. Philosophy, though
it will lose in time a number of its classic
truths, will never become obsolete. Many
philosophers of our modern times concur
with the Rosicmcian conception that truth is
only relative to the expanding mind of man.

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 of the U .S . Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of +he Supreme Council of A M O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sterling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sferlng) per year FOR MEMBERS ONLY

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 76

Todays universal truth may be discarded

tomorrow even by science.
Not long ago a noted physicist questioned
the universality of natural laws known to
man. Professor Morrison of Columbia Uni
versity pointed out: The present concepts
of the universe are based on the a priori
assumption that there is an universal symmetry in the cosmos. . . .Y et, one great uni
versal conservation law, known as the law
of the conservation of parity, has recently
been shown not to be an universal law at
all as the result of epoch-making experimentation. . . . The first experimental proof that
one of the basic conservation laws, based on
the concept of universal symmetry, does not
hold true in all cases has led to the casting
of doubt on the universality of all other great
conservation laws. . . . This does not mean
that these laws are no longer true but it does
mean that they may not be universal. There
may be exceptions to them under conditions
as yet unknown, possibly in some other part
of the universe.
But even science must have its philosophy
known as the Philosophy of Science. It must
have, strange as it seems to use the word, its
idealism. It must try by abstraction to find
reasonable cause for its activities. Mans
imagination and reason will always be far in
advance of his observation and experience.
As his experiments and empirical knowledge
push out to new boundaries, there always
will be the abstraction, the philosophical
speculation, as to what may lie beyond them.
These speculations will not be called knowledge but they will become a pattern for investigation. They will constitute the new
philosophy of challenge and pursuit.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
W hat Is'Certain?
There is no way of measuring the amount
of effort, energy, and expense directed toward mans attempt to find certainty. Every
individual would like to know that what he
may be doing is not only the best under the
circumstances, but that there will be positive
assurance of its being the correct thing to
do, with no danger of anything going wrong.
This search for certainty so occupies the time

and effort of so many persons that even

agencies of government have been estab
lished to help assure men and women that
conditions affecting their lives will not be
modified by changing events.
In this country within the lifetime of
many of us, there have been steps taken by
the government to assure us that bank accounts and other forms of savings cannot
possibly be lost. The government insures
bank accounts of individuis so that they
may be without fear or the uncertainty that
the money deposited in those banks might
be gone at a future time when they would
wish to avail themselvs of it.
Every individual seeks certainty in almost
any project he undertakes. If this certainty
is not in existence or if an individual cannot
by his own efforts establish that certainty,
there are means of doing the next best thing
which, incidentally, is one reason why the
insurance business in the modern age is such
a gigantic enterprise. We cannot be sure
that our property will be preserved. ur
house can be destroyed by fire. Our possessions can be stolen and, of course, even our
lives will eventually end, but some compensation for the average individual is available by covering the cost of the house by
fire insurance, the cost of other articles by
theft insurance, and by even taking out in
surance on our own lives to assure funds to
carry on work we may have started, or to
provide funds for our dependents when we
are no longer here to supply them.
This effort on the part of man to find
what is certain becomes an obsession with
many individuis. So much effort is directed
toward securing assurance of certainty that
no time is left for the finer things of life.
The appreciation of aesthetic vales which
man can enjoy, and which interrupt the
routine and problems of his existence, has
no physical valu. Consequently, many men
turn away from cultural pursuits in order
to devote themselves to the preservation of
physical assets, properties or vales, that
they feel must be obtained. A life of constant seeking of physical vales becomes like
an endless chainthe more we obtain, the
more we have, the more concerned we are
with the preservation of our possessions, the
more attention we necessarily give to those
things which we prize as being valuable.

FEBRUARY, 1959

Physical possessions demand that we expend

effort to be certain that these articles are
secured in some way.
The common phrase Are you certain?
is repeated many times. Someone asks for
an opinion and then reacts by saying, Are
you certain? In other words, people devote
much time seeking for explanations, opinions, and guarantees of everything they
strive to do. The physical world, we should
know, cannot be in any way guaranteed
insofar as certainty is concerned. Actually,
there is no certainty. Only in eternity can
it exist. Even then, it may be merely as a
relative factor insofar as our concern with
it is involved.
There is no certainty in the material
world. The place where you are may at any
moment be destroyed by a natural cause, an
earthquake, a cyclone, or some other disaster.
These conditions, whether man-made or not,
are potentially in existence at every moment
of our lives. It is not my purpose to cause
undue alarm in the thinking of the average
person; yet, as intelligent beings we should
realize and acknowledge that anything of
valu in the physical world or held to be
significant is as transitory as a puff of smoke
coming from a chimney on a coid day.
Life as we know it here on earth is not
intended to be a certainty. The purpose of
life is not attained in physical vales. The
reason for this is very simple: there is no
certainty in physical things. All that is
permanent are the laws which our Creator
has ordained, and everything we witness,
perceive, or have as a part of our environ
ment, is a manifestation of these laws, not
the laws themselves. We believe and have
faith that the Creator has established laws
which will continu to function regardless
of our awareness of them. That these laws
exist and cause the universe to be is the only
fact of which we can be certain, but of the
ways in which they will manifest we have
no idea except what is based upon previous
experience.
We walk on a solid object and presume
that we will not fall through it. Previous
experience has taught us that a solid thing
will support us; however, we can be deceived. I recently read of a woman in a
country of the Western world driving on a
highway when a terrific earthquake took
place; it cracked open the earth at the point

Page 77

where she was and completely swallowed

the woman with her car. I have no proof
of this except in the reading of the account,
but it is indicative that even a solid concrete
highway is not a positive assurance of cer
tainty that it will remain what we conceive
it to be.
Life on earth is a school of training in
which we are prepared, through certain ex
periences, for something that is to follow.
Just exactly what it is that will follow, man
cannot see any more than a child in the
first grade of school can anticipate what will
follow in the higher grades of study. But to
consider life and the physical entities and
objects that exist about us as certainties of
permanent vales is to deceive ourselves.
Life is a series of uncertainties and for it to
be otherwise would not be life. Perfection
alone would create a state of uncertainties,
and perfection lies in the manifestation of
divine law itself, which law, as stated, manifests to us only in its functioning, not in the
pureness of its own existence.
It is conceived that a time will arrive
when we will be able to perceive directly
the manifestation and function of this law
in all its purity. Then we will begin to
achieve an awareness of certainty and permanency because our awareness, under
standing, and relationship with everything
existing at that time will not be of physical
vales that can be wiped out by fire, disaster,
or by the act of man. Instead we will recognize permanent existing forces which con
tinu throughout eternity.
These comments, then, are an appeal for
the intelligent human being to accept life
and the environment in which life manifests
for what it isa state of uncertainty. It is
a state that cannot be guaranteed. The an
swer to the question of whether our posses
sions will exist tomorrow or that we ourselves
will exist is known only to God.
Man must learn that it is of very little
importance whether all we are and all we
have will be in existence five minutes from
now. It is an insignificant factor when we
consider the universe as a whole. Since man
is a living being, endowed and infused with
a forc that cannot be analyzed as can the
rest of the physical world, we reason that
within us is an indestructible phase which
man has called soul or life-force. So, if there
is any certainty in this life, in this physical

Page 78

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

world, it is the certainty of life itself. It is

something that cannot be analyzed by the
chemist or isolated by any other scientific
means; it goes on maintaining this expres
sion of being even when the physical vehicle
which contains it has broken down and ap
pears to be unsuitable for the maintenance
of life. The real vales which we are to
achieve lie in relationship to this nonmaterial forc existing in us, and the closer we
become acquainted with that forc, the nearer we will come to realizing the certainties
of being.
Therefore, certainties are not a part of
physical existence, but a part of another ex
istence which we will attain and learn to
live in at some future time if we will honestly appraise our situation now and live
in accordance with the limitations and uncertainties of the present. Man is given
intelligence. Let us use that intelligence to
occupy our time in analyzing our environ
ment and what we can learn from it. We
may have no further change. This may be
the only time to leam of the physical vales
which man uses today, but the main lesson
we must learn is that our evaluations are
transient and only a means of paving a way
toward more p erm an en t and enduring
vales.A
Retirement and Culture
The Rosicrucian Order receives an in
creasing number of comments from persons
who have reached retirement age or have
actually retired. It is of particular interest
to me to notice how concern on this subject
has mounted in the past twenty or twentyfive years. Columns on retirement living are
now published in various newspapers. A
number of monthly periodicals are now on
the market which appeal primarily to re
tired persons or those who are approaching
retirement age. Much discussion in the field
of industry and employment is given not
only to the matter of retirement but to its
methods and the equipping of people so that
they might understand the problems of re
tirement. Most of us, when under the stress
of heavy work, are of the opinion that retire
ment would be very easy. It would simply
be a process of quitting work. In actual
practice, the people who are most convinced

of this fact find themselves least adaptable

to being able to retire gracefully and enjoy
themselves.
With the institution of Social Security in
many countries or a type of compensation
to which retired individuis are eligible, and
with the increasing interest in providing
proper compensation from companies with
whom individuis have been employed over
a long period of time, the economic questi@n
of retirement has ceased to be the most im
portant one with regard to the process of
retirement or the activities of retirement,
although it remains important.
Again referring to letters directed to the
Rosicrucian Order, most of these letters do
not concern economic problems. Those that
do are usually from individuis who have
been retired for some period of time and
find that the inflationary tendencies of more
recent years have actually reduced the income which they had anticipated for their
retirement years.
Retirement is a psychological as well as a
physical state. Many individuis cannot re
tire gracefully. There are individuis who
seem to feel that they are so essential to the
work they are doing that they will never let
go. It is for this reason that some large busi
ness concerns have found it advantageous to
make retirement compulsory at a certain
fixed age, usually 65. The theory is that all
individuis may reach a time when they
should be aware that their services as indi
viduis can be assumed by someone else. In
this way, new ideas are injected into administrative positions.
On the other hand, those who oppose
compulsory retirement point out that in
many cases there are individuis who are
healthy, who are alert, and who are the
most competent to carry on certain func
tions, and therefore should not be denied the
privilege simply for the reason that they are
over a certain age.
There are many competent executives and
others over the age of 65, who are carrying
on quite satisfactorily in numerous fields of
endeavor. In fact, those who are working
beyond the age of 65 are usually individuis
who are in better physical and mental health
than many people considerably younger who
are holding responsible positions at the pres
ent time. Any individual who reaches the

FEBRUARY, 1959

age of 65 and is still healthy and mentally

alert is certainly indicative of a life of fundamentally good health and good habits which
will probably continu to be to his valu in
the future.
I have discussed some points of retirement
rather haphazardly without arriving at any
conclusions or presenting the problem in its
entirety. It is not my intention to discuss
the entire scope of the problem of retirement.
That is more of a social and economic prob
lem than it is a problem concerning mem
bership in AMORC. Where the question or
problem of retirement may come cise to
this organization is in the implication of my
title with these comments and which associates retirement and culture. Many people
would think that no relationship exists, but
actually the problems of retirement other
than economic, as I have already pointed
out, are frequently those of adjustment to a
different and somewhat new environment.
I have been very much surprised at some
individuis who have adjusted well to re
tirement living and others who do not seem
to be able to make the adjustment. Those
who adjust satisfactorily are those who have
certain interests.
The word culture is broad in its meaning.
It does not mean that a person has to be,
necessarily, a profound student of any par
ticular subject. Culture in general refers to
the habits and abilities of the individual
leading to interests that are sufficient to absorb his attention and to give him something
to do that will be time-occupying and will
also make him feel that his efforts are of
some valu.
There are individuis today below the
retirement age who work at a routine type
of position, or executives who devote waking
hours almost exclusively to the demands of
their work. Such individuis eventually
realize that their work is their life even
though they may at times complain about
the burdens they carry. When and if they
reach a point of retirement, they are going
to start asking themselves about their inter
ests. Unless such individuis are in an eco
nomic position where they can do anything
they please without consideration of the
cost, they will realize that their interests are
very definitely limited, for the simple reason
that they do not participate in anything
fundamental outside their routine work.

Page 79

The person who today does nothing but

work, and for entertainment is devoted to
shows, parties, or televisin, has not built
up any interests that are going to be sustained. Interests in general are of a cultural
benefit to the individual and to society.
Knowledge in specific subjects, whether they
be simple or profound, will contribute to a
cultural background that will make it pos
sible for an individual to select things to do
that he will not only enjoy but find of bene
fit to himself and possibly to other people.
After all, the fundamental purpose of living
is to benefit ourselves and others who live
in our environment.
Retirement should not b looked upon as
a period in which to exclusively maintain
selfish interests. A recent survey made by
an economic association in this country
showed that those who were privileged to
retire in European countries were generally
more anxious to do so than in the United
States. An explanation of this was based up
on the assumption that the cultural interests
of these individuis were broader. Most of
them were associated in organizations,
schools, or activities that challenged their
thinking. Anyone will find more satisfaction
in living if his interests extend beyond a
mere objective occupation of time. Certain
ly, most forms of commercial entertainment
today are just that. In other words, going
to a motion-picture show or a stage function,
or looking at televisin, means a projecting
of ones self into the function that is taking
place. Such entertainment is purely an ob
jective activity.
True culture also takes into consideration
a subjective functioning because the interests
are built up within ourselves. A person with
a proper cultural background can find some
interest besides devoting all his leisure time
to looking at a televisin screen. I am not
condemning televisin. It is a suitable form
of objective entertainment when one can find
something televised that is of interest, but
objective en te rta in m e n t in itself is not
enough. We need to build interests and ac
tivities that spring from within us, because
that is the source of all our being. It is our
selves with whom we are going to have to
live when and if we reach a period of re
tirement.
Therefore, I would suggest to all who have
questions concerning their adaptation to a

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 80

life of retirement, that they expand their

cultural horizons, that they look now into
courses of study, into activities that will be
of interest in their spare time. Certainly
the Rosicrucian Order fulfills this function
admirably. The individual who finds the
work of the Rosicrucian Order of interest
and challenging to his thinking is creating
an immense reservoir of knowledge, information, and at the same time creating questions
that will be an inspiration or an mpetus
to more research and work. Therefore, encourage yourself and others to look into the
development of self as a means of making
a future period of life happier, more satisfactory and mor worth while.A
Opportnity Knocks
No doubt, any reader of these comments
has heard the od expression, Opportnity
knocks at the door. It seems almost trite
to cali attention to this saying. Like many
others, it is so commonly known that its
truth is actually forgotten. Most people
whom I have met who are always bewailing
their bad luck are those who would laugh
with scorn at such statements as opportunity knocks, or any of the other wellknown sayings with which many of us are
so familiar.
Words can be used so extensively that we
forget the ideas they convey. Actually,
great opportunities come to every living be
ing. Great opportunities, I saidnot just
simple ones. Every human being, within the
capacity of his knowledge and experience,
has had great opportunities. Every one of us
is less successful than he should be. We all
have had chances to do better, to be more
important, to have achieved more success,
even fame or wealth. Everything that we
have ever wanted, physically, mentally, or
spiritually has had an opportnity to be
ours. We have had repeated chances to be
what we want to be, but most of us are dissatisfied with what we are.
Such comment as this sounds like soothsaying, or merely the reiteration of words
which will make an individual feel bigger
than he is. All of us have heard about affirmations or simple processes which purport
that health can be achieved and riches attained. Most of us know that regardless of
how many times we might repeat, I am

rich, we still will be economically no differ

ent from what we were before we started
affirming it.
Actually, making affirmations is occupying our time whereas we should be willing
to accept opportunities as they come about.
Great opportunities are present at all times,
but we as individuis usually do not then
recognize them. We are not alert to their
existence. We are often so concerned about
our own petty problems or circumstances,
our efforts to make a living, to do the things
we want to do, to seek pleasure, to gain time
for entertainment, to have leisure, or to get
our work done, that we fail to realize fully
what goes on about us. The only preparation that is necessary to take advantage of
opportunities is to watch with a definite pur
pose and a single fidelity what each day
brings.
How long has it been since you have taken
time to simply dismiss from your mind the
cares, problems, worries, and matters that
occupy most of your waking hours, and to
look arund? When have you taken a walk
for the one purpose of being in a position to
observe, to see what you could see, and to
let that information register in conscious
ness? When have you read great literature
merely to permit the perfection of expression
that goes into the writings which constitute
great literature to sink into consciousness and
to see if the inspiration of those expressions
might bring about an original thought within
your own consciousness? When have you
relaxed and listened to music, or to any other
sounds that you like, not to analyze them
or to study them, but to see if they will
produce in you a condition which will be
harmonious with intuitive ideas that are
always on the threshold of consciousness and
ready to press into consciousness, if we relax
enough to permit them to enter.
Many of our day-to-day thoughts, many
of our problems and triis are like a lid
placed upon a container, with a weight to
hold it down so that the lid cannot move.
Nothing can come out of the container or
enter into it. We live a life of consciousness
upon which we have put the weight of our
own conclusions and prejudices, our own
ideas and opinions, so that we receive noth
ing that we as individuis do not permit to
enter through the ordinary channels of the
sense faculties. If you want something that

FEBRUARY, 1959

you do not have, if you hope to be some

thing that you are not, then literally lift the
weight off your consciousness. Direct your
self away from yourself. Dismiss from your
consciousness for at least a fw minutes each
day, the problems of money, health, associ
ation with other people, of family, and of
business. Open your consciousness so that
ideas will have a chance to survive therein.
Make your consciousness a fertile soil in
which ideas may grow.
Probably someone will say that I have
written nothing here that he does not already
know. I do not deny that, but do you prac
tice what you already know? That is the im
portant factor. If opportunity knocks at the
door of your consciousness and you do not
answer it, it is because you hold the door
closed. Open the door by opening your
visin. Seek beyond the circumstances of the
moment and let in the thoughts that fill the
universe, that are a part of the Divine
Mindof the Cosmic scheme. If you are
ever to achieve anything that you have not
yet achieved, you must first permit that
something enter your being besides your
own defenses against the environment in
which you live.A
Rosicrucian Tour to Egypt
Every Rosicrucian, every student of esoteric philosophy and of history, is aware of
the romantic appeal of Egypt. So many of
our present customs began in Egypt. The
arts, religin, and even some sciences had
their birth in that enigmatic land. Egypt
has had the longest period of continuous
civilization in the worlds history. Its mammoth pyramids, its stupendous temples
(which even today are architectural marveis), its colossal statuary, are never to be
forgotten by the visitor to that land. The
Nile, like a thread of vital life, cuts through
the hot sands of the desert, spreading on
either side black alluvial soil which for centuries has been the artery, the life line, of
Egypt. Along this oasis of varying width, a
few miles on each side of the Nile, for centuries has clung the civilization that was
EgyptIn the summer the desert reflects back the
intense rays of the sun, making the heat
almost unbearable. But in the winter, the

Page 81

climate has that air of exhilaration, of dry,

springlike balminess, that is found perhaps
nowhere else in the world. The winter skies
are cloudless and the climate rainless. This
accounts for the excellent state of preserva
ron of its antiquities down through many
centuries.
Along the Nile the visitor sees life that
has been little touched by time. The primi
tive boats, with their patched sails, ply their
way from the west to the east banks of the
Nile, carrying their wares to open bazaars,
as they have far back in the memory of
man. The raucous cries of the vendors in
the bzaar, the colorful array of foodstuffs,
the exotic commodities of the East make the
whole scene appear to be some romantic
episode of the pastyet it is of today. The
craftsmen sit cross-legged on the ground,
and with a skill taught them by their fathers, who in turn were taught by their
fathers, their deft fingers and simple tools
shape fascinating articles in brass and copper.
As one climbs the grand gallery of the
Great Pyramid of Cheops, immured by huge
granite blocks, a thousand thoughts course
through the mind, as the heart pounds with
the thrill of the experience. Who were the
great and the simple ones who trod these
stones in centuries past? Centuries before
Christ, men possessed a secret gnosis, a great
knowledge, that made possible this edifice
as a monument to the learning of their time.
There, above, one finally sees the entrance to
the Kings Chamber, a place of initiation.
Solemnly one enters, stooping to do so, for
the short passage was so designed to make
all bow who entered the chamber, whether
they were prince or potentate.
Then there is the great hypostyle of Karnak Temple, a vast colonnaded hall. Some of
the capitals of the huge columns of the
temple can accommodate one hundred men
standing upon them in cise formation. One
steps from the heat of the midday into the
cool shadows'and breeze of this vast temple.
Uniquely designed by long forgotten architects, the columns of the roofless temple cre
ate air currents and drafts constituting a
natural air-conditioning.
Then, on another day, one crosses the
Nilecalled by the ancients Mother Nile
to the west bank. In this direction once
solemnly moved the funeral barges of the

Page 82

past, with their musicians and the lamnting

loved ones of a great pharaoh or nobleman
whose sarcophagus, or coffin, this funeral
barge conveyed. As the solar disk Tathat
is, the sunsets in the west each day, so the
ancient Egyptians at Thebes transported
their dead to the west bank of the Nile.
From that ancient custom our expression
pertaining to death, going west, originated.
Great necropolises (cemeteries) and tombs
are located in the Valley of the Kings and
Queens on the west bank of the Nile, cloistered against the rugged limestone hills.
T here once lay Egypts great.
Upon entering the corridor leading down
to the sepulchral chamber in the tomb of a
pharaoh or king, one is forcefully impressed
with the fact that human nature responds
slowly to the advance of time, for he sees
muris painted in vivid colors on the walls
depicting the vanity of the departed. In
self-eulogy, the deceased pharaoh extols the
accomplishments of his lifetime. He prays,
in hieroglyphic inscriptions, that the gods
will recognize these great deeds and, when
weighing his soul against the feather of truth
in the hall of judgment in the next life, will
decide in his favor.
At another time it is moonlight. The
swaying, graceful palms cause a rhythmic
shadow to play upon the majestic columns
of Luxor Temple. The silence is heavy. The
moonlight dances a phantasy on the rippling
waters of the Nile which almost lap against
the temple wall. This night an event is to
occur that the Rosicrucians of the tour party
have been looking forward to. Quietly the
Rosicrucians file out of their comfortable
hotel quarters. They are led by a Rosicru
cian officer into the night and into the great
temple, which almost speaks to them in their
attunement with it. Then in the shadow of
great ames, events, and surroundings, that
seem to live again, they hold in the moon
light a Rosicrucian ceremony not unlike that
held by the brethren of the ancient mystery
schools.
You can be such a visitor! You can have
these experiences! A Rosicrucian Egyptian
All-Expense Paid Tour is planned for January 5, 1960. Leaving New York City by
plae, the Rosicrucian tour party goes first
to Paris where for two days it will see the
sights of that great city. The members of the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

party will also sit in convocation with the

Jeanne Guesdon Chapter of AMORC in
Parisas one of the events. Then, too, they
will be taken by a Rosicrucian officer to the
fascinating home of the great mystic and alchemist, Alessandro Cagliostro.
From Paris the Rosicrucian tour party will
journey, by plae again, to Cairo, Egypt.
Four days they will be in Cairo! A special
ceremony conducted by Rosicrucian officers
in the Kings Chamber of the Great Pyramid
of Cheops will be an exclusive event for those
of this tour party. A visit to the great Cairo
Museum will be included as well as the
mosques and bazaars of od Cairo.
Next is the great highlight of the journey,
a ten-day trip by steamer southward up the
Nile! The ancient cities along the banks unfold before you as you wend your way
south. You disembark here and there to personally explore the temples and great sites,
their history being explained to you by a
competent guide.
In Thebes, ancient capital of Egypt, where
Akhnaton defied the priesthood, you will
spend three days. You will visit Karnak
Temple, which was built over a period of
two thousand years by a succession of
pharaohs. You will journey across the Nile
to enter the tombs of Tutankhamen and the
great Rameses and view with astonishment
the huge tomb-temple of Queen Hatshepsut,
the first great woman in history. Thence
you will leisurely continu your journey up
the Nile to many other historical places of
which you have read and have dreamed.
You will finally re turn to Cairo by Pullman
train.
H ere are the facts: All meis, hotel bilis,
air, train, and steamer fares, and entrance
fees, including special guides, automobile
transportation in the cities for sightseeing,
are included. There are no extras except
what you may personally want to make.
The tour price for this 20-day tour, all
expenses paid, from New York back to New
York, is only $1256.60. Departure from New
York City is on January 5, 1960.
Though the AMORC is sponsoring the
tour, it has naught to do with the financial
matters or does it make any profit on the
special tour price. Consequently, it is not
responsible for the details. However, we are
happy to state that air transportation is ar-

FEBRUARY, 1959

ranged by the reliable company, Air Franee,

and the other travel details by SITA, the
Students International Travel Association, a
noted and reputable travel company. The
AMORC has brought these arrangements to
you so that you may have all these special
features at low cost. Rosicrucian officers will
give special talks to the tour party.
Write today for a free, fully descriptive
folder giving itinerary and details of how you
may be one of the tour party. Of course,
Rosicrucians may have accompanying them
on the tour nonmember friends and relatives. The price for them is on the same
economical basis. Address your letter for the
free literature to Arthur Piepenbrink, Grand
Regional Administrator of AMORC, San
Jos, California, U.S.A.X
The Monographs and the Bible
Recently a member asked our Forum: In
view of the fact that the monographs ask us
to lay aside all other theories, beliefs, and
conceptions while studying the monographs,
do you feel that a devout Christian should
lay aside his Bible?
This particular request is a very important, yet widely misunderstood, part of the
teachings.
What do we mean when we ask the Neophyte to lay aside his previous teachings or
beliefs when he studies the lessons? Are we
asking him to refute all that he has been
taught, that he has believed in, or that he
has held sacred?
No. However, many students, as is natur
al, compare the Rosicrucian teachings with
those of their previous experience as they
study them. Often those earlier teachings
have been presented in a very dogmatic
manner. In effect, the previous teacher has
said, This is the way it is, and it can be no
other way!
Then the new Rosicrucian student finds a
monograph on the same subject saying, It
could very well be this other way, however.
Let us explore and find out.
The student, in comparing, may feel that
this new approach or direction is against his
former belief and is loathe to follow the path
in that direction.
We ask, therefore, that the Neophyte ap
proach the teachings with a completely open

Page 83

mind. We want him to approach the les

sons, not for the purpose of comparing them
with his former beliefs and rejecting those
parts which differ, but rather for the purpose
of exploration. It has been said that the
Rosicrucian is a walking question mark. This
indicates that he always seeks the truth.
When, therefore, something in the teach
ings appear to differ from or dispute some
thing in our previous teachings or beliefs,
we should first analyze both thoroughly to
be sure they are not just two ways of saying
the same thing. After we have done this,
and there is in truth a controversy, we
should again analyze both with the thought
of determining which one appears the more
logical. The thought or idea to keep in mind
_is, can it be proved?
On the basis of this complete analysis, we
can determine whether the new idea solved
the problem more logically than our previous
one. If it does, then we should entertain no
qualms conceming the substitution of the
proof in the monographs for the outmoded
explanation which we had previously.
This should not be taken in any way to
mean that the Christian should give up his
Bible. Nothing in the Rosicrucian teachings
differs from the teachings of the Christian
Holy Book any more than they differ from
the Koran, the Talmud, or the Upanishads.
The Bible is one of the great inspirational
books of the world, and in fact is used in the
weekly application of one of the early mono
graphs.
The Christian will find that the teachings,
contrary to being a substitute for his Bible,
will help him in his understanding of the
symbology and mysticism in that great
work.W
W hat Is White Magic?
A frater asks our Forum: What is the
Rosicrucian interpretaron of white magic?
Magic is the presumption that there are
occult powers and forces in nature which
must be invoked by the application of cer
tain agencies. It also expounds that, in addition to natural forces which cannot be
ordinarily perceived or commanded, there
are supernatural forces which likewise can
be brought to serve human will in unique
ways. Belief in magic is the assumption that

Page 84

there are sympathetic bonds between these

latent powers, which lie beyond the comprehension or ability of the average human be
ing to employ, and certain men.
In a broad sense magic more closely approaches the realm of science, and the laws
underlying phenomena, than does religin.
Religin recognizes a supreme supernatural
power which is to be appealed to. The human
being in relation to his god or gods is made
dependent upon the will of the deity. Magic,
however, presumes a formularites or ceremonies which are causative and can set into
motion specific powers or forces. It is true
that in magic there is no systematic inquiry
to determine whether the forces it recognizes
actually exist or not. Further, unlike Sci
ence, there is no question, in most instances,
as to how certain agencies can invoke or
release these powers. However, in magic man
is made the manipulator of the powers from
which certain effects are expected to follow.
In general, he is more of a free agent than
in religin.
Early religin and magic were often re
lated in religio-magic practices. Some sects
today, in their ecclesiastical practices and
rites, are perpetuating what constitutes magic
though, they, of course, would deny this.
They allowin fact, encouragetheir devotees to wear medallions, for example, and
assume beliefs in connection with them that
parallel the notions of sympathetic magic
and phylactery. They permit the idea to
be harbored that certain objects touched or
kissed have the efficacy of transmitting a
beneyolent influence. They have rites for
exorcising devils and demons out of persons
and things; yet they will condemn as pagan
or heathen others who have similar practices.
Black magic has been so named through
the centuries as denoting the use of magical
rites for malevolent purposes. Black has long
symbolized darkness which, in turn, has been
the cover for evil deeds and deception. Con
sequently, the relation of black to magic
alludes to the attempt to invoke supernatural
powers, or the conceived occult forces of
nature, for evil intent. It will be noted that
in magic man does not generally think of
himself as having intercourse with a supreme
intelligence or mind but rather with imper
sonal powers which must function in a cer
tain manner when the causes underlying
them have been invoked. Consequently, in

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

magic the motive exists in the human instigation of such powers as he believes he may
direct.
Here again we have a similarity to the
functions of physical science. The natural
laws which the scientist employs are imper
sonal. They are not personified. Motive and
purpose for their application exists exclusively in the mind of the scientist. One might
just as aptly refer to black science or white
science depending on the purpose to which
it was directed.
White, symbolically and perceptionally, is
in direct contrast to black. It has long represented that which is without mar or imperfection, being purity both morally and physically. White magic has always denoted
magical works which were intended to provide some noble or benevolent purpose. In
the Bible there are many examples of what
falls into the category of magic to invoke
spiritual powers to accomplish some good.
Even divination or foretelling of the future
was considered a form of white magic. It
was the means of using certain agencies that
would give man an unnatural insight into
the events of the future.
All that has been claimed to be white
magic has not actually been magic. Some
practices were the employment of natural
laws that had been discovered and passed
down from generation to generation. Many
therapeutic remedies, using extracts of herbs
to be taken internally or used externally to
alleviate a malady, were called white magic
rites. The superstitious mind had no realiza
tion of what was actually being accomplished. Certain herbs were selected and prepared in a specific manner in a medicinal
form. Accompanying their prepration there
would be incantations which were believed
to induce into the herbs from some intangible
source extraneous magical powers. So, when
a cure was effected, the external magical
agencies were given the credit for the cure
rather than the actual chemical ingredients
of the herbs. In fact, early medicine was as
sociated with such magical practices.
Calling such remedies white magic neither
made them magic or diminished their ef
ficacy for good. Many of the practices of
the alchemists of the Middle Ages were
termed white magic. Many of these sincere
early investigators were seeking ways and
means of employing little known or revealed

FEBRUARY, 1959

forces of nature to do their bidding for the

welfare of man. Even the transcendental
alchemists, who sought not to change base
metis into gold or silver but rather tried
to bring about a transmuta tion in the thought
and consciousness of man, were often claimed
to be white magicians. They strove to command and direct higher powers and forces
within mans nature for what they conceived as morally good.
In an intelligent age as now there is no
place for magic. Intelligent persons know
that its premise is false. There are, of course,
many phenomena which are yet mysterious
and inscrutable. It is assumed that underlying them are fundamental natural laws
not supernatural ones. It is known that any
person who once discovers these laws,
through empirical methods, study, or anal
ysis, can command them. There are no intermediary hidden powers which are intended
to act as a key for chosen men. So magic
contines today only among the ignorant
and as a sacrosanct tradition of some theological systems.
Modern metaphysics and esoteric philoso
phy well know the distinctions between
magic, religin, philosophy, and science.
Nevertheless some schools of esotericism have
continued to confer the term white magic,
with a kind of sentimental reverence for the
past, upon practices which are actually mys
tical or, in fact, the scientific use of natural
laws. This does these esoteric schools more
harm than good in this day and age. The
word magic now has a detrimental connotation and alludes, in the minds of most per
sons, to deception and superstition.X
Mystical Meanings
A frater addressing our Forum says: A
younger member asked me, cIs there any
difference between Divine Love, Christ Con
sciousness, and Cosmic Consciousness; can
you express any one without the others? If
there is a difference please explain it. I
would say that one could consider them as
three points of a triangle. If one gains Cos
mic Consciousness, he must express the
other two; and if one begins to express
Divine Love and then Christ Consciousness,
this must lead to Cosmic Consciousness. In
other words, they are interrelated and no one

Page 85

of the terms can be an isolated existence.

I would like the Forums opinion on this
matter.
The frater is quite correct in his assumption that there is an interrelationship be
tween the meanings of Cosmic Consciousness,
Christ Consciousness, and Divine Love. They
are, in fact, more or less different ways of
saying the same thing. The most impersonal,
the broadest term of the three, is Cosmic
Consciousness, as we shall endeavor to ex
plain. From the true mystical and Rosicru
cian conception, Cosmic is the totality of
laws and the phenomena which manifests in
man and nature. They are the forces, ener
gies, and powers which account for the finite
and infinite worlds. The Cosmic is there
fore a unity, the absolute, the one; the particulars which man experiences are but
expressions.
Further, there is no manifestation of the
Cosmic which is less divine than any other.
Nuclear forces constituting the intricate
particles of matter are of the same cosmic
source as those levels of self-consciousness
which man designates as soul. One is more
finite, restricted in its function, than the
other but not in essence. For analogy, a
whole oil painting is more extensive than
any single or group of brush strokes of which
it is composed; but nevertheless, the brush
strokes are of the same substance of which
the whole painting consists.
It is held that inherent in the Cosmic is a
consciousness, an intelligence if you will,
which composes its order. It is the pheomenon which is measured, weighed, and classified as natural law by physical science in
the realm of matter. It is likewise the motivating forc and order that directs the evolutionary processes in living matter. It may
seem strange, perhaps unorthodox, to refer
to consciousness as existing in inorganic mat
ter, but we contend that the persistence of
the forces in matter implies a kind of intelli
gence, though, of course, of a lower order
than that expressed in living forms.
Man has various levels or degrees of con
sciousness, of sensitivity, to different im
pulses and impressions. All of the levels of
consciousness to which man may attain are,
of course, but part of the hierarchal order of
the scale of consciousness of which the Cos
mic consists. When one attains Cosmic Con-

Page 86

sciousness, even if it be but a momentary

experience, he is having an awareness of the
whole Cosmic. He is being brought through
the consciousness resident in him into at
tunement with the consciousness of which
his being and all humans are but a segment.
It is for this reason that we like to say that
an understanding of Cosmic Consciousness is
best had by a reversal of the two words comprising the term. In other words, let us say
having a consciousness of the Cosmic. This
means a consciousness by man of the infinite
conscious source of all manifestations and
reality.
One who has had consciousness of the Cos
mic has, for that interim at least, experienced
Divine Consciousness as well. We think of
the Cosmic as being Divine. We use the
term Divine here to mean that which is of
God, the Supreme and the first cause of all.
No distinction can be made in this regard
between Divine and Cosmic. If one believes
in divinity, whether an impersonal mind or
intelligence or a personal god, one must then
think of the forces and powers emanating
from that source as likewise being Divine.
Consequently, he then makes the Cosmic
and Divine synonymous.
If one is a materialist and contends that
all reality, nature and man as well, are but
the effect of mechanistic forces emerging in
different forms at different levels of develop
ment, then the Divine has for him no essence. To him the Cosmic would be but the
sum total of these laws and their mechanistic
agencies.
Christ Consciousness is the Christian delineation of the highest form of consciousness
attainable. Christ as an avatar, or as the
Orthodox contend the only true son of God,
possessed an infinite consciousness wherein
he had an awareness of all reality and its
order. The moral vales, powers, and insight
had by Christ are attributed to his all-embracing consciousness, the result of his at
tunement with the Divine of his own nature.
The Christians, or the Christian mystics, in
defining Christ Consciousness used terms
which when analyzed have no distinction or
significance different from the definition of
Cosmic Consciousness. The non-Christian
mystic prefers the term Cosmic Conscious
ness because he contends, and rightly so,
that this universal or Cosmic Consciousness

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

has been had by other illumined personages

before Christs time and since and should
have no personal designation. In fact, Christ
himself advocated that others might attain
to his spirit, awareness, or consciousness by
following his prescribed teachings.
We cannot say, however, that Divine Love
will necessarily result in Cosmic Conscious
ness or Christ Consciousness, considering the
last two phrases as being synonymous. It
all depends upon how one defines Divine
Love. If one means that he has a deep reverence and personal love for what he conceives as God or the Divine, then we can say
that this attitude may eventually lead to that
level of consciousness of which Cosmic Con
sciousness consists. However, if by Divine
Love one means that he has experienced a
oneness, a unity, with his conception of God
and what he believes is the love of God,
then he has attained Cosmic Conscious
ness.X
This Issues Personality
The fatalist may cali it destiny when quite
often the lives of two persons so converge
that they may join their talents and experi
ence to serve a common end. Perhaps again
it is the mutual interests which draw them
together.
Martha Lewis (Mrs. H. Spencer Lewis)
was thus enabled to assist Dr. H. Spencer
Lewis in the days of his re-establishment of
the Rosicrucian Order in America. Soror
Martha Lewis was born in Brooklyn, New
York, a descendant of a very od and distinguished French family on her fathers side.
Her mother was of Scotch and English parentage. She was educated in private schools
in New York and later attended college with
the object of a literary career. She subsequently became a literary contributor to
several magazines. Her poetry and articles
have appeared in various periodicals through
the years. Soror Lewis poetry has received
recognition in anthologies and other Ameri
can poetry works.
During the early years of the foundation
of the A.M.O.R.C. in America for its second
cycle, Soror Lewis assisted Dr. Lewis in the
translation of manuscripts which he was receiving from Europe and in typing extensive
notes for him. The labor of establishing the

FEBRUARY, 1959

Rosicrucian Order was an extremely heavy

task for Dr. Lewis and one that he had to
assume principally alone except for this early
help given him by his wife.
Dr. and Mrs. Lewis were married in
Brooklyn, New York, in 1914. It was their
original plan to tour Europe and, among
other places, visit the site of the Rosicrucian
Order in Toulouse, France, where the Imperator had received his initiation and the
authority to re-establish the Order in Amer
ica, but World War I precluded any travel
to Europe at that time.
In February, 1915, the Order held its initial convocation in New York City. Soror
Martha Lewis was honored, as the Imperators wife, in being the first to cross the
threshold, namely, to be initiated in the
A.M.O.R.C. for this cycle. She has been
a c t i y e l y associated with the Order ever since.
The subsequent growth of the Order re
quired Dr. Lewis, as Imperator, to make
extensive journeys throughout America, Ca
ada, and Europe. Soror Lewis always accompanied him and assumed the many
duties which he assigned her, thus helping to
lighten somewhat his administrative burden.
On one of these European journeys, Soror
Lewis was made a Fellow of the Royal Arts
and Sciences of London, England.
Soror Lewis is the mother of four, namely,
Earle C. Lewis, Madeleine Perata, Vivien
Whitcomb, and the present Imperator, Ralph
M. Lewisthe latter two being children of
Dr. Lewis first marriage.
After the transition of Dr. H. Spencer
Lewis, Soror Lewis aided as administrator
of the Rose-Croix Sanitarium for a number
of years, this sanitarium having been founded by the late Imperator. Soror Lewis was
quite successful in the application of Rosi
crucian treatments and therapeutic methods.
She contines this work at every opportunity.
Soror Lewis is a member of the Board of
Directors of the Supreme Grand Lodge of
the A.M.O.R.C. and an honorary trustee of
several lodges and chapters of the Order
where she has delivered addresses. She is
past president of the San Jos Womens Club
and has taken part in many cultural and
charitable activities.
Each year the instructor of the class in
parapsychology at the Rose-Croix University
asks Soror Lewis to give a demonstration in
the phenomenon of psychometry. She has

Page 87

exceptionally developed extrasensory powers

which make this demonstration interesting
to the students of these subjects.
Lodges and chapters have often extended
invitations to Soror Lewis to be a guest
speaker at their rallies. She has availed herself of these invitations within the limits of
her time. She has enjoyed meeting the
fratres and sorores on these occasions. This
coming spring she is scheduled for further
rallies in the SouthwestDallas, Texas, and
Albuquerque, New Mxico.
Soror Lewis has numerous friends through
out the world, members of the A.M.O.R.C.
with whom she keeps in cise touch through
correspondence. Many members write her
personally for advice, which she gladly gives
within the limits of her time.X
Mechanical Consolation
A soror now addresses our Forum: There
are rather commonly in use in the Eastern
cities of the United States tape-recorded
messages of consolation. There are telephone
listings in various cities which a troubled
person may cali. Upon calling the number,
a tape recording is heard of a voice saying
a few consoling words or, in some cases, the
recitation of a prayer. What does AMORC
think of these telephone messages? Does the
recipient gain any real benefit?
There is nothing more intimate than self.
Though we may not be aware of our sub
liminal urges or subconscious repressions and
inclinations, the objective aspect of self is
very prominent to each of us. We are all
aware that we have certain anxietiesones
that at least have a definite character to our
objective minds. In other words, we are quite
conscious of certain aggravations which we
cali worries. Likewise, we have our hopes,
ideis, and fantasies that constitute the per
sonality, the outer manifestation of self that
we know. It is what we think of ourselves,
it is how we estmate ourselves, that constitutes what we think we are.
It is extremely difficult for the average
person to alter his conception of himself and
of his relationship to his environment merely
by self-suggestion. For analogy, if one is
depressed, feels lonely, thinks that no one
has any interest in his welfareand, in fact,
no one may actually have such an interest
it is quite difficult for that person to change

Page 88

this notion by the mere recitation of affirmations to the contrary. In other words, it is
difficult to arge successfully with self. Selfsuggestion may have, in certain circum
stances, a very hollow ring. The feeling of
loneliness, germinating the idea that all
humanity is unconcerned with his welfare,
is more dominant and impressive than a
mere affirmation to oneself of the friendship
and good fellowship of mankind.
An outside viewpoint, the sound of anothers voice, even if it repeats words which
we have often said to ourselves, has a potency. First, we are not saying them
another human being is. We are not just
trying to enter into another conflict or
controversy with ourselves. The sound of
another voice expressing sympathy and encouragement fortifies the morale. It satisfies
the hunger of the ego for recognition.
The fact that one may realize that the
voice is mechanically reproduced does not
greatly lessen the valu of its influence upon
the moral. The voice provides a sympathetic, human companionship. One no longer
feels alone; there is an external expression
of kindness. It has a reality, even if but in
words beyond the limits of what we may say
to ourselves. There is the further satisfaction that the motive behind the tape recording is humanitarian. It is motivated by a
humanitarian thought; someone, somewhere,
prepared the recording because he believed
what he said. At least, in making it available in this public manner, he must have
been inspired to bring relief and happiness
to other mortals.
Just the realization of such kind conduct
upon the part of other persons may afford
the very consolation many ego-depressed
individuis need. It is a known fact that
some persons enjoy, as a relief of their
loneliness, the mere dialing of the telephone
for the correct time. The tape-recorded voice
announcing the time provides a vocal com
panionship. It terminates the feeling of
desolation and relieves the sense of remoteness or isolation from the world.
Telephoning a number to listen to words
of cheer or encouragement, which provide a
greater stimulus than ones own thoughts, is
rather a new versin of an od practice.
Emotionally, there are some things that are,
for all of us, powerful stimulants to a lowered morale. There are certain selections of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

music which engender rising spirits whenever we hear them. At times we may play
a phonograph record that actually has in its
music a sympathetic bond with our subcon
scious. Consciously or unconsciously, the
music may be related to incidents in the past
that were very satisfying to us emotionally.
The playing of the phonograph recording re
sults in our emotionally re-living such in
cidents.
Paintings and poetry have likewise been
used for centuries as psychological pick-ups.
Some words in a particular piece of literature
come to portray beautifully a pleasing men
tal image which the individual has built up
in his mind in the past; thus, these mental
images provide an euphoria, that is, a sense
of well-being and buoyancy. In fact, an
environment that contributes to our peace
and well-being is made up of symbols of
various kinds, things that have a special,
gratifying meaning to us.
Humorously, but nevertheless with veracity, it is said that a woman will raise her
morale through buying a new hat. The purchasing of the hat, which has varying appeals
to the feminine ego, is the equivalent of
telephoning a certain number so that one
may hear soothing, consoling words. It is a
way of bringing into ones environment those
psychological factors which our own will and
reason cannot adequately provide.X
Numeral One and Unity
A frater of Australia addressing our
Forum says: Is it possible that one can be
misleading as an expression of many. For
example, a number of parts may form one
of anything, that is the complexity of the
complete things. The Cosmic as a great one
may have many degrees of reference; the
composition of a number of elements constitutes one change; the number of planets
of one solar system is another. It seems to
me that one is a term used as an abbreyiation. How can we be certain about the re
lationship of one and its components in terms
the mind knows?
The frater has proposed a profound but
interesting topic for our Forum. First, let
us approach the subject psychologically.
Unity and one are not synonymous i hu
man understanding. We do, of course,
commonly interchange the words but seman-

FEBRUARY, 1959

tically they are really different. We apply

the word unity to that grouping of things
which to the mind assumes the order or
appearance of one. But, by the use of the
word unity, we therefore imply knowledge
of a preceding essence of separate elements
or components. Even though the components
in a complex order may lose their former
separate identity, and there appears to be
only a oneness of quality or substance, we
still think of the complex state as a unity
it is because we retain our memory of its
previous parts.
There are, however, numerous things that
to our minds are a single substance or thing;
namely, they appear as one. They have that
wholeness, that ubiquitous quality of sameness, that suggests no former separation of
parts. Actually, however, there is nothing
known to man as yet which is the ultmate
indivisible. At one time the atom was be
lieved to be the smallest indivisible particle
the real one. Modern nuclear physics has
subdivided the atom not only into electrons
but into other charges and particles. As yet,
no man can say with assurance that any
nuclear particle, no matter how infinitesimally minute, constitutes the limit of divisibility.
Psychologically, the one is that whose
components are not apparent to us. There
are many things that we think of as one,
upon a first or superficial observance, which
further experimentation reveis as consisting
of minute particles that in unity give. the
appearance of oneness.
Can the Cosmic then be an actual one, as
man ordinarily thinks of that word? Obvi
ously not. This would require a single
substance or quality throughout. It would
be a static state or condition, an inertia. It
would be contrary to every manifestation of
the Cosmic of which man has knowledge.
We commonly refer to the Cosmic as being a
state of harmony or agreement. We may ask,
then, harmony and agreement of what? For
there to be harmony, there must be a concord between two or more things. A single
entity, wholly of one substance or kind,
could not manifest the quality of harmony.
Suppose, as we relate in our Rosicrucian
teachings and in numerous articles, that the
Cosmic is an all-pervading energy. As an
energy, to not be static, it would need to

Page 89

either have variations within itself or have

a relationship as a component to another
energy or energies. We speak of the uni
versal cosmic energy as being dual in polarity, that is, as having positive and negative
qualities. These in turn in their vibratory
scale manifest all the expressions of the
other energies and mass of which man has
knowledgeundoubtedly, there are an infi
nite variety as yet unknown to us. The
Cosmic, then, is not really an absolute one,
a single unvarying thing or state as man
thinks of the one. Rather, it is a harmonious
unity of the dual qualities of which the
Cosmic must consist.
Nothing, of course, can escape the unity
of which the cosmic cnsists. Nothing can
detach itself so that it becomes independent,
or as two in effect. The alphabet, for
analogy, is one if we think of it in its entirety. It is, however, a unity if we think
of it as composing the separate letters of
which it consists. But, the alphabet can have
no reality to us without our realization of
the different letters of which it is composed.
If the human consciousness were able to
embrace in one entire scope the unity of the
Cosmicthat is, each manifestation being
equally and simultaneously impressed in
space and time upon the mindthen it would
only appear as one to us. Since we perceive,
however, varying expressions of the Cosmic,
we think of it as a unity, not of separate
parts but of varying manifestations.
There are probably no external parts or
things. What we concive to be such may
actually be but images formed by the mind
from sensations we have of the forces of
nature acting upon us. Some modern phi
losophers, however, hold that things actually
exist independent of the mind, just as we
perceive them, and the mind is but one of
them. In other words, things have the real
ity that we perceive them to have.
Alexander Samuel, noted modern philoso
pher, contended that things have inherent
primary qualities such as extensin, universality, reciprocity, and order. These quali
ties actually exist in things. They are not
just conditions of the mind. Nevertheless,
these things of the external world are not
separate parts but are the result of the vary
ing nature of the Cosmic, the Cosmic being
but a unity of qualities and being one only

Page 90

in the sense of the internal harmony of its

own nature.X
Space, Oxygen, and Life Forc
A frater, now arising to address our
Forum, says: In these days when space
travel may be just around the crner and
man may be called upon to travel to the
moon, planets, and even galaxies, he may
then be forced to go without air for months
and for perhaps years, breathing only oxy
gen. How does this deprive the human
system of the positive part of the Vital Life
Forc which comes from breathing air?
Could you please explain this from the Rosi
crucian point of view?
This subject must be approached from two
points of view. First, what is the material
and chemical composition of air upon which
human life in this instance seems to depend.
Secondly, what is the Vital Life Forc, the
intangible element said to accompany air and
which infuses organic beings and makes of
them living things.
Air is a gaseous mixture being both odorless and colorless. It is 1 part by volume of
oxygen and 4 parts of nitrogen. These proportions may vary according to conditions.
The air also contains a small amount of the
following: carbn dioxide, ammonia, argn,
nitrites, and minute particles of organic mat
ter. Atmospheric air contains about 20% or
21% oxygen, but normal functioning of man
requires 14%. The importance of oxygen is
shown in that variations in the amount of
nitrogen in the inspired (inhaled) air have
no distinct physiological effect. The impor
tant elements to consider are the oxygen and
carbn dioxide. Atmospheric air ordinarily
supplies man with an excess of oxygen over
the needs of the body. A further increase of
oxygen beyond that provided by the atmosphere has no particular advantage. This
applies as well to ordinary activity and con
ditions of rest.
In heavy muscular work, the muscles
consume a considerable amount of the oxy
gen. If the work is maintained for a long
period, then the oxygen may prove insufficient, even with in creased resp iratio n
(breathing). Experimentation has shown
that at certain pressures oxygen is not beneficialin fact, is toxic. Living things in
experimentation have been killed when the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

oxygen pressure was increased sufficiently

from 300% to 400%.
Experiments have been made by putting
volunteers in so called pneumatic chambers
in which the composition of the air could be
maintained at a desired percentage of oxy
gen. Decreased oxygen brought on what is
known as anoxemia. This means a deficiency
of oxygen. Anoxemia occurs at different
pressures in people depending upon the age
and general health and fitness. The symptoms of anoxemia are an increase in heart
beat, small increase in systaltic pressure,
decrease in blood pressure, and deficient
supply to the respiratory and cardiac centers.
Eventually there comes a loss of conscious
ness.
As altitude increases, marked emotional
changes occur. During the last war, and
even at present, the military forces conducted numerous experiments with pilots and
crew men to determine the effect upon them
of deficient oxygen at high altitudes. These
experiments were conducted on the ground
in space chambers which simulated altitudes
up to and beyond 40,000 feet. As the alti
tude increases, the individual may be intensely happy or depressed. At about 25,000
feet there is a loss of consciousness. Other
effects are: muscular coordination becomes
very poor, reaction time is lengthened, visin
and auditory responses reduced, attention
restricted, and in te lle c tu a l capacity impaired. One of the earliest symptoms of
anoxemia appearing above 10,000 feet is
what is known as euphoria. This means the
individual has a pronounced feeling of wellbeing and confidence, a state similar to that
produced by small amounts of alcohol.
It was noticed by bombing crews flying at
high altitudes during air raids in the last
war that when their oxygen supply became
impaired, strange psychic phenomena oc
curred on the part of the men. Certain
events in the lives of the men became vividly
clear in their memory. Telepathic Com
munications, the reception of each others
thoughts, were experienced without effort.
What parapsychology calis monition was
likewise experienced. This consists of the
individual having immediate knowledge of
some distant happening or event without the
recipient having any material communica
tion with it.

FEBRUARY, 1959

It would appear that, as we are taught

in our Rosicrucian studies, as the objective
consciousness loses its sensitivity to external
impressions, then like a balance scale the
faculties of the subconscious rise and become
more dominant. The phenomenon related
above then becomes apparent. Persons undergoing surgery and while coming out or
going under anesthesia have noticed the
quickening of their psychic faculties. It is
not that the anesthetic actually stimulates
the psychic side of man, but rather that it
dulls the objective consciousness and its
faculties permitting the phenomena of the
other levels of consciousness to be realized.
It is necessary here, while discussing this
phase of the topic, to correct a wrong impression which most persons have; namely,
At high altitudes, the percentage of oxygen
remains constant. The decrease of oxygen
we suffer, for example, in mountain climbing
or flying in an unpressurized plae is due to
decreased barometric pressure. This lowered
barometric pressure decreases the passage
of oxygen from the lungs to the blood. In
other words, the oxygen cannot get through
to the blood and lungs as easily as it can at
lower altitudes. The fact is that at high
altitudes beyond 40,000 feet even breathing
pur oxygen is not enough, for the baro
metric pressure is too low. It is for this
reason that pilots flying at high altitudes
must be in either sealed compartments or
special suits in which there is maintained
normal pressure.
In our Rosicrucian studies, we are taught
there is a universal Creative forc termed
nous which radiates throughout our universe.
This forc has a dual polaritytwo distinct
qualities, one positive in its vibratory radia
tion and the other negative. The negative
aspect is termed spirit and is thoroughly explained in the monographs as being the underlying essence of all matter or material
substance. This negative polarity is finite
and restricted.
The positive polarity of the universal
energy Nous permeates the whole universe.
It is infinite in function. It has the quality
which we term Vital L ife Forc. When it is
infused into inorganic matter having a cer
tain chemical composition, the latter then
becomes a living organism. The Rosicrucian
teachings state that this Vital Life Forc is

Page 91

taken into our lungs by the air we breathe.

It is carried by the air. It is V.L.F. which
charges the living cells. The V.L.F. is the
mysterious elementthe intangible, positive
quality carried by the mdium of air. The
fraters question is: In a rocket projected into
space if one does not breathe air for weeks
or months but only a mixture of oxygen,
nitrogen, and other chemical components of
air, how then does he receive into his being
this necessary positive polarity of V.L.F.?
Our answer to this is that the chemical
properties of air even when artificially produced by man are a catalyst for the V.L.F.
In other words, they draw and hold the
vibratory essence of the V.L.F. whether
these elements are in the atmosphere or produced by man. The energy of the V.L.F.
permeates everywhere but is taken into our
lungs in an intensified and concentrated
form through air or those chemicals of which
air is composed. Bringing together the* com
ponents of air for breathing in a sealed
chamber nevertheless draws the energy to
them which man then breathes. The extremely high vibratory rate of the V.L.F.
is not impeded or restricted by the metis or
substance of the sealed chamber. s to
whether the proportions of the V.L.F. in a
mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, and so on
breathed by man provides him with the same
quantity of V.L.F. as the atmosphere, only
further experiments will tell.X
Vital Life Forc and Blood Plasma
An examination of articles in the Rosicru
cian Forum, as well as questions that come
before forums held at Rallies and Lodge and
Chapter meetings, reveis two fundamental
facts. One is that the same type of questions
are repeated time and time again. This is
indicative of the fact that as members go
through the degrees of the Rosicrucian teach
ings the same questions occur at certain
points in the study of the Rosicrucian teach
ings. The other factor I have observed is
that new questions are usually related to new
environmental circu m stances. Thirty or
thirty-five years ago, for example, the ques
tion which has now come before the Forum
concerning the relation of .Vital Life Forc
and blood plasma would not have been asked
because blood plasma was not generally

Page 92

known and was not used in the way it is

tday.
The mpetus to the use of plasma was
probably one of the by-products of the Sec
ond World War. The need for transfusions
particularly for men wounded in action,
for the treatment of certain diseases, surgical
shock, and other situations that cali for a
replacement of bloodbrought about the
development of plasma, making the funda
mental constituents of the blood available
for transfusin without elabrate tests and
preparations.
I am not sufficiently informed concerning
the nature of blood plasma to explain in detail its composition and the physiological
considerations that are given to its preparation and administration. However, my understanding is that it is a fundamental substance that can be used to replace blood lost
by an individual through injury or other
circumstance. Its use has proved its effectiveness. There have been since its more or
less general acceptance no doubt thousands
of cases where human lives have been saved
and suffering minimized as a result of
prompt and eficient transfusions, or putting
of blood plasma into the circulatory system
of injured individuis.
The question concerning the Rosicrucian
Forum that has arisen on this subject is
whether or not blood plasma contains Vital
Life Forc. This is more or less a hypothetical question because again we are en
tering that realm of discussion or contemplation that has to do with the interrelationships
between physical and non-physical entities
or conditions.
The Vital Life Forc as it is explained in
our teachings is the term applying to the
element that we breathe which is other than
the physical components of the air that
cause the human being to be the living be
ing he isor, as far as that is concerned,
gives life to any living entity here on earth.
The human body, including the air that is
breathed by it, can be analyzed from the
standpoint of its chemical constituents. The
air itself is a gaseous compound consisting
of oxygen, nitrogen, carbn dioxide, and
other gases. These are necessary to the
proper functioning of the physical body, in
the same sense that food is. They are ma
terial entities; even though in a gaseous

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

state, still they are of a physical composi

tion.
We might generally consider the air, for
example, to be a part of our environment. It
is a part of the earth itself. Although ex
terior to the surface of our planet, it is held
about the planet by the same laws that hold
other objects on it and extends to a distance
of approximately one hundred miles; al
though it is difficult for most individuis to
breathe satisfactorily and maintain normal
metabolism even at twelve or fifteen thou
sand feet. Beyond that point, and even at
that point for some individuis, supplemental airor the main constituent of air, oxygenis needed.
Vital Life Forc, on the other hand, is a
nonmaterial essence. It is in the air. It is
in the entire universe, entering the body
with the first breath, when man becomes the
living soul. It is, according to that point of
view, closely associated with the soul itself.
Life, Vital Life Forc, and soul are those
attributes or parts of the human being not
readily considered to be a part of its physical
composition.
Blood plasma, then, is no more or less than
and I use this from a strictly popular point
of viewa certain quantity of condensed
blood. It is a physical entity, a physical
property just as the blood itself. It contains
the same elements from a chemical stand
point, and from the standpoint of the ma
terial world, as does the blood that courses
through the circulatory system of every
human being. As such, it does not contain
the Vital Life Forc, but man has been cre
ated to be a receptor, as it were, of the nonmaterial elements that are so necessary to
his being. The blood in the body of a newborn child does not contain a great deal of
the Vital Life Forc except that provided by
its mother. The true influx of Vital Life
Forc comes as that child takes its first
breath. Immediately the blood is infused
with the Vital Life Forc, as well as other
elements of the air we breathe.
From the standpoint of Vital Life Forc,
the plasma is, in a sense, an inert substance.
It can readily become a receptical for Vital
Life Forc once it is a part of the blood
stream of a living being. When transfusin
takes place, and blood plasma is introduced
into the circulatory system of the individual,

FEBRUARY, 1959

it is immediately infused with the air that

individual is breathing. With that infusin
comes the Vital Life Forc which makes that
newly introduced blood a carrier of the vitality which sustains life, consciousness, and
soul. From the medical or physiological
point of view, the blood transfused into an
individual is solely for the purpose of carrying more of the physical elements of blood,
but it is equally a means of carrying the non
physical elements, that which we cali Vital
Life Forc.A
Saints in the Cosmic Scheme
When looking over mail addressed to our
Forum, it is interesting to note how a certain
subject will attract a number of comments
or queries from different sources at the same
time.
For instance, in the past few weeks we
hav received several letters which may be
summed up in the question from a frater in
Japan who asks: Speaking of the masters,
how are we to regard the saints (Christian
or otherwise)? What is their status in the
Cosmic scheme?
This is a very interesting question and
actually an obvious one. If the masters are
a group of highly enlightened personalities,
having access to the great knowledge of the
Cosmic, how should we feel about the saints?
Are all saints masters? Are there some saints
who actually were not enlightened beings?
In answering this question, we must,
among other things, discuss the process by
which a master becomes a master and a saint
becomes a saint.
In both cases, they are, to begin with,
ordinary persons. The master, or we should
perhaps say the personality who will be a
master, usually has no realization of his
great development. However, through a
number of past incarnations his soul-personality has been gaining experience, both
worldly and of a Cosmic nature. He has undergone many initiations and passed through
many degrees on this earthly plae and on
the higher, Cosmic plae. He is attuned to
the voice and will of the Divine Intelligence.
He has no doubt, in the early years of his
current life cycle, studied deeply in the fields

Page 93

of philosophy, humanities, and metaphysics,

probably without realizing objectively the
true underlying reason. He may be well
versed in many other subjects as well. In
fact, he may be destined to do his greatest
work in fields outside the strictly esoteric
area of endeavor. There is no Cosmic decree
stating that a master must reach his attain
ment in the spiritual realm only. The field
of medicine, for example, has many who
could, and do, qualify, so to speak.
Most often these personalities are not
limited in their area of expression. Dr. Albert Schweitzer, for example, is a medical
doctor, a philosopher, a musician, and has
many other talents. Dr. H. Spencer Lewis,
as well, was a painter, a philosopher, a writ
er, and an organizer in several fields.
After his time of preparation is completed,
the master is given a full realization of his
capabilities and his earthly mission. This
realization is often called the illumination
of the master. The term signifies the sudden
coming of a great light of understanding.
Actually this is not strictly the case, since
the preparation had been going on for man}^
years, often lifetimes, before. This illumina
tion is typical of such masters as Buddha,
Mohammed, and, in a sense, Moses. Interestingly enough, it may not always be a part
of the masters earthly life, however, as is
shown in the life of Jess, who progressed
almost naturally through his studies and
preparation on into his leadership of the
Christian brotherhood.
It is not left up to mortals to proclaim
whether he is a master or not. No ecclesiastical gathering reviews his work and ames
him as such. That he has achieved mastership is known in the eyes of the Cosmic, and
that is the important thing. His fellow men
may not even realiz his attainment.
On the other hand, this is not necessarily
so in the case of a saint. Before we go fur
ther, let me assure you that we are not
attempting to say that no saint is ever a
master, for this is not the case. No doubt a
great many of the saints were masters as
well. We are trying to point out that while
a saint may be a master, he is not a master
by virtue of having been proclaimed a saint,
or was every saint a master.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 94

A saint is usually beatified as the result

of a very great duty to his Church, whichever
one that may be. In many cases these have
been truly enlightened individuis, whose
visin and foresight brought progress to their
religin. It is interesting to note that many
of those proclaimed saints by the Romn
Catholic Church were originally put to death
by that self-same body on charges of heresy.
The early Church was frought with superstition, and anyone who acted out of the
ordinary, or did not conform to the will of
the Church officials, was suspected of having
intercourse with the devil. A case with
which everyone is familiar is Joan of Are,
who fought for the liberation of France at
the direction of voices which carne to her.
It is difficult to outline the unfoldment
of a typical saint because the method and
circumstances in each case differ, and each
gained recognition in a way and for a result
applicable to his case only.
Finally, the decisin of whether to confer
sainthood upon an individual for his services
is made by mortals. Men, who in truth lack
the ability to delve into the Cosmic to find
the true nature or degree of the development
of the personality, decide whether or not the
individual in question is worthy of being
named a saint.
This is a decisin which, if the true mean
ing of the title Saint is to be observed, should
be left to God and not to men.
We must conclude that in the final analy
sis there is very little place in the Cosmic
scheme for the saints collectively, as there
is for the masters. However, the individuis
have their place in the Cosmic organization,
whether they were merely devoted persons
acting to the best of their ability in the serv
ice of man and their Church, or whether
they were truly enlightened to the degree of
having attained mastership.W
Is Suicide a Stigma?
A frater of South Africa now asks the
Forum: I would like to put a question to
the Rosicrucian Forum: what is the Rosicru
cian view on suicide? What I am trying to
say is this. If 4A commits suicide, his grave
may be placed slightly apart from the rest.

Should society inflict this additional suffering

on the family?
This is a subject which must be boldly
faced. It cuts across religious doctrines and
prejudices as well as social customs. The
suicide has been condemned principally because of theological concepts. Religious sects
have interpreted suicide as a sin because the
individual has taken lifehis life. Without
quoting the variations of religious literature
or exegetical interpretations, the religious
premise or objection is that man has no right
to assume a prerogative that is Gods. It is
held that it lies within the will and under
standing of the deity to determine when
there shall be the cessation of ones life.
Simply put, the moral condemnation on the
part of religin is that man has usurped a
Divine right in the taking of his own life.
Such reasoning on the part of religin is,
however, not wholly consistent with the
dogma and the doctrines of some Christian
sects. For example, a personal God is often
conceived as having ordained a destiny for
each mortal. Thus, it could be reasoned, a
man in taking his own life is pursuing a
course which he is destined to follow by a
transcendental, a higher impulsation than his
own will.
What religin seems to overlook is the
motivation, the physiological and psycho
logical factors lying behind the act of suicide.
The instinctive urge to live, the inhrent
inclination toward self-preservation, is ordi
narily dominant in every normal person.
Death in itself is not sought as pleasure. It
provides no positive satisfaction. When one
resorts to death, it is to court a negative state.
It is the avoidance of a mortal or physical
torment. The suicide is one who, at the time,
is physically, mentally or morally unable to
cope with some prevailing situation.
To the suicide, the act he performs is
the preferable one because there appears to
be no altemative except pain and anxieties
which are unendurable to him. Epictetus,
the Greek philosopher, expounded that men
should not fear death for such ends human
misery. Where we are, death is not yet;
and where death comes, there we are not.
In other words, death ends the consciousness

FEBRUARY, 1959

of self and there ceases that which may be

unbearable to that consciousness. Epictetus
further declared: What is death? A tragic
mask? Turn and examine it. See, it does not
bite. The poor body must be separated from
the spirit either now or later, as it was sep
ara ted from it before.
The Stoics displayed an indifference toward suicide as the following quotations will
show. When life no longr could provide
satisfaction, they recommended abandoning
it. The house is smokey and I quit it. The
door is open; be not more timid than little
children, but as they say when the thing
does not please them: I will play no longer,
so do you, when things seem to you of such
a kind, say: I will no longer play, and be
gone. But, if you stay, do not complain.
Of course, this conception of the Stoics was
an extreme one. Their highest end in life
was im p e rtu rb a b ility a peace of mind
(ataraxy) to be attained at all costs, even
that of suicide.
Society has condemned the suicide as being
a coward. Most men fear death and do all
in their pwer to avoid it. The suicide, how
ever, welcomes death! Consequently, he is
courageous in bringing about that which the
normal man fears; yet, he is a coward, so
ciety contends, in that he retreats from the
problems of life. This matter may be reduced to a relevancy of fears. In other
words, which fear is the greater as conceived
by the individual, and which does he feel
able to surmount? Society takes the position
that bravery consists in pursuing a course
assumed right in the face of fear. The sui
cide retreats from what he fears more than
death. He is then held to be a shirker of
lifes responsibilities, and thus a stigma has
wrongly been placed upon him. by the
bigoted and the ignorant.
The world is only now beginning to gradually understand the abnormality of suicide.
Some circumstances precipitate an emotional
turbulence and stress so extreme that a par

Page 95

ticular personality is incapable to cope with

it because of the trauma. For analogy, there
is no stigma placed upon an individual who
in the delirium of a high fever talks or acts
in a manner that is contrary to moris and
convictions of society. The suicide is also ill.
He is suffering from a condition of emotional
imbalance which makes impossible for the
time cool and collected reason and the lash
of will that constitutes courage. Further, because of emotional disorders, some people
have prolonged depressions which incline
them toward suicide with a kind of perverted
satisfaction. Such a person should no more be
stigmatized than one who speaks incoherently or acts erratically in a delirium.
Further, there are individuis who actu
ally commit suicide as an act of heroism, of
personal sacrifice, as they conceive it. They
fear death as much as any other man and
desire to live. To them, however, there is a
greater passion than that of living; it is some
moral ideal which they cherish. Perhaps
they have become enmeshed in circum
stances, such as a scandal, which further
living would cause to be revealed and bring
great hurt to their loved ones. To spare the
innocent, then, they commit suicide, forfeiting their lives. It is true that the act of sui
cide results in anxieties and unhappiness to
the loved ones, but perhaps it would prevent
a greater stigma befalling them. Such a man
could hardly be judged a coward, and a stig
ma should not be placed upon him.
A modern and intelligent society will, of
course, look upon attempts at suicide as be
ing abnormal and indicative of emotional
stress; society will do all it can to prevent
such acts because they vilate the very im
pulse of life itself. Suicide is mystically
wrong in that it is a sacrifice of the great
Cosmic gift afforded by the life expression.
But he who commits suicide should be looked
upon with compassion, as a victim of cir
cumstances that robbed him of the power to
surmount his difficulties.X

Ralph Waldo Emerson,

modern philosopher, said
"A man should learn to
detect and watch that
gleam of light which flashes across his mind from
within. . . . Yet he dismisses without notice his
thought, because it is his."
..

A Chance
To Prove

YOUR PERSONAL
THEORIES
Under Competent Direction at the

How many of your own ideas which you dismissed from your mind as too different or new or
merely because they were your ownhave years
later returned, as Emerson said, in the alienated
form of someone else's recent accomplishment? Per
haps you, as have many others, let germs of Creative
thought die for want of a place in which to mature
them.
Waste no more yearswrite today to the RoseCroix University, San Jos, California, for a free copy
of The Story of L e a m in g . It contains a complete
curriculum of the courses and tells how you may
enjoy the various privileges.

ROSE-CROIX UNIVERSITY
THE ROSICRUCIAN P R E S S , LTD.

P R I N T E D IN U . S

A.

April, 1959
Volume XXIX

No. 5

Rosicrucian Forum
A prvate

publication for m e m b e r s of A M O R C

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 98

Greetings!
V

INSUBORDINATION
Dear Fratres and Sorores:
Defiance of au th o rity is increasingly
prevalent in modem complex society. It may
popularly be called delinquency, hoodlumism, or lack of moral discipline. But there
are just two fundamental causes of insub
ordination to established authority. They are:
(a) tyranny and (b) misconceived freedom.
Tyranny is perhaps best described as the abuse
of authority, the exploitation of the power
that authority provides. Tyranny arises principally from the seizure of authority for ends
in which the public interest is disregarded.
Authority will only win respect and voluntary support from those subject to it when
it is intended to serve them and can be shown
to do so. As authority constitutes a power,
whether it is believed delegated by man or
divinely bestowed, the manner in which the
power is to be applied is important. Power to
direct, to govem, to command must be im
personal if it is to have the moral and phys
ical support of men. When kings were
believed to be divinely appointed, it was assumed that the mantle of authority was given
them to promote the welfare of their subjects.
In other words, authority implies certain
other related qualities. It presumes that the
power will be tempered with justice and di
rected by reason and not be ruthless or irrational. Intelligent authority, consequently,
should be impersonally applied, it is presumed, for the interest of those over whom it
prevails. When authority deviates from these
objectives, it becomes perverted and is resented as tyranny.
Though men from the days of savagery
and barbarism to the present have been sub
ject to authority, there is a latent psychologi
cal resentment to it. In principie, men may
accept authority, yet in feeling they oppose
it, even though such opposition may never
assume expression in any form. Authority
constitutes supervisinand supervisin, in
tum, is restrictive. There can be no super
visin without the element of restriction. The
ego and will of the individual motvate him

to act and think in various ways. In such

thought and action, the will and ego find
their expression and satisfaction. When one
acts, he usually does so in accordance with his
judgment, that is, the action follows from a
decisin. The judgment or reasoning that
prompted the decisin may be fallacious, but
it is ones own; it is of the self. One con
sciously or unconsciously resents the curtailment of this self-expression.
Freedom of the individual is not alone
freedom of the person; it is conceived to be,
as well, the freedom of the will. No one is
thought free who cannot exercise choice. It
is not necessary to enter into a philosophical
polemic as to whether man is truly a free
agent or is by his nature obliged to submit
to whatever desire most dominates him. The
fact is that man experiences what to him
is freedom when his will is enforced. Con
sequently, supervisin, direction and restric
tion, of which authority consists, oppose the
sense of freedom. If authority is not to incite
insubordinaron, it must cogently be exer
cised and fully display the other qualities
which it embraces.
In an ever-increasing complexity of government, bureaucracy is expanded. The
public servants of these cores of authority
often are egocentric and arrogant in the dis
play of the authority delegated to them. They
use their power as a sword rather than as an
instrument or tool of public service. The
conduct of certain bureaucratic employees is
tyranny, that is, the abuse of authority. Psychologically, they make all too effective the
fact that they are constraining the powers
and liberties of the individual. Their pproach is frequently offensive. It is negative
instead of positive. It is a you cant do this
and you cant do that, instead of it is
necessary under law that this be done so that
this public interest or that be better served.
Disrespect for law and order or insubordination to established authority is incited by
an unintelligent imposition of authority. A j
increasing number of citizens come to look

APRIL, 1959

Page 99

upon governmental authority whether of the

nation or local community, as not an essen
tial to personal security and well-being but
as an evil of the day. In fact, the very spirit
of democracy which needs every stimulus it
can receive these days is threatened by abuse
of authority. Tyrannical conduct upon the
part of petty officials so increases insubor
dination that the government is compelled to
proportionately increase its authority and restrictive power to that point where the state,
in effect, becomes totalitarian in its attitude.
As said, insubordination is increased by a
misconceived freedom. In a world where
totalitarianism is expanding rapidly, democ
racy is faced with a serious challenge in
connection with the notion of freedom. It is
obliged to demnstrate in a dramatic and
impressive way to its citizens the advantages
that they enjoy under its form of govemment. Philosophically, it can be contended
that a true democracy is an impossibility.
Self-expression and self-assertion have to be
channeled. They have to be placed in the
hands of representatives of the people. More
and more a few persons come to speak and
act for the majority. Democracy then becomes more theoretical than actual in modem
government.
To avoid public resentment and erroneous
comparison with the freedom which the
totalitarian states claim for their citizens,
the democracy must keep stressing the freedoms its citizens enjoy. What is postulated
as the innate rights of the individual becomes
so emphasized that a large portion of the unthinking public mind confuses it with license
to act unrestrainedly. Freedom becomes con
strued in the very literal sense as action in
word or deed with little or no constraint. It
was this very attitude of misconstruing de
mocracy that led Plato to say in his dialogues,
The Republic: for truly the dogs, as the
proverb says, have a way of marching along
with all the rights and dignities of free men,
and they will run at anybody whom they

meet in the Street if he does not get out of

their way and everything is just ready to
burst with liberty.
Today many youths display insubordina
tion because they conceive authority to be
the antithesis of freedom. Absolute freedom
is a biological, philosophical, and social im
possibility. Discipline must be either selfimposed or imposed by society so as to
preserve for the individual any right and
exercise of will. Authority that accomplishes
this, motivated by the proper ideal, must be
respected. Insubordination to such constituted authority is anarchy.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
Creating Your Future
A frater, addressing our Forum, says: Is
it necessary to build mental pictures to bring
about a more desirable environment? Sup
pose one wishes to enrich his life and those
associated with him. Should he deliberately
build mental pictures or is Cosmic attune
ment enough?
Man may be acted upon as well as being
an active influence himself. It is hardly nec
essary to recite that environment is a tremendous factor in human behavior. Our
habits, to a great extent, depend upon our
associations and the demands made upon us
by the conditions which surround us. Wheth
er we rise early or late depends upon our
employment. Whether we wear heavy or
light clothing is a consequence of climatic
conditions in the area where we live. Our
choice of foods is a matter of training and
habit, as is the very manner in which we
eat. In the Western world we relax by sitting in a chair. In the Orient and the Near
East, millions of persons find comfort in
sitting cross-legged on the floor or ground,
a posture quite awkward for the average
Westerner.
(Continued on Next Page)

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 of the U. S. Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum s Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of the Supreme Council of A M O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sterling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sterling) per year FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page I00

Our idealism, what we conceive as the

purpose and end in life, as well as our stand
ard of living, is formulated by our environ
ment, what we are taught and the customs
which we follow. The Brahman of India, on
the one hand, and the American or British
business executive on the other, for example,
have ideis as to achievement which are
worlds apart. The Brahmans world is principally a subjective one. He creates wholly
in his mind a state or condition which pro
vides him satisfaction that is reality to him.
The American business mans world is one
of particulars, of things; it is entirely ob
jective. It is the creation of a material ex
istence which must be realized exclusively
through the sense organs. All else to him is
intangible, the stuff of which dreams are
made.
Let us think of environment as a sub
stance. It, therefore, is an independent re
ality, that which is apart from our conscious
ness, yet can impress itself upon us. It can
do this so forcefully as to mold us into a
pattern, as we have previously explained.
Likewise, we can act upon the substance of
environment; we can change or alter it so
as to make it conform to our thoughts. We
hear the phrase mind over matter. It has
been used so often that it sounds trite, but
it is a psychological fact which each of us
proves every time we endeavor to bring about
a modification or change in any factor out
side ourselves.
When you move to a better location which
is socially or culturally an improvement, you
have caused your thoughts to modify your
environment. When you vote for laws that
will morally or hygienically improve your
city, you are using the mind to change ma
terial conditions. Improvement in education
facilities, new schools and colleges, better
highways and communication, are the effects
of mind over matter.
There is, and must be, a constant flux or
reaction between you and your environment.
No environment is ever perfect, that is, contributing to the perfeetion of the whole man,
physically, mentally, and morally. Conse
quently, if we do not exert the power of Cre
ative thought in making changes which we
think are good, we become but a straw in the
wind. We are then shaped into a product
entirely of our environment; and progress,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

intellectually, socially, and spiritually, may

stop for us.
The advance man has made from, let us
say, the Neanderthal stage, is indicative of
his use of mind. From the use of stone implements by means of percussion and then
by chipping and finally by grinding, man
was able to construct devices which gave him
mastery over his environment. His dwelling
became more complex and comfortable. He
was able to fashion better weapons for de
fense and the acquiring of food. He was able
to communicate his ideas in petroglyphs cut
into the walls of caves or upon cliffs.
Preceding a change in environment, there
is always the necessity of the realization of
such change. There must be the ability to
arrive at vales in relation to self. In other
words, something in relation to self must
seem inadequate, inferior, from which arises
the conception of a superior state or condi
tion. This requires rationalization and the
faculties of analysis and of visualization and
imagination. It is one thing to perceive that
which is, or appears to be. It is quite an
other to visualize, to mentally see, that thing
as different from what it is. Therein lies
the function of mentally creating.
What should we mentally create? The
answer is: That which we need. Creating
is thus psychologically related to desire. It is
desire which is the motivation. It prompts
almost all mental creating. We desire satis
faction of various kinds, mental, physical,
and spiritual. A desire is usually for that
which is related to what we have experi
enced. In other words, we are never capable
of desiring something that is not at least
inchoate in a previous experience. It is this
insufficiency of an experience that causes us
to desire to have it improved, either in the
category of quantity or quality.
The new, the entirely different, invention
is not really so. It can always be shown to
be, even though radically so, an addition or
change of something having a similar pur
pose. Nuclear reactor plants are a revolutionary and new process of providing power,
but they are related to the desire to get great
er power for various means and eventually
at lower cost. The steam engine was an ad
vance over the horse and sailboat. The
combustin engine and electrically propelled
devices are a further advance over steam.
The rocket engine is still another step for-

APRIL, 1959

ward; it is new in design and function and

yet tied fast to the fundamental desire, the
mental need and visin of more rapid transportation, for example.
It is, therefore, imperative that, for a
change in your life to what you conceive to
be necessary and better, you must have a
mental picture of it before you mentally
create. Really the procedure of mentally
creating can be said to begin with a negative
process. One must ask himself: What is not
satisfactory in my life at present? What is
insufficient and of which I should have great
er quantity or quality? Unless one can
definitely visualize a fault, an imperfection,
an insufficiency that actually exists, he has
no starting point for mentally creating. To
do otherwise is like beginning a journey
without a plan or destination.
Honesty with oneself is also a fundamental
requirement for mental creating. Just to
want more of something that brings pleasure
is not suffcient. One must try to determine
whether the increase desired will actually
dd to ones satisfaction or happiness. For
simple analogy, a child likes candy. In its
simple reasoning and inexperience, consuming greater quantities of candy would mean
deriving greater pleasure. The wise parent,
however, knows that two things can occur
from such an indulgence: first, it would re
sult in illness which brings not pleasure but
displeasure; second, it would result in the
childs becoming so satiated with the taste
of the candy that its appetite for it would
accordingly diminish. To be avaricious in
our desires can mean the creation of cir
cumstances which result in contra effects to
those desired.
Once having decided what our need is,
then the positive aspect of mental creating
begins. We must try to visualize an exten
sin, if possible, from the present circum
stances as an enlargement or modification of
them. Just to visualize an improvement
which has no connection with our present
need is not fruitful. It provides no point of
beginning. One might say that radio communication is a tremendously different mdi
um from any form of com m unication
preceding it. How could one visualize a
point of departure from forms of communi
cation older than radio?
It must be understood that radio, like
many modern inventions, was a composite

Page 101

creation. Such things are not the developments of one mind or are they at first con
ceived to be what they are. Rather, they are
the synthesis of numerous independent dis
coveries in pur science which later were
applied to radio. The discovery, for example,
of Hertzian waves, named for the Germn
physicist who discoyered them, preceded
their application to radio. When these prin
cipies and phenomena were known, then
through mental creating and visualizing,
they became the point of departure to advnce to another stage.
Mystically, one must visualize as a whole
what he desires, even though he may not be
certain just how all the parts can be had or
put together. He then releases this composite
mental picture into the subconscious mind so
that it may be aided by Cosmic, intuitive
guidance. This does not mean that the men
tal picture will materialize for him out of
thin air as he releases it. It does mean that
if he is successful in his attunement, in his
creating of the mental picture, he will even
tually be inspired by an idea which will be
fruitful in suggesting a beginning to him, a
beginning, however, which the individual
himself must make. One must bring into
actuality his own mental picture. It is incumbent upon him to convert it into ma
terial things. But Cosmic guidance, as intui
tive flashes, provided the motive is right, will
suggest ways and means of materially creat
in g .-X
Mystery of Numbers
A frater of Indonesia asks our Forum: Just
what is the meaning of the numeral 666 so
frequently referred to in esoteric literature
and even in the Bible?
The earliest system of using numbers in
a combined occult and scientific manner originated with the Greek philosopher Pythagoras. Numbers, as purely mathematical
elements, had been used earlier in Egypt
and Assyria. The ancient Hebrews had also
used numbers in the Kabala as a religiomagical system before the time of Pythagoras. He had undoubtedly been impressed
by his early association with these peoples.
It is related that Pythagoras was born on
the Aegean Island of Samos about the year
580 B.C. At an early age he was inclined
toward travel to further his knowledge. For

Page 102

years, he traveled to the lands of Egypt,

Persia, India, Palestine, and the Island of
Crete. In each place he was well received as
a scholar and succeeded in being introduced
to the mysteries, the secret gnosis of the
mystery schools and priesthoods. Herodotus,
Greek historian, relates that Pythagoras spent
twenty-three years in Egypt! The Hierophants of Egypt permitted him to receive
initiation into the mysteries of that land. He
learned their sacred arts and sciences and
vowed never to profane them.
Pythagoras finally decided to return to hs
homeland and teach to the sincere seekers
the esoteric knowledge he had acquired
through his studies and travels. He attempted to conduct a school in Samos, but the
political tyrant, Polycrates, so opposed him
that he was forced to flee. After some fur
ther wandering, he established himself in
the Greek colony which had been originally
founded by the Dorians at Crotona on the
Southern coast of Italy. The school was one
of philosophy, mysticism, and what could
definitely be termed experim ental science.
The qualifications to become students were
very high. Purity of mind and moral standards were very exacting, as were the disciplinary requirements. A long period of probation was demanded before the student was
eligible to particpate in the secret and higher
order of instructions.
The school flourished and Pythagoras be
came a powerful influence in the community,
having special appeal to the young men.
However, he created strong political enemies
for himself because of his popularity. Pythag
oras taught what he had learned from the
Brahmans in India, the Magi of Persia, the
oracles of Delphi, the priests of Crete, and
the Hierophants of Egypt. In addition, he
began the formation of his own philosophy.
He taught in Crete for forty years. Political
turmoil again caused him to flee. It was
said he was killed in an attempted escape
and passed through transition about the
year 500 B.C.
<
Pythagoras scientific discoveries were
basic and of importance. He found the
mathematical proportion or relationship of
musical notes to each other. Or, in other
words, he showed the mathematical principie
of the musical scale. After his transition,
there were numerous followers who continued his teachings and from whom we gain

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the greatest knowledge of his ideas. Pythag

oras believed that there is a mathematical
relationship between all things, and that
number is the key to the universe. This in
itself is a scientific hypothesis as distinguished from the theogony and mythology
of the prevailing period which attempted to
explain all creation in terms of the will and
actions of the gods.
Pythagoras called all things by number
each thing having its specific number, representing its qualities, by which it could be
truly identified. If we think of the modern
theory of physics with regard to the atomic
number of the elements, we see that elementary as were Pythagoras ideas, they
were pointed in the right direction. In real
ity. he was far in advance of his time.
Pythagoras called the point a monad, or 1;
a line, the dyad, or 2; superficies, the triad,
or 3; the solid he called the tetrad, or 4; and
so on. Then, too, numbers were assigned a
mystical and symbolical meaning. It is these
meanings which were delineated only to the
high initiates, the inner circle. To the outer
body of inquirers and to later historians, the
words or terms assigned to the numbersdue
to their ignorance of the true meaningwent
as so much gibberish. Few historians are
willing to admit that the explanations of the
terms were really veiled in symbolism and
the words should not be taken literally.
The Pythagoreans referred to intuitive
knowledge as being represented by the
monad (1 ); reason and causation were denoted by the dyad (2 ); the imagination was
represented by the triad (3 ); the sensation
of material objects was symbolized by the
tetrad (4). Upon first blush, there seems to
be no cogency in these relationships of terms
to numbers. On the other handand if, for
example, Pythagoras taught that intuitive
knowledge is the complete, the whole knowl
edge of man, the beginning of a full understandingthe relating of that term to the
monad seems symbolically plausible. After
all, the monad was number one, depicting
that which is complete, the point of beginning.
Porphyry, Neo-Platonic philosopher (300
A.D.), said: The numbers of Pythagoras
were hieroglyphic symbols by means whereof he explained all ideas concerning the
nature of things. Pythagoras, it is stated,
first divided all numbers into even and odd,

APR1L, 1959

even being that which is divisible into two

equal parts. In other words, the even has no
monad remaining between the equal parts.
The odd he declared to be two equal parts,
leaving a monad between the parts. The an
cient followers of the Pythagorean school
declared the monad (1) to be odd and to be
the first odd number because it cannot be
divided into two equal numbers.
Aristotle, in his Pythagoric treatise, remarks that the monad partakes also of the
nature of the even number, because when
added to the odd, it makes the even and when
added to the even numeral, the odd is
formed. The mystic and esoteric philoso
pher can see in the terminology of the
Pythagoreans the reason why certain ames
or qualities were attributed to numbers. For
example, the monad (1) was said to represent God, the first cause. It also denoted the
virgin or purity. Now, if the monad as a
point is a mathematical and geometric beginning, a first cause, then certainly these
qualities are like that which man attributes
to his conception of God. The monad, the
beginning, is simple and free of complexity,
meaning again a state of purity which the
word virgin symbolizes.
The dyad (2) was called by the Pythag
oreans, among other things, audacity. It
was so referred to because it was the earliest
number to separate itself from the monad.
The triad (3) alluded to the past, present,
and future. Furthermore, it was the m iddle,
the harm ony. Rosicmcians can certainly un
derstand the numeral 3 as denoting the
harmony o f opposites. In fact, Pythagoras
declared that opposites neither pass one into
another, or are they separated out. He
meant and explained that there was a bal
ance, a merging between opposites. This was
a conception that presaged the scale of
mathematical unity of the elements of mat
ter.
It is interesting to note that one of the
later Pythagorean philosophers, in explaining that every object manifests according to
its number, drew a picture of an object and
then filled it with pebbles. The number of
pebbles was to illustrate to the students the
mathematical Gontent of nature by which
each thing has its particular form. Remem
ber that these startling concepts were ex
pounded centuries before Christ!

Page 103

Later Pythagoreans, relatively modern

scholars, have pointed out that the tetrad (4)
is the cause of permanency and stability, and
these qualities are symbolized by the square.
The numeral 4 was said to also allude to
divinity. Many ames for gods or deities
have but four letters, such as:
Amon (Egypt), Syre (Persia), Theos
(Greece), Deus (Latin), Gott (Germn), and
Dieu (French).
In later times, occultists assigned ames
and meanings to larger numeris. It is
sometimes quite difficult, even almost im
possible, to know by what reasoning these
numbers carne to acquire their significance.
Possibly, the real reason has been lost in
the passing of time.
The frater asks about the numeral 666.
This is referred to as the numeral of the
beast. It is a number occultists assigned to
an individual associated with Satan, that
is, one who pursued an evil course in life.
The numeral also appears in Revelation
X III: 18, Here is Wisdom. Let him that
hath understanding count the number of the
beast: for it is the number of a man; and
his number is six hundred, three score, and
six.
The numeral 888, for further example, is
the number of Iesous or Jess, and is held to
be in contrast with 666, the Satanic number.
A study of the Kabala, as taught by the
Rosicmcians as a supplementary teaching,
is a fascinating inquiry into the symbolic
combination of numbers and letters.X
Projection or Autoscopy
Recently an article appeared in a large and
well-accepted publication in Caada on the
subject of autoscopy. It particularly evoked
much interest on the part of Rosicmcians
because of the similarity of the phenomenon
of autoscopy to psychic projection. A num
ber of Rosicmcians have asked our Fomm to
comment upon it.
Psychic projection, as explained in our
monographs, consists of the ability of the
individual to project the psychic self, that is,
the awareness of self, beyond the confines of
the physical body. It is the phenomenon of
being conscious of ones own being in an im
material form located in spacenear or far
and distinct from his physical entity. Many

Page 104

persons have had the experience, perhaps

once in their lifetime, without knowing
either the mystical or psychological explana
tion for it.
An example of this phenomenon of psychic
projection is to suddenly realize that you are
standing some distance from your body
which is seated in a chair or perhaps is lying
on the bed. You know it is your body that
you are looking at and that it is alive. But
the knowing, conscious part, the self, seems
to be, in a sense, detached from it. At times,
to those having such an experience the con
sciousness of self may be formless; that is,
there may be just the identity of self. The
only perception had will be of the body from
which the self has projected.
Perhaps a simpler manner of describing
this unusual experience is to think of your
self-consciousness as being like a rubber band.
Ordinarily, the rubber band of consciousness
is contracted within the body. Now, we know
that the sensations of self are numerous.
There are cutaneous sensations, the feeling
of the flesh of our bodies; kinesthetic sen
sations, the motion of the organs as pressure
and the like. There is also a consciousness
of our will, the faculty of choice. These
ordinarily go to make up what we know as
self-awareness. Now, think of this rubber
band of consciousness as being expanded,
stretching, so that it is projected outward
from the body, yet not really detached. The
consciousness of self is still had. You continu
to be aware that you are you, but, in addition,
there is the perception of spac between the
self-awareness and the physical body. Self
is the faculty that is being projected.
This phenomenon often develops as a kind
of dual awareness of self. In such instance,
one is simultaneously aware of his physical
being, perhaps seated, and then sees an identical image of it standing or seated at a
distance. The faculty of perception will seem
to alternate between the two bodies, that is,
between the physical and the immaterial or
ethereal projection. In other words, one may
see the body seated from the position of the
psychic self or realize the later from the
physical being.
Projection of consciousness is a very od
esoteric practice. The Cosmic laws involved
are taught in the modem instructions of the
Rosicrucians. It is explained, in these teach
ings, that there is nothing supernatural about

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

projection. Only the superstitious would

think of it as such. The Rosicrucians teach
that man has a psychic body. The word body
is really a misnomer but it does help to convey the idea. This psychic body is an aggregate of the higher, more sensitive, levels of
consciousness that permeate mans whole
being. It is that consciousness and intelli
gence which accounts for the involuntary
actions of the body as the functions of the
heart and lungs and the organization of the
cells in the pursuance of their specific duties.
There is then a collection of the separate
consciousness of the cells so as to form an
intangible body called psychic to distinguish
it from the objective self or physical body.
This psychic body is a kind of conscious field
that corresponds to the physical body.
To better comprehend this idea, let us think
of the field around the poles of a magnet.
The field is not visible, yet it is a property
or quality of the magnetized cobalt Steel. But
the field has the ability to respond to certain
things introduced into it. It repels or attracts
them, depending on their polarity. This field
is, we shall say, a psychic body, the projected
psychic self of the atomic particles of the
magnet. In this way, for analogy, we can say
that the magnet proper, the Steel bar, has
awareness of itself and its surroundings. Its
sensitivity, its consciousness, is projected
outside of its physical entity.
The phenomenon of psychic projection
makes possible the extensin of mans powers
of perception so that they annihilate time
and space. It is possible, when projection of
self is accomplished, to be aware ofto
perceiveevents transpiring at great distances. Psychic projection, however, is not
to be confused with mental telepathy. It is
not the projection of thought or the reception
of it. Rather, it is the projection of the whole
self, in the psychic sense, to a distant place.
The self apparently visually perceives,
hears, and feels its surroundings, having
awareness of them and yet realizing that
it is projected. The psychic self has a direct intimacy with its surroundings. It
has reached into them. The experience
is not, for example, like looking through
a telescope where light is m^gnified so as to
bring objects into the range of ones physical
sight. Rather, it is as though one has ex
panded his faculties, so drawn them out as

APRIL, 1959

to cause them to reach into the place he

perceives.
In the Orient, this phenomenon is quite
common. The Oriental mystic, however, will
rarely speak of it to the Westerner because
the latter cannot comprehend it, or else conceives of it as some kind of hallucination.
Psychic research in the last fifty years has
taken Cognition of the phenomenon. Such
authorities, as Richet in his text, refer to
psychic projection as bilocation. In other
words, the individual is being seen in two
places simultaneously, or he is aware of him
self in two separate places at the same
moment.
Modern psychology and psychiatry were
inclined at first to discredit the whole phe
nomenon. Repeated cases brought to their
attention, however, disclosed that the experi
ence is common enough to merit serious
attention. Autoscopy is now the psychologists term for this field of inquiry. The
Canadian publication referred to many in
dividuis whose experiences fall into this
category. The word autoscopy, literally
tranlated, means seeing oneself.
To what extent the investigation and
conclusions of the investigators relate to the
Rosicrucian doctrines on this subject will be
borne out in the following extract quoted
from the publication:
P sy c h ia try suggests another possible
meaning to the self-appearances. Every
human being, it seems, has a body-imagea
shifting but ever-present kind of awareness
of his own dimensions, shape, description,
and arrangement of members. Within limits,
it alters according to circumstance; the feet
seem bigger if they trip clumsily, the fingers
if they are frost-nipped, the head if it aches.
If we go up in a lift, the central body mass
seems to lapse downward, to surge upward
as the lift descends. If a woman is wearing
a hat her body-image stretches to the tip of
the feather that she must protect from
accident; if a man is driving a car his
dimensions stretch to include its width and
length.
.
Our body-image is with us constantly,
wavering, bloating, shrinking, like a diver
under changing pressure.
But unstable though the image is, the
mind clings to it. Even when the body is
altered or damaged, the mind may refuse to
alter its body-image to fit. An amputation

Page 105

is well known to produce the frequent phe

nomenon of the phantom limb, in which the
patient keeps all the sensations of location
and movement that he had in his real
leg.- X
This Issues Personality
It is a great satisfaction for one to realize
that he had the good fortune to be bom in
an environment whose history and ideis he
cherishes. Then, when one devotes his life
to such work, he knows that he is truly fol
lowing in the footsteps of the great vener
ables before him.
Frater C harles T ro x le r has had this
experience of succeeding eminent Rosicru
cians before him in his native land of
Switzerland. Frater Troxler was bom in the
small town of Grandson, Vaud cantn, on
January 28, 1903. Although reared as a
Protestant, with maturity he felt the need
for further light upon the mysteries of life.
He began a private search for answers to
half-formed questions in his mind about the
purpose of ones personal existence and
mans relation to the phenomena of the uni
verse. He perused many notable works on
occultism and esotericism available in local
bookshops and libraries. These, though they
provided much information, only whetted his
curiosity.
Frater Troxler early in his life felt motivated to help his fellow humans in some
special service. This desire brought him into
the Boy Scout movement which gave him an
outlet for this humanitarian Service. In
1930 he was intrigued by the Science of
Radiesthesy. This concerns the phenomenon
of mysterious radiations from humans and
objects which, in various cases, affect not
only mankind but other living things. This
study revealed to Frater Troxler the funda
mental relationship between psychic and
physical phenomena. It disclosed that there
is truly nothing supernatural, but only
phenomena perceived in different ways.
It was to be expected that Frater Troxlers
investigations would eventually lead him to
the portis of AMORC. On October 16, 1947,
he finally Crossed the Threshold of the
Rosicrucian Order, AMORC. Thereafter a
whole new life of activity and responsibility
opened to him. He was to take an active
part in re-establishing the Rosicrucian Order

Page 106

in Switzerland under the direction of the

Grand Lodge of AMORC of France.
In 1956 Frater Troxler presided over the
formation of the Rosicrucian Pronaos in
Neufchtel as well as the Chapter in Lausanne (which is now a Lodge). In November of the year 1957 the Grand Secretary
of AMORC of France, Frater Raymond
Bernard, honored Frater Troxler with the
appointment as Inspector-General of the
Order for Switzerland, the position being one
of great responsibility.
In his home in Yverdon, Frater Troxler
is building a Rosicrucian temple. This
temple is to be used by the Initiatic Officers
of Switzerland in conferring the beautiful
time-honored Degree initiations. The Frater
has recently been kindly requested by Frater
Bernard to serve in the capacity of Master
of that Initiatic Degree Body of Switzerland.
In the words of Frater Bernard, Grand
Secretary for AMORC France, Frater Trox
ler is a real mystic and a hard worker. He
is held in great esteem by each of the many
fratres and sorores to whom he is known.
He is not only a mystic, but a true Rosicru
cian mystic. No finer thing could be said
of anyone X
The Rosicrucian Convention
For those who have not yet attended an
International Rosicrucian Convention a few
words are in order. In the first place, each
of us must realize that AMORC is a fraternal
organization. It is not a school alone, or
merely a philosophical society. As a fraternity, we have fraternal relationships. We are
fratres and sorores. Though we have ways
that are taught to us by which we can contact
each other, shall we say, on the mental and
psychic plae, it is necessary for us as human
beings to come together at times and directly
exchange ideas. Furthermore, we subtly
convey from our own inner selves, by means
of our auras, certain radiations, which in
turn create in others a condition of harmony
and understanding.
It must be realized that Rosicrucians re
gardless of race, creed, or nationality are
united in spirit, having certain common in
terests. They desire knowledge. They wish
that knowledge for the improvement of self
and to evolve their soul-personalities so that
they may contribute something directly to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the advancement of mankind as well as to

receiving personal satisfaction.
The Rosicrucian Convention is so designed
or organized as to include the various basic,
interests of the members as well as their
needs. The whole Convention and its events
symbolize the purposes of the Orderwhat it
is striving to do, as well as its many different
types of activities.
For example, you will want to note these
things:
At each Convention there are personal
classes where you may meet with other
fratres and sorores, perhaps members from
distant places throughout the world. In
these classes there will be explained and
illustrated certain phases of the studies in
which you are now engaged. In other
words, these are special classes for each of
the Degrees.
The work of the organization is not en
tirely abstract, mystical or philosophical.
It is concemed with physical and material
realities as wellthe phenomena of nature;
consequently, there are demonstrations
conducted with equipment and by qualified instmctors to portray the operation of
different laws of nature. The program of
most of our Conventions includes addresses
by scientist-members who explain in sim
ple terms some of the phenomena of
nature, fascinating features related to the
Rosicrucian teachings. These lectures and
demonstrations may concern various uni
versal laws as they apply to galaxies, stars
and planets; or they may have to do with
cell life, anatomy, with the functioning of
the mind and consciousness, or time and
space.
It is fully realized by Rosicrucians that
man is more than just an intellectual be
ing, that all knowledge cannot be conveyed just by the faculties of sight and
hearing. We are emotional beings also.
Our psychic selves must be contacted
through the higher levels of consciousness.
For this reason, beautiful, traditional,
mystical ceremonies are held in which the
member can participate. In perceiving the
beautiful lighting, hearing the music, seeing the ceremonial costumes and tradition
al architectural designs, the individual
member is induced into a state of con
sciousness where he acq u ires certain
inspiration or stimulation that could not

APRIL, 1959

be attained through mere spoken or printed words.

We live in the world of everyday as well
as in a world of contemplation and meditation. A Rosicrucian outlook on the affairs
of life is important. How can our philoso
phy, our teachings, be fitted into the
problems and circumstances of our times?
Those who attend the Convention have the
opportnity to hear speakers who are
prominent in professional and prvate life
Rosicrucian memberswho will address
the Convention on world events and con
ditions.
The Convention is not all work and study.
It is a time of good fellowship, providing
occasions for the expression of the true
fraternal spirit, On the beautiful and spacious grounds of Rosicrucian Park one has
much time to sit and chat with members
who may be from ones own State or
Province, or from across the world! Imag
ine a picnic lunch somewhere in Rosicru
cian Park. Later in the day, you may see
an outstanding travel film of some remte
and historical area. Then, there are spe
cial musical programs, a banquet, and a
dance.
A Convention means really five glorious
days! Thre are activities for everyone from
eight oclock in the morning until the early
evening hours. There are tours throughout
the various buildings; and you may attend
Convocations in the beautiful Supreme Tem
ple; astron om ical demonstrations in the
Science Museum and Planetarium. You have
the opportnity to examine the renowned
collection in the Rosicrucian Egyptian Mu
seum and see the handiwork of the peoples
of thousands of years agothe cultural
foundations of a civilization upon which we
stand. The registration fee for five days of
such activity, including the banquet and
other entertainment, is only $7.50just
$1.50 a day. Corning to the Convention may
require a little sacrifice for you, but it is
something you will long cherish. The fact
that so many member repeatedly attend our
Conventions throughout the years is proof
that they have found the Rosicrucian Con
ventions to be worthwhile.
Remember the dates: July 5-10, inclusive.
For a free listing of accommodations write
to: Convention Secretary, A.M.O.R.C., Rosi
crucian Park, San Jos, Californiaand en

Page 107

dose postage stamps. If you are not in

the United States, please include postal
coupons.X
Can the Soul Be Restored?
A frater, now rising and addressing our
Forum, says: Reputable doctors have reported that a dead dog was brought back to
life. This was accomplished by first killing
the dog by draining its blood, then presumably infusing it with new whole blood. The
success of this experiment may someday
embolden doctors to duplicate it on human
beings, which raises some interesting meta
physical questions: Since the soul enters the
body at birth and leaves it at transition, does
a new soul then enter the body with reviv
ifica tion after death? Or is it the same soul
(all a part of Cosmic consciousness)?
The subject first to be considered in an
answer to the fraters question is whether the
dog in the experiment was actually dead.
True, examination of the animal would in
dcate that all the usual characteristics of
death were present. There would be, of
course, the absence of respiration, no blood
to circuate, an inert heartin fact, no func
tion or response of any of the organs or
systems. However, was the vital life forc
completely absent from all cell matter? This
is strenuously doubted. At diffrent times
there have been restorations of dead animals
in experimentation and otherwise. Even humans have been pronounced dead in accidents
such as drowning and have been revivd.
Physicians and experimenters in this field in
learned treatises in science journals have admitted that to the present the restoraton of
life has to follow the state of death almost immediately. If deterioration of cell
structure has begun, life cannot be restored.
Would it not be better to have declared
that within a certain lapse of time the com
mon functions of life can be restored. This
would not mean that life itself was being re
stored but merely revived from a sub-state
corresponding in appearance to death. It is
a moot question as to whether the whole
organism dies at once. As a functioning unit,
one may appear to die immediately, but
there may be sufficient vital life forc resident
in the cells to be rejuvenated by the process
used in experimentation. When this revivification occurs, then the unitary functions

Page 108

of the organism are again resumed and the

being exhibits the usual characteristics of
living.
There is as yet no reason to doubt this
theory. If it be so, then all the soul qualities
(the universal Cosmic intelligence of which
soul consists) do not immediately detach
themselves from the body. The qualities of
this residue of Cosmic intelligence, when
sufficiently regenerated, would once again
manifest as soiil-personality, as a personal
consciousness of ones own higher levels of
consciousness. Further, it would be the same
soul essence as before the individual was con
sidered to have died. If there were no serious
injury to the nervous systems and to the
brain, there would again exist the same soulpersonality.
Let us realize that soul-personality is also
quite dependent upon the organ of brain for
its manifestation. It is through and by means
of the brain that we come to have a realiza
tion of the Cosmic or vital life forc with its
intelligence within us. The stream of con
sciousness that permeates our being is the
stuff of which soul consists. The higher
levels of this consciousness we cali psychic
in contrast to the objective and subjective
levels so commonly known to us. When we
are able to experience sensations of the
psychic level of consciousness, we cali it
soul, psyche, divine essence, God within, the
exalted self, and numerous other definitions
given by various religions and philosophies.
The personality is the sum total of our
(a) realization of this higher consciousness;
(b) our conception of it; and (c) the way we
think, act, and feel in accord with it. The
evolvement of the soul-personality is the
attempt to raise our objective awareness, our
behavior and thinking, extemally, to that
point where we feel we are in accord with
the idealism we psychically have experienced.
If this is difficult to understand, let us
think of a sculptor visualizing a beautiful
abstract form. It is only one kind of reality
to him, an inner one, a sort of ideal. He
then wishes to realize it objectively, that
is, to embody it in material form so that he
may deriye visual aesthetic satisfaction from
it that will conform to the inner appreciation
he has. Simply put, he wants to create
materially an object which will participate
in his mental construct. So he models of
materials an archetype of his mental image.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

The inner ideal he had we may cali the

soul substance, that is, the psychic levels of
the universal consciousness accompanying
the life forc in our body. The image the
artist makes of clay is the personality, shaped
gradually to conform to the concept which
he has, namely, the soul.
If the brain is injured in the so-called
temporary death, then the ability to become
fully aware of ones psychic self, and par
ticularly to transate it into objective terms
of thought and action, might be difficult.
The soul-personality as realized might vary
considerably from the former one. The
personal evolution, so far as consciousness of
the soul essence is concerned, might be of a
lower degree for the remaining years in the
present existence. Whether the realization of
the former personality evolvement as a latent
memory would remain in the subconscious
unaffected by the partial death, and tem
porary disorganization, can only be speculative. The whole subject, of course, must be
at the stage of this type of experimentation,
in the category of abstraction and assumption.
It is significant to note that many primi
tive religions and many mystical philosophies
take the position that disposal of the body
should not occur until a certain number of
hours or, in some cases, days after the pronouncement of death. The underlying pre
mise in this regard is, as we have said, that
although the common characteristics of death
are present, yet all life forc has not departed
from the body and the Cosmic intelligence
has not completely waned or been diffused
until that particular time has elapsed. This
shows the notion that any restoration of life
so-called before that time would really be
but a stimulus only of the life that was al
ready there and had not departed.X
Some Observations on Reincamation
Reincarnation as a subject never loses its
fascination. The amount of literature concerning it makes it difficult to speak or write
about. When any new material appears, it
is substantially a repetition of what has been
said before, assembled in a slightly. different
form. Therefore, my presentation here is
not necessarily original, or is it new in the
sense that the ideas may never have been
expressed elsewhere.

APRIL, 1959

This article is a summation of what I

believe to be the Rosicrucian concept of re
incarnation, intrspersed with my personal
comments which may or may not have substantial valu. It is true that the more we
study a subject, the more it should become
familiar. In that way the answers to questions which may hve previously concerned
us may be less vague.
The whole concept of reincarnation is one
that dates back as long as man has been a
thinking entity. One of the most erroneous
conclusions about reincarnation is that it is
something that developed in the period usually referred to as the span of civilization.
When individuis first became capable of
thinking, the idea of reincarnation seemed to
generate itself in connection thereby. There
are many explanations of mans interest in
immortality. Many claim that it is no more
or less than mans selfish desire to maintain
himself, his possessions and individuality.
Regardless of the arguments for or against
the general concept of immortality, man has,
nevertheless, thought f himself as a continuing entity, a being that is not limited to
a manifestation in one single segment of
existence.
To grasp this concept of the basis of re
incarnation, we must orient our thinking to
the fact that reincarnation is based upon the
principie that there is an element, an entity,
of being that is permanent, while there is
another manifestation of being that is not
permanent. In other words, the whole con
cept of reincarnation revolves around the
point that something in man has permanence
and eternal valu, and goes on functioning
regardless of the circumstances or the media.
We may cali this eternal valu or entity by
any ame we choose. Those who accept this
theory believe the manifestation to be of God
or the Creative forc. If we confine ourselves
here to the Rosicrucian terminology, we will
use the term soul as meaning everything in
man that is not material; in other words, soul
is the entity or the activating forc that
causes man to have mind and being, and
causes the body to be animated or living.
In his concept of reincarnation, man had to
first believe in vales superseding the physi
cal universethat anything physical was
existent for the purpose of providing an en
vironment and a mdium through which this

Page 109

soul or soul-force could manifest. For this

reason, as far as historical records substantiate our research, men and women who have
believed in reincarnation were usually those
who were substantially more developed spiritually, mystically, and psychically than the
average of the human race about them.
This statement needs qualification since
any principie adopted as a religious doctrine,
of course, has many followers who accept
certain dogma with blind faith and without
question. In other words, there have been
religions in the world established by persons
who had achieved spiritual vales and spiritual concepts, but whose followers lost sight
of the vales which the founders upheld.
Consequently, at times religions which be
lieved in reincarnation have thrived. Hundreds of followers accepted that belief without
placing any particular valu on it, just as
many religions today accept doctrines and
principies without questioning their source,
or even the possibility of their having an
element of truth.
Generally speaking, however, those who
gave thought to reincarnation have been able
to see beyond the limitations of the physical
universe. They have developed their entire
philosophy upon the principie that some
thing exists which is more important than
the physical being. The belief was that the
soul is a continuing expression from the beginning of time through all being and through
all the period that God has ordained time to
be, and that this individual segment of soul
has utilized various means of expressing it
self, each incamation being one segment of
the total expression.
To the individual who fully subscribes to
this theory, each human life is a very small
portion of being and relatively unimportant.
This concept of the unimportance of physical
life has lead those who did not fully understand the principie, and motivation back of
the thinking, to believe in the mortification
of the physical body. As a result of this
misinterpretation, practices have developed
in some areas of the world that deprecate
the physical body to the extent of not giving
it prper care.
Among those who have taught reincarna
tion as a doctrine, there have been some of
the greatest philosophers, religious leaders,
mystics, and avatars of all time. Repeatedly,

Page NO

these individuis have subscribed to the

theory, and to this fact many people point
for proof of reincarnation. Because so many
believed in it, it seems improbable that all
those intelligent people could have been in
error; however, such is not complete proof.
Regardless of what we may believe, we must
remember that reincarnation is a man-made
theory, as I will touch upon a little later.
Some great religious leaders and philosophers
have denied reincarnation; so, consequently,
we have our choice. But I think the balance
is in favor of those who have supported it;
personally, I believe that the thinking of so
many men and women, which has led them
to the conclusin that reincarnation is a fact
or a possibility, must carry a certain amount
of weight.
It is difficult to break a subject into its
parts, but I believe it would be well to select
a few points and consider the general sub
ject by referring to some of the questions
usually asked in regard to reincarnation.
These are not specific questions, but rather
general concepts that have occurred in the
minds of individuis conceming this broad
subject.
In general, the appeal of reincarnation to
the human mind is based upon the logic of it.
There is reasonableness, we might say, in
the rational mind to agree that the physical
life span of which we are conscious at the
moment cannot in itself be the end. As I
have already mentioned, the belief in vales
superseding the physical does cause man to
attune himself to the concept of a philosophy
which maintains that the immaterial element
or the soul is something that goes on indefinitely. If the universe, as we believe, was
actually created by a superior intelligent
power or forc called God, and it functions,
as we are aware of at the present time,
merely so that the human being composed
of the intricacies with which we are familiar
lives, thinks, and works for a period of fourscore years and ten and then all is over,
then the creator has perpetuated a monstrous
joke on human life.
There is no rhyme or reason in the concept
of expended energy in existence for such a
temporary, limited period. Everything in
nature would seem to indicate that this life
of which we are now conscious is one phase
of a greater existence. Therefore, any in

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

dividual who approaches the subject of re

incarnation with an open mind will find it
logical that life is a series of manifestations;
or that life, as we know it, is one of a series,
and that soul, which includes that life, manifests in different forms at different times
over different periods of time in different
places. Certainly, logic upholds this type of
thinking.
Nevertheless, after arguing from the point
of logic, I wish also to state that regardless
of how logical the concept of reincarnation
is, or regardless of how many thinking people
have considered it so, logic in itself is not
proof of anything. Many ideas have been
proven by the human mind to be logical,
but logic, truth, and reality are not necessarily synonymous. To reitera te again, rein
carnation is a man-made theory. It is a
human concept or a human interpretation
that we give to a higher or Cosmic law.
Reference to law causes me to recall a
phrase common upon the lips of many peo
ple, the law of reincarnation. I have
probably used it myself, but the term should
be eliminated. Reincarnation, as we under
stand it, is not a law. It is an effect. The
law that exists is the law of Karma. It in
cludes the general principie of give and
take, of completing a cycle as evidenced by
its own most common symbol, that is, a
serpent swallowing its tail. Karma is the
principie or the law behind incamation, and
incamation is the effect of the operation of
the law.
Society is divided into various levels. Re
ligious concepts or the philosophies of other
individuis influence us more often than our
own judgment and intuition. We attempt to
coordnate the principies, in which we be
lieve, with social and moral standards which
may have nothing to do with the all-over
scheme of things. We attempt to develop
our own principies and beliefs in terms of
the consciousness of God according to our
interpretation. Actually, it is probably tme
that God is concemed very little about the
foibles of human nature and did not lay
down the moral and social laws to which
many humans think humanity has to conform in order to ever reach a fuller concept
of God. In other words, the laws that man
may establish for one physical incamation
are only a matter of mans individual in
terpretation of one life and one environment.

APR1L, 1959

This concept does not apply to the law of

Karma, which operates at all levels. We can
not deny its existence. Neither can we expect
exception from its operation. If I put my
finger in a fire, I will experience pain. This
effect is due to the law of physics, and noth
ing, no argument, will change it. If, in a
reasonably free country, I do an honest days
work, it means a days pay. This is accord
ing to the law of economics. If I steal your
wallet as you go out of a room, I may have
to serve a term in jail. This is the working
of moral law enforced by political entities.
All these illustrations are of cause and effect,
and incidentally they have very little to do
with anything outside their own sphere
physics, economics, or moris.
If I devote my life to the acquisition of
knowledge and to the attempt to develop the
potentialities given to me as an intelligent
being, then I will presume to have opportunities to use these principies. The func
tioning of Karma is one far more extensive
than of any law operating only at a physical
level. Karma affects not only the immediate
present, but periods that lie in the future
which will continu to exist as long as.there
are intelligent entities to be aware of ex
istence.
We must not confuse the level of function.
The law of Karma works throughout all
things, but not always for the same reason.
In other words, man is not burned when he
sticks his finger in the fire because of a
punishing God. Your social and moral
behavior does not concern Him as some
religions would have us think. God is con
cerned about our acceptance of the laws of
the universe and how we relate ourselves to
them. Ours is a challenge to live to the
fullest extent that life offers. We are to fit
into a great scheme; and all parts, we might
say, are segments of one great manifestation
like cogs in a wheel. The wheel is more im
portant than the cog, and the concept of life
as a whole, or Karma existent over centuries,
is more important than the mental anguish
that may come to a child who stole a dime
and feared punishment.
What I am trying to convey, and which
is rather difficult, is that many moral, social,
and intellectual concepts are based upon
prejudices. I am not denying or diregarding
worth-while moral standards. I am trying to
emphasize proper vales by looking at them

Page 1I 1

from a different point of view. Life is more

important than any human-made moris or
ethics. Karma is a principie that has to do
with living, not at this moment, not in this
life, but eternally. Without the principie of
Karma, living would be unendurable. It is
the only explanation of human difference
and of the problems with which we have to
cope. It is the only hope that that which
we have today may be put to advantage, so
we can gain in knowledge and understand
ingand, we hope, in happiness. There is no
explanation in any other religin or philoso
phy for the hopeless cripple, the deformed
individual, the idiot or deficient person, for
pain and grief, sorrow and misery, for pov
erty, and the many degrading forms of
existence, except through the operation of
the law of Karma.
Nevertheless, the critic of the theory might
ask, Does God, therefore, forc human be
ings into pain, poverty, and unhappiness?
Actually, such a critic has missed an impor
tant point in this argument. God does not
forc me or anyone else into any circum
stance. Circumstances happen on limited
levels of manifestation, as I mentioned. When
I put my finger in fire, God does not bum
it. This is the important fact to remember.
The bum is the result of a manifestation of
a physical law. If *1 suffer pain that seems to
be unexplainable, if individuis are bom into
a social status that leads to misery, poverty,
and want during most of their lives, it is not
God that does it. It is the functioning of
the law that is, in its inalterability, a proof
of the justice of God. That the law cannot
be changed by wishing, thinking, or making
supplication, that it works for all, is proof
that it will surely work uninterrupted for
every individual regardless of circumstances.
In considering Karma we must take it out
of the limitations of physical time and space.
Karma, in terms of cause and effect within
a limited length of time, is different from
cause and effect within eternity. Surely, we
can all remember disappointing experiences
in childhood. Can you not remember something you wanted and didnt acquire, or the
time when you were ill or hurt and couldnt
participate in an activity you had planned?
Cari you remember the importance that such
an incident had in your consciousness, how it
seemed that your whole life was worthless,
that your purpose for living was hopeless

Page 112

because of this incident? Now as we look

back, we realize that such was only an inci
dent.
Someday we will look at this whole earthly
life, not at one but many of them, with this
same amused tolerance. Regardless of how
you may have suffered, or of the experiences
that took place, a whole incamation will
have no more significance than the childish
whim of losing something you thought was
irreplaceable. The same relative proportionate importance will be placed upon an entire
series of reincamations when measured in
terms of etemity.
Another question about reincarnation concems its cycles. Our monographs teach that
the reincarnation cycle runs in periods of
approximately 144 years. We must remem
ber, however, that this is a man-made approximation based upon evidence believed to
be reliable. Also, nature functions according
to laws only a part of which we can perceive.
Nature does not function on the same schedule as some man-made things. For example,
during the past few months it is supposed
to have been fall and winter, but yet, nature
has not acted in that manner. We have had
comparatively good weather. Nature does
not always conform to the clock and the
calendar. Summer does not mean perpetual
heat, neither does wintr mean perpetual
snow. Cycles are general.
Even the cycles of the year applied to us
as individuis, do not mean that your seventh
cycle is one of doom and your first cycle one
of vast opportunity. In fact, all periods have
their constructive days and offer opportunities in various ways. You cannot judge the
length of various incarnations on a fixed
basis of 144 years. Possibly, over a period of
10,000 or 20,000 years, you would find that
the 144-year cycle has worked out at an
average, but you may have been incarnated
a dozen times in the past three or four cycles.
The average is important, and in terms of
etemity, they have to be considered over a
very long period. We do not know enough
about the theory of cycles to be specific. They
are not too important; neither is the number
of incarnations. It is what we are doing with
the present cycle that has immediate valu.
In reviewing our childhood, many of us
would not be certain of the years we spent
there, or how many grades of study were
covered. We would have to think about it.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

In other words, each unit becomes insignificant in terms of time, and the same is tme
of our periods of incamation in terms of
eternity.
Another common question concerns the
relationship of memory to reincarnation. The
person making inquiry wants to know why
he cannot remember the specific events of
his reincamations. The answer is not diffi
cult. Actually, memory is quite limited. It
is given to serve us in certain ways, not to
be infallible. Most of us remember few
events of our childhood. Those few stand
out, but, barring something unusual, it would
be difficult for you to recall some event which
occurred when you were ten years od. In
other words, without some outstanding event
with which to associate another event, you
probably cannot isolate a specific time as to
years. I challenge you to go back beyond the
age of ten. Can you remember events in the
third, second, or first year of your life?
We frequently wonder why memory is so
illusive, particularly when trying to think
of something we feel we should be able to
remember. If memory is illusive in one
physical life of experience, how much more
illusive would it be over a period of many
lives? One reason for memory to be illusive
is its association in practice with language.
Incidentally, in our monographs we are
taught to visualize and not depend on lan
guage exclusively; however, most of us do
not followr this advice. It is easier to think
in words. Almost all our memory and asso
ciation with our environment is in terms of
language.
We think, we daydream, we live, we exist
to ourselves in language. Without language,
we could remember only a few events; there
fore, we cannot recall much that happened
when we were three years od. With a limit
ed vocabulary, we were unable to verbalize
our experiences, to put this concept into
psychological terminology. As we grew od
enough to put into words all that we experienced, our memory became more specific.
Therefore, in even one life, unless we can
depend upon a reasonable vocabulary, we
cannot depend upon memory.
Let us go a step further. Suppose that your
last incamation on this earth was approxi
mately 150 to 200 years ago, or during the
1700s. You may then not have spoken your

APR1L, 1959

present language. Even if you did, let us

say that you had lived in New England dur
ing the period prior to the Revolutionary
War, and were now listening to a conversa
ron by your contemporaries of that time or
had a recording of it, you probably would
not understand it.
English has changed, particularly in its
oral expression, as have all other languages.
Most of us realize changes in languages in
our own lifetime, but do not think them too
significant. The English of 200 years ago
was different from that of today. Also, the
chances that you were incamated in an English-speaking country are remte. You may
have spoken other languages, even such as
may not exist today in the same form.
Because of this language barrier and our
tendency to carry memory in terms of lan
guage, little of an incamation can be recalled
by our present consciousness. Language is
a most useful tool, but to put experience in
terms of it is a limitation mentally, physically, and psychically. Consequently, in the
Rosicrucian monographs we are taught from
the very beginning to learn the importance
of visualization, to learn to put every experi
ence into some symbol in addition to words
so that we can gain and accumulate perma
nent knowledge that can be carried over
from incamation to incamation and from
experience to experience without the necessity of having a dictionary.
Because language is a man-made tool
useful, it is true, but still man-madeit is a
limited tool. The storing in memory of
events and experiences in terms of language
is one of the most limiting factors that civilization has brought upon us. Man is not able
to bring his experiences consciously from one
incamation to another, or even from one ex
perience to another, without putting all his
knowledge in language, and in that process
he sometimes misses the most important part
of the knowledge.
Those who have had experiences that seem
to confirm some of the principies of reincar
nation usually have memories in terms of
events and circumstances that are rather
vague and do not make a complete picture.
A passage of music, or a picture, may seem
to cause one to feel related to a familiar
situation. More may be spoken through the
arts than through the language.

Page 113

The course of existence is complicated. As

St. Paul said, We see today only darkly.
We have only a glimpse. When I spend
almost an hour attempting to analyze some
phases of incamation, I have probably shown
my ignorance as much as my knowledge. No
one can completely bridge that gap which
would clear the knowledge existing beyond
the limitations of our physical environment.
We will go on as long as we live asking
questions that are unanswerable, but by moving in the right direction, we may come to a
greater future realization. There is more
knowledge available to us now than ever
before. We may not have reached a state
that is completely acceptable or completely
happy, but we possess the knowledge to move
on, to throw off limitations such as dependence on language as a means of memory.
Above all, keep in mind that our speculations and theories are man-made; but also if
you forget everything else remember I have
tried to show that immortality is a condition
of perpetual existence, that there is nothing
to fear in death, as it is ordinarily referred
to. It is a phase of change to be welcomed
as any other event.
Death is a transition for which we should
be constantly prepared, but should not expect
it momentarily and thus foresake good judg
ment and the benefit of living today. Tran
sition is inevitable because from the moment
we are born we begin to die, and the length
of time it takes is the life span. When the
time of transition comes, we will move on
into new experiences and opportunitiesto
particpate in new problems. But the whole
is greater than the parts. We particpate in
a vast scheme of things, which is known as
the universal or Cosmic Being.
As to work we do not like to do, most in
telligent people agree that the best way is
to put our shoulder to the wheel, figuratively
speaking, and get it done. That is better than
doing nothing. Not all of life is satisfactory.
We have unwished for phases of existence,
but we can learn from such experiences and
then carry in visual and other concepts these
lessons into other phases of our existence.
Immortality is lifenot ours to give or take,
but ours to share in. When we evalate,
with honest appraisal, the privileges of that
participation, we find that it has more to
offer than we are acknowledging.A

Page 114

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Should W e Hate?
A soror, rising to address our Forum, asks:
uTo what point may the true mystic criticize
others? Can he afford to hate? Who is
harmed by hatred? Did not the Master Jess
express hatred in chasing the money-changers from the temple? Is there a righteous
hatred?
Hate, as an emotion, is born of hurt. It is
instinctive to dislike what inflicts pain or
suffering upon us, whether physical or men
tal. Hate is an intense dislike, amounting to
the desire to repel or combat the provocation
or hurt. We can hate persons and things and
it is natural to do so. By natural we mean
that we have been conditioned, through the
long period of development of man, in the
interests of our personal welfare and survival, to hate that which opposes us.
Let us look at the matter from the psycho
logical point of view. As living, intelligent
entities, we cannot tolerate circumstances
that may directly destroy us or those things
that we love or on which our existence de
pends. Minor discomfiture or unpleasantness
we may avoid or endure. However, things
which are intense and persistent and seem
to conflict with that which is vital to our
welfare arouse within us an ir. Continually
provoked anger engenders hatred. In hatred,
nature seeks to strike back or retaliate, to
annihilate that which obstructs it.
Poetically and morally, hatred has been
inveighed against as being unworthy of man.
However, it is the opposite pole of one of
mans strongest emotions, love. The emotion
of love is the desire to attract to ourselves
that which gratifies or pleases in some way
some aspect of self. Hate, conversely, seeks
to repel that which results in sensations displeasing to self. Certainly it is logical that
we suppress certain sources of sensation, just
as it is necessary for us to attract others. If
man had not hated in his struggle upward,
he might, if he survived at all, have gained
some advantages. But fear and hatred, both
commonly thought of as negative states, have
served man, though in doing so they have
brought about detrimental side effects.
Actually it is not hatred as such that is
so objectionable, but rather the state of mind
we enter into which arouses it. Ignorance
and undisciplined emotions are causes of
hatreds that are often not justifiable. In

other words, assuming that hatred is a neces

sary and basic emotion, there are times when
such an emotion need not be given expres
sion. Religious prejudice is an example.
Through ignorance one may believe that the
god expounded by his faith is the sol reality.
The creed of his faith may further imply
that all other conceptions of the deity are
false; therefore, all those who believe in
them are sacrilegious. Consequently, this
devotees dedication to his religin is offended and his ego is hurt by the opposing creeds.
They become his enemy. Their persistence
causes him sustained mental agony which,
in turn, causes hatred. Hatred is a proper
emotion under the circumstancesbut the
circumstances are not necessary.
Business rivals may come to hate each
other as competition becomes keener between
them. Each thinks the other is trespassing
upon his means of livelihood or intervening
to his disadvantage. A philosophical, a rational approach to the situation would disclose that each is following the impulse of
survival. If a conflict arises from such, a
means of reconciliation should be sought to
prevent financial loss to either.
Rational beings must learn to reglate
their emotions. To suppress them completely
is likewise wrong and can result in other
serious effects to the individual. When one
experiences the emotion of hate, the disci
pline of the emotions should take the form
of self-analysis. Can, for example, the source
of the emotion, that which stimulates it, be
mitigated in any way? Can a change in ones
activities be entered into so that he no longer
experiences the distress u n d erlyin g the
hatred?
One of the particular questions asked this
Forum is, Is there a righteous hatred? I
think we have already answered that in the
affirmative. Where reason and self-discipline
fail to remove a serious cause of agitation,
hatred of it, in avoiding or combatting it, is
necessary. To poetically convert such hatred
into love, if such were actually possible,
might prove fatal.
The Biblical account of Jess driving the
money-changers from the temple is perhaps
the classical example. However, the point
at issue is whether Jess reaction was right
eous indignationanger, in other wordsor
if it had advanced to the point of hatred.
Anger is more spontaneous and usually finds

APRIL, 1959

an immediate outlet. Though hatred includes

the emotion of anger, it is an emotion which
is prolonged for want of immediate satis
faction. It is, in other words, a sustained
anger, resulting from a hurt that develops
into hate.
Hatred can be at times more injurious to
the one harboring it than to the one toward
whom it is directed. This is especially so
when a hatred is misdirected, as for example,
hatred that is built upon hurt to the pride,
or when an inferiority complex is present.
There is little opportunity to abate such
hatred because it is ethically and socially
proscribed. To attack, repel, or in any way
publicly combat the source of hatred based
on envy would bring the condemnation of
others. As a result, the emotion is suppressed
where its stimulus may eventually cause
psychosomatic illness to the one harboring
it. It is a kind of venom which poisons the
mind and nervous system of the individual
who cannot dissipate it.
Hatred is a dangerous primitive emotion
which can easily blind reason in its intense
sensations. Usually hatred builds slowly, go
ing through lesser emotional stages at first.
When one begins to experience the symptoms of it, he should begin an analysis of
himself and the causes of the hatred at once.
He should carefully consider the extent of
the injuries he has suffered, whether physical
or mental, and determine whether they are
of such severity as to require the emotional
display of hatred. It is often preferable to
exhibit righteous indignationto use common
phraseology, have a show-down at once
rather than to try self-control to the extent
of complete suppression, that is, locking up
the anger and permitting it to smoulder into
* hatred.X
About Cynics and Skeptics
A frater now asks our Forum: What is
the remedy for cynicism and skepticism? I
have heard it said that in most cases the fault
lies in the inadequacy of the individual him
self, and not in outside influences or disappointments. Is a skeptic covering up certain
guilt that he does not wish to admit? What
is a good purgative or remedy for this feel
ing of skepticism?
The common usage of such words as
skeptic and cynic may have quite a

Page 1I5

different connotation than their original

meaning had conveyed. In ancient Greece,
for example, there was a school of philosophy
which we now term the Cynics because of
their doctrines. There was another school
known as the Skeptics; its ideis and teach
ings were quite contrary to those of the
Cynics. The words and their meanings are
thus not really interchangeable.
A cynic is a captious individual, one who
is fault-findingdisinclined to accept any
ideas which do not conform to his own opin
ion. He is ready to discredit anything he
experiences which does not coincide with his
own objectives and advantages. In a sense,
a cynic is a mental isolationist. He forms an
opinion of vales and virtues, and then im
mures them by opposing all contra views.
The thoroughgoing cynic is really antisocial
and contributes little to society. He takes
the position that his interests and activities
are the core of society; he repels anything
which in any way alters them. Consequently, if the cynics thoughts and his philosophy
are fallow, their contribution to society is
then nugatory, that is, of trifling worth.
What causes this cynicism? The cause is
most often psychological. Some experience
in the life of the cynic has given him an
acrimonious viewpoint toward human relations. He has perhaps suffered defeat, and
thereby acquired an inferiority complex, a
feeling of inadequacy. This induced a sardonic attitude toward all new ideas, methods,
or practices. He sneers at them so as to
demean them in the minds of others. In this
way the cynic hopes to keep all other
achievements at a level with his own. He
fears further defeat or inferiority by comparison.
A cynic will even disparage another whose
concepts are similar to his own. He will
imply that the other person had plagiarized
his thoughts or that their exposition of them
is less effective than his own. For homely
analogy, a cynic would throw mud on a
neighbors home to soil it so that he would
not have to improve the appearance of his
own. Though the conduct of the thorough
going cynic is despicable, he is usually an
emotionally troubled person who needs help
rather than censure.
Many criminis are cynics. They are embittered by their conflicts with situations
arising in life and which they have not been

Page 116

able to master. Their cynicism consists of

striking back at society, of defying it and
destroying its conventions when such is with
in their power. The criminal often ridicules
all moral and social virtues and most of those
which are held to be common decency.
What can one do to help the cynic? Actu
ally, though the cynic will be boastful of his
own ability or activities, he really considers
them to be of a lesser quality than others
that is what makes him a cynic! The cynic
must be given the opportnity to really prove
to himself that he can do certain things
equally well or better than some others. Once
he really acquires self-confidence, there is
inculcated an attitude of tolerance toward
the ideas of others. Psychologically, he then
feels he can afford to be charitable of others;
before such a time, he thinks that he is quite
insufficient and that he cannot afford to expend recognition or the praise of the efforts
of others.
One must avoid asking the cynic to do
that in which he believes himself to be particularly deficient. His. sense of inferiority
will cause him to refuse to undertake the
task. It will constitute but another failure
further depressing and embittering him. He
should be encouraged to do something simple
which has not yet entered into his obvious
dislikes. If this is done successfully, he
should be praised and requested to do some
thing further until a series of achievements
have been accomplished. The next step then
is to request him to perform an act which
is related to his feeling of inadequacy. By
this time sufficient self-confidence should
have been established for him to undertake
the task with little persuasin. If he is then
successful he will no longer be a cynic. The
only exceptions are those suffering person
ality maladjustments, and who may need
psychiatric assistance.
The skeptic is quite another type. He is
one who really has some very commendable
qualitiesthough at times they are provoking ones. The skeptic insists on doubting
anything that is on faith or hearsay. Every
thing must be demonstrable to him. It must
be empirical, having an objective foundation.
If something is not demonstrable, if it is
abstract only, he retains an open mind but
will not accept it as truth. The skeptic, like
the ancient Sophists, makes man the measure
of all things. Nothing is until it is indisput-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ably shown to be such. The skeptic accepts

belief, at its best, as a temporary kind of
knowledge which must be rejected by whatever is revealed as fact, as being evidential
to the senses.
The skeptic is obviously not an idealist.
If he had an ideal, it would need to be im
mediately converted into demonstrable real
ityconsequently, it would no longer be an
ideal in the strictest sense of the term. The
skeptic, therefore, may miss much enjoyment
in life by confining himself to a principally
objective existence. The world of romance
and imagination is, in effect, more or less
rejected by him.
We have mentioned that the modem
skeptic is inclined to submit all knowledge
to empirical evidence, to the proof of the
senses. However, the ancient school of the
skeptics whose first rep resen tativ e was
Pyrrho, of Elis (365P-P275 B.C.) had no
reliance upon the human senses! They de
clared that all experience consisted of sen
sations and held that sensations vary with
different people; the training and environmental influence of people cause them to
interpret their experiences differently, and
consequently there is no uniform knowledge
upon which all people can place their dependence.
Where men live, the altitude, the climate
all of these cause a variation in their
experience and cause dissimilar knowledge.
Pascal, French philosopher and skeptic, said:
We see scarcely anything just or unjust
that does not change quality in changing
climate. Three degrees of higher altitude
overturns all jurisprudence. A meridian de
cides the truth. Fundamental laws change;
right has its epoch. Pitiful justice bounded
by a river or a mountain! Truth this side t
the Pyrenees, error that side.
Legend has it that Pyrrho so mistrusted
his own senses that he would not step out of
the way of an approaching wagn and had
to be rescued by his friends.
Though skepticism may often be disconcerting to the idealist and the enthusiast, it
is advantageous in tempering impetuosity.
That which may appeal to the emotions and
arouse imagination, when subject to the
closer scrutiny of reason and observation,
may be found to be an illusion.
Certainly, a scientist must be a skeptic to
a reasonable degree. He must, of course,

APRIL, 1959

have an open mind in order to investgate

and analyze. He must have sufficient imagi
na tion to engender a theory or hypothesis
to be pursued. However, he must be sufliciently skeptical to question what may seem
probable and yet cannot be objectively substantiated.
Perhaps an excellent and proper example
of skepticism is the attitude of academic sci
ence toward the tales of the flying objects
as seen in the sky and said to be space
vehicles from the planet Venus and other
heavenly bodies. The scientists cannot and
should not take as evidence the hearsay ac
counts of those who claim that they have
spoken to people from other worlds or have
ridden in flying saucers. The scientist has
to have direct, observed facts. He cannot
take the assumption, for example, that cer
tain material under the microscope is a virus
just because others are convinced that it is;
he has to put it to a test. He wants knowl
edge just as much as the man on the Street
perhaps a great deal morebut he does not
take chances, does not allow himself to be
carried away by hysteria and illusion.
Traffic plice in any city of the world,
as well as accident insurance investigators,
know that witnesses to an accident cannot
agree on the details. Out of six witnesses, an
average of 50 percent will disagree on just
exactly what occurred. Science cannot be
founded on that which is motivated by emo
tional responses. So, scientific skepticism is
necessary.X
Exorcism Services Superstition or
Necessity?
The subject of ghosts, hauntings, discarnate entities, and other psychic manifesta
tions has been discussed in a number of
articles in this Forum, but these various
aspects of it are so intriguing that they crop
up time and again.
A new member recently addressed our
Forum, expressing the view that such things
exist, stating as partial proof the reason that
the various religions have a service of ex
orcism. If such things as spirits are mere
superstition, he said, then we must term
religin superstitious as well, a view which
he could not accept.
By definition, we find that exorcism is the
act of driving off an evil spirit by adjuration,

Page 117

delivering someone from an evil spirit, or

addressing, conjuring, or conjuring up, an
evil spirit.
Religionists have always expressed a need
to bring enlightenment to peoples less privileged than themselvesto bring the Word
of God to backward lands. Missionaries
have done much to open and civilize
primitive areas such as Africa, the Pacific
islands, and the American continent. In
their contact with the primitive inhabitants,
they found polytheistic religions and great
emphasis placed in the supematural, especially a preoccupation with evil spirits,
ghosts, and other such entities. This pre
occupation can still be found in Africa, the
West Indies, and some parts of the Americas.
The most influential personage in the
primitive society is often the witch doctor,
for he is capable of calling up these super
natural beings to do his biddings. He can
supposedly cause the spirit to bring misfortune to a person, and by the same token, can
banish an existing spirit from the home or
body of a person.
Strange to relate, however, the chances are
quite good that the ritual of the missionarys
own religin includes a rite or service of
exorcism designed for exactly the same pur
pose as the witch doctors ceremony for
banishing evil spirits.
Of course, the religionists might cali the
spirits by another ame, such as discarnate
being, but the inference is the same.
In fact, there is no difference, except in
detail of performance, between the Service
of Exorcism of the church, and the rite of
banishment of the witch doctor. Both are
based entirely on ignorance and superstition.
Many religionists acknowledge this fact,
and then counter by pointing out that the
service is a hold-over from ancient times
one which has outgrown its usefulness but
is still retained, though never used.
Only the other day a letter carne from a
member in Australia telling us of a woman
apparently beset by two personalities: one
that was her normal self, and the other,
entirely different, that would take her over
against her will. She was aware of this other
personality, but powerless against it. She
went to her minister for aid, and he deter
mined that she was possessed by an evil
spirit. When prayer did not aid the woman,
the minister resorted to the rite of exorcism,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 118

which he performed several different times,

to no avail. Up to the time the letter was
sent to us, the victim had suffered for five
years or so, gradually becoming worse.
From the complete description of her actions and symptoms it seems fairly obvious
that the poor woman suffers not from possession of an evil spirit, but from a classic
example of schizophrenia, or what is popularly known as split personality. She
needs the aid of a competent psychiatrist,
not the ministrations of a person so superstitious as to believe in evil spirits.
It is unfortunate, but true, that many of
the so-called spiritual leaders of this enlightened age are victims, in some respects,
of the very superstition which they supposedly are combating.
Of course, it is true that this play on super
stition helps hold a congregation, at least in
more primitive areas, but we cannot help
feeling that mankind would be served to
much better purpose if these elements were
eliminated from religious dogma and doc
trine, and their true nature freely presented
and taught.W
Cosmic Appeals
A frater desires to know about the rela
tionship of the different types of appeals that
can be made to satisfy ones worthy desires.
He relates that we are told about appealing
to the Cosmic Masters when in need. We
are also told that certain days are better
than others for holding in mind a desire to
be gratified. Further, the book, Self Mastery
and Fate with Cycles of Life, sets forth cer
tain cycles indicating preferable days and
hours for the accomplishing of particular
objectives. The frater also asks if these con
flictor can they be reconciled?
As Rosicrucians, what do we mean by
Cosmic Masters? We use the term Master
to mean one who has excelled in some skill,
learning, method, or practice. Mastership,
of course, includes having an especial knowl
edge of something by which the superiority
has been gained. A Cosmic Master is a
human being who has, through study and
varied experiences on this earth plae,
acquired exceptional knowledge of Cosmic
and natural laws and the ability to apply
them. It is in the latter that his mastership
enters. These intelligences on either a Cos

mic plae, or as yet residing here on earth,

may be contacted through attunement as is
explained in the Degree studies. It might be
said that most of the contacts are with those
Cosmic Masters who are still residing here,
and the attunement is through the mdium
of the Cosmic.
It must be explained that the Rosicrucian
teachings do not make of these Cosmic Mas
ters fatalistic guides. Each individual is not
put under the aegis of one of these Masters;
that is, each person does not have a personal
direction in the course of his life. To pre
sume that all the events of our life are
pre-determined by an intelligence, as a
Master, is sheer fatalism! Such a philosophy
robs the individual of personal initiative. He
becomes disinclined to plan personally or to
reason or exercise his own mental faculties
to accomplish an end; he thinks that the mat
ter will be consummated by merely asking
the Master.
There are some unfortunate persons who
believe that a Cosmic Master is something
like the genii of the tales of Arabian Nights.
All they need do, they believe, is to rub a
magic lamp, as it were, or to say a certain
strange word, and the Master like the genie
of the tales will appear and do their bidding. This notion shows an utter disregard
or ignoranceof the fact that each human
being at birth, if normal, has been given
mental faculties with which to meet or sur
mount most of his obstacles. We are not
puppets pulled about with strings by some
superior intelligence, or by wise beings called
Masters.
In the first place, one is not entitled to
Cosmic aid from a moral point of view if he
is indolent and wilfully negligent. If one
refuses to exercise and to exhaust his own
knowledge and personal power to attain,
then Cosmically he is unworthy of the assistance of the Cosmic Masters. For such
intelligences to help the indolent person
would be to ingeminate his weakness.
If any degree of success is to be attained,
the appeal to a Cosmic Master must take into
consideration numerous factors which we as
mortals might term ethical and moral. First,
that for which we ask must be consistent
with conscience. Conscience, of course, is
partially the consequence of the conventions
of the society in which we live and which are

Page 119

APR1L, 1959

gift. It must be realized, too, that the Cos

mic has no warehouse to which Masters have
access to fill orders from appeals they receive.
There are, of course, times which are more
advantageous for attunement than others.
These specific periods should be used. It is
not that attunement is not possible at other
times, but rather that the psychic self of
man is more dominant during such intervals.
For analogy, each of us knows that certain
hours are more effcacious for study than
others. For some persons the early moraing
hours are preferable. There are others who
find that contemplation and meditation are
more easily achieved in the early evening
hours when the labors of the day are done.
The psychic self goes through daily, even
hourly, cycles of greater or lesser sensitivity.
By this we mean that the higher levels of
our consciousness, called psychic, are more
responsive to psychic impressions at such
times and that objectively we are able to
receive and retain such impressions. The
book, Self Mastery and Fate W ith Cycles of
Life, by Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, among num
erous other references to cycles, also delineates what periods are best for such types
of activity. As explained in our monographs,
ones personal Sun-day is a preferable time
for all psychic exercises and Cosmic attune
ment. Ones personal Sun-day is the day of
the week upon which one was born. For
example, if one was born on a Friday, then
that is his Sun-day. His Creative powers and
psychic faculties are particularly on the
ascendant on that day of the week. There
are, then, hours during that day which are
better for certain activities.
These matters are all explained in detail
in the monographs of the higher Degrees.
We cannot, of course, take up these matters
by individual correspondence. Those who
desire information about this particular sub
ject of Cycles in advance of that phase of
the Rosicrucian teachings are advised to obtain a copy of the aforementioned book from
the ROSCRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU,
Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California, for
$2.85. It is also available from the ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU, 25 Garrick
Street, London W.C. 2, England, for 16/6
sterling.X

accepted as good or otherwise. The conscience of people across the border in another
country, or across the seas, or in different
lands may vary one from the other. But,
underlying conscience is the inherent urge
in each individual to do right, that is, to so
act as to be consistent with the common good
as it is interpreted by the masses. If we
knowingly ask for that which is contrary to
this inherent impulse, our appeal to the
Cosmic Masters will fail. We cannot expect
to conceal our inner feelings and intent from
the very superior intelligences to whom we
appeal; they are always exposed, always apparent.
Second, we must have no motive or pur
pose in our intent that is solely selfish. By
that we mean, one must not ask for that
from which he alone exclusively benefits. We
must also not ask for things which would
degrade our own chara cter or that of others
or interfere with our soul-personality de
velopment. To ask for money, for example,
from sheer cupidity, that is, just to possess
it, constitutes avarice and one would never
receive Cosmic help or guidance from a
Master while having such a motive. Further,
the petition should be such that in its fulfilment it imposes no unnecessary hardship
or misfortune on others.
The assistance which one receives from the
Cosmic Master is not directly of a material
or tangible nature as so many erroneously
think. The Cosmic Masters do not manifest,
that is, materialize money, property, power
or fame in any form, to an individual; or
do they in some phenomenal manner confer
directly upon an individual success in an
enterprise. The assistance given by a Cosmic
Master is in the form of a personal illumina
tion, that is, a guidance through understand
ing, through a revelation of certain useful
information. In other words, the guidance
takes the form of inspirational ideas which
suddenly enter our consciousness and by
which we learn of ways and means to personally bring about what one desires. At
all times one must be the prim e mover in the
fulfillment of the desires. But knowing what
to do and when is always of great impor
tance. An inspired plan or procedure coming
to the sincere person is obviously a great
Y

Remember the Rosicrucian ConventionJuly 5 through 10, 1959

Ancient Ceremonies

Rosicrucian Counselor
Mystic Sites

A n All-Expense Paid Tour To

EGYPT
Via Swit, Modern Air Transport
THE Land of EnchantmentEgypt!
The romance of towering pyramids;
the great colonnaded temples whose
inscriptions are a story in stone of
mans adoration of the Infinite; the
tombs of the pharaohs and the
nobles mysterious, thrilling.
All these await you on this special
Rosicrucian Egyptian Tour. Twenty
glorious, never-to-be-forgotten days!
Leave January 5, 1960. Start from
New York to the following places
and return to New York. (Othr
points of departure will be consid
ered for members living outside
North America.)
PARIS - Tour of the principal modern
and historical places of this fascinating city
the great cathedrals, museums, smart
shopping areas and a Rosicrucian Con
vocation in the AMORC Paris Chapter.
CAIRO - Three wonderful days. You
stay at the Mena House, a stones throw
from the Pyramids! You visit the mosques
and bazaars. You participate in a special
Rosicrucian ceremony in the Kings Cham
ber of the Great Pyramid.

LUXOR - For ten days you travel by

steamer along the broad Nile past ancient
cities. You spend two days in Luxor, an
cient Thebes, once capital of Egypt; and
you take part in a special Rosicrucian cere
mony by moonlight in the great Luxor
Temple where Amenhotep IV once ruled.
ASSUAN - You visit magnificent tem
ples, see colossal statues and enter the
tombs of the once great, and then reach
this ancient site.
T h is is only a sk etch o f w h at y o u w ill e n jo y ,
w ith a R o sicru cian G rand L o d g e o fficer acco m
p anying y o u all th e w ay. R o sicru cian fo ru m
a n d lectu res in clu d ed . H o tels, m eis, sightseein g , tra n s p o rta tio n , a ll included.

W here the M ystery

Schools Began
You have dreamed and studied about
the great mystery schools of Egypt
now you can visit them. Write today
for full particulars so much more
can be told you in the free folder we
will send upon request.
Complete price of
tour only........ _________

1256.60

ROSICRUCIAN EGYPTIAN TOUR

A. M. O. R. C.
Sari Jos, California, U. S. A.
T he R o sicru cian O rd er, AMORC, in anno u n cin g this to u r , is co o p e ra tin g in g o o d fa ith with th e
a ir line and th e to u r sp o n so r inv o lv ed, and assum es n o liab ility o r resp o n sib ility in co n n ectio n with
this to u r. It is presen tin g th is in fo rm a tio n as a co n v en ien ce f o r its m em bers, an d receives no
rem u n eratio n o th e r than a ten d o lla r fee p e r to u r m em ber to co v e r th e cle rica l a n d p rin tin g co sts
involved in p resen tin g this in fo rm a tio n to m em bers.

Luxor Tem ple w here an

u n fo rgettable cerem ony
a w a its you.

TH E ROSICRUCIAN P R E S S , LTD .

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

A glo rio u s trip up the N ile

fo r ten d a y s on m odern,
com fortable steamer.

June, 1959
Volume XXIX

No. 6

Rosicrucian Forum
A p rv a te

p u b lic a tio n fo r m e m b e rs of A M O R C

H A R M J O N G M A N , F. R. C.
G rand Secretary of A M O R C fo r Holland

Page 122

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

DIVIN E IM AGERY
Dear Fratres and Sorores:
God is a personal concept. It reflects the in
telligence, education, religious, and social
background of the individual. The notion of
God is thus framed in the ideation, the
thoughts arising out of the experiences which
one has. We can think only in terms of the
elements of our experience. There is no such
thing as a purely original thought devoid of
any relation to the qualities of our senses.
A truly original thought could neither be understood by us or could it be communicated
to another.
For these reasons it is impossible to create
a uniform conception of God acceptable to
all men alike. The description must have an
intimacy to the individual or it is not ac
ceptable to him. The one who thinks of God
as an impersonal, teleological (mind) cause
or forc in the universe, cannot accept an
anthropomorphic notion, that is, a manlike
image of the deity. The mental or psychic
image of a supreme being had in the re
ligious experience is only symbolic of the
religious spirit and emotionalism of the in
dividual. The religious spirit recognizes a
transcendent power, an omniscient and omnipotent cause. What then depicts or delineates to the person such qualities? What
image can he relate to omniscience and omnipotence that will have significance to him?
The elements of his experience, through
reading, hearsay, or personal association, will
constitute the body of this supreme some
thing.
All of this only confirms what the philoso
phers, mystics, and psychologists already
know. The theophany from which the no
tion of God is engendered is wholly subjective. The feeling had cannot be taught. It
inculcates the religious spirit of humility
and inferiority to an all-pervading, super
natural power, and the passion to be embraced by it. However, it may be stimulated
and aroused but it is first immanent.
It is often most difficult for man to conceive personally an image or symbol that
will represent the virtues attributed by sacred

literature to a deity. There is little in our

mortal, everyday existence which suggests
the nobility and divine qualities of a god.
What, for example, is perfection? What is
good, eternal, or infinite? Ask the average
man or woman to divorce from the qualities
he thinks of as Gods any traditional descriptions of Him. Ask him to supplant those
habitual ideas he has with an imagery of his
own. In most instances the individual will
either find that his God is in a vacuum insofar as an image of him is concerned, or he
will use a terminology which is almost
identical to what he has inherited from his
religious sources.
There is, as we have had occasion to say
in this Forum before, an evolution of God.
It is not that the Cosmic or Divine as a
reality actually evolves, but rather that
mans conception of it becomes more com
plex and lofty with the elevation of his con
sciousness. There are many persons whose
conception of God or of a Divine cause is
quite different today from what it was ten,
twenty, or thirty years ago. The notion that
they had as young men or women would no
longer satisfy their psychic selves. Such a
notion would now seem false and contrary
to their reason.
The intellect, the reason, does enter into
ones conception of God. Though the religious
impulse stems from the subjective aspect of
man, the image of it will always be a rational
construct of mind. What to the reason would
seem improbable, as a consequence of ones
personal experience, will not be accepted. In
fact, that which does not appeal to the in
tellect is apt to be considered a sacrilege if
associated with the imagery of the divine.
For example, the modern man cannot ac
cept animism as a conception of God. or
will he recognize a belief that will relate any
natural phenomena, as the sun or moon, to
the deity. The religious spirit, however, of
a simple nature-worshipper and those who
are devotees of the accepted religious faiths,
is nevertheless the same. But there is a great
hiatus in their education and environmental

JUNE, 1959

Page 123

influences. One, therefore, cannot well visu

alize and ra tio n a lly accept the others
imagery of their own immanent religious
motivation.
This psychological factor has often been
noticed by me in connection with interviews
with people from various parts of the world,
especially when the discussion carne to center
upon religious topics. The devout Christian
will invariably, in discussing some theophany, that is, the experiencing of a divine personage, relate that Jess Christ appeared to
him. In all sincerity he will tell how, in his
dreamor waking stateChrist spoke to him.
The Romn Catholic will frequently feel that
he has been contiguous to the presence of the
Holy Mother, or one of the numerous
saints. The follower of Mohammed, particularly one who is a student of Islamic
mysticism, will describe a visin, or dream,
in which he saw the Prophet Mohammed.
Jews, Hindus, Jains, Buddhistsif they ex
perience a divine or holy presencewill all
image it in the attributes and form of their
particular holy personage. I have yet to have
a devout adherent of any sect relate that he
has had an ecstatic religious experience and
describe it in the divine image of another
faith.
The reason is as we have cited. The image
had is a consequence of the intellect. It is
the symbol of what is personally experi
enced. To the Christian, for example, Buddha
could not possibly depict the same emotional
impact as does Christ; there would be no
correspondence between the idea, the image,
and the religious motivation, the psychic im
pulse. All of this indicates how training and
association actually contribute materially to
ones imagery of God and the divine realities.
It also denotes how erroneous it actually
is to insist that ones imagery is the true
personification of his divine impulse. If the
devout Christian had been bom in a country
where Moslemism or Buddhism, for example,
were predominant, and he had become a de
vout adherent of one of these faiths, he would

perhaps be no less spiritual. His moral sentiments and religious impulses in all probability would be as great as they are as a
Christianyet his imagery would be quite
different.
To the unthinking religious devotee it
seems that the exalted religious sentiments
and expressions must come to him only in
that imagery associated with his faith. The
Christian, therefore, believes that the deity
will express Himself only through Christ, or
the ecclesiastical personages of his religious
doctrines. Since the religious experience of
the non-Christian is visualized in the form
or identity of dissimilar beings, the orthodox
Christian will often deny that the experience
is a divine one.
This imagery of the religious experience is
actually more of an impediment to man than
a help. True mysticism would have the
unin with God or the Cosmic as an inex
plicable, even ineffable, experience. No sense
qualities or visualization would be adequate
to represent it. It is true that the experience,
to be realized at all, would need to be asso
ciated with some qualities of our senses. But
the mystic would try not to immure the ex
perience in any one imagein other words,
to say of a particular sensation or idea: That
is my consciousness of the divine. Imagery
is finite. It is, therefore, more a sacrilege to
have the personal religious impulse confined
in an image than to recognize no image as
being wholly omniscient and omnipotent.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
This Issues Personality
Probably it is necessary as a stimulant and
incentive in life that we confront many
obstacles when we are young. These, then,
bring to the fore whatever talents and latent
powers we may have. They strengthen our
character or they reveal us as weak if we retreat from the opposition. (turn to next page)

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 of the U .S . Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of +he Supreme Council of A M O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sterling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sterling) per year FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page 124

Frater Harm Jongman, the Grand Secre

tary of AMORC, Holland, had ampie tests
of his personal qualifications as a youth. He
was born in North Holland in 1888, While
still a child, both his parents passed through
transition and he was left with a brother five
years younger. As he explains it, his prin
cipal heritage at the time was a delicate
constitution.
Frater Jongman was sent to an orphanage
at the tender age of ten years. He was thus,
in a sense, thrust into a confusing world that
might have frustrated other children his age,
for the orphanage numbered one thousand
children of both sexes. This large number
overpopulated the institution, providing little
opportunity for the personal care of any
child. The school was denominational and
elementary, and more commonly known as
a school with the Bible.
At thirteen years of age Frater Jongman
left school and was made an apprentice in
the institutions print shop, for he was to
become a compositor. However, within the
year the superintendent selected him to assist
in his office. Young Jongman remained in
this capacity until he was twenty-three years
od. His compensation was his lodging and a
few cents a day extra.
During his early youth, Frater Jongman
defied, at every opportunity, many of the
rigidly imposed rules of the institution, which
sought to regiment his life. In one thing in
particular he was guiltyhe roved at will
the nearby fields and woods, which was forbidden. His spirits soared in these little adventures. One of his greatest pleasures was
to lie in the rye fields and read bookswhenever he could find them. He ws also tempted
to help himself to the local farmers fruits
without their permission. But his greatest
craving, even then, was for the fruits of
knowledge. Frater Jongman had developed
a deep love of music and all the esoteric
things of life. He learned to read music as
easily as the alphabet. A friendly proofreader in the printing plant taught him bookkeeping and introduced him to the first
principies of English.
In 1911 Frater Jongman carne to Amsterdam in a much depressed financial state. He
found an nele who was a pedagogue and
philosopher by nature. This nele, however,
was very orthodox and this became a further
restriction to the free thought of young

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Jongman. Eventually he gained a position as

proofreader and was obliged to read the
manuscripts of the Royal Academy of Sci
ence, which had its works printed in his shop.
These manuscripts opened a new and startling, although satisfying, world to him. He
read in them the latest scientific discoveries
and hypotheses being announced in the Sci
ence world. The ames of such great scien
tists as Rutherford, Bohr, Maxwell, Lorentz,
and a host of others became familiar to him
as well as did their postulations.
However, as yet one door had not been
opened. This led to the great fields of thought
of metaphysics, mysticism, and esoteric knowl
edge. Frater Jongman, after his marriage,
read the Divine Comedy, by Dante. This
encouraged him to learn Italian and to seek
out similar literature. He had read considerably of mystical literature, before he carne
upon an advertisement of AMORC. As a
result, he met Frater Jan Coops, the then
incumbent Grand Master of AMORC, Hol
land. In 1937, Frater Jongman crossed the
threshold of AMORC as a member.
Later, Frater Jongman advanced himself
to the responsible position as translator and
copywriter in a major advertising ageney.
What particularly pleased him, however, was
his promotion to the office of Grand Secretary
of AMORC, an office which he still fulfills
with great efficiency. He is a cise collaborator with Frater Pistorius, the Grand Master
of Holland.
Frater Jongman is married and has three
children. His hobbies today reflect his life
interestsreading music and eyeling along
the countryside. Here again is a man whom
events shaped into a Rosicrucian and of
whom the Order is justly proud.X
Good and Evil Thought
A frater of South Africa, addressing our
Forum, states: It has been said that to
transmit a thought to a distant place one
must release it into the Cosmic. Further
more, it is stated that it is impossible to send
evil thoughts to any person.
The question I would like to put to the
Rosicrucian Forum is, Why should not any
thought, whether good or evil, obey the law
of vibrations in being transmitted?
Surely there is no distinction in the Cosmic
of a good or evil vibration. Whether I release

JUNE, 1959

the thought from the objective mind into the

subconscious or not, will not the thought I
hold be transmitted into the Cosmic stream
where it will be received by persons who
attune themselves to it?
There are two ways of considering this
question. One is a mechanistic viewpoint of
the Cosmic. The Cosmic, from this concep
tion, is believed to be an indeterminate
mdium, a kind of inertial field into which
thought, as an impulse, is transmitted. If
the Cosmic were indeterminate, it would,
therefore, have no inherent purpose or stand
ard by which thoughts released into it would
be either rejected or accepted. As a mech
anistic mdium, it would merelyas does
airtransmit certain frequencies of vibra
tions which could be received by anyone
capable of attuning with it.
Further, this mechanistic notion of the
Cosmic presumes also that all thought energy
is of a particular vibratory rate, generated
and transmitted by the mind, there being
no more physical or vibratory difference
between good or evil thought than there is
between messages sent by telegraph or radio.
The transmitting mdium, the Cosmic, confers no valu upon the thought it receives
into itself.
This conception reduces all thought to a
purely physical property, a vibratory energy
unaffected by its mdium of conveyance,
namely, the Cosmic. The valu of the
thought, its meaning, its significancein fact,
its effectonly arises when it is finally
translated by the receiving and knowing
mind. Until then the thought is but an im
pulse, a vibratory energy of a certain rate.
For further understanding, we refer again
to our previous analogy of the telegraph.
The sounds of the Morse code are just electrical impulses converted to sound until the
mind interprets them, gives them ideation.
The telegraph message is neither inherently
good or bad news in its physical nature
until the mind translates the sensations had
into words and meanings. In fact, there is
actually no message anywhere along the
line, no intelligence being transmitted, until
the sensations are given significance by the
human mind.
Let us suppose that the mechanistic theory
of the Cosmic, which we have here reviewed,
is correct, that the Cosmic is not teleological;
that is, it is an unthinking mdium. Further

Page 125

suppose that, mechanistically and automatically, the Cosmic responds to vibrations

placed into its field and transmitted with degrees of intensity. In the Cosmic, then, there
would be neither good or evil thought, just
impulses without any inherent valu of quality. Human minds by attunement of their
consciousness with the Cosmic intercept these
impulses. In doing this they function like an
instrument being brought into resonance,
that is, into harmony with certain wave
lengths of transmitted thought energy.
Only when the human intelligence has
cognition of these impulses, confers upon
them ideas, do they acquire valu to it. The
human mind, then, construes the series of
impulses into combinations of words thought
perhaps to be evil, and it does so as a result
of experience, by association with the moral
standards and practices of society by which
these impulses are judged to be good or bad.
The individual might, upon identifying
certain words he mentally receives, think
of them as morally wrong, as having evil
intent, and forthwith proceed to disregard
them. Under this mechanistic theory, though
the originally intended evil words were trans
mitted into the Cosmic, their power and
valu actually would be no different from
that of any other vibratory impulses. In
substance, all thoughts entering the Cosmic
would be potentially of the same quality as
are all letters of the Morse code transmitted
by radio or telegraph. Therefore, accepting
the mechanistic theory as a logical premise
that good and evil thoughts enter the Cosmic
alike, the evil has no more potential of harm
in the Cosmic than do those thoughts considered beneficent.
Actually, however, we state in our mono
graphs that the Cosmic will not be an agent
to transmit an evil thought. This principie
should perhaps be further qualified. It is
necessary, first, to define what we mean by
the Cosmic in this connection. If we think
of the Cosmic as only the material, the socalled physical, phenomenon of which we
have experience, then, of course, the wholly
mechanistic theory, as explained, would ap
ply. Conversely, however, if we think of the
Cosmic as a universal conscious energy, as a
mind pervading all, but manifesting as dif
ferent phenomena, then the relationship
would be quite different. It would then be
mystically right to presume that the Cosmic

Page [26

forces would oppose any thought, no matter

how transmitted, that would disturb the
intrinsic harmony of the Cosmic. Thought
that was evil in purpose, regardless of
its nature, that is, its vibratory content,
would be Cosmically opposed and become
ineffectual.
We have here two diametrically opposed
viewpoints. We believe, however, that a reconciliation can be had between the mech
anistic and scientific conception of the
transmission of thought and the mystical
notion that destructive thoughts will be
Cosmically opposed. Let us go back to the
Rosicrucian doctrinal premise that each cell
of the human being is imbued with vital
life forc and a Cosmic or divine intelligence.
There is a nisus, an inherent urge in the
Cosmic intelligence resident in man, to advance the organism, the self, so that it will
attain a certain biological, mental, and psy
chic perfection. This, in the physical order,
is known as the instinct of self-preservation.
Destructive tendencies that would cause
death, we know, are combatted by the life
urge. Life struggles valiantly that its exist
ence in matter, with all its attributes, may
survive.
Destructive thoughts would engender in
the mind of the one thinking them certain
related emotionsas, for example, hatred.
These emotions, in turn, through the autonomic and sympathetic nervous systems,
would produce a vibratory energy of a
frequency of which we have as yet no knowl
edge. It would be a discordant impulse.
Upon being received by anyone who would
be attuned to it, there would be aroused in
the consciousness of that recipient the protective psychic forces of the universal in
telligence in his being. In other words, just
as one reacts to that which threatens his
life in a physical way and causes him to
instinctively protect himself against it, so
in the subconscious there would be a defensive mechanism set up against vibrations of
thought that could be destructive.X
The Scope of Rosicrucian Healing
Exercises
A question frequently asked of our De
partment of Instruction, particularly by
members studying the lessons of the Second
Neophyte Degree, concems the uses to which

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the Rosicrucian Healing Principies may be

put. Many members, especially after having
favorable results with the simpler exercises,
such as those designed for curing headaches,
tend to feel that these experiments are in a
class with the Biblical miracles, and so can
be used for any and all ailments.
Of course, these exercises are in a way
related to those marvelous feats performed,
for instance, by the Master Jess. The prin
cipies in volved are the same. But in order
to apply them to such a degree one must
have truly evolved to a state of Mastership.
Therefore, for all practical purposes, we
must acknowledge that while the exercises
in the monographs are related to those
miracles, they are in a great part limited
in their applicationoften due to the level
of development of the user.
Many members wish to know how the
exercises may be used to cure or improve
such conditions as bone defects, from which
the victim may have suffered since birth, or
chronic ailments like cncer, diabetes, or
heart disease.
Oftentimes, they want to help the patient
to be able to give up his routine medical
treatment. Occasionally they urge the sufferer to forego this regular treatment on the
basis that they can achieve the same results
in a natural way.
In many cases they are correct. The con
dition can be helped by the application of
certain of the Rosicrucian Healing Principies.
However, at least in the case of serious
chronic cases, we always advise that the
principies be used in conjunction with the
regular medical treatment. Never on his
own account should a Rosicrucian member
advise another to give up medical treatment
of an illness, unless the member is also a
competent medical doctor. The results could
be quite serious, especially if the choice of
Rosicrucian T re a tm en t happened to be
wrong. This in itself would not create an
adverse effect, but it might not provide the
necessary degree of treatment where such
treatment is actually needed.
As we mentioned earlier, a common request is for a treatment to help in cases of
structural defect, such as clubfoot or curvature of the spine.
Surely, the member feels, if we can
do such good with pain, or many illnesses,

JUNE, 1959

we must be able to provide help to straighten

twisted limbs.
Here we must again reiterate that meta
physical healing has very definite limita
tions. The conditions mentioned are probably
the most pronounced of those limitations.
Yet it seems that the curing of them is so
obvious an application of the Rosicrucian
principies and techniques; and we read in
the Bible that Christ healed the lame with
his touch. Not only that, we all have seen
articles and pictures showing modern-day
healers curing crowds of sick and lame,
with crippled people throwing away their
crutches, and leaving their wheel chairs.
These healers operate before large crowds
of people, who in the main are easily given
over to emotionalism. The appeal of the
healer is emotional. Through his introductory address, which is fiery and in the style
of the 19th-Century orators, he builds the
crowd up to a high pitch of emotionalism, to
such an extent that many, especially those
whose ailments are at least in part psychosomatic (that is, not wholly physical, but partially emotional as well), can in truth throw
away their crutches and walktemporarily.
The permanency of the cure, which must be
the criterion for judging its success, is nearly
always nonexistent. As soon as the fever
pitch of emotion dies away, the ailment
returns.
As a Master, Jess had a greatly extended
command of the principies which AMORC
teaches. Perhaps, as we attain Mastership,
we too will exercise a similar command over
them. However, in our present, finite, limit
ed realization, we must be aware of the
limitations of our ability to make use of the
healing techniques.
We find that, as a result of these limita
tions, very little, if any, success can be real
ized in correcting bone deficiencies. The
medical practices, which include the breaking
and resetting of bones, and the use of corrective braces and other apparatus, still
provide the best treatment for these condi
tions.
We see, therefore, that we must utilize
caution and foresight in our intended appli
cation of the principies and techniques used
in Rosicrucian Healingand, above all, be
aware of what these exercises can be expected to do, and wherein their limitations
exist, especially in our use of them.W

Page 127

Realization of Space
An article written today on any topic that
is related to the realm of physics, even in the
least degree, must be qualified to the extent
that before these words can be printed some
thing may have happened to contradict
completely the ideas presented. All mdiums
of communication are repeatedly reminding
us that we live in the space age. Actually,
we might pause to ask ourselves whether this
is any more the space age than has been any
other age in the past. The only reason for
this terminology is mans desire to explore
the area that lies outside the limitations of
the gravity of our planet. It might be inter
esting to discuss why man is anxious to ex
plore outer space, but this subject might be
better analyzed at another time possibly far
into the future when in the light of history
men more wise than we may look back with
understanding upon the motives and purposes
of the human race as it exists today.
Whatever space may be, or what it may
contain, its importance is primarily of valu
to us insofar as our own realization of it is
concerned. Based upon some of the basic
philosophical principies of the Rosicrucian
teachings, realization by man is the most
important factor that affects him. We are
taught early in our degrees of study that time
and space are problems of consciousness that
are greatly exaggerated in the lives of most
people. We are taught that time is the duration of consciousness and space is a gap in
consciousness and to the best of my knowl
edge better definitions have not yet been devised.
Although we race and work against the
limitations of space, actually much of the
effort directed in this direction is due to
faulty reasoning, to faulty concepts of the
principies or circumstances under which we
live. I will not attempt here to review the
teachings of the Rosicrucians insofar as these
principies are concerned, but merely to dis
cuss some of our realizations of space which
may in a degree reflect the philosophy upon
which we build our lives and the ideis
which should be ours.
To look upon space as an impenetrable
barrier, as a condition that cannot be conquered by man, is to deny the technological
advances of comparatively recent times. Our
ancestors crossed a continent by a method

Page 128

that required a great deal of time in terms

of days, weeks, and months. I was recently
reading the diary of Benjamin Franklin kept
when he retumed from England to America
upon the occasion of his first visit to Europe.
The time involved, which constituted many
weeks, seems incredible today. Surely to a
lesser intelligence than that of Benjamin
Franklin, these would have been wearisome
weeks. In this so-called jet age, it is possible
to make the same Crossing in a matter of
hours. In other words, man has, in the physi
cal sense of the word, gone a long way in
conquering the limitations that space seems
to place upon him.
But space means more than the lifting of
limitations. Space is lack of knowledge,
concerning an area which in itself we do not
perceive because of our physical inability to
do so. Man is equipped with sense faculties
that permit him to perceive only the tangible
portions of his environment. As a result,
man looks upon space as a challenge and
has devised some ingenious ways of conquer
ing it, such as jet transportation, for example.
But space is more than a challenge to
mans ingenuity. This gap in the conscious
ness should be a continual challenge to man,
not only to control and contain it but to expand his consciousness and realization of
areas which lie outside the field of his im
mediate perception. In our realization that
there is something we cannot perceive, we
should be humbled by the thought that man,
after all, is a very insignificant entity in the
scheme of things.
We can perceive a room. The room in
which I dictate these words has four walls,
two doors, a ceiling, and a floor, as well as
a window and an artificial source of illumination. But that which is between me and the
wall we cali space. Actually, in this universe,
if it is presumed to be purposeful, there certainly should not be so much area entirely
wasted. According to our Rosicrucian defini
tion of space, what exists between me and the
four walls of this room is an area that I can
not perceive, a gap in my consciousness, and
if I could perceive it, I would be wiser and
more advanced than I am at this moment.
Therefore, we should strive to understand
space as we cali it. Let us realize that there
are elements of existencethat vibratory en
ergy exists which makes these four walls,
ceiling, and floor produce this room, and that

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

at the same time an equal phenomenon ex

ists within the area between me and these
walls which I have not yet been able to
perceive.
There was a time when man believed that
there were two worldsa world of physical
objects and a world of space. He believed
that in this world of space were the departed
spirits of human beings. According to his
reasoning, the salvation of the soul and the
moral, ethical and spiritual existence of be
ings took place in the same world that we
live in at all times.
Persons with imagination conceive survival
with no difficulty in another location. In
other words, early man thought Heaven was
above the stars or within the earth and that
the soul simply journeyed in space from one
point to another, and that there existed a
form of motion similar to that in the physical
world and to which man was accustomed.
None of these conceptions is possible today.
If there is another life comparable to a physi
cal life, there must be another nature, or it
must exist in another space-time order, is
the argument of those who realize that we
cannot have another form of living manifesting in the same physical world of existence.
The reason for this is that we can only be
lieve in another world by drawing an imaginary boundary about this world, and that,
of course, is impossible.
This thinking has grown up with a cer
tain conception of space that seems to come
about concurrently with our beliefs in an
other world. According to this concept, the
space we inhabit is completely a unit in it
self; and being complete, it must be unique;
for, since it occupies or is all the room that
there is in existence, there could be no out
side in which another space could exist
separately.
To put the matter more technically, we
may think of the whole of space as the totality of all positions which would be swept
by an expanding sphere centered at any giv
en point and moved outward without limit.
It may also be defined as a totality of posi
tions which could be reached from a given
point by continuous motion or be related to
a given point by distance and direction. But
if one point (A) can be reached from an
other point (B), then B can also be reached
from point A. Henee, every point in space
will serve as well as any other as a center.

JUNE, 1959

Each will define, as it were, the same totality.

If we were to try to define two different
spaces starting from remte points, we would
eventually reach the other and, therefore,
would only be defining the same space.
Therefore, our reasoning, insofar as space as
an existent thing comparable to physical
structure is concerned, reaches a conclusin
that is hopeless.
There are not necessarily two worlds, two
existences, or two spaces. There is a unity
in which man exists at the present time although he is only able to perceive a part of
it. Man can reach out beyond the limits of
his own perception at the moment and begin
to grasp the fact that the true reality, which
is God, exists throughout all things, and that
man can perceive the existence within this
world in which he lives by expanding his
consciousness so as to be receptive to those
influences, vibrations, and concepts which
may not readily register upon his physical
senses. As man listens and looks to perceive
the subtleties of existence, he perceives a
greater concept of being. He then reaches
into the realm beyond that which is ordinari
ly called space. This is the essence of the
mystic experience, the realization that being
exists about man, within man, and to all
extents and purposes wherever man may be
or wherever he may direct his thinking.
Space, then, is truly only a gap in con
sciousnessnot a complex sitation that can
be solved by a mathematical formula, but an
area into which man may grow and expand.
As man through intuitive knowledge gains
glimpses of the Being that is God, he evolves
in a manner that will prepare him to per
ceive what really is space, and which he now
perceives only as an empty part of the uni
verse. When man attains consciousness of
space, he attains consciousness of Absolute
Being and is no longer limited or handicapped by those restrictions that are purely
of a material or physical nature. Mysticism
which is the key to the realization of mans
relationship to the higher forces of the uni
verse is also the key to his solution of the
problem of space.A
Law Enforcement and Mysticism
A frater rises to address our Forum and
asks: Can a Rosicrucian student truly live
the teachings and apply the principies in his

Page 129

daily life while conscientiously performing

the duties of a law enforcement officer?
By the very nature of his duties, a law en
forcement officer is precipitated into sordid
environments. He is likewise frequently
brought into contact with human beings
whose life and principies are contrary to the
moral precepts of any advanced society.
Furthermore, a law enforcement officer is
obliged to use physical forc to subdue violators when necessary, even when such may
be painful to the criminal. An officer, too,
may be required to imprison an individual,
to separate him from family and friends and
thus inadvertently to bring much anguish to
innocent persons.
The substance of this question, as we see
it, is: Can a Rosicrucian, who from his stud
ies is expected to display compassion, tolerance, sympathy and mercy, consistently do
these things? Let us look at this subject from
the angle of the ultmate objective. In other
words, what is the law enforcement officer
accomplishing? What end, what purpose is
he serving? In a determination of the valu
of that end will lie the answer to the fraters
question.
Succinctly put, the objective of society is
to accomplish what is best for the most
That society may often fall short of such an
ideal does not detract from the fact that it is
the ultimate objective of every intelligent
society or state. Certainly, that which is best
for the most would include the protection
from oppression and abuse of women and
children, the poor and the weak. It would
also prevent unnecessary destruction of property and of the individuals opportnity to
find security and happiness. It would like
wise require the restraint of the antisocial
person from attacking the very basis of so
ciety by the violation of any rules of order
thought essential to its continuance and
preservation.
The law enforcement officer is legally and
morally obligated to enforce those laws which
society has enacted as achieving the ends
which we have related. In the interests of
society, he is obliged to use punitive methods
to fulfill his duties. The officer is working
at all times from what would, in a democratic society, appear to be for the welfare
and happiness of the majority. The recalcitrant, the antisocial person, must be restrained. If he will not adhere to caution

Page 130

and law, and if he resorts to primitive meth

ods of violence to gain his ends, he must be
met upon such grounds.
Suppose, for some false moral or ethical
reasons, all members of society were to re
fuse to serve in law enforcement agencies.
Crime would run rampant. Cruelty, abuse,
and murder would be widely extant as a re
sult. Certainly, the conscience of the indi
vidual refusing to serve in law enforcement
would have a greater weight of guilt upon it
than if he were to so serve.
There are, however, certain factors to be
taken into consideration. Suppose that a
state, a society, is totalitarian. Its authority
is actually tyrannical and does not represent
the people. The laws enacted and which require enforcement, in effect, then, would
constitute tyranny and persecution. One who
takes the position of an officer under such
conditionsmerely because it affords a per
sonal livelihoodis working against his fellow men. He is no longer an agent or
representative of the principies of a Progres
sive, democratic society. A Rosicrucian most
certainly could not conscientiously serve as
a law enforcement officer of such a society.
A Rosicrucian could not, with due respect
to what he believes and the idealism of his
Order, function as a law officer in, for ex
ample, Francos Spain. The religious intoler
ance of that nation, the deliberate persecution
of non-Catholics and Protestants sanctioned
by the Government, the laws which must be
enforced and which are designed to harass
the non-Catholics would not be compatible
with the conscience of a Rosicrucian or of
any individual having a real sense of justice.
At times there are ordinances established
in various communities, local laws, which
stem from prejudices, ignorance, and super
stition. These are false in their premise and
they do not really redound to the benefit of
the majority of the people. Examples of these
were the so-called blue laws in New Eng
land, a number of which have been repealed
in recent years. They prohibited the engaging i sports and public dancing on Sunday
and in fact, almost any form of healthful
recreation. It was construed that happiness
on the Sabbath could be realized only by
resorting to the reading of the Bible, attending sermons and devoting oneself to prayer.
As a consequence, hypocrisy was present
everywhere. This near form of asceticism on

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Sunday could not and did not appeal to the

majority of people. The obvious consequences were numerous violations.
To enforce such laws, plice officers would
need to be either ignorant, intolerant, or
prejudiced. To be otherwise would be against
conscience. Certainly, in such an instance,
no Rosicrucian could accept the position of
law officer and yet be in accord with the
doctrines and teachings of AMORC.
The question of controversial laws arises,
as well. These are the laws upon which
public opinion may be nearly equally divided. Some may believe such laws to be just
and that they should be enforced; others may
contend that they are inhuman and beneath
the dignity of man, perhaps primitive or
obsolete.
An example of such laws which cause disputations on the part of many is that of
capital punishment. The state, society, abhors murder. On the grounds of moral
precepts it contends that no man shall take
the life of another. It finds support for this
premise in the recognized sacred literature.
But, in opposition to its own stand, it makes
an exception. It permits the state, the col
lection of men, to legally take the life of one
who has taken the life of another. No matter
how it may be looked upon from a legal
point of view, it is, to many minds, leglized
murder. It is the od Mosaic law of an eye
for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
This question is not one of maudlin sentiment for a vicious murderer. Such an indi
vidual, whether actually mentally ill or not,
constitutes a menace to society. He must be
restrained, prevented from bringing harm to
others. Perhaps, too, they need punishment,
such as years of hard labor. In some in
stances, in the case of murder by passion, it
is questionable as to what hard labor would
accomplish. It is advisable to isolate such
criminis from society but not to inflict upon
them the very crime for which they were
condemned. This is not a pampering of murderers, but rather an attempt to be consistent
in the application of law. Most Rosicrucians
could not serve as law enforcement officers
if they were obliged to take part in the execution of a criminalcapital punishment.
A further question may arise in connection
with this topic. Suppose a plice officer is
compelled to kill a criminal in self-defense,
the criminal having attacked him with a

JUNE, 1959

lethal weapon? What moral responsibility

would the Rosicrucian incur? Our answer
is: None, under such circumstances.
The law of life is preservation. Every cell
of our being is continually fighting to exist;
the red corpuscles oppose any attempt which
might destroy them, made by germs and
viruses which endanger life. If we do not
preserve life as individuis we would then
not exist to promlgate our cherished ideis,
religious or otherwise. A Rosicrucian could
be a law enforcement officer without violating any Rosicrucian principies and yet have
knowledge that in his own defense or in the
defense of helpless or defenseless persons he
may be required to take a life. In such an
instance, his act is not motivated by malice
or retribution. Obviously, such taking of life
would be done only as a last resort.X
Mental Discipline or Indolence?
A distinction must be made between men
tal indolence and mental discipline. A disci
pline constitutes a controlled behavior or
conduct. When we discipline ourselves, it
implies that, in some manner, we ar controlling our actions, emotions or thoughts.
To accomplish this, it is first necessary to
establish a criterion to which to adhere.
Something must be conceived as the right
course of action or thought, a standard to go
by. Discipline, then, is the restraint and the
avoidance of any motivations or conduct
that will vilate that which is conceived to
be right.
We all are familiar, of course, with moral
disciplineor the impositions or prohibitions,
for example, we place upon certain behavior
construed as immoral. There are, also,
ethical and social disciplines. In our relations with others, we must avoid the use of
certain offensive language or acts. Social
refinement consists of this self-imposition of
restraint upon conduct which is not expected
of a gentleman or a lady. A discipline may,
if adhered to regularly and with voluntary
conformity, eventually evolve into a habit.
A real student is required to mentally
discipline himself. A human, as all animals,
is inclined toward the path of least resistance.
That which is fatiguing, that which, for ex
ample, requires concentration or effort, is
ordinarily avoided. Of course, what may be
an effort for one person may be a pleasant

Page 131

stimulus and enjoyment for another. A stu

dent may find satisfaction in anticipating an
eventual completion of a subject and the
attaining of an academic degree in it. In
general, the subject matter of his studies may
be interesting. But in almost every profession, for example, there is some one phase
which is less intellectually pleasing than an
other.
It is at this point that the student must
exercise discipline. He must use his will to
interpose between the temptation to skip
study and pursue some appeals to the senses.
He has to cultvate a regularity of study.
Eventually he finds this discipline rewarding!
The different portions of his subjects become
easier to comprehend. The continuity of
thought, as a result of regularly acquired information, makes progress from one topic to
another more simple. The reason for this is
that there are no hiatuses of forgetfulness
between the study of one subject and an
other. Then there comes the satisfaction of
mastery, the realization that you really
know, that you are a victor over yourself as
well as the topic.
The intellectually ind olen t in other
words, the mentally lazyfind excuses for
avoiding the mental discipline of study and
the acquisition of knowledge. One of the
common statements made by them is: I
dont want to tie myself down. This really
means: I dont want to concntrate on a
subject or to focus my consciousness, which
requires of me the exercise of will and ef
fort. In effect, such individuis are not
really mentally aggressive. They do not
want to extend their mental faculties, to
reach out with the mind and to create,
through study, new experiences from which
they may learn many worthy things.
Such people as these want to have a passive mind only. They want experiences to
come to them, to impress themselves upon
them. They want to be a recipient only, but
not a mental attainer. They, then, only
expose themselves to things that are gratifying. By gratifying, we mean that which is
sensually pleasing as well as mentally satisfying. In what they do there must be no
conscious effort, nothing that will interfere
with ease. Th ese persons wish others,
through the mdium of entertainment, like
radio, televisin and popular magazines, to
expound in detail so that they will need to

Page 132

do little reasoning or that little conceptual

activity will be required of them.
These mentally indolent persons attempt
to explain their objection to tieing fast to a
study as meaning that they wish to have
mental freedom. To become a member of a
cultural, philosophical system, such as the
A.M.O.R.C., or to subscribe to a system of
study would, they imply, hinder their men
tal freedom. Now such an explanation is
really evasive and not a sincere one in most
instances. Does man ever accomplish any
thing in an intellectual way, or some other,
without conscientiously dedicating himself to
it? If there be freedom at all, it consists only
in making a choice of our cultural pursuits.
Once that decisin has been made, the next
requirement is application. This consists of
concentration and the focusing of our atten
tion and mental powers upon the selected
subject, if it is to be learned and mastered.
Dont tie yourself fast, and you will find
yourself at loose ends.
In further defense of the individuals reluctance to pursue a definite system of study
is his remark that he does a lot of reading.
There is a further distinction that must be
made between desultory reading and study.
Desultory reading consists of the perusal of,
for example, current magazines and popular
books on varied subjects that appealand
which usually require little ind ivid ual
thought and reasoning. For entertainment,
strictly and frankly, it is quite in order but
it is no substitute for study. To go from one
book to another on unrelated subjects often
means the acquiring of unrelated information. One, of course, can have independent
subjects of study as, for example, algebra
and ancient history. They are not related
but each in itself must be thorough and have
continuity.
Reading for entertainment, as one would
read a newspaper, provides little information
that is really retained. The reading of a
book, where study is not the purpose, usually
results in the readers remembering only
those portions which particularly impress
him or which provide an emotional response.
In study, the essential content of the sub
ject matter which is read must be retained,
whether it produces a pleasing emotional re
sponse or not. Rosicrucian students, for
example, who just read the monographs
in v a r ia b ty gain little from them. One must

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

want to know and to rem em ber what he has

read. He must try to recall the important
elements of the monographs. If he cannot,
they are of no avail to him.
The study habit for those who have lost
it is sometimes a little difficult at first to
again acquire. It needs tieing oneself fast,
mental discipline. Soon the habit is formed.
There is then an unconscious focusing of at
tention and an easier retention of what is
read.
Remember, being a free thinker does not
mean to be a mental rambler.X
The Nature of Duality
A question brought to this Forum asks:
Does duality actually exist in the universe
as separately existing states or conditions?
Or is duality the result of the human minds
comparing the functions of one phenomenon
with another? In other words, is it not pos
sible that variation in a phenomenon or a
manifestation of nature may only suggest
the idea of a dual creation or duality?
The concept of duality in creation has persisted down through the centuries. Primarily,
the idea of duality arises from mans general
classification of dissimilar reality. With the
conception of a Supreme Spirit, God, or the
transcendent power in the universe, all else
in contrast to it, such as the physical world,
was conceived as being another and different
kind of reality. Here, then, entered duality,
the world of spirit, the Divine, on one hand,
and the world of matter on the other.
Though reality was thought to have this
dual nature, theism, the belief in a god as a
creator, made duality unequal in valu.
Actually, in fundamental thought, most theology adheres to what in effect constitutes
monism. In other words, God, being the
primary cause, is the first reality; the ma
terial world, his creation, is a secondary
realitythe effect of the first.
Let us presume that the Cosmic is but a
vibratory energy. This energy is of various
octaves or rates of vibration, the different
rates of vibration composing, we shall say,
the electromagnetic spectrum. In this spectrum of energy, various phenomena occur,
as heat, sound, light, magnetism, and per
haps infinite other manifestations of which
we as yet have no knowledge. However, to
produce a particular manifestation, we shall

JUNE, 1959

assume, there needs to be a unity, an integration, of two of these different octaves

or cycles of energy. Simply put, A as an
energy, needs to combine with B before
we can realize such a state or substance as
C. Though C is a composite of A and
B, it doesnt necessarily imply that A
and B are not complete in themselves and
that they are but parts of a duality. A
and B are only a duality in relation to the
nature of C. Actually, A and B may
have a quality, a character, a function of
their own which is quite self-sufficient.
In a true universe all phenomena would
be basically related, that is, of one nature
one phase or variation merging into another.
The so-called distinct or apparently separate
realities would exist only in the human per
ception of the whole. The limitations of the
human sense faculties make it often impos
sible to determine where one particular
phenomenon merges with another. Conse
quently, this would cause the conception of
separate realities. Where two states or con
ditions appear to contribute to a third, they
are assumed to be the dual qualities of it.
Contrares or opposites likewise give rise
to the notion of duality, such as light and
dark, coid and hot, hard and soft. Actually
what we have in such contrares are varia^
tions of a single state rather than absolute
opposites. Darkness, for example, depends
upon the sensitivity of that which detects
light. Where the human eye experiences no
visible light, instruments may detect infrared
and other wave bands of light not discemible
to the eye. In other words, darkness does not
exist to such instruments. In the instance
of sound and silence, which are apparent op
posites or dual states, silence is but relevant
to the deficiencies which exist, human or
otherwise, for detecting sound.
There are some negative states, so termed,
which are psychological only. They actually
have no existence except in the human con
sciousness. Such negative states are but the
absence of a positive condition. For further
analogy, we have space and matter. Space,
however, is relatively negative to the positive
reality of matter. Perceptual space is but
the inability of the senses of sight and touch
to determine form or substance, space being
the perceptual absence of matter. Positive is
usually psychologically conceived as the ac
tive state of something, the fullness of the

Page 133

nature or quality of something. By contras!,

the diminishing of it is psychologically nega
tive.
The point we wish to make here is that
nothing in the Cosmic is either truly positive
or negative. Upon first blush this may seem
to be contrary to statements made in our
Rosicrucian monographs and especially our
Rosicrucian ontology. Actually, however,
what may be termed a negative polarity or
phenomenon, if it has reality at all, only
seems such in contrast to the quality of what
is termed its opposite. Within itself, what it
is or accomplishes, as separately realized, is
positive. If we compare it to what we think
of as the more active or more infinite state,
then it acquires to us a negative valu.
In our Rosicrucian philosophy, we refer to
the universal Creative forc which is traditionally named nous. We say that nous is
dual in polarity, that it has both positive
and negative polarities. Why do we make
this divisin in something that is declared
to be a single unitary condition? It is because out of that single reality of nous there
emerges a varety of phenomena which we,
as humans, experience. In our understand
ing and evaluation as mortals, we confer a
greater valu or importance upon one class
of manifestations than upon another. We
insist that all matter, for example, or physi
cal reality, is subordinate to and of a lesser
quality than vital life forc with its attribute
of consciousness. Therefore, the latter we
term the positive polarity of the dual nature
of nous.
However, we do admit that both such
polarities, the positive of the vital life forc
and the negative forc of matter, are really
binary in nature. In other words, though
we contend that matter is primarly negative,
yet it, too, as we know from its structure,
has positive charges. The living forc in its
cell structure is also binary, having a nega
tive polarity also.
Are we not really, after all, figuratively
speaking, but comparing the function of one
variation of phenomena with another and
arbitrarily determining which one we shall
term the positive and which the negative?
There are variations and changes, yes, but
an absolute duality, no.
Another example in connection with this
subject is the problem of causality. First, we
must discuss the common notion that there

Page 134

are but single causes from which effects fol

low. I will not enter into the abstract sub
ject as to whether cause itself is but a notion
of the mind rather than anythings being in
its nature inherently causative. However,
for every effect there are two causes: one is
the active, the moving, cause; the other is
the passive on which the cause acts and from
which follows the effect. A thing cannot be
a cause in itself. It must act upon something
by which a change, as an effect, will occur.
We may cali the active cause positive and
the passive one, by contrast, negative. We
cannot, however, say that there is actually
a duality of causes, positive and negative.
In other words, we cannot affirm that some
things or conditions are created or established
to be positive causes and others, negative
ones. Actually, what we perceive as a nega
tive cause in one effect may become active,
that is, positive, in some other relationship.
A ball thrown at a bat is a positive cause.
However, the ball that is struck in golf is
negative in comparison to what follows as an
effect, after the balls being hit by a blow
of the active club.
Duality, then, is not absolute, but relative
in the world of phenomena.X
Consciousness and Mind
During a Forum conducted at the Eastern
Caada Rally last autumn, one question con
cerned an explanation of the relationship of
consciousness to mind. The necessity of
making such an explanation indicates the
often repeated fact that terminology having
to do with psychology, philosophy, religin,
and even the physical sciences is sometimes
confused both by the layman and the expert.
The terminology that is selected to apply to
any set of circumstances is, of course, arbitrary. There is no reason why we choose
one particular word to have a specific mean
ing. Some persons believe words and meanings to be closely related, but there is little
proof insofar as the modern use of language
is concerned to warrant such a belief.
In the early period of the origin of lan
guage, it may be that sound was closely
associated with the actual meaning conveyed.
This is particularly true of nouns when they
applied to specific things. However, much of
this relationship has been lost, and language
today has become a highly technical tool.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Unfortunately, the technicalities and use of

the tool are sometimes more involved than
the intricacies of the language. The obvious
meanings of the terminology selected in any
particular system of thought or even in regu
lar conversation are frequently lost in tech
nicalities. It is only necessary to go to a
standard dictionary, such as Websters Inter
national or the Oxford Dictionary insofar as
the English language is concemed, to find
the meaning of any word at random and discover its many synonyms, antonyms, and
complicated definitions.
Recently I had occasion to look up in Web
sters Dictionary a comparatively wel-known
word, the subject of which I was using in
a discourse I was preparing; to my surprise
there were five different definitions of the
word. These were related, but still specifically different. These meanings had grown to
be associated with that particular word.
Science has attempted to confine defini
tions specifically to certain situations. Wher
ever that is impossible or difficult, science
many times uses symbols, particularly the
so-called exact sciences. Mathematics is the
discipline, we might say, that speaks most
eloquently through symbols, but related sci
ences, such as physics and chemistry, also
rely heavily upon symbols. It would be
difficult in the field of psychology or phi
losophy to use symbols, for if we did, we
would simply be using them instead of cer
tain words.
Much confusion exists for the average in
dividual who first studies anything of a
psychological or philosophical nature about
the two simple words, mind and brain. In
the popular sense, these two terms are not
definitely distinguished, so in the Rosicru
cian teachings we attempt to do that in the
preliminary lessons presented to the Neophyte member. Throughout our teachings,
we attempt to clearly define these words and
clearly distinguish between them.
To reiterate the basis of these definitions,
it is only necessary to point out that the brain
is a physical organ, one of many physical
organs in the body. The mind, on the other
hand, is a nonphysical entity. It is, we might
say, the result of the processes of the brain,
although actually the mind goes further than
even that definition would imply because it
includes all the subtleties of both subjective
and objective phenomena. It also reaches in-

JUNE, 1959

to sources of knowledge which lie completely

beyond the nervous system of the human
being of which the brain is the central organ.
Mind and brain, then, should be generally
distinguished in the sense that brain is a
physical part of the body and mind is the
nonphysical accompaniment. It is our belief
that the mind has its seat in the brain.
Through experience, it seems to us that we
have mental concepts which are a part of
the mind within the head which is the lcale
of the brain. At one time it was believed that
mind is an attribute of the heart, having its
lcale there, and that the brain is the seat
of all consciousness or all nervous activity.
Just what function was assigned to the brain
at that time, I do not know.
Consciousness is another vague term; in
fact, it is so vague that some schools of psychology differ as to what constitutes con
sciousness, and some schools deny that
consciousness even exists. This was a favorite
argument of the behavioristic school of
psychology some years ago when it claimed
as a fundamental premise of its psychological
philosophy or the foundation upon which its
science was built that consciousness was
simply no more or less than a concept gained
by man through his use of what he believed
was thinking or rather what he claimed was
merely subvocal talking. The individual considers situations within his own conscious
ness, as we generally use the word, but this
process was considered by the behaviorist as
merely a process of talking to ones self.
It is the belief of Rosicrucians that con
sciousness is more than subvocal talking;
that consciousness is an attribute of the mind
rather than the mind itself. To go back over
our definitions, the brain is the physical or
gan. The mind is the seat of consciousness,
a nonphysical accompaniment of the brain.
While consciousness in itself, we might say,
is the process of the mind, we might think of
a river as being illustrative of these concepts.
The area cut out of the earth, the channel in
other words, is the physical limitation or the
container of the river. The channel, to a cer
tain extent, directs the rivers flow. It is the
physical enclosure that holds the water,
under normal circumstances, within certain
bounds. The river itself is the mass of water.
Depending upon the size of the river, a cer
tain volume of water is contained within the
limits of the banks of the river. The current,

Page 135

the movement of the water in a general di

rection, is the result of various laws, gravity
fundamentally, causing the general water
conten of the river to flow or move in a
specific course. The current and the flow,
we might say, are synonymous.
To associate these ideas with our termi
nology, we might say that the river with
its banks and channel, the physical part of
the earth enclosing the river, is like the
brain. The water, the content of the river,
is comparable to the mind. The stream, the
movement, the activity, the purpose of the
rivers being, in a sense, is comparable to
consciousness.
The brain is therefore the enclosure or the
seat of the mind during our incamation in
the physical body. Mind becomes the potentiality of all that man can be as a living
being to direct, in a sense, voluntary and
involuntary processes of his being. Conscious
ness is the stream of activity, the stream of
being or the life forc itself that flows
through the entity of the human being and
makes him what we believe to be an intelli
gent and adaptable entity here in this ma
terial environment.
These illustrations are possibly exaggerated because there would be many differences
between a river channel and the brain, the
water and the mind, and the current of the
river and consciousness; yet there are certain
parallels that may help us to better understand the fundamental relationships between
these terms and what we, as Rosicrucians,
believe to be their psychological signifi
cance.A
Understanding Accidents
A soror recently presented this Fomm with
a question on a subject spoken of several
times in the past, but which is worthy of
examining again. She asks, in part, Is there
such a thing as an accident? Does the Cosmic
Plan allow for such things as accidents, par
ticularly causing transition? It seems that if
accidents w ere possible, this would result in
complete disharmony, which, as we know,
is against nature.
To answer this question adequately, we
must first make an attempt to determine just
what an accident is.
Of course, we all can think of examples
of that which we term accidents. If we are

Page 136

driving a nail, and hit our finger with the

hammer, we cali it an accident. If a man
steps from a curb in the middle of a block
and is struck by an auto driven well within
the legal speed limit, this is an accident. By
the same token, if a person is struck by a
falling object which has not been purposely
aimed at him, this too is an accident.
In fact, we find that the usual test to
which we put an occurrence is in the nature
of, Was this done on purpose, and was there
any portion of the event or events leading
to the conclusin which could have been willfully altered by the party or parties involved
in order to change the outcome? If these
questions can be fully answered in the nega
tive, then man is likely to consider the oc
currence an unfortunate but unavoidable
accident, one which just happened, but
through no particular cause.
On analysis of any given accident, how
ever, we can easily find causes which lead
to the various phases of the series of events
which led up to the accident itself.
Now we see that accidents do indeed have
causes, but we still have a criterion by which
to classify our accident as an accident. We
see that in the usual, ordinary turn of events
the causes leading up to our accident do not
occur. As an example, a small airplane suffers engine failure and crashes. Investigation
shows that a bolt in the cylinder head was
cracked, and finally parted in flight. The
severe strain on the other bolts caused them
to weaken, allowing the head to blow off un
der the compression forc. Here we have the
causes of the accident, but it is still just an
accident, since other hundreds of the same
type, brand, and year model of airplane are
flying continually without mishap.
Therefore our criterion for calling the
crash an accident is the fact that it was an
inordinate or unusual occurrence. It hap
pened outside the usual run of affairs. If all
airplanes of its age, model, etc., began to
suffer the same type of failure, it would be
an accident no longer.
Accidents, then, are seen to have causes,
but we consider them to be random ones.
Other types of accidents can be seen to
have causes that are completely undeterminable, as in our example of the man struck by
a falling object. Certainly, he had no realiza
tion that the object would fail, or did he
knowingly place himself in the proper place

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

at the exact instant to be struck. Only an

accident put him there. By the same token,
had he stopped just short of the spot, and
therefore been saved, that too would be an
accident, or perhaps he might term it an
act of Providence.
In the analysis of accidents from the Cos
mic viewpoint, however, we find that there is
no such thing as an inexplicable occurrence.
We are constantly surrounded in nature by
as a previous article on this subject termed
itthat persistency of phenomenon which
we cali law. We find that we cannot es
cape this law, and as a consequence of
natures law, all things occur by a continuous
chain of causes and effects.
Even when man is unable to perceive a
logical series of causes leading to the effect
he terms an accident, this chain exists.
The man moving toward his meeting with
the falling object was governed by certain
laws of motivation and propulsin, just as
the object itself was acting under the irrefut
able laws goveming the gravitational attraction of the earth on objects in space and laws
goveming the speed of falling objects. We
can conceive of other laws goveming the
fact that the object was there to failperhaps
those physical laws of weathering which
would cause a rock to break away from a cliff
edge and fail to the base.
To return to the man stepping from the
curban analogy used in these discussions
beforewe find that he has intentionally
created the principal cause leading to the
final effect, as opposed to the man in the
above example, whose presence was merely
a secondary cause, and not intentionally initiated.
By stepping from the curb in mid-block,
rather than continuing to the intersection,
the proper place to cross, the person inten
tionally brought about the condition of being
struck. We easily see how the causes relate
to one another, and we can just as easily
realize that the final effect would always ex
ist as a potentiality in this given situation.
In analysis, we can see the existence of
these laws, but man does not often conceive
this complex unity, and not fully understand
ing it, he has the notion that these strange
results are accidents.
Therefore, not having this understanding,
we are inclined to use the term accident for

JUNE, 1959

this actually existent, but not realized, series

of causes.W
Is There Infinite Purpose?
A frater now arises to address our Forum.
He states: Everything is of the Great Infi
nite, and therefore It knew what our im
pressions would be before creation. What is
the purpose of our living and of all the
planets and stars, etc., around us?
Another frater, from England, asks what
we consider is a related question: If the
soul is divine and perfect, then what is SoulPersonality that it has to evolve and improve
itself? If there is nothing apart from God
why should the mundane, mortal part of us
need to evolve?
Let us consider these questions in their
order. First, this again brings up the od
philosophical problem of purpose versus
necessity. Man conceives himself as purposeful. This is evident in his visualizing of ends
or objectives for himself which he wishes to
attain. These become his purpose. But what
is the psychological origin of purpose? It is
desire. We have urges or inclinations which
physically or mentally aggravate us. We de
sire to acquire those things or conditions
which remove the aggravation. For example,
we desire food to remove the pangs of hunger. We then have a purpose in seeking
food.
Mans evaluation of the things of his en
vironment in relation to himself give objects
a valu which is not inherent in the things
themselves. Gold is just another ore. It has
no valuonly as man has found a particular
use for it. In desiring gold, man has estab
lished a purpose. Philosophically, we can say
that the motivation behind purpose is a con
sciousness of insufficiency or inadequacy
which we strive to surmount in some man
ner. In other words, purpose is a plan by
which we expect to attain ends we establish
for ourselves.
Because purpose is so dominant a factor
in the human mental processes, man transfers it to nature, as well. He often considers,
for example, that nature has provided rain
so that vegetation will nurture. The spring
season is designed, he thinks, planned, if you
will, so that there can be a period of regeneration. Man has, for further example, been
given fingers, he believes, so that he can have

Page 137

the advantage of the prehensile power of his

hands. The sun is given so as to provide
heat and light for life.
Actually, these things may occur com
pletely devoid of purpose. Nature does not
need plant life to fulfill a conceived end for
itself. Therefore, rain comes as a natural
phenomenon and plant life follows as an inescapable necessity of such a circumstance.
Further, the spring season is not a purposeful
cause of fertility and regeneration. Rather,
these things follow as a necessity of the event
of spring. Mans fingers were not planned to
serve him in the manner in which he uses
them. His evolution causes him to use his
hands more, and he and the primates gradually acquired the versatility of fingers for
grasping. Eyes, too, were not a purposeful
intent. The eyes of man and of living things
are different. Eyes in their primitive state
were light-sensitive cells that through cen
turies of time evolved into visual organs and
structures varying with and depending upon
environmental conditions.
More and more man is confronted with the
fact that the od theological theory of the
earths being especially created to be his
habitat is an erroneous assumption. The
earth was not devised to complement the hu
man ego, that is, that man is the supreme
creation in the greater universe. We know
now that the earth is a mere planet of a
sun; the latter is a relatively small star in a
galaxy of millions and millions of stars. In
fact, some of the so-called red-giants in
the constellations (so named because of their
brilliant red glow) are stars which in size
are even larger than the whole orbit of the
earth around the sun!
To further approach the problem of neces
sity, let us consider being, or absolute reality,
in the abstract. Being is that which is. That
which is must have some nature, state or
condition, or, logically, it would not be.
What it appears to be is then what it is by
the necessity of its nature. Hydrogen is such
by the necessity of its molecular structure
not because it was determined to be that as
a purpose instead of being oxygen.
Of course, it could be contended that
basically the causes of all things were predetermined, conceivedand what follows from
them by necessity was, after all, purposeful.
Actually, that kind of infinite determinism
as a notion, so prevalent in orthodox religin,

Page 138

is primitive thinking. It is endeavoring to

place the Divine in a category paralleling
the functions of the human mind. If the Di
vine is accepted as self-sufficient and perfect,
it is, in other words, complete, both in quantity and quality; and therefore it would not
need to be purposeful. What could infinite
intelligence need? What would it need to
aspire to that would not already be contained
within its nature?
Further, if it is insufficient, from what
would the infinite intelligence create that
which it needed? To provide a source from
which it would seek its requirements would
be to establish an equal or a supreme being
or substance to itself! If A has to turn to B
to complete itself, then B is independent of
A and, at least, it has that much superiority
to it. Such reasoning subordinates the su
periority of an infinite intelligence. Certainly, it is no longer infinite if it is insuf
ficient.
Is it not a more complimentary view to
think of man as just part of a Cosmic func
tion, man being part of a vast universal de
velopment? Is it not more complimentary
to think of man as having come to express
on earth at least a greater manifestation of
Cosmic and natural laws than any other
development that follows from the necessity
of the intemal substance of the Cosmic.
There is no special purpose for man except
what man makes for himself. In realizing
his Cosmic nature and relationship, the Cos
mic has self-consciousness; that is, it realizes
itself through man. Of course, this function
would not exist alone for man but for any
being having developed the same intelligence
and degree of self-realization that man has.
The idea of purpose is a strong and primi
tive impulsation in homo sapiens. It is diffi
cult for the average human, in abstraction
and because of his traditional beliefs, to think
of reality, of absolute being, as always hav
ing been. It seems, from the limitations of
our mental categories, there must have been
a time when being did not exist as a sub
stance or even as an energy. In such primi
tive thinking, it is then thought that the
greater universe was created not just in
terms of galaxies, island universes and stars,
but that even a basic vibratory energy was
created. If a thing is believed to have once
been created, then it is just another simple
step in human thinking to imagine that it

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

likewise must have been desiredthat there

was a purpose for it. The next step in such
a concatenation of reasoning is to wonder
what is the particular purpose of each phe
nomenon or reality experienced by manin
cluding man himself.
The next question asked by the frater is:
Why does the Soul-Personality need to acquire perfection if the Soul is of the Infinite
which is perfect? The infinite intelligence
that accompanies the living forc of man is
perfect. As man acquires a self-consciousness,
a realization of this Inner Being, he calis the
sensations which he has of it, and the notion
about it, Soul. But in the Rosicrucian teach
ings we refer not just to Soul, but to SoulPersonality. That which we manifest or
express of the Soul forc within us, what we
exhibit outwardly, is our personality. We
think that no one will doubt that the per
sonality of each of us varies. Further, we
believe that no one would contradict the
statement that the personalities of most men
fall far short of that perfection of which they
think the Soul consists. Consequently, what
we evolve, then, is not the Soul but its ex
pression, the personality.
A question like this is concisely and very
effectively answ ered in the Rosicrucian
Manual9 a volume which all Rosicrucians
should possess. However, we shall quote just
a portion of the explanation for Soul-Personality as it appears in the Manual.
The personality is Self, and Self is an
expression of the Soul within the body of
man. The Soul strives to manifest its divine
nature and Cosmic qualities through the ob
jective consciousness of man. To the extent
that man becomes conscious of his divine
essence, his Soul, to that same extent does
Self, or the personality, conform to it.X
Sleep Learning
A frater asks: If a person falls asleep
during a talk, for instance, at a Convocation,
does he subconsciously get the conten of the
talk? If so, is it retained in the conscious
or subconscious mind; and, if in the latter,
how is it made conscious?
The whole theory and practice of sleep
learning has been made popular of late with
numerous advertized courses and expensive
recording devices by which it is supposed to
be accomplished. Some of the claims for

JUNE, 1959

these sleep leaming courses are preposterous.

They cannot possibly accomplish all of the
things professed for them. Those who are
gullible enough to believe such claims and
pay the large fees and buy the costly equipment, leam eventually that they are victims
of misrepresentation. Many years ago, long
before the public had ever heard the phrase,
sleep learning, and before any of the socalled courses in its instmction existed, the
Rosicmcian Order was explaining its basic
principies. These were given as an incident
of instmction without extra fees or the neces
sity of purchasing equipment. Beside setting
forth what such could accomplish, AMORC
also delineated what sleep learning could not
accomplish.
First, let us relate what psychological
laboratory experimentation has found in
connection with memory retention in relation
to sleep. A theory had been advanced that
forgetting may progress slowly during sleep.
In other words, it was theorized that one forgets more quickly during his waking state
than while asleep. As early as 1925, two
research scientists named Jenkins and Dallenbach, began experimental tests. They
sought evidence that when sleep follows at
once after learning that such would favor
retention of the impressions had. The tests
did prove, from the curves charted on the
graphs, that recall was greater if one went
to sleep immediately following a period of
learning.
To check on the accuracy of this evidence,
further tests were made with those who
spent intervals between leaming and sleep
in daytime activity. For example, the study
of some matter in the morning and then be
coming occupied with several hours of other
activity before sleep, was one of the specific
tests. That which these persons retained of
what they had learned was less than those
who leamed just before sleep. The scores
were much higher after sleeping than after
equal intervals of activity following the
leaming.
Another interesting result revealed by the
tests was that retention of learning was high,
as high after eight hours as it was after two
hours of sleep. In other words, if one went
to sleep following the leaming, the length
of time one slept would in no way affect the
retention of what had been learned. The con
clusin was that forgetting is not so much a

Page 139

decay or deterioration of od impressions and

associations as it is a matter of interference,
inhibiting, and the obliteration of the od by
the new.
It would appear that sleep immediately
following learning consolidates the memory
trace. In other words, it seems to arrest and
preserve it. Conversely, activity by the
crowding in of new impressions, interferes
with the retention process.
A further interesting test was based on
the problem of ones partly learning a lesson
in the morning and then completing it in the
evening just before sleep. How would this
compare in retention with one who leams
partly in the evening before sleep and finishes a study in the morning? The results
of this test were in favor of the eveningmoming learning combination. If the learn
ing were begun in the moming, the days
activities interfered with the memory trace,
consequently, the total recall was less.
The final conclusin, based on a large
number of tests with college students was
that sleep directly after learning delays the
onset of forgetting which thereafter takes
place. There is a great decline in retention
if there are intervals of activity between
learning and sleep.
All of this indicates that what can be
transmitted to the subconscious mind without
interference is retained there almost intact
with little diminution. During the day, even
that which we do not want to retain, which
for example, we have not studied or do not
consider learning, may nevertheless make a
strong impression on memory. Such extraneous thoughts and impressions constitute an
interference to that ideation which we do
wish to retain. Consequently, they cause
what we wish to retain to deterirate, that
is, to become forgotten.
If we can reach directly into the subcon
scious with any impressions or ideas, they
will have greater forc in being retained
and therefore will be more useful to us.
AMORC in its teachings, for many years,
of course, has expounded upon the balancing
of the objective and subconscious minds. It
has used the illustration of the scale to ex
plain this state of balance. When the ob
jective side of this scale is weighted down
that is, is more activethe other side, the
subconscious is relatively less active. In
reality, the subconscious is not less active but,

Page 140

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

rather, the objective phase dominates the

consciousness when we are objective.
During sleep, the objective consciousness
is less dominant. This is easily comprehensible. The receptor senses are almost com
pletely dormant. We are not seeing, hearing,
smelling, in the usual way. At least, we are
not focusing our attention, our conscious
ness, on the impressions from those senses.
In such a state, as in hypnosis, ideas that are
presented to the sleeping person can often
more effectively reach the subconscious in
their pur form. They are not interfered
with or disturbed by the reasoning process.
Many years ago, AMORC in its teachings
disclosed experiments it had conducted with
children. It found, for example, that undesired habits could be broken by a parent more
easily if he spoke softly to the sleeping child
in a series of commands that certain of his
acts be discontinued. It was found not that
the child remembered just what had been
said to him when he awoke, but rather that
in its conduct he showed himself disinclined
to continu the offensive habit. In particular,
when the child was ordered not to do the
offending act he would respond more readily
after the sleep episode.
Further tests with adults who found it
difficult to concntrate and study revealed
that they were greatly helped in leaming by
having the lesson repeated to them while
they were on the borderline, that is, just
going to sleep. In some instances, repetition
while they were asleep assisted in overcoming their forgetfulness.
The person with poor powers of concen
tration cannot easily acquire impressions in
study with sufficient forcefulness so as to retain them in memory. These persons are
helped by leaming just before going to sleep.
There is then little subsequent interference

to disturb the weak memory trace, and it is

more easily retained vin the subconscious.
However, where one has never given thought
to a subject previously, or where a subject
is of a nature that would have been beyond
his intelligence when he was awake, sleep
learning has not been effective! Suppose that
differential calculus, in mathematics, is too
difficult for one to learn while he is awake
we shall say, that he has an I.Q. not equal
to learning the intricacies of this subject. No
matter how much repetition during sleep of
the lesson, the individual does not comprehend it any better.
We must remember that what reaches the
subconscious externally must subsequently
be released into the objective mind for recall
and for comprehension. It is in this objective
mind with its intellectual power that com
prehension occurs. A person of low intelli
gence is not going to learn, is not going to
understand, beyond his normal understand
ing through the use of the sleep instruction
methods. It is in such claims (as this being
possible) that many of these courses in sleep
learning misrepresent. They imply that one
may become an excellent student and master
of subjects which, in his waking state, he
struggles to understand.
To answer the fraters question specifically, if he had been listening intently to the
discourse just before falling asleep, it is quite
probable that he would remember the contents of the lecture better the next day than
if he had not slept. However, if he had not
been concentrating upon the discourse before
he went to sleep, he would remember little
or nothing of it. After all, if it were true
that we learn better and become masters of
a subject by sleeping in a lecture hall or in a
classroom, then we all ought to sleepcontinually.X

Remember the Rosicrucian Convention July 5 through 10, 1959

JUNE, 1959

Page 141

IN D EX OF VO LUM E X X IX (Comprising the entire Six Issues of the 29th 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.
Cosmogony, 60d
A
De Anima, 70c
Abrahams, Clifford C., 1, 4a-d
De re Metallico, 60d
About Cynics and Skeptics, 115b-117b
lo, 70c
Absolute, 9b-c (see also God)
Koran, 83d
Academy of Science, Paris, 61c
Lodestones and M agnetic Bodies . . . , 70b
Accident, 38b-39c
Republic, The, 99b-c
Accidents, Understanding, 135d-137a
Rosicrucian
Manual, 138d
Adjustment, Aggression and, 2a-3d
Self Mastery and Fate With Cycles of Life, 118b,
Aegean Odyssey, 29d
119c
Aesthetic Vales, 76d
Talmud, 83d
Affirmations, 42b-c, 80b-c
Upanishads, 83d
African Tribes, 43d-45a
Brahman, 100a, 102b
Aggression and Adjustment, 2a-3d
Brain,
46d-47d, 52c-53a, 58b, 59b-c, 108a-c, 134d-135d
Agrcola, G., 60d
British Royal Air Forc, 63b
Air, 90a-91d, 92b-c
Buddhist, 32a, 40a-c, 93b-c, 123a
Airplane, 136b
Alchemists, Transcendental, 85a
Alpines, 68c-d
Cairo, 82c-d
Ambition, 2a
Can the Soul Be Restored? 107c-108d
AMORC (see Rosicrucian)
Carver, George Washington (Dr.), 69a-b
AMORC and Christianity, 39d-40c
Catholic, Romn, 34c, 43b, 123a
AMORC Motion Pictures, 28b-30a
Causality, 133d-134a
Amulets, 44b
Cause
and Effect, 11 Id
Andronicus of Rhodes, 74a
Ceremonies, Mystical, 106d
Anger, 114d-115b
Certain? W hat Is, 76b-78a
Animism, 122d
Chakras, 32b-d
Anoxemia, 90c-d
Changing Your Consciousness, 50a-52a
Anthropology, 66d-69c
Character Analysis, 53c
Anticipation of Tomorrow, The, 21a-23d
Christ Consciousness (see Consciousness)
Anthropomorphic, 27b, 38c-d, 122a-b
Christian, 83b-d, 93a-94b, 123a-c
Appeal, Failure in Cosmic, 13d-l5a
Christianity, 16b, 39d-40c, 56b
Appeals, Cosmic, 118b-119d
Christianity, AMORC and, 39d-40c
Aptitude, 57d-60b
Color, 45b-c
Archaeology, 26c
Compensation, Law of (see Karma)
Are Metaphysics and Philosophy Obsolete? 74a-76b
Concentration: 23c, 30c, 47a-d, 54d-55a,
Aristotle, 65a, 70c, 74a, 103a
Visual, 17b-c
Art, 63d-65a (see also Avocation)
Conscience, 118d-119a
Attunement, Hypnotism and, 30a-30c
Consciousness:
80d-81a, 104a-b (see also Subconscious)
Audio-suggestion, 17d-l 9c
Christ, 5d, 85b-86c
Aura, 53c, 63b
Cosmic, 5d, 6d, 30b, 85b-86c
Aurignacian, 68c
Objective, 4d, 6b, 36d-37c, 47b
Australoid, 68b-d
Subjective, 4d-6c, 36c-37c
Authority, 98a-99c
Consciousness and Mind, 134a-135d
Autoscopy, Projection or, 103d-105c
Consciousness, Changing Your, 50a-52a
Autosuggestin, Valu of, 40d-43a
Convention, T he Rosicrucian, 106b-107c
Avocation, 51b-52a, 57d-60b
Cosmic: 10c, lia, 69b-c, 88d-89d, 124d-126b, 136c,
Awakening our Talents, 57d-60b
138a-d
Aztecs, 68c
Appeal, 13d-15a
B
Attunement, 23a, 99d, 101c
Consciousness, 5d, 6d, 30b, 85b-86c, 127d-129b,
Bacon, Francis, 65a
135a-c
Baghdad, 63d-64d
Cycles, 144-year, 39b, 112a-b, 119c-d
Bakery, 41c
Law,
22d
Bardo Thdol (see Books)
Masters, 118b-119d
Barrett, W. F. (Sir), 61a-b
Objective, 139d-140d
Becoming Aware of Our Surroundings, 15a-c
Cosmic Appeals, 118b-119d
Belief, 12a-13a
Cosmic, Creating in the, 54c-56a
Bernadette, Saint, 34c
Cosmic Development?, W ill Elimination of Ego
Bible, T he Monographs and the, 83a-83d
Hinder, 30c-31c
Bilocation, 103d-105c
Cosmic Scheme, Saints in the, 93a-94b
Black Magic, 84b-c
Craft (see Avocation)
Black M agic and Superstition, 43d-45a
Craftsman, 63d-65a
Blind, M ental Pictures of the, 45a-46c
Creating in the Cosmic, 54c-56a
Blood Plasma, Vital L ife Forc and, 91d-93a
Creating Your Future, 99c-101d
Body-image, 105b-c
Crete, 102d
Books:
Cro-Magnon, 68a
Arbian Nights, 118c
Cross, 65b-d
Bardo Thodol (Tibetan Book of the Dead), 31c-32d
Crucifixin, Mystical M eaning of the, 65b-66d
Book of the Dead, 16a, 16c, 33b
Cryptesthetic Powers, 62c
Caius Plinus Secundus, 70c
Culture, Retirement and, 78b-80a
Christian H oly Bible, 83d, 84c

Page 142

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Curse, 43d-45a
Cycles, 39b, 112a-b, 119c-d
Cynics and Skeptics, About, 115b-117b

D
Dallenbach, 139a-b
da Yinci, Leonardo, 65a
Death: 107c-108d, 113d
After, 33b-34d, 35a-38b
Degree Classes, 106c
Deity, 27a-b, 38c
Democracy, 99a-b
Demonstrations, 106c
Descartes, 26b
Desire, lOOd-lOlb, 137a-138c
Discipline, 99c, 131a-132c
Disease and Sin, 56a-57d
Divine Love, 85b-86c
Divine Im agery, 122a-123d
Divining Rod, T he Mystery of the, 60c-63c
Does Science N egate God? 26a-28b
Dowser, 60c-63c
Dravidian, 68c
DrAqms 5c

Duality, T he Nature of, 132c-134a

Dyad, 102d, 103b

E
Earthquake, 77b
Economic, 78c-79a
Ego, 30c-31b, 59b-c
Egypt, Rosicrucian Tour to, 81b-83a
Einstein, Albert, 5b
Emotions: 75a-b, 114b-115d
Energy, 5b-10d, 17b
England, 60d
Environment, 21c-22d, 50c-d, 99c-100c
Epictetus, 34b, 94d-95a
Epistemology, 74c-76b
Euphoria, 88c, 90d
Evans-Wentz, W. Y., 31c-d
Evil Thought, Good and, 124d-126b
Evolution, 137c-d
Exorcism ServicesSuperstition or Necessity? 117b118a
Experience, Initiations Are a Personal, 71b-d
Extrasensory, 11c
Eyes, Power of the, 15d-17d

F
Failure in Cosmic Appel, 13d-15a
Faith, 10c, lid, 12d
Fatalism, 38c
Fellowship, 107a
First Neophyte Degree Initiation, 71b-d
Flexion-folds, 52b-53d
Flying Saucers, 117a
Ford, Henry, 69b
Franklin, Benjamin, 128a
Freedom, 98c-99c, 132a
Future: 21d-22a
Life, 35a-38b
Future, Creating Your, 99c-101d

G
Galen, 70c
Geology, 26c
Gilbert, William, 70b-71a
God, 8b-d, lia, 22d-23d, 26a-28b, 34d, 38b-39b, 67a-d,
69b-c, 70d, 85b-86c, llOd-llld, 122a-123d, 129a-b,
132d
God?, Does Science Negate, 26a-28b
Good and Evil Thought, 124d-126b
Government, 76c
Grand Lodge of Brazil, 43c, 54c
Growth, 22c-d

H
Habit, 132c
Hagiography, 33b
Hamites, 68c-d
Hand, 52b-53d
Happiness in the Next World, 33b-34d
Harmonics, 6a
Has Palmistry Any Basis? 52b-53d
Hate?, Should W e, 114a-115b
Healers, 127a-b
Healing Exercises, T he Scope of Rosicrucian, 126b127b
Hebrews, 16b, 40a
Herodotus, 102a
Hierarchal Order, 85d
Hierophants of Egypt, 102a
Hind, 31b-33a, 40a-c, 123a
History, 28c-d
Hobby (see Avocation)
Home, 51a-52a
How Does the Soul-Personality Develop? 63d-65a
Hypnosis, 18b
Hypnotism and Attunement, 30a-30c

I
Illumination, 93c-d
Image-building, 41c-43a
Imagery, Divine, 122a-123d
Imhotep, 65a
Immaculate Conception, 40b-c
Immortality, 35a-38d, 109a
Incas, 68c
Indian, American, 68c-d
Individuality, 30c-31b, 38b
Indolence, M ental Discipline and, 131a-132c
Infinite Purpose?, Is There, 137a-138d
Initiations Are a Personal Experience, 71b-d
Insubordination, 98a-99c
Intelligence: 19b
Definition, lla-b
Divine, 32d-33a
Higher, 6c
Interests, 79b-80a
Is Death by Plan? 38b-39d
Is Suicide a Stigma? 94b-95d
Is There a Supernatural? lOa-llc
Is There Infinite Purpose? 137a-138d
Jains, 123a-b
Jenkins, 139a-b
Jess, 39d-40c, 64a, 65b-66d, 103d, 114d, 123a-b, 126c127b
Jewish, 40c, 65b, 123a-b
Joan of Are, 94a
Jongman, Harm, 123d-124d
Judgment Hall of Osiris, 33b

K
Kabala, lOld, 103d
Karma, 14a, 19c-21a, 57b-c, llOd-llld
Karma, W ar and, 19c-21a
Karnak Temple, 8Id, 82d
Knowledge, Nature of, 74b
Kundalini, T he M ystery of the, 31b-33b

L
Language, 112d-113b, 134b-c
Lausanne Chapter, 106a
Law: 9b-c, 77b, llOc-llld, 136c-d
Blue, 130b
Mosaic, 130d
Natural, 85a
Law Enforcement and Mysticism, 129b-131a
Learning, Sleep-, 17d-19c, 138d-140d
Lewis, H. Spencer, (Dr.), 53b, 65a-b, 93c, 119c

JUNE, 1959

Page 143

Lewis, Martha, 73, 86d-87c

Lewis, Ralph M., 3d, 28b, 52a, 76b, 99c
Life, 33b-34d
L ife after Transition, 35a-38b
L ife Forc, Space, Oxygen, and, 90a-91d
Lodestones and Luck (?), 69d-71a
Lodge, Martinez de Pasqually, 4c
Lodge, Rio de Janeiro, 43c, 54b
Loneliness, 88a-b
Love, 114b
Lu ck(?), Lodestones and, 69d-71a

M
Mager, 62d
Magic?, What Is White, 83d-85b
Manetho, 70c
Masters, 71b, 93a-94b, 118b-119a
Materialism, 28a, 35c, 58b
Mathematic Relationship, 101d-103d
Matter, 133b-d
Mayans, 68d
Meanings, M ystical, 85b-86c
Mechanical Consolation, 87c-88d
Mechanistic Viewpoint, 125a-126a
Medallions, Wearing, lid, 13a
Medicine, 26c
Meditation, 23c
Mdiums, 36b-d
Memory, 112c-113a
Mental Discipline and Indolence, 131a-132c
Mental Image, 45b-d, 55a-c
Mental Pictures, 99c-101d
Mental Pictures of the Blind, 45a-46c
Mesmer, Franz, 30a
Metals, 62d
Metaphysical Healing, 42c
Metaphysics and Philosophy Obsolete?, Are, 74a-76b
Mind: 18a, 75c-d, 89d, lOOa-lOlc
Cosmic (see God)
Mind, Consciousness and, 134a-135d
Mind, Resting the, 46d-47d
Minerals, 62d
Miracles, 65d-66b
Mohammed, 93c-d, 123a-b
Monad, 102d-103a
Mongol, 68c, 69c
Monition, 90d
Monographs and the Bible, The, 83a-d
Morality, 56d
Morrison (Professor), 76a
Morse Code, 125b-d
Moses, 93c-d
Moslem, 40a-c
Motion Pictures, AMORC, 28b-30a
Motivation, Subliminal, 17d-19c
Moura, Maria, 25, 43a-d
Munster, Sebastian, 60d
Music, 63d-65a
Musician, 64c
M ystery of Numbers, 101d-103d
M ystery of the Divining Rod, The, 60c-63c
M ystery of the Kundalini, The, 31b-33b
Mystical Meanings, 85b-86c
Mystical Meaning of the Crucifixin, 65b-66d
Mysticism, 8d, 23d, 123c-d, 129b
Mysticism, Law Enforcement and, 129b-131a

N
Nadi, 32a-d
Nature of Duality, The, 132c-134a
Neanderthal, 68c-69b
Necessity, 137a-138b
Negative, 7a-d, 133b-134a
Negro, 68b-69c
Neolithic, 68d
Next World, Happiness in the, 33b-34d
Nile, 81b-82d

Nisus, 126a-b
Nitrogen, 90a-91d
Nordics, 68c-d
Nous, 91b, 133c-d
Numbers, Mystery of, 101d-103d
Numeral One and Unity, 88d-90a

Objective (see Consciousness)

One and Unity, Numeral, 88d-90a
Ontology, 74b
Opportnity Knocks, 80a-81a
Oriental Bazaars, 63d-64d
Ouspenski, P. D., 21b-d
Oxygen, and L ife Forc, Space, 90a-91d

P
Palmistry Any Basis?, Has, 52b-53d
Pascal, 116d
Paulo, Jos de O., 49, 54a-c
Pendulum, 61d-62a
Penfield, Wilder (Dr.), 47c
Philosophy Is True?, W hich, 7d-9d
Philosophy, 9a-b, 134b-d
Philosophy Obsolete?, Are Metaphysics and, 74a-76b
Photographs:
Abrahams, Clifford C., August, 1958
Jongman, Harm, June, 1959
Moura, Mara, October, 1958
Paulo, Jos de O., December, 1958
Lewis, Martha (Mrs. H. Spencer Lewis), February,
1959
Troxler, Charles, April, 1959
Physical Vales, 76d-78b
Plan?, Is Death by, 38b-39d
Plasma, Vital L ife Forc and Blood, 91d-93a
Plato, 9a, 70c, 99b-c
Pliny, 70c, d
Polycrates, 102a
Porphyry, 102d
Positive, 133b-134a
Positive Thinking?, W hat Is, 6d-7d
Power o f the Eyes, 15d-17d
Preservation, 131a
Projection or Autoscopy, 103d-105c
Pronaos, Neufchtel, 106a
Psychic: 4d-6d, 32a-33a, 53c-d, 90d-91a
Body, 32a-33a, 104c
Centers, 32a-33a
Experience, 6a-c
Nerves, 32a-33a
Perception, 46b
Powers, 46b
Projection, 103d-105c
Self, 32a-33a
Sense, 46a-c
Psychic World, The, 4d-6d
Psychical, lOc-d
Psychological Pick-Ups, 87c-88c
Psychology, 26c-d, 74b-76b, 105a, 139a-140d
Punishment, Capital, 65b, 130c
Purpose, 137a-138c
Pyramids, 81b-82c
Pyrrho of Elis, 116c
Pythagoras, 65a, 101d-103c

Quatemary Age, 67d

R
Races?, W hy Various Human, 66d-69c
Radar, 46b-c, 63b
Radiations, 60c-63c
Realization of Space, 127c-129b
Receptor:
Organs, 18a
Senses, 4d-6c

Page 144

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Reincarnation, Some Observations on, 108d-113d

Religin, 8a-b, 35a-36a, 84a-85b, 94c-d, 109c, 117b-d,
134b, 137d-138a
Resting the Mind, 46d-47d
Resurrection, 40c
Retirement and. Culture, 78b-80a
Revivifcation, 107c-108d
Rhythm, 22d-23a
Richet, 105 a
Riondels, 61c
River, 135b-d
Romn Catholic Church, 94a-b
Root Support, 32b-c
Rosicrucian: lOc-llc, 139a
Conception, 85c
Egyptian Museum, 29a-b
Explanation, 58d-59a
Feelings, 39d-40c
Grand Secretary, AMORC, Holland, 123d-124d
Healing Principies, 126b-127b
Letters, 78c
Motion Pictures, 28b-30a
Ontology, 133c
Order in America, 86d-87c
Philosophy, 8a, 9b, 21 d
Rose-Croix Sanitarium, 87b
Rose-Croix University, 63b-c, 86b
Second Neophyte Degree, 126b-127b
Studies, 91a-b
Supreme Grand Lodge, 87b
Teachings, 6d, 8d, 17d, 18b, 46d-47a, 83b-d, 89b-c,
91d, 118b-119d, 127c-128d, 129b-131a, 134d, 138c-d
Technical Department, 29d-30a
Work, 80a
Rosicrucian Convention, The, 106b-107c
Rosicrucian Tour to Egypt, 81b-83a

s
Sacrifice. 65d-66d
Saints in the Cosmic Scheme, 93a-94b
Samos, 101d-102a
Samuel, Alexander, 89d
Schizophrenia, 118a
Schweitzer, Albert (Dr.), 93c
Science, 74c-76d, 84a-85b, 116d-117b, 134b-d
Scope of Rosicrucian Healing Exercises, T he, 126b127b
Sculptor, 108b-c
Self: 87d, 104a-d (see also Ego)
Expression, 98c-99a
Inner, 30c-31b
Suggestion, 87d-88a
Sensation: 5d, 47b-c
Epicritic, 46b-c
T flr tilp

Should W e Hate? U4a-115b

Sin, Disease and, 56a-57d
Sin, 94c
Sinanthropus Pekinensis, 67d
Skeptics, About Cynics and, 115b-117b
Sleep, 18a-b
Sleep-Learning, 17d-19c, 138d-140d
Society, 2c-3c, 28c, 94c-95d, 129d-130d
Scrates, 8a
Some Observations on Reincarnation, 108d-113d
Sophists, 116b-c
Soul, 26d, 31a, 33b, 59b-c, 69b, 74b-75d, 75c-d, 109d110c, 138c-d
Soul Be Restored?, Can the, 107c-108d
Soul Personality, 30c-31a, 108a-d, 138c-d
Soul-Personality Develop?, How Does the, 63d-65a
Space, 133b
Space, Realization of, 127c-129b
Space, Oxygen, and L ife Forc, 90a-91d
Spinoza, Baruch, 8a, 67b
Stigma?, Is Suicide a, 94b-95d

Stoics, 95a
Subconscious, I7d-19c, 36b-37c, 46d, 55b, 61b, 138d~
140d
Subjective, 61c-d (see also Consciousness)
Subliminal, 46b (see also Motivation)
Suffering, 65d-66d
Suggestion, 13c, 40d-42b, 44d
Sun-day, 119d
Supematural, 10b, 43d-45a, 61c, 69d, 83d
Supernatural?, Is T here a, lOa-llc
Superstition, Black M agic and, 43d-45a
Superstition or Necessity?, Exorcism Services, 117bH8a
Superstitions, True Nature of, llc-13c
Supervisin, 98b-c
Surroundings, Becoming Aware of Our, 15a-c
Symbols, 134c-d

Talents, Awakening Our, 57d-60b

Talisman, 44b, 69d-70b
Tantra, 31d-32a
Tape-recording, 87d-88c
Teleological Cause, 38d-39a
Test, Psychological, Chimpanzee, 3b-c
Tetrad, 102d-103b
Thebes, 82a
Theistic, 27a-b, 38c
Theophrastus, the Lesbian, 70c
Thinking?, W hat Is Positive, 6d-7d
This Issues Personality, 4a-d, 43a-d, 54a-c, 86d-87c,
105c-106a, 123d-124d
Thought, Good and Evil, 124d-126b
Tibetan Book of the Dead (Rardo Thodol) (see Books)
Time, 21d-22d, 127d
Tomorrow, T he Anticipation of, 21a-23d
Tour to Egypt, Rosicrucian, 81b-83a
Tradition, 28c-d, 122c
Transfusions, 92a-93a
Transition, 38b-39c, 113d
Transition, L ife after, 35a-38b
Triad, 102d-103b
Troxler, Charles, 97, 105c-106a
True Nature of Superstitions, llc-13c
Truth, 9a-d, 74b-76a
Tyranny, 98a-99a

Understanding Accidents, 135d-137a

Unity, 129a-b
Unity, Numeral One and, 88d-90a

V
Valu of Autosuggestion, 40d-43a
Vibration, 124d-126b, 132d
Visualization, 54d-56a, lOOc-lOld, 113b
Vital Life Forc, 6d, 32b-33a, 90a-91d
Vital L ife Forc and. Blood Plasma, 91d-93a

War and Karma, 19c-21a

Weismann, August (Dr.), 58c
What Is Certain? 76b-78a
What Is Positive Thinking? 6d-7d
W hat Is W hite Magic? 83d-85b
W hich Philosophy Is True? 7d-9d
W hite Magic?, W hat Is, 83d-85b
W hy Various Human Races? 66d-69c
W ill Elimination of Ego Hinder Cosmic Develop
ment? 30c-31b
Witch Doctor, 117c-d
Word, 134b-d
World Events, 107a
World, T he Psychic, 4d-6d

Y
Yoga, 31b-33a

August, 1959
Volunte XXX

No. 1

Rosicrucian Forum
p rv a te

p u b lic a tio n fo r m e m b e rs of A M O R C

GIUSEPPE C A S S A R A , JR., F. R. C.
G ran d M a ste r of A M O R C fo r Ita ly

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 2

Greetings!
V

T O D A Y S LACK OF CO N CEN TRA TIO N

Dear Fratres and Sorores:
In the nations proclaimed to have a higher
standard of living, there is an alarming
diminishing of an important personal qual
ity. Generally speaking, the individual finds
it more difficult to concntrate, where the
exercise of thought is required. Psychologically, concentration is the function of
focusing the attention upon certain stimuli
as, for example, the impressions of sight or
sound. When we consciously, that is, willfully listen, we are focusing the conscious
ness upon the vibrations of sound, so as to
realize them. We may find such direction
of our attention apparently effortless or extremely difficult. In the latter instance the
consciousness or attention tends to vacillate,
to digress, to some other stimuli requiring
less effort.
This experience has always been common.
Certain stimuli, objects of our attention, are
more appealing to us than others. That
which appeals is gratifying to us in some
manner. There is perhaps, as well, an emo
tional support of the interest. Awe, fear,
joy, love, hate, and curiosity, all aid in keeping attention focused, the concentration
fixed upon some thing, event, or series of
impressions.
Ennui or boredom is the consequence of
having a placid emotional state. In such
circumstances, what we experience has not
aroused us emotionally. Such a state actu
ally becomes fatiguing and disturbing. There
fore, we direct our consciousness to some
other stimuli which has for us greater at
tention valu. However, all concentration is
not first caused by external impressions.
Imagination, idealism, and mental discipline
play a prominent part in the duration or
sustaining of concentration.
In our imagination we may establish an
ideal. By that we mean a preferred thing
or condition, which we desire to attain. In
fact, an ideal is a m ental desire. The factors
that enter into the realization of the desire,
what needs to be accomplished or acquired,
may require considerable physical or mental

effort. The effort may result in fatigue. The

eyes may tire, the limbs ache, but there is
the mental drive to continu. The mental
image of the ideal, the preferred desire, becomes the incentive. Merely the visualiza
tion of the ideal may provide an emotional
satisfaction that mitigates the irritation of
the fatigue. The inventor and scientist often
work long hours, even missing meis and
sleep, in an almost feverish concentration
upon their Creative work. Many persons in
various lines of work, inspired by an ideal,
often forget their physical well-being in
order to succeed in some plan.
Mental discipline is the hamessing of the
will so as to concntrate ones powers, men
tal or physical, upon a desired objective.
There is a personal control of ones behavior
and faculties with some aim in mind. Leam
ing requires this mental discipline. Learning
is not merely the acquisition of new impres
sions, experiences or ideas had as immedi
ate, self-evident knowledge. Leaming is
subjective as well. It requires reason, the
analysis of experience, the formation of
specific notions as distinguished from just
what we may see or hear. Everything perceived is not immediately comprehended.
Study, for example, is more than reading
and knowing individual words. It consists
of extracting meaning from them or combining them into a communicative and informative form.
To learn we must concntrate. We must
make the mind figuratively hew to the line
until understanding is had, even though the
process may be temporarily fatiguing, a kind
of aggravation. In youth there is usually
the compulsin by parents and teachers for
the necessary concentration on school stud
ies. With adults mental discipline is essen
tial. The individual must evalate the
essential effort and any discomfort it may
cause as against the eventual satisfaction of
the attainment.
A distinction must be made between en
tertainment and learning. The former is
intended to amus, to provide pleasure to

AUGUST, 1959

Page 3

one or more of the senses. Entertainment

avoids any concentration where there is
need for reasoning or voluntary activation
of the processes of mind. Principally in
entertainment the mind is passive. It is
bombarded from without by impressions
which require little exercise of thought upon
the part of the recipient. He emotionally
responds without any conscious volition.
What one may learn from an experience of
entertainment depends upon the impact its
elements have upon the emotions. If the
entertainment is thrilling, exciting, very
amusing, the incident is wholly or partially
remembered, regardless of any intellectual
valu which it may have. Simply put, in
entertainment the mind does not seek out
ideas from its impressions. Rather certain
ones implant themselves in a ready-made
form upon the consciousness.
It is obvious that entertainment is more
popular than learning, because the latter
requires the harnessing of the mind through
mental discipline. We are creatures of habit.
Habit is a kind of groove, a path of least
resistance that we are inclined to follow. We
can acquire an entertainment or a learning
habit or a combination of both. Prior to the
advent of televisin, there was a greater bal
ance between entertainment and learning
for the individual. Though radio was popular
as a predecessor, yet more persons even then
also read books and periodicals partly for
entertainment and information.
Even casual reading requires concentra
tion. One cannot sean the pages of a book
or an article as he does the televisin screen
and have a comprehension of the contents.
The words, the sentences, in the book or
periodical must be realized, the ideas must
be extracted, if the contents are to be comprehended and the continuity not lost.
One, therefore, acquires a reading habit,
that is, the patience to indulge the necessary
concentration, no matter what the nature of
his reading. Further, if one, in the past two

decades, went to a public lecture, whether

paid or free, upon a learned subject, as sci
ence, philosophy or world affairs, he expected
that it would be at least of one hours duration. He would not make an effort to attend
for less time than that. Ordinarily the listener found it not difficult to sustain his
concentration upon the subject for the hour
or a slightly longer period.
Today we find circumstances changed,
particularly in those nations where televisin
has become popular. Advertisers who support the televisin programs must hold their
audiences. To do this their programs must
psychologically place the viewer in a passive
state. This means that the viewer is required
to put forth only a minimum effort in con
centration. The impact of the program,
therefore, must be p rim a rily emotional
rather than intellectual. To accomplish this,
an educational subject must be dramatized,
made entertaining, rather than being a
straightforward appeal to thought and reason. Consequently, the presentation of the
program elicits little original thinking upon
the part of the individual and makes little
demand upon his intellectual powers. There
are, of course, strictly educational programs
but these are limited and subordinated by
the entertainment variety.
The incalculable harm that this condition
accomplishes is the lessening of the ability
of the individual to sustain concentration
that calis for thought. Straightforward leetures on televisin by necessity, of course,
are mostly limited to a period of fifteen min
utes or less. The viewer, the listener, there
fore, has gradually and without being aware
of it formed the habit of limiting thoughtful
concentration to that period of time. Even
tually he finds it distracting and disturbing
to listen to a lecture of a longer period.
Televisin has affected the reading habits
of millions of persons as well. This is reflected, particularly in the United States, in
the decline in circulation of some former

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 of the U .S . Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of the Supreme Council of A M O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sterling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sterling) per year FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page 4

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

popular periodicals. Long articles are gen

erally not tolerated and are soon east aside,
unless of a fictional character. Nonfictional
material is condensed, abbreviated and simplified, to require a minimum of voluntary
concentration, that is, mental effort.
In an analysis we have found that, even
in those subjects where persons profess an
interest and upon which they would, a de
cade ago, have listend to a well-presented
address for an hour, such must now be gen
erally limited to a period of thirty-five min
utes. Beyond th a t tim e, the audience
concentration that is, attention wavers.
There is no longer the habit of sustained
thought for a longer period of time by a
majority of persons.
Since Creative development and individual
progress are dependent upon thought and
voluntary mental activity, the laxity of con
centration of this type today is truly alarming.

Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
We Invite Your Questions
This Forum is not infallible. There are
many questions that are outside our province.
However, there are numerous questions we
can answer that would quite possibly throw
further light upon subjects of your Rosicru
cian studies, as well as help you in many of
your personal affairs. We therefore solicit
your questions for this Forum.
There are necessarily certain conditions
which we ask you to kindly observe:
The questions must be of a nature that
will interest other members and readers
of the Rosicrucian Forum besides your
self.
The questions should not be of a nature
whereby the answers can easily be obtained from common sources, such as
legal advisers, realtors, bankers, etc.
Try to relate your questions as much as
possible to mysticism, philosophy, meta
physics, psychology, and problems of
everyday life so that they would interest
others as well.
Please understand that questions which
you submit cannot be immediately answered
in the very next issue. Issues of the Rosicru

cian Forum must be prepared weeks in ad

vance to meet printing schedules. Further,
sometimes a perfectly proper and interesting
question has to be held for two or more issues
before answering. This is due to the fact
that it may have been recently answered and
rather extensively. We do not want to repeat
an answer frequently because repetition is
uninteresting. In other words, if one issue
contains a rather extensive answer, for ex
ample, to a question conceming karm a, we
would not like to write another immediately
upon the same subject, even though the ques
tion were phrased differently. We prefer to
hold such a question for perhaps three or
four months. However, such a delay only
infrequently occurs. If for any reason your
question is not acceptable to the Fomm, you
will be told.
What questions do you like to have an
swered in the Rosicrucian Forum? We wish
your comments on those answers which par
ticularly appeal to you. We also want your
constructive criticisms. They will be helpful
to us, too. Of course, the fact that one person
may not like a particular answer does not
mean that that subject should be eliminated
from the Forum; others may desire it. All of
us are not expected to like the same ma
terial. The Forum is a liberal publication in
the sense that it freely expresses knowledge,
belief, and opinion regardless of whether
such is contrary to traditional conception.
There are no special groups or opinions to
which we have to concede. You too can be
equally as free in either concurring or taking
issue with the answers.
The object of the Forum is to challenge
thought, convey information and to provide
ideas. Whether every article will necessarily
please has to be a secondary consideration,
if what is said should be said. Sometimes,
as we all know, that which is a little disturbing and unconventional is very necessary for
our growth intellectually and spiritually.
While we are on the topic of discourses,
we would like to remind you that you can
also have spoken discourses by the Imperator,
Grand Lodge officers, and other officials here
at Rosicmcian Park. These are recorded on
magnetic tape at a speed of 7% words per
second. These tapes may be rented from the
Rosicmcian Technical Department, Rosicm
cian Park, San Jos, California, U.S.A., for
the nominal sum of $1.50 each (sterling 11

AUGUST, 1959

shillings). The tapes are returnable at spe

cial postal rates of 5 cents to 10 cents each,
and similar rates in foreign countries. The
taped discourses are professionally recorded
and run an average of 12 to 30 minutes in
time.
It is suggested that you write, enclosing
postage stamps (foreign members provide
postal coupon) to the Rosicrucian Technical
Department and ask for a free list of taperecorded discourses that are available for
rent. The time that a tape may be retained
possessed on one rentingis limited to one
week. You will especially enjoy these spoken
messages in your home.X
Awakening Cosmic Experience
A frater, addressing our Forum, says: In
the past we have often read in various
medical journals and articles of the recent
progress in the field of brain surgery where
by certain areas of the sympathetic nervous
system of the brain . . . when exposed to
mild electric shocks or impulses, would make
the patient . . . relive certain past experi
ences in his life. Unlike hypnotism . . . the
patient in this case is in full possession of
his senses and faculties. Would it be possible
for one who has experienced Cosmic Con
sciousness or who has had similar psychic
experiences to relive these experien ces
through the method described? Would he
gain further mystical insight or knowledge
of the Cosmic?
A recent very enlightening article, entitled
The Interpretive Cortex, appeared in a scientific journal. It explains that the deep convolutions (folds) and fissures of the brain
cortex contain the millions of cells which
provide the complex functions of what is
termed the human mind. Neurological sur
gery has disclosed that there are areas of
the brain where past consciousness may be
reactivated by mild electrical stimulation.
The author divided these areas into two categories. One he termed experiential, and
the other, interpretive.
When the experiential areas were stimulated by the electrical current, the patient,
who did not lose consciousness, would recall some event of the past. The recollection
would not be a generalization, as when we
recall some event from memory. Rather, it
would be complete in all its details just as it

Page 5

had been originally experienced. There is a

constant surging of electrical potentials, mi
nute currents, throughout the brain cortex. It
is theorized, for the function is not yet fully
understood, that experiences alter the pattern
of these potentials. The alteration is then
preserved in the cells of certain areas where
subsequent excitation will reactvate the
original pattern or experience.
Dr. Penfield, the author, gives numerous
case examples. We shall quote: The pa
tient, S. Be., observed, when the electrode
touched the temporal lobe (right superior
temporal convolution), There was a piano
over there and someone playing. I could
hear the song, you know. When the cortex
was stimulated again, without warning, at
approximately the same point, the patient
had a different experience. He said, Some
one speaking to another, and he mentioned
a ame but I could not understand it . . . It
was like a dream.
The other areas, responding to electrodes
applied to them and producing numerous
impressions, have been arbitrarily called
interpretive because of the nature of the re
call. In these responses, the individual
would interpret his surroundings and present
experiences quite differently from what they
were in fact. It has also been theorized that
tfyere is a possible co-ordination between the
experiential responses and the interpretive,
the interpretive providing a relationship of
experience to self and to the external world.
The interesting fact in connection with
this phenomenon is that an experience, that
is ordinarily beyond recall, can be reactivat
ed in detail, that it is not lost. We may
speculate that the ever-changing stream of
consciousness, with its electrical potentials,
may, in the usual recall, never quite again
stimulate the original pattern of an experince. But, when a current is applied to these
areas, the pattern is reformed. During such
applying of electrical currents, the patients
were conscious but no pain was felt. In fact,
they had no sensation of the touching of the
cortex with the electrodes. It appears that
there is no sensation had in this cortical
matter.
Now, what is Cosmic Consciousness and
the experiences which we attribute to it?
We may assume that the Cosmic is a har
mony of all phenomena which men designte
as physical, psychic, and spiritual. This, at

Page 6

least, is the Rosicrucian conception. We may

also say that this harmony is of a universal
consciousness or a spectrum of forces which
has a self-order that is teleological or conscious-like. All things are of it and in it. The
human consciousness, the whole organism
of man, is a particular combination of the
forces of this Cosmic. The stream of con
sciousness in man is, therefore, capable of
being responsive to more than the objective
and subjective realms of mind. Man, of
course, is more aware of these subjective
and objective octaves of consciousness because his physical existence *has demanded
that he give them more attention. It is quite
probable, however, that man in his early
primitive stage utilized what we now term
extrasensory powers of perception. The sub
conscious aspect of the stream of conscious
ness in him perhaps functioned through oth
er organs and glands which are now either
atrophied, or partly so, and which protected
man while his reason was as yet undeveloped.
Cosmic Consciousness, then, is the resort
to the deeper levels of consciousness ordinari
ly not voluntarily used, and by which man
perceives more of the whole or universal
consciousness. It is as though normally, with
the use of the objective faculties only, man
is peering through a slit in a curtain at the
audience (the world at large). His view
under such circumstances would be obstructed and limited. Then, suddenly, he has the
means of pulling aside the whole curtain, if
but for an instant. For that second, there
is revealed to him the whole theatre of
reality, the great spectrum of the Cosmic
forces. He has then experienced Cosmic
Consciousness or, in other words, he has become conscious o f the Cosmic.
But what imagery does this experience assume to the individual? To be realized, it
must have some quality or characteristic
that is relevant to our sense experiences. If
the nature of the Cosmic experience were
entirely unique in all its elements, the sen
sations which it produced would be inscrutable and ineffable. Therefore, the Cosmic
experience must have some parallelism to
common experiences.
What the actual momentary realization of
the unin of our human stream of con
sciousness with the Cosmic is like, we may
never know. The reason for this is that the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

perception is had upon a higheror deeper

level of consciousnesswhich has its own
qualities of perception. There is, however,
a transference or reduction of the impres
sions had to the lower order of consciousness
and these impressions are there interpreted
in terms of our usual sense qualities and the
images which they assume in our objective
mind. Cosmic Consciousness may then be
experienced as an ecstatic state, a sublime
feeling of the unity of self with all existence,
an extreme pleasurebut nevertheless a
pleasurable sensation. Often it is realized as
a state of great passivity or peace, as if all
distress and anxiety were momentarily dispelled. Again, it may be an influx of great
power. Generally, this Cosmic Conscious
ness is experienced as a kind of ataraxia,
that is, a freedom from emotional disturbancesbut yet it is feeling.
Accompanying such sensations, Cosmic
Consciousness may also arouse visual images,
as geometrical forms or bands of beautiful
colors seeming to pass before the screen of
consciousness. Auditory images, as xquisite
music or song, may be heard in the flash of
the Cosmic contact. The individual may
think of himself, at the moment of contact,
as being the recipient of some charism, a
special divine endowment with an influx of
great wisdom.
Simply put, this experience produces an
harmonic in the lower order of consciousness,
in the subjective and objective octaves. There
it is realized as an intense pleasing sensa
tion, assuming an image which conforms to
the qualities of one or more of our senses.
When one has a true Cosmic Consciousness
experience, he never forgets it. He may
know nothing of its nature; he may never
have even heard the term. In fact, the indi
vidual may be an orthodox religionist. If
so, he will perhaps refer to it as a revelation
of God or an at-one-ness with Christ. Buddha, Mohammed, Krishna, or one of the
avatars or founders of his faith. But the
source and nature of the experience is so
unique, it can rarely, if ever, be forgotten.
To conclude, the question at point is, Can
one have a Cosmic Consciousness experi
ence which is not transferable to the objec
tive consciousness? Further, could electrical
stimuli, such as we have discussed, awaken
the memory of such contact so that it could
be realized objectively? We can only the-

AUGUST, 1959

orize upon this question. We presume that

a Cosmic Consciousness experience is so potent that it will always excite the spinal
nervous system through the psychic glands.
Consequently, it would then always provide
an experience, as explained, that one would
objectively realize. Conversely, however, it
is possible that the psychic self, the higher
order of consciousness, has, in its own realm,
experiences which m ay not stimulate the
lower order of consciousness and man would
not then be aware of them. Such experi
ences, however, might probably register in
the ganglionic substance of the brain cortex
in those areas termed experiential, to be
awakened by gentle electrical stimulus.
At least this is a hypothesis that mystics
and neuro-surgeons collaborating might ei
ther substantiate or refute.X
This Issues Personality
If we divide a persons life into three parts
the early years, the middle years, and the
closing periodhow unrelated they often
appear as we look backward. In most in
stances there is little suggestion in the early
part of our lives, in our activities or even in
our expressed thoughts, of what life will
eventually come to unfold for us. If our
lives were wholly motivated by our own will
and effort, the connecting links from the beginning to the events that eventually follow
would be quite apparent. There is, how
ever, an unanticipated current of circum
stances, both beyond our precipitation or
control, which involves us. This current
often compels us to change course, reorient
ourselves, and make such adaptions which
even a most vivid imagination could not con
ceive in advance.
There was much in the early life of Frater
Giuseppe Cassara, Jr., Grand Master,
AMORC, Italy, that would in no way imply
a mystical pursuit on his part or the direction
of an organization such as the Rosicrucians.
Frater Cassara, born in Palermo, Italy, October 2, 1921, traditionally was a Romn
Catholic and as a boy grew up in the orthodox doctrine of that faith. He had an excellent education in primary and secondary
schools and a private military academy. He
also completed four years of law at the Uni
versity. He graduated with high honors,
receiving a Doctorate in Law.

Page 7

Between the age of 20 and 21 Frater

Cassara apparently contemplated a literary
career. Even at such a young age he be
came Co-director of the publication UAppello. He also wrote for such daily journals as
the Giornale di Sicilia. There was still no
indication of Frater Cassaras latent mystical
aptitude. One of his first prominent writings
concerned itself with his legal background,
and was entitled Fundamentis in Criminal
Law.
It seemed quite the natural and proper
thing that Frater Cassara would make law
his life work. After all, his grandfather was
a lawyer and his father as well. He eventu
ally carne to work in the law offices of his
grandfather. After his fathers transition he
assumed the latters place in association with
his grandfather. Frater Cassara subsequent
ly received the eminent honor of being admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of
his country. Because of success in his profession he became one of the assistants of
Italys Vice President.
Frater Cassara was initiated into Free
Masonrya courageous step in a predominantly Romn Catholic country. In Masonry
he contacted some liberal minds; one espe
cially, who was a student of philosophy and
mystical matters, became a personal friend
of Frater Cassara and directed his attention
to AMORC. Thence, he crossed the thresh
old of the Rosicrucian Order. It constituted
the opening of a door revealing the vista of
a new world. Subjects and challenging ques
tions which he had never previously entertained were now embraced by him.
Frater Cassara was further stimulated in
his Rosicrucian membership by contacting
Frater Raymond Bernard, now Grand Mas
ter of AMORC, France, who was traveling
in Italy. Frater Cassara then took an active
part in the rejuvenation of the Rosicrucian
Order, AMORC, in Italy and in consolidating
its membership into a jurisdiction. He was
appointed Grand Master for Italy in 1956
by the Imperator.
Frater Cassara is most ably assisted by
his wife, who holds the esteemed office of
Grand Secretary of AMORC, Italy and is an
excellent linguist. His legal profession requires Frater Cassara to travel extensively
throughout Europe and South America. He
makes a point of visiting the lodges of the
respective countries. He, with the Grand

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 8

Master of France, Frater Bernard, and Madame Bernard, visited the recently concluded
International Rosicrucian Convention in San
Jos.
In recent years, Frater Cassara has been
appointed a member of the National Committee for Information on the European
Market. His quick mind and gracious man
ner have made him as well an ambassador
of good will for AMORC. Frater Cassara has
five children, but notwithstanding his domestic, professional, and AMORC affairs, he
still has time to occasionally indulge his
hobbies of swimming, reading, and writin g .-X
Sign of the Cross
A frater now rises to address our Forum:
What is the origin, significance, and mean
ing of the Sign of the Cross, as used in the
Rosicrucian rituals?
It is really startling to find the common
ignorance that prevails upon the part of the
populace with regard to the origin of the
cross and its varied meanings and uses
throughout the centuries. In the Rosicrucian
Egyptian, Oriental Museum in Rosicrucian
Park, in one of the galleries, there are vari
ous exhibits of ancient Egyptian jewelry.
This is in the form of original necklaces,
bracelets, and amulets worn by noble ladies
and princesses of thousands of years ago.
They are made of faience, ivory, alabaster,
and obsidian. Many of these exquisite ar
ricies include the Crux Ansata (looped cross)
or Tau (T-shaped) cross. The explanatory
cards describe the crosses authentically.
However, frequently individuis, of the
multitudes visiting the museum, will chal
lenge the description in this manner: How
could these be ancient Egyptian crosses?
The cross carne into existence only with the
birth of Christianity. Or they will say in
effect: I thought there was only the Chris
tian cross. How could the Egyptians have
one?
All of this indicates how common usage or
adoption of a thing or custom creates an
erroneous impression of its origin. The average Christian, for example, would be very
much amazed to find, in Hind temples and
Tibetan lamaseries, religious accoutrements,
symbols, devices, and practices which are
quite similar to what he finds in his own

churchbut preceding them in usage by cen

turies.
There are several dozen varieties of the
cross! Perhaps the ancient Tau or T-cross
used by the Egyptians and Phoenicians is the
oldest. We have, for example, to ame a
few, the Crux Ansata, the Celtic, Greek,
Maltese, Latin, variations of the Swastika,
Lorraine* the monogram of Christ, as well as,
of course, the Rosy Cross. In regard to the
swastika, we must say that this is an exceedingly ancient cross, used in various
forms in ancient India, and derivations oi
which are found among the American Indians. It was recently popularized as a perverted and hated symbol of Nazi Germanv.
Its original meaning was mystical and alluded to cosmic motion or the universal Cre
ative forc. It was revered and, of course,
never used in any tyrannical way or in connection with any political ideology.
The cross is perhaps one of the earliest
symbols devised by man to express a funda
mental point of knowledge in a universal
way by a simple form. In symbology the
dot represents a point of beginning or cre
ation. Since Creative being is active and not
static, it extends itself. This extensin of the
dot, then, is the line. Two parallel lines
carne to represent two contrares or onposing
states or conditions. They depicted mans
realization of the duality of nature as he con
ceived itas, for example, light and dark.
male and female, day and night, wet and
dry, good and evil, and so on. For every
positive state, man carne to recognize a pos
sible opposite polarity or contrary.
In the religious concepts of early man,
these contraries were often in conflict with
each other but also they could be wed or
united. This merging of the opposites is
symbolized by the unity of two separate
lines. Perhaps the commonest unity was the
X , though the Tau cross (T) was likewise
another versin of such combination. Ex
perience disclosed to ancient observers and
thinkers that, when dual or opposite forces
were united, a new single state or condition
became manifest. It was then accepted that
many unitary things are but a composite of
two conditions or elements of unlike nature.
The point of contact or Crossing of the two
separate lines, therefore, depicted manifes
tation, the coming forth of a new substance
or condition.

AUSUST, 1959

The point of creation or manifestation in a

cross was symbolized by a design at the center of the cross. At first it was a flower, mere
petis, not representing any particular kind.
At other times it was a geometrical symbol
as an oval or a circle. The Crux Ansata
is , in fact, a combination of the Tau
cross with a loop above. To the an
cient Egyptian it symbolized immor
tality or eternal life. It has also been
referred to as a phallic symbol, that is,
a sex symbol. Though it can be construed as
such, the sex connotation would only have
reference to the law of life and creation
which was venerated by the mystery schools
and not promulgated in a vulgar sense.
Each of the various forms of the cross has
a different meaning, mystical, religious,
philosophical, or as a heraldic design. These
heraldic symbols were used in armorial designs by knights and kings, often having a
mundane significance. The Christian cross,
as commonly used, is a form of cross employed by the Romans for the execution of
prisoners, that is, for crucifixin. This form
of capital punishment had existed long be
fore the time of Christ. In fact, as Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis explains, one must not overlook the fact that other persons besides
Jess were being executed on similar crosses
at the same time. It was because Jess
Christ was sacrificed in this manner that
Christianity adopted that particular kind of
cross as its symbol. It is quite possible that,
had Christ been executed in some other man
ner, then the device used would have also
become a sacrosanct symbol.
To the Hermetic philosophers and mystics
of ancient times, the cross had for long an
other meaning. It is a meaning, though,
which in part parallels certain aspects of the
Christian symbolism of the cross. To the
Hermetic philosophers and mystics the cross
depicts the physical, material substance of
man, the body. It represents the hardships,
tribulations, and suffering which this physical aspect of mans dual nature endures
throughout life. Transfixed upon the cross
at the point of unity of its lines is the rose.
To Rosicrucians, the rose alludes to mans
soul-personality in the process of unfoldment. It is always depicted as a partially
unfolded rose. As the rose receives more
light (understanding) it opens wider, revealing its beauty and exuding its fragrance

Page 9

or inner grandeur. The refinement of the

cross, its polishing in contact with the vicissitudes of life, contributes to the unfoldment
of the rose. We interpret this as meaning
that, as man learns from his experiences in
contact with the laws of life, often through
pain and suffering, his consciousness evolves.
This evolution is expressed in a more spiritual personality and understanding, depicted
by the rose.
The ancient mystics, Hermetically, re
ferred to the cross by the use of the Latin
word lux, which means light. The ancient U
in lux was written like the V and helped to
symbolize the cross physically as well as esoterically. The word rose in earlier reference
works is said to have its root in the word
dew. To the alchemist the rose and dew were
symbolically united. The alchemist used
dew in early experiments as representing
pur water and particularly a kind of Cos
mic effulgence. The dew on a rose is likewise thought to bring forth its fragrance
with greater intensity. Consequently, the
rose represented dew or a Cosmic efficcy
centered in the cross (that is, within mans
body).
From these brief explanations about the
cross, it should be apparent why the Sign
of the Cross, as a symbolical gesture, plays
such a prominent part in Rosicrucian rituals.
In making the Sign of the Cross, Rosicrucian
masters, officers, and members are thus ever
reminded of the Cosmic laws and mystical
principies embodied in the symbol. Of this
sign, the Rosicrucian Manual says in part:
It is used by masters, officers, and members
when taking or indicating a solemn obligation to the Order or its members. It should
never be supplanted by any form of pledge.
. . . The sign thus made is the most sacred
and binding of any, for it calis upon the
maker to tell the truth, regardless of all costs
and all consequences, mindful of the Terror
of the Threshold and the waming of your
conscience.
The Manual further delineates the special
manner in which the Sign of the Cross
should be made and states: It should be
made slowly and with dignity and sincere
reverence. It represents the Obligation and
Oath taken by all Initiates at the time of the
First Degree Initiation and at other times in
ceremonies and convocations.X

Page 10

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Social Service and Karma

A soror of Caada rises to address our
Forum: I am a social worker in an agency
which deais with children and families and
am wondering if there is danger of our
working at cross purposes with the Law of
Karma. Our work is humanitarian and based
on concepts of service. But might we, in
some of the assistance offered and some of
the planning done for people, even with the
best intentions, sometimes hinder their soul
development and realization by contravening
some of the disciplines which life could
bring to bear upon them? Today our think
ing is directed more and more to giving
greater and greater social service. Is it not
possible to carry this too far?
The sorors interesting questions can be
summarized as, To what extent am I my
brothers keeper? To rob one of his independence, of his self-reliance, and the employment of his native abilities would be a
moral and social crime. Certainly the one
doing so, notwithstanding the intention of
service, would incur karma as well as affecting the karma of the recipient. The acts of
these well meaning persons, regardless of
motive, could be at times a serious intervention in anothers pursuit of life.
Social service requires an understanding
of the basic nature of society. Society is
complex. It consists of human interdependence. It is almost impossible in modern so
ciety for one to subsist entirely by his own
efforts. Especially is this so when one has
been conditioned to accept certain standards
of living as being essential. So related, as
a matrix, are the elements of society that a
serious deficiency or need upon any part of
it is reflected in the lack of euphoria of its
other members. The intelligent member of
society realizes that, for personal survival
and a gurantee of his manner of living, he
is obliged to maintain a certain status quo
in society.
Economic, health, moral or political upheavals are inescapable. Every member of
society will be affected by them to some de
gree. No man or woman can live entirely
unto himself. He is obliged to give to some
extent of himself, either in property, knowl
edge or service to his fellowmen. This is a
pragmatic requirement. Of course, it is nice
to think of it as a voluntary charitable im

pulse. But even without such impulses, such

service will need to be imposed by the state,
as we find it being increasingly done in the
socialized trend today. It can be said that
were there more of the unselfish humani
tarian motivation on the part of the indi
vidual there would need be less of the
annoying and often offensive compulsory
power of the state in enforcing social cooperation and welfare.
Each individual of society must definitely
be, in relation to every other person, both a
recipient of aid and a dispenser of it in some
form of service. Emergencies and crises arise
in the lives of individuis at times that pre
vent them from contributing in any way to
society. Such persons become dependents
for various lengths of time. Social service
is designed to particularly assist such unfortunate persons during their period of dis
tress.
But human nature is often inclined to
ward indolence and is basically concerned
with self. It is, therefore, easy to acquire the
habit of being a receiver only. Conversely,
giving in any form, though it may have its
moral and other compensations, as a rule
exacts more effort and the sacrifice at times
is not pleasurable. The recipients often be
gin to assume that the help they receive is
a right for which they need make no com
pensation. However, they may be shrewd
enough to veil from the social worker their
true feelings. The continued assistance they
receive, when not actually justified, weakens
their character. They are not inclined to
resist obstacles or to endeavor to find ways
and means of surmounting them. They come
to look upon the success or well-being of
others as luck or good fortune which they
must share with them. They do not realize
the efforts put forth by others to maintain
their place in society. Whenever some situ
ation arises which disturbs their equanimity,
they immediately appeal for assistance. This
contines until the receiver becomes a parasite upon society and even profanes by disuse his own divine Creative power and
faculties.
The mental, physical, and economic state
of such parasitic individuis is often pathetic
to behold. They will elicit the sympathy of
social workers and cause them to cise their
eyes figuratively to other factors and to con
tinu the assistance. The social worker,

AUGUST, 1959

however, in doing this is definitely interfering with the karma of such individuis.
They must, as the soror aptly puts it, come to
know the discipline which life would bring
to bear upon them if they were left to their
own resources. Such individuis really need
to suffer a while, to be deprived, to be re
quired to plan, work, and strive in their own
behalf. They must come to learn the sacrifice that goes with the giving of those things
which they so readily and unappreciatively
accept.
A golden rule to go by in social service,
which assures that there is no contravening
of the karma of another, is to help those who
first help themselves. It is not difficult to
determine those who are really temporarily
or permanently helpless. The attitude of the
person can easily be probed in questioning.
Children are sometimes helpless victims of
adults who use them as tools to exact the
assistance of social service. The child, of
course, must not be made to pay the penalty
of the discipline of adults, but parents who
could do more for their children must be
compelled to do so. To do things for the
parents that they themselves should do is
karmically weakening their character. The
young child may soon become aware of the
fawning disposition of its parents and come
to acquire it as an ideal or habit in life. Thus
misplaced charity or social service can seriously iniure the character of the young
person.X
Theory of Ghosts
A Frater asks our Forum: What explana
tion does the Rosicrucian Order make for the
still prevalent belief in ghosts?
This is a subject which is integrated with
the religious beliefs of some, and conse
quently can become quite controversia!.
Since most religions are founded upon faith,
a discussion which may tend to cast a shadow
of doubt upon a particular faith may seem
offensive to some. However, as Rosicrucians,
professing an open mind and a desire for
truth, we are certain they will consider the
subject as being dispassionately presented
here.
There is commonly an interchange be
tween the words spirit and ghost; actually,
there is a specific distinction between the
two. Originally, the word spirit carne from

Page II

the same etymological source as breath and

breathing. With the ancient Greeks and
Romans, pneuma, or breath, contained the
vital forc, the very consciousness that gave
self-awareness to the individual. In fact,
breath and soul were thought to be synony
mous. This conception is quite comprehensible because with death breathing ceased,
and with it those qualities that make for life
and personality. Therefore, the intangible,
invisible characteristics of mans nature, the
other aspects of his assumed duality were
related to breath and were subsequently
termed spirit.
With the passing of time, spirit carne to
represent a higher order of manifestation,
as the essence or personality of the gods or a
divine eficacy. The word, ghost, on the
other hand, in the vulgar sense had reference
only to the disembodied spirit of man. The
ghost did not always necessarily mean the
soul of the individual, but rather the psychic
body or counterpart of the physical one and
detached from it.
In psychological terminology and in the
realm of psychic research, ghosts are referred to as apparitions. Commonly, such
apparitions are thought to represent the
spirit of a departed person. It is assumed
that such apparitions are capable of becoming objective to the extent of affecting the
receptor senses; in other words, that they
can become visible, heard or felt.
Since time immemorial, individuis and
groups of persons have related experiencing
apparitions or phantoms. Such reports, how
ever, do not necessarily constitute evidence
of their existence. There have been through
out history many examples of mass deceptions upon the part of peopledeceptions
which were later disclosed by serious and
unemotional investigations. At one time all
insane persons were believed to be possessed
of devils or demons. In the Middle Ages
persons testified that others were lycanthropes, that is, werewolves, and that they
had seen them being transformed from hu
man to beast. Only careful investigation
revealed that hysteria and ignorance accounted for such false testimony.
The superstitious person who has strong
convictions about ghosts can easily be deceived by the illusions, for example, of bad
lighting. They will not attempt to invest
gate what seems to confirm their superst-

Page 12

tions. The manner in which the light of the

moon may pass through the foliage of trees
in a forest will cause shadows to form on the
ground so as to give rise to many weird
shapes. What has been reported as the
ghosts of od men, women, and monsters
have often been found to be but the shadows
of brush, trees or rocks highlighted by the
light of the moon.
There is hardly a person who has not,
upon awakening at night, been startled by
what seemed to be a figure standing or seated in the crner of his room, or framed
against a door or window. By courageously
advancing to the apparition, it would be
found to be the result of clothes lying across
a chair or an object of furniture casting a
shadow so as to suggest a form to the imagi
nation.
As an example of these illusions accounting for many experiences with ghosts
there is the classical account by Sir Walter
Scott. Byron, the famous poet, had just re
cently passed through transition. According
to Sir Walter Scott, he awoke to see what
appeared to be a very clear apparition of
Byron standing and facing him. The vividness and cise resemblance to the recently
deceased Byron was remarkable. Sir Walter
relates that he willed himself to approach
the phantom. He then discovered that it
was an illusion caused by certain plaids
and a cloak hanging in the hall at Abbotsford.
What boy who has had to walk alone
along a road passing a cemetery at night has
not seen white things fluttering or dark
things darting among the tombstones? Courageous investigation would reveal newspa
pers blowing about, or the moving boughs
of a tree causing a shadow to intermittently
fail upon a white tombstone. The fear he
had of the cemetery, a fear rooted in the
belief that ghosts were there, would make
the lad susceptible to the illusions and to the
hallucinations.
The seeing of ghosts is often the result of
hallucinations which may be pathologically
caused. A morbid condition of the brain, of
the nervous system and certain emotional
disorders may cause the hallucination of
perceiving something which has reality to
the unfortunate person only. Such an indi
vidual obviously cannot be convinced that he
alone had the experience because it was as

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

real to him as anything else he perceived.

Many of the so-called theophanic or re
ligious experiences of seeing saints and
angels are definitely pathological in nature.
Alcoholism and drugs may cause such a
disassociation of the subconscious mind from
the conscious mind that the images seen, felt
or heard have absolute reality to the afflicted
person. This disassociation can likewise oc
cur during sleep. When one awakens from
a sound sleep he may not at first be able to
distinguish between lingering dream impres
sions and what he objectively perceives or
hears. A temporary hallucinatory state may
be established wherein there is an intermingling of the dream impressions and those
externally experienced. A nightmare may
carry its emotional effects over to the waking state so that in a darkened room one has
the hallucination of seeing objects where
none existor of hearing them.
There are what is known as apparitions of
the living. This phenomenon has often been
verified by persons of good health and not
those given to superstitions. This experi
ence consists, for example, of seeing the
phantom of a known person, even in broad
daylight, walking by or entering a house or
room, in a most natural manner. In fact, the
observer at the time may not even think of
it as being an apparition but only discovering that it is so later.
Individuis have seen a living relative
walk along a hallway and cise a door, exiting into the Street. Later, the observer would
question the relative, saying that they had
not heard them enter the house but saw them
leave. The relative would reply that he had
not been in the house at the time but, in
fact, had been some distance away with oth
er persons. Subsequent verification did prove
that such was the case.
The records of psychical research societies
are replete with such cases of apparitions of
the living which they term bilocation. These
apparitions are apparently what mysticism
calis psychic projection. The consciousness
of the individual, the psychic self, is projected in such a manner that it can objec
tively affect the senses of another or others
so that they perceive the image of the
individual. This is not a supematural phe
nomenon but rather a supernormal one. Let
us look at the matter from a wholly logical
and practical point of view. If it be as-

AUGUST, 1959

sumed that mental telepathy consists of the

transference of an energy, of electromagnetic
waves, which can establish by activating
certain areas of the brain of another, im
pressions that compose words, why then can
not such waves induce visual images, as
well?
Let us put the subject in this way. If an
effusion of such a mysterious mental energy
can create words in the consciousness of an
other, then it should be able to produce
visual images in a hyperesthetic person as
well. Suppose one unconsciously mentally
relives the experience of walking down a
familiar hall of a relatives home and leaving from the front door. Instead of his
thoughts creating a word picture in the mind
of a sensitive person, there would instead be
the mental picture of the act? There would
perhaps be that momentary detachment of
the conscious state from the subconscious of
the receiver so that he would experience the
image as if he were actually, objectively oh
serving it.
We know that detachment in cases of high
fever, alcoholism, and the use of drugs,
makes it impossible for the afflicted person
to distinguish between reality and hallucination. Is it not' probable that in the transfer
ence of thought under certain conditions that
this detachment may occur so that the reception has every appearance of reality?
The apparitions of dying, persons have
been noted and the circumstances of the
death verified that which was observed. A
case reported states that a woman saw an
apparition of her brother seriously wounded
and dying while mounted on a cavalry horse.
She was greatly distressed by the experience.
Other relatives tried to reassure her by explaining that the distant brother was, in fact,
in the infantry and had never been in the
cavalry, and that therefore her experience
was a mere hallucination without fact. Subsequently, it was revealed, however, that
there had been a mutiny in the infantry
battalion in which the brother had been
serving. He and others, unbeknown to the
family, had recently been transferred to the
cavalry, and he had been shot and killed
while serving in that capacity. The event
occurred on the day and comparative time
that the sister saw the apparition.
These kinds of apparitions are best ex
plained on the premise of being telepathic

Page 13

Communications. It has been found that this

phenomenon occurs at times when a great
crisis or emergency confronts the sender. The
tremendous emotional mpetus of the event
seems to provide the stimulus for the transmission of the energy or forc. It usually
occurs where there is a strong emotional
bond between the receiver and the sender.

The dominant question here is: does the

personality of the departed, the self-consciousness survive death? Further, does it
acquire the power of telekinesis, that is, the
ability to move material objects and to materialize itself so as to be perceived by the
senses of mortals? For belief in the spirits
of the dead re-appearing, one must have two
definite concepts:
(a) the belief in the immortality of self,
the survival of the personality after death.
It must be thought that the soul and self, or
personality, are synonymous. For such a
conception as this, the soul must be thought
to be anthropomorphic, that is, that it assumes the form and personality of the living
person. It also must be believed that the
self, or personality, has no direct dependence
upon the physical organism, that it is but
a kind of substance which the body, as a
shell, contains and which death releases. All
students of mysticism and philosophy will
not accept such a view in its entirety, how
ever.
(b) It is also necessary for a belief in ap
paritions of the dead that one believe that
the self or soul manifest itself, at will, in
such material substances or forces as to be
seen, heard or felt by mortals.
Those who do not subscribe to such a be
lief have nevertheless experienced strange
psychic phenomena. But they will not con
cede that such was actually the apparition
of a departed person. These dissidents will
take the position that if this phenomenon
were a natural function of the disembodied
personality, then the experience should not
be a rare one because millions of people, by
the bond of love for those who have depart
ed, would, it would seem, be able to experi
ence the personality of the deceased brother,
wife, mother, son, etc. Certainly, they may
arge, a far greater proportion of persons
would have the experience of seeing the ap
paritions of the departed than the relatively
few who profess to having done so.

Page 14

It may further be argued that if the soul

is functional and not substantiative, then the
personality of the deceased could not ma
terialize itself after death. In other words,
presumed that the vital life forc has within
it a Cosmic or universal intelligence which
directs its functioning in an organism; this
life forc when infused in matter gives rise
to the individual consciousness. The organ
ism gradually develops until it acquires the
state of becoming aware of itself. It acquires
a self-consciousness. This, in turn, has become so highly developed in men that they
refer to it as the inner self or soul. Soul is,
then, a manifestation, but a function rather
than a substance or thing which has been
implanted within the individual. The es
sence of the soul, one of its two causes, the
vital life forc, is part of the whole spectrum
of Cosmic energy.
Further presuming, at death this vital
essence of life departs. The energy of matter
and that which causes life are then returned
to the universal forces of which they are
a part. The individual personality, which is
the result of the composite of these two, disappears just as musical notes, for analogy,
cease when the fingers no longer play upon
the strings of the lyre. We repeat, the Cos
mic forces which brought the Soul-Personality into expression are never cosmically
lost, but the result of their unity ceases to be
as man knows it when death occurs. Now,
this conception is held by many mystics and
metaphysical thinkers and such persons
could not indulge belief in apparitions of the
dead any more than they could think of
music continuing as detached from the instrument and the player.
Further, if souls are deposited in bodies
as detached substances and after death are
liberated again to be detached substances and
to manifest to the living, w hy then do they
not do so before birth? Or, is the soul after
death, after residence in the body, quite unlike that which entered the body at birth?
This question is a matter of doctrine and
philosophy which most believers in ghosts
do not attempt to answer.
Psychical research, admitting that there
is much yet that is unsolved mystery in the
realm of the psychic, has found that hallucination plays the most prominent part in
seeing ghosts. Persons emotionally disturbed by the loss of a loved one and griev-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ing can often p roject from their own

subconscious an image of the loved one into
their conscious mind, and it is so detached
as to have the realism of being objectively
experienced. Even other persons can be in
duced through mass suggestion or hypnotic
influence to imagine that they, too, experi
ence the phantom.
These comments are in no way intended
as being conclusive in relation to this sub
ject but rather they present current theories,
doctrines and vieWpoints pro and con.X

Should Rosicrucians Go to Church?

This question is prompted by a question
that occurred in an open forum at a recent
Rosicrucian Convention. The question asked
was, Is it wrong for a Rosicrucian to attend
the Catholic Church? Whether or not an
individual wishes to attend any church is
not a question of right or wrong.
Recently I wrote conceming the standards
of measurements of an individual^ develop
ment, and at that time I was thinking in
terms of the fact that, as Rosicrucians, it is
very difficult for us to categorically state in
regard to every single incident of our lives
whether a thing is right or wrong. I believe
there are activities and events that may be
right for one person that are wrong for an
other. That is, outside of certain principies
of human dignity and of the principie that
our lives are necessarily social and conse
quently what we do may affect another in
dividual, that there is no right or wrong
when the decisin involved does not affect
the welfare of another person.
It is obviously important that Rosicrucians
as well as anyone else conform to social
practices that have been found reasonable
and purposeful in human society. I mean
by that that theft, murder, destruction of
other peoples property, interference with
other peoples lives are definitely wrong because we are attempting to partake of other
peoples efforts and not giving the same consideration to the rights of another individual
as we expect for ourselves. That is why hu
man society has established laws which
reglate an individual. In other words, an
individual cannot carry a gun with him,
shooting at anything or anyone he wants to
just because he thinks he would like to do so.

AUGUST, 1959

It is, of course, very difficult to draw a line

where it is necessary to distinguish between
what is morally wrong and morally right,
but in my estimation, there are many decisions that we have to make in life that need
not be classified in the categories of right
or wrong except as they apply to each of us
as individuis.
If an individual wants to affiliate with the
Catholic Church, for example, and he be
lieves conscientiously in its tenets, he finds
satisfaction and enjoyment in participating
in its activities, then it is not wrong. In fact,
it is right for him to do so. But since I do
not believe in the same way he would have
to believe in order to adjust to such an affilia
tion, neither is it wrong that I should abstain
from affiliating with the Catholic Church.
This does not mean that the Catholic Church
is either right or wrong, but it does mean
that it may fill the spiritual needs of certain
individuis, and certainly they are entitled
to have those needs filled or have their lives
made more purposeful by participating in
the fulfillment of those needs as furnished
through that channel.
To make this consideration broader as to
whether a Rosicrucian should attend any
church or not, the same argument applies.
I personally know Rosicrucians who are devoted, conscientious, sincere, and active
church members. They are proud of what
they are doing. They benefit themselves and
many who associate with them by what they
do. In other words, by being church mem
bers, they are right, but it is quite possible
that for me the same choice would be wrong.
It is my opinion that I would not gain a
great deal, neither would I contribute to the
welfare of anyone else by attending church.
Therefore, to me, it would be a rather useless gesture. When I have attended church,
it has usually been to satisfy the wishes of
someone else, or when I was very young, it
was to satisfy the command of someone else.
The question here goes deeper than the
right or wrong of Rosicrucians affiliating
with established religions, or, if we wish to
broaden this, with other fraternal orders,
societies, groups of any nature. Any movement that is ethically, morally, and socially
upright and of worthy purpose deserves the
support of those interested in the aims and
purposes of the movement, institution, or
ganization or group. If a Rosicrucian wishes

Page 15

to affiliate with such a group, then that is

his option. There is only one requirement
that I would say should be placed upon the
Rosicrucian, or rather we might say an obli
gation. The Rosicrucian should be sincere.
He should comply with his convictions. He
should not affiliate with any group merely
for prestige or for the purpose, as we fre
quently say, of keeping up with the Jones.
His affiliation should be because he feels
that it provides an avenue for his own ex
pression and an avenue for him to grow as
he thinks he should. If the environment of
any society produces this advantage, then
most decidedly the Rosicrucian who feels
that benefit is to be found in affiliation, for
him such affiliation is right.A
Visits and Appointments
Rosicrucian Park is a most attractive place.
It was designed to be such. Its landscaping,
shrubs, flowers, trees, and spacious lawns are
living symbols of the harmony of nature
which constitutes a basic study of the Rosi
crucian teachings. The Egyptian and Ori
ental architectural design of the buildings
and the Oriental motif of their decor has an
exotic appeal. Though Rosicrucian Park is
located in a thriving section of the city of
San Jos, yet there is an air of tranquility
about it that is immediately evident to those
who stroll its walks and sit in its shady
nooks.
Over 115,000 persons a year visit Rosicru
cian Park and its Egyptian Museum, Planetarium and Science Museum! These visitors
are from every nation on this side of the
Iron Curtainand include some refugees
from captive nations. It is not unusual for
the day to include visitors from Nigeria,
New Zealand, Egypt, Caada, England,
Venezuela, Mxico, and South Africa, as
well as from points throughout the United
States. These visitors have heard of the
Rosicrucian Order and its museums through
literature they have read or from the comments of friends. They are either traveling
in the vicinity and include Rosicrucian Park
in their itinerary, or have especially gone
out of their way to spend an hour or two
walking about the grounds and inspecting its
facilities.
Non-members, the traveling public, con
stitute the greatest number of visitors to

Page 16

Rosicrucian Park. They are eligible to visit

only the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum with
its renowned collections for which there is
no charge, and the Science Museum and
Planetarium. They, of course, are not granted admittance to the Supreme Temple. They
are permitted, however, in the Administration building if they have business of some
nature with the Order. The public are giv
en free literature in the Museum and any
questions they ask are graciously answered
by the Curator or by the hostesses. The
courtesy extended the public, college, and
school groups visiting our Museums is evidenced by the letters of appreciation which
are received from them by the Curator or
which they address to the Rosicrucian Order.
The number of visitors to Rosicrucian
Park does include, of course, several thous
and Rosicrucian members annually. The
Rosicrucian member when arriving at Rosi
crucian Park is invited by instructions on
the sign posts in front of the various buildings to visit the Museum. At the main desk
in the Museum is a Rosicrucian Staff Official.
If the member wishes to go through the Administration building, and particularly to
visit the Supreme Temple, that is his mem
bership privilege (Saturdays, Sundays, and
holidays xcepted). He is expected to request that, however. A hostess is then called
if the member expresses the desire to visit
the other buildings, and he or she is taken
on a guided tour of the principal administration offices and is given the opportunity to
see the various departments of AMORC in
operation.
In addition, every member has the oppor
tunity to have a brief interview with either
an officer of the Order or one of its official
department heads. These department heads
are known to members by the correspond
ence they have with them. Howeverand
this is importantan. interview with any spe
cific officer can only be secured by appointments made in advance. For example, if a
member, whether he has come from half
way around the world or just around the
crner, cpmes to the reception room of the
Administration building without an appointment, he may not be able to see the par
ticular officer he wishes at tht time. That
may be because that officer is working on a
pre-arranged, important matter that he can
not interrupt; his work would be important

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and in the interests of the Orderwhich

means the thousands of other members who
are not at Rosicrucian Park at the time. But,
the visiting member will be given an inter
view with any other officer or department
head who is then available. No member is
ever deprived of the opportunity to contact
some staff official.
If you wish to speak to a specific officer
only, and if you do not want to be disappointed, make an appointment in advance
by letter. Do not take the chance of coming
to Rosicrucian Park and finding that the
particular frater is out of town, or is engaged in previously-planned work which
cannot be interrupted at the time. It must
be realized by the Rosicrucian members that
if officers were to see every member who
dropped in and asked for them daily, they
would have little time for anything except
being reception committee. How, then,
would they prepare lectures, monographs, do
research work, write articles, answer the let
ters of other members, and serve the thous
ands of students in various ways?
By making an appointment in advance,
a time is set aside for you. Even in such
cases, an appointment, for emergency reasons, may need to be transferred to another
fully qualified officer who will gladly inter
view you.
The Rosicrucian member should not ask
for appointments on Saturdays, Sundays,
holidays or after 5:00 p.m., because such
cannot be granted. The officers and staff
officials do not always completely termnate
their daily work when they leave the Ad
ministration building in the evening. They
often have to take part in Convocations in
the evening in the Temple, or give lectures,
or write material for one or more of the
Rosicrucian publications in the quiet of their
homes. Further, you will agree that, as hu
man beings, they have a right to some per
sonal life, some hours for rest, recreation,
and personal affairs. They cannot, therefore,
accept interviews at their homes. All of
these things are in accord with system and
order, which is one of the basic principies of
our Rosicrucian teachings.
Some members arrange to visit Rosicru
cian Park on a Sunday or a holiday because
it is convenient for them, because they are
not working at such times. On many of these
days they will find the Rosicrucian Museums

AUGUST, 1959

and Planetarium open, at least in the afternoons. But please do not expect to find the
Administration building open and the Staff
at their desks; they, too, must have their
Sunday and holidays with their families.
You are welcome to visit Rosicrucian
Park, but please remember the following
points of information so that you will derive
the most benefit from your visit:
(a) The Administration building open
daily, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays excepted).
(b) The Rosicrucian Egyptian, Oriental
Museum open daily, M onday
through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m.; Saturday afternoon, 1:00 p.m.
to 5:00 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5:00
p.m.
(c) Rosicrucian Planetarium and Science
Museumopen Wednesday and Sun
day aftemoons, from 1:00 p.m. to
5:00 p.m. Theatre of the Sky lec
tures at 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
(d) The Supreme Templeopen to active
members upon presentation of credentials, Monday through Friday,
9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Convocations
are held in the Temple Tuesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. from October 1 to
May 15 each year.)
(e) Appointments desired with a particu
lar officer must be made in writing in
advance. (No appointments Saturdays, Sundays, holidays or evenings.)
Rosicrucian members who come on
the week days without appointment
will always have the opportnity of
seeing some officer or official of the
R osicru cian Order that is availab le.-X
Are You a Thinker?
There seems to be an error of judgment
on the part of some people as to exactly
what constitutes thinking. I am not referring
to thinking in the sense of a psychological
process, but rather I make reference to the
conten of consciousness which we normally
consider as being our thinking process. This
process includes the ideas and concepts that
take place in consciousness and toward which
we direct the state of awareness that con
stitutes our objective being at any particular

Page 17

moment. To define thinking as a process

from a technical or a physiological point of
view is to become involved in many lines
of thoughts and opinions which are beyond
the scope of this consideration.
At any particular moment, the normal
consciousness has, in addition to a State of
awareness of being, a composite collection of
ideas, thoughts, concepts, or perceptions that
are seemingly accumulated and existing in
a point which we cali consciousness. The
consciousness or thinking of the moment of
any individual, that is, that point toward
which attention in consciousness is directed,
differs from time to time based upon the
point of view, the knowledge, and experience
of the individual. The collection of ideas as
a procedure of thinking is a process that
makes it possible for us to learn. If the hu
man mind was not capable of collecting and
retaining ideas, man would exist even at a
lower level than some of the lower forms of
life, because he would never be able to cali
upon conscious experience or memory to
help him meet a situation that existed at
any particular time.
In other words, without the thinking proc
ess in consciousness, all experience would be
new. There would be no retention of knowl
edge and prior experience by which man
could develop habits and be able to function
on the basis of what he has experienced be
fore. Therefore, insofar as it helps us to
learn, the thinking process is, of course, the
fundamental basis upon which education is
made possible. Without the thinking process,
we would be in a much less civilized state
than we believe ourselves to be at the pres
ent time.
There is, however, one drawback to this
concept of education and development of the
human being based primarily on an accumulation of knowledge and experience. While
retention of knowledge and experience is
most important, it is not the total function
of thinking or of conscious existence. The
emphasis placed upon education in modern
civilized countries has also directly or indirectly influenced the concept of the accumulation of information and knowledge.
This idea was brought to popular atten
tion in recent years when there developed a
series of programs, presented as entertain
ment on radio and televisin, which con
sisted mainly in the asking and answering

Page 18

of questions. These presentations became

known as quiz programs and for a while
had a tremendous following. Exactly what
caused people to be so interested in these
programs is difficult to define, except that
human beings like to see other human beings
in situations that cause them to be affected
or taken by surprise by the circumstances
in their environment. Everybody waits to
see what the question is that is to be given
to the contestant, with the mixed hope that
the contestant will fail or succeed. The emo
tional response of the viewer of the program will be similar to that of the con
testant, and as a result of this vicarious
participation, the average individual seems
to enjoy the proceedings. Of course, the
whole program is also associated with the
hope for reward, the gaining of something
for nothing.
The appeal to the viewer of a program of
this nature is a very complex psychological
situation to analyze. Exactly why people
liked the so-called quiz programs beyond
these observations is most difficult to define.
The fact that they did not last, but now are
less prominent than before, shows also that
the thinking that went into the analysis and
the thinking that took place on the part of
individuis who watch the programs was
more or less a passing fancy that did not
have stability or endurance. If it had, the
idea would have lasted longer.
These programs have, in a popular sense,
however, carried out the idea to which I
referred earlier, that is, the confusion of
education and the ability to think contrasted
with the ability to retain knowledge. The
individual who was a Champion on one of
these programs had an extraordinary ability
to retain knowledge; but one may ask: If
the individuis in the past who have made
great achievements had done nothing but
retain knowledge, would they have been able
to accomplish anything? If those men who
have brought about the great inventions of
the present era had been cramming them
selves with information to be able to act as
a living encyclopedia, would they have at
tained the place they have in science through
their inventions? Or, as I read recently, if
Columbus had been a quiz Champion, he
may never have had time to discover Amer
ica. He would have had his consciousness
too full of words and facts about the things

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

that already existed. In other words, his in

formation would have been encyclopedic.
It would have been about a flat world. He
could have told all that existed in that flat
world, but he would never have had time to
think about the possibility of a round one.
So an individual who is simply accumulating facts is too busy accumulating facts
that already exist and remembering words
and thoughts of others, things that he has
memorized about conditions, incidents, or
events that already exist. What he thinks
himself can have no particular lasting valu
simply because he is repeating what already
is known.
To burden the memory with too many
facts is to weaken judgment and to discourage constructive and Creative thought. When
we absorb knowledge by reflection and by
the application of experience, such knowl
edge becomes a part of our mental processes.
We are able to cali it forth when the mind
needs to bring the ability of consciousness
to direct judgment and decisin in terms of
problems that exist at the present time.
Merely to have a good memory is some
times of very little use. The memory of all
the incidents that have ever occurred in the
history of the human race would not solve
a problem by an individual faced with a
situation that has not existed before. Great
men, some of the greatest philosophers of
all times, are often referred to jokingly as
being absent-minded. They could not re
member simple facts. Benjamin Franklin,
one of our great thinkers, particularly made
it a habit not to clutter his mind with facts
that were readily available. Why memorize
all the facts in the encyclopedia when you
will only want one at a time, and the en
cyclopedia is at least as near as a library
or possibly within your reach. A measure
of education is not based upon man being
able to accumulate facts, but by how he can
use facts and experience.
All this is indicative of the fact that man
has a consciousness and a mind which can
and should be used. Memory is very im
portant, but its position or place in con
sciousness should not be over-emphasized
and used to the exclusin of all else. The
greatest potential that exists for the human
being is the potential of Creative thought;
that is, thought that is an assembling of
previous knowledge as well as the directing

AUGUST, 1959

of the inner ability of mans consciousness

on a problem.
We are taught in our earliest degrees that
concentration is a tool that makes it possible
for us to utilize the full potentialities of
the mind. Through concentration, we do
more than simply redevelop in consciousness
the memory of incidents or facts that we
have learned in the past. We bring our ob
jective consciousness into a sympathetic and
a coordinate relationship with the inner self,
the subjective consciousness, the mind of the
soul, which in turn is a part of all the constructive forces of the universe. We are giv
en by these forces the ability of calling upon
all knowledge, all being, and the universal
mind itself for direction, inspiration, and
that spark of creativity which makes man
productive of real progress, progress that
will aid him in his evolvement as a living
entity.A
Making Things Easy
I recently wrote in another place that
there was certainly no harm in trying to do
things the easy way if there was a choice.
If we have a task to perform, and there is
more than one way or method that the task
can be performed, it is certainly only reasonable and logical that we should select the
easiest way. In other words, there is no use,
there is not anything to be gained by purposely directing our efforts along the hardest
path to perform any specific end. We are
given intelligence by which we can plan a
program or the method by which we are go
ing to do something, and certainly if we are
given that intelligence we can use it by taking the easiest path in order to save our
selves physical or mental strain and effort.
I state these facts because I do not want
it to appear that man should do things the
hard way, but at the same time, to do a
thing because it is easy and to avoid another
thing because it is hard is an entirely differ
ent circumstance. Ifto repeatwe can accomplish the same ends by two methods, one
easy and one difficult, then intelligence
dictates that we take the easy way. If there
are two tasks or two obligations to be per
formed or fulfilled, one is easy and one is
hard, and we do only one because it is easy,
then we are definitely committing what I
believe to be a moral wrong. I say moral

Page 19

because I believe an individual has a moral

obligation of accepting certain responsibility,
of taking a degree of pride in achievement.
If there is any fault specifically to find
with conditions that exist in the present era,
conditions that have followed considerable
upset in the world in the first half of this
century, then it is the concept that seems to
have gained prevalence since the ending of
the second World War that we do not have
to do things right, correctly, perfectly, or do
the things that are hard. Here at Rosicru
cian Park we employ almost two hundred
people. A portion of themmore than half,
in factdo certain detailed, routine work.
These individuis are typists and clerks,
those who perform activities that they must
be trained to do, but nevertheless are im
portant links in ca rry in g out the work
that has to be done here. I have been appalled at the individuis who have applied
for positions as typists who not only cannot
operate a typewriter efficiently, but cannot
even spell, or are not familiar with the func
tions and use of the English language. How
ever, to me, the important thing is not that
some have not acquired this knowledge. This
may be the fault of our educational system
rather than the individuis themselves. A
still more important fault in my estimation
lies in the fact that some of them do not
care. I have had girls employed that not
only could not spell but would make no ef
fort whatsoever to look up a word in the
dictionary if they were in doubt. They did
not care whether what they did was right
or wrong.
It is at that point that difficulty develops,
that there is a difference between the easy
and the hard way. The easiest way may be
to write a word without determining whether
it is correct or not. The hard way is to look
it up in the dictionary and get it right in
the first place, but there is a greater differ
ence between right and wrong than in choosing between two methods to accomplish the
same end. Consequently, it seems to me that
a degree of responsibility and a pride in
achievement of work correctly done is not
receiving proper emphasis in the home and
in the schools. As Rosicrucians, if we con
tribute to the evolvement of human beings
to the welfare of society, it should be our
effort to attempt to instill certain realization
of responsibility and achievement in the

Page 20

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

minds of those with whom we come in contact.

Today, business tries in many ways to
overcome the shortcomings on the part of
employees and those who carry out certain
functions for the accomplishment of the acts
of the business world. To me, more important than some of the problems of our employment situation today, particularly here
in this country, is the repeated appeal on
the part of many advertisers to encourage
the adoption of certain forms of procedure,
or to buy a certain mechanical aid to carry
out work which will make the work easier.
I do not think that doing a thing easier
should be the appeal as to why it should be
done. I think that if the majority of people
today are directing their attention toward
finding the easiest way to do something, they
are going to wake up some day with the
realization that a little hard work might
avoid many future problems.A
Do You Know?
A replica in format, that is, cover design
and interior arrangement, of the Rosicrucian
Digest, is now available in three other lan
guages: El Rosacruz in Spanish; L a Rose+
Croix in French; and O Rosacruz in Portuguese. El Rosacruz is published in Rosicru
cian Park; L a Rose+Croix is published in
Villeneuve Saint-Georges, France; and O
Rosacruz is published in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil.
In addition, the Grand Lodge of Germany
now issues a most interesting quarterly
publication and, in the near future, will join
the family of periodicals that are identical
in appearance with the Rosicrucian Digest.
The Grand Lodge of Sweden has an excellent periodical in its language, issued under
the direction of Grand Master, Frater Alb.
Roimer. Ever since the time of the late
Grand Master, Frater Jan Coops, the Grand
Lodge of The Netherlands has published a
very fine Rosicrucian journal; it is now prepared under the guidance of the Grand Mas
ter, Frater H. Th. Verkerk Pistorius. Under
the direction of Grand Master Sundstrup, the
Grand Lodge of Denmark and Norway also
issues a journal. The Grand Lodge of Italy,
under the leadership of Frater Giuseppe
Cassara, Jr., Grand Master, has diligently
prepared and disseminated a Rosicrucian

journal with a cover design similar to that of

the Rosicrucian Digest.

V .

We take pride in announcing that another

Grand Lodge of AMORC has now affiliated
with the Supreme Grand Lodge of this Jurisdiction, that is, it has merged with the
American Jurisdiction. Our Jurisdiction now
includes Germany. Frater Wilhelm Friedrich Mueller is the very active Grand
Master of Germany.
Our Jurisdiction is now the largest in the
world and therefore has a great responsibility to its subordinate Grand Lodge officers
and members. This unification of various
nations and jurisdictions makes possible a
uniformity of the teachings and methods of
the Order in all the countries which it in
cludes. Every new method or idea devised
through the researches of the Supreme Grand
Lodge is immediately introduced to each of
the Grand Lodges affiliated with it. This
similarity of phraseology and literature, for
example, helps to identify the Order everywhere and gives it a true intemational char
acter.
As most of our members know, the Grand
Lodge administers in Rosicrucian Park the
work of the Orderits teachinersin two
languages, English and Spanish. The teach
ings of AMORC in French are disseminated
by an administra tive office in Villeneuve
Saint-Georges, which is a suburb of Pars.
The administrative building in France has
had two additions, the latest an exceedingly
modern one in every respect. This expansin
is to the credit, ingenuity, and activity of
our newly appointed Grand Master for
France, Frater Raymond Bernard.
In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, another administrative Staff under the direction of the Su
preme Grand Lodge disseminates all the
Rosicrucian teachings in the Portuguese
language. The executive officers, Brazilian
Grand Secretary, Soror Mara A. Moura,
and Grand Treasurer, Frater Jos de Oliveira
Paulo, are now engaged in building a new
administration edifice; it is to be completed
early next year.
The independent jurisdictions of AMORC,
as The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark-Norway, Italy, and Indonesia, maintain their
own administrative facilities. Through the
years and recently, the Grand Lodge of

AUGUST, 1959

Page 21

Sweden has issued many fine editions of the

Rosicrucian Library in Swedish. Never be
fore in its history has the Order been so
well known. Today, many millions of per
sons have heard of or read about the Rosi
crucian Order. In time, as their interest in
creases in the more serious and profound
things of life, a number of them affiliate with
the Order as members.

v v. y

This increased familiarity with the ame

of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC and its
activities unfortunately has certain unpleasant or negative aspects as well. There are
individuis who spring up in various coun
tries with organizations which they have
established bearing ames similar to that of
the Rosicrucian Orderas cise as the law
will permit. It is obvious that they intend
to confuse the public, leading them to be
lieve that there is some relationship between
their little self-promoted activities and the
worldwide Rosicrucian Order. The full
ame and symbols of AMORC are, of course,
legally protected. But these little groups
proceed just short of actually violating
AMORCs legal rights. They use such ames
as True Rosy Cross, The Secret Order
of the Rosicrucians, The Rosicrucian IIluminati, The Ancient Order of the Rosi
crucians, etc.
The leaders of these little movements
(which they have started themselves) move
about from country to country, their ad
dresses usually being a post office box wherever they happen to hang their hat
temporarily. The leader, who has no actual
Rosicrucian connections with the authentic
Order, endeavors to gain prestige for him
self, to give himself a background which he
actually has not; in his cheaply prepared,
mimeographed literature he allocates to
himself the most amazing array of titles. He
may refer to himself as the president of this
or that university or college, as being the
Hierophant of this, or the Grand Master of
that, and as being of the 33 of some other
body, etc.
Diligent in v estig a tio n of such claims
reveis that in the majority of cases the
colleges of which such persons profess to
be presidents or executives are, in fact,
non-existent, or are on paper only. The
orders and societies of which they are su
preme potentates can never be located or

can they, or will they, give them any address

to which a visitor can go. As we have said,
these individuis try to align themselves
with authentic orders by placing after their
ame the degrees of these bodies, implying
their connection therewith. When corresponding with the authentic organizations,
the claims of the clandestine groups or their
leaders are absolutely disclaimed.
Now, it may be asked, why is all this
done? Frankly, it is done to deceive gullible
and unthinking persons. Such persons learn
that they are deceived only after the expenditure of much money and time. In one
particular case in London, England, an in
dividual and his colleagues laid claim to
certain university activity that they were
professing to direct; a London newspaper in
an expose revealed the whole thing to be a
farce! But this same individual contines
now with a new array of ames, titles, and
professed connections.
You will easily recognize these fraudulent
groups by their attempts to simlate termi
nology as used by AMORC for decades; they
may also be recognized by the exaggerated
claims of their leaders who refer to them
selves as supreme heads and executives of a
string of organizations, the majority of which
no longer exist, but the ames of which they
have borrowed from history and tradition.
AMORC welcomes the activity of authen
tic mystical and ph ilosophical societies
whose aims and teachings are designed to
enlighten man, as it is also endeavoring to
do. However, AMORC will militantly oppose all individuis and groups who would
defile and prostitute the ames, history, and
traditions of worthy orders for their own
personal benefit. Our files are replete with
authentic information about these pseudo
and false organizations and their leaders. In
the majority of instances we can give you
evidence as to the mendacious activity of
such persons if you will write us. On the
other hand, if an organizations claims or
its leaders comments are true, AMORC, with
its worldwide ramifications can substantiate
it and gladly tell you that they are as they
represent themselves to be.
We only ask, and hope, that when such
literature comes into your hands, literally
covered with titles for its leaders and bear
ing egoistic claims, you will write us before
expending any money. In many instances

Page 22

we will be able to save you not only loss of

your funds but subsequent embarrassment
and disappointment.X
Are Mind and Consciousness
Synonymous?
A soror now addressing our Forum says:
I would like further light on the subject of
mind and consciousness and soul. It is not
quite clear to me whether mind and con
sciousness are synonymous or whether soul
and mind are.
In these matters we are still concerned,
to a great extent, with abstractions. Mind,
consciousness, and soul are not so tangible
or so substantiative that they can be actually
measured, weighed or put under a microscope for analysis. We can only consider
them in a functional sense and from that
endeavor to deduce their nature.
What, for example, do we ordinarily
mean by mind? The common definition of
mind is the intellectual and mental processes
with which we are familiar such as cognition, reason, will, memory, and imagination.
Consequently, in this regard mind is a collective term for a series of functions and
processes. A number of these processes, we
have learned, are mechanical; that is, they
are part of the mechanism of the brain and
nervous systems acting co-ordinately.
To the ancient Greeks, for example, mind
was a separate substance, that is, an embodiment which accompanied the soul. Mind
and reason were held to be synonymous and
were implanted in the organism at birth.
They were thought to be of divine origin.
Scrates expounded, through the writings of
Plato, that the soul possessed a wisdom from
its divine source and as a result of experi
ences while previously incarnated in human
form. The truly wise man, Scrates ex
pounded, therefore, would need only to reawaken the wisdom of the soul (mind); in
other words, re c a ll it. The brain, the
mechanism, of which little was known to
the Greeks, figuratively speaking was mere
ly a recording and play-back device for the
impressions of the mind, an instrument for
its expression.
In modern times physiology, neurosurgery,
and psychology have disclosed in their extensive researches and demonstrations the
dependence of much of what has been called

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

mind upon the cerebrum, cerebellum, nerv

ous systems, and certain glands. It has been
revealed that electric stimulus of particular
areas of the brain either retard or excite responses having to do with perception, recollection, and interpretation. There is, however,
much so-called unconscious action that is
not voluntary. Its immediate relation to the
brain is not as yet known. This has been
attributed to the subconscious, to a sublim
inal form of consciousness. Mystics, philoso
phers, metaphysicians, and vitalists have
long referred to these attributes as inner
mind.
In fact, certain thinkers, as the Rosicru
cians., have referred to these subconscious
functions as mind, distinguishing it from the
mechanism of the brain. The subconscious
also, however, needs the brain as an organ
or central distribution point of its intelli
gence. But it has been contended that mind
is primarily an inherent intelligence, an
order of procedure within the vital life forc
of the cells and is not dependent upon the
brain. Life forc, through untold generations, in its very simple protoplasmic sub
stance has been conditioned to perform
certain functions. This, then, is an uncon
scious intelligence. By unconscious we mean
that the organism as a whole is not aware
of this intelligence of the forc of life exist
ing in its minute parts. As the organism becomes more complex and develops, the matrix
of cells of which it consists takes on collective
functions which are more elabrate and re
quired by it. The complex brain is an ex
ample of an organ developed by higher forms
of living things. In the brain there is evolved
what is termed the lesser mind, the objective
consciousness. Finally, through the brain
the organism acquires self-consciousness. It
comes to realize its own entity. Man comes
to comprehend some of the functionings of
his own lesser mind, the one of which he
is commonly conscious. But the basic mind,
the intelligence of the vital forc of life remains as yet principally a mystery to man.
We may venture to say that consciousness
is the sensitivity and responsivity of the
vital life forc embodied in matter. Life can
only continu as an impulsation in matter
by regulating the latter to serve its nature.
Life, therefore, has a responsivity to all im
pulses which would either oppose or further
it. It is an internal state of balance within

AUGUST, 1959

matter, a kind of cohesive condition, which

compels inorganic matter to pursue a special
form or a definite order. Let us use an
analogy that we have used before, that of a
fast revolving top or gyroscope. Gently probe
the spinning top and it seems to rebound
from the touch. Though its rotation may be
disturbed, it immediately adjusts to the ex
ternal influence, maintaining its balance
even though its movement may be momentarily affected. The same response and adjustment of life forc to impulses affecting
its balance within matter is consciousness.
There is, as William James, eminent
classical psychologist, said, a stream of con
sciousness which infuses the whole of man.
It is the integration of the consciousness of
every individual cell. Each cell contributes
to a mass consciousness which is the sub
conscious with its functions called mind,
including the consciousness of the brain
likewise called a phase of mind.
Now, wherein does soul relate to mind
and consciousness? What does the average
person mean by soul? Let us for the mo
ment disregard ones religious interpretations or even the philosophical connotations
that may be had. In other words, what ex
periences does an individual have who be
lieves in soul, and which he designates as
such. We all distinguish between external
and internal sensations. One group we term
the world, the other, self. But even self
needs further delineation because self can
be the somatic sensations we have as pain,
thermal and pressure feelings. Self is ob
viously, then, more than just the body. It
is conscience as well, the moral sense, the
urge to do what the individual by both con
vention and interpretation conceives to be
the right. It is also the realization of will
as being interposed in matters of choice. It
likewise consists of sentiments and higher
emotions by which the individual comes to
voluntarily relate himself and his behavior
to events and circumstances, the eternal I
or ego.
If one contemplates this psychic self, as
distinguished from the physical, he finds
that soul is inchoate in the former. He
realizes that these same psychic elements of
self are what he would likewise cali soul.
He may, however, take the position that self
is solely a psychological function arising out
of the mechanism of the organism of his

Page 23

body. Soul, on the other hand, he may contend, is a divine quality which is immured
within the body but is not the consequence
of its processes or functions. If the individ
ual insists on there being a separation in the
origin and nature of self and soul, he then is
obliged to explain how he has knowledge of
the existence of his own soul. It must have
some identifiable, explicable qualities in its
self by which he knows it. The individual
will find it is impossible to relate any sensa
tions, impulses or influences of which he is
conscious and to which he attributes the
ame soul that are different from those he
regards as of self.
Now, it may be contended that a criminal,
a vicious perverted person, will also be aware of self, of inner impressions of various
subtle or psychical impulses. How can one
behave in such a manner and yet be said
to be conscious of soul if soul and self are
synonymous? The answer to this is not too
difficult. If soul were to direct and govern
implicitly the manner of human behavior
there would be little need for organized re
ligin and its methods for the salvation of
mankind. Each man would involuntarily
lead a divinely circumspect life and could
not be guilty of what religin terms sin and
immorality. The fact is, however, that man
can interpose his reason and his appetites so
as to behave in a way quite contrary to
what the finer sentiments of self would dic
tate if they were permitted to express.
Character and personality are but external
modifications of the pristine quality of what
we refer to as soul. They are the manner
in which we cloak the souls impulses. Con
sequently, what society calis an evil person
can have in essence a perfectly motivated
divine self, that is, as divine as man can be.
Let us then summarize:
AMind is the inherent impelling order
of the vital life forc resident in every liv
ing cell. In the brain it manifests as certain
intellectual and mental processes of which
we can be conscious. Its latent aspect is
known as the subconscious.
BConsciousness is the sensitivity of life
forc in matter by which it responds to its
internal nature and its environment.
CSoul is the individuals awareness of
the aggregate of his own being, the entirety
of self.X

A Book That
Challenges
Belief!
This book, The Conscious Interlude, provides stimulating adventure. It presents a liberal philosophy of life. Figuratively, this
study places you on the threshold of reality surveying with an
open mind all that you experience. The book opens a world of
radical thought radical only in that the author has succeeded in
freeing himself of all traditional ideas and honestly reappraises
what we have been told and are accustomed to believe.

Consider These
Chapter Titles!
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
I
II

Inquiry into
Consciousness
Adventure into Self

III

Inquiry into
Knowledge

IV

Nature of Truth

V
VI
VII
V III

Will
Is Absolute Reality
Mind?
Illusions of Law and
Order

IX
A

XI
X II
X III
X IV
XV
XVI
X V II
XV III

Causality

Mysteries of Time and

Space
Fourth Dimensin
Conscience and
Moris
Immortality
The Dilemma of
Religin
The Mystical
Consciousness
The Philosophy of
Beauty
Psychology of Conflict
The Human Incentive
Conclusin
Index

THE AUTHOR
Ralph M. Lewis, F. R. C., Imperator of the Rosicrucian
Order, AMORC, is the author of the books, Behold the Sign!
and the Sanctuary of Self. The Conscious Interlude is con
sidered one of his most thought-provoking and fascinating
works. It is the culmination of years of original thought.

Beautifully Bound and Printed

To our Commonwealth Friends

Our friends in the British Isles are per
mitted by their Government regulations
to obtain this book direct from the
U. S. A. But it may also be purchased
from the Rosicrucian Supply Bureau,
25 Garrick St., London, W.C. 2, England.
TH E ROSICRU CIAN P R E S S , LTD .

ONLY

7 5

PO STPAID
T O YOU

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

Mars Moment
In Eternity

We stand between two great eternitiesthe

one behind, and the one ahead of us. Our
whole span of life is but a conscious interlude
literally an infinitesimal moment of exist
ence. How we live this split second of
existence depends upon our consciousness
our view, our interpretation of lifes experi
ence. The purpose of this unusual book,
The Conscious Interlude, is how to make the
most of this interval of life.

ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU

Rosicrucian Park,
San Jos, California, U. S. A.
G e n tle m e r t :

Piease send to me a copy of T h e C o n s c io u s I n t e r l u d e as advertised,

postpaid. I am enclosing (#3.75) or (1/7/3).
YOUR AME..

ADDRESS.

(Write or print carefully)

October, 1959
Yolume XXX

No. 2

Rosicrucian Forum
A p rv a te

p u b lic a tio n fo r m e m b e rs of A M O R C

EMIL G ERH A RD STARKE, F. R. C.

G ran d Councor o f A M O R C fo r A rge n tin a

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 26

Greetings!
V

V A LU E O F ABSTRACTION
Dear Fratres and Sorores:
Our lives are a combination of tangibles
and intangibles. The tangibles are empirical.
They are a matter of the experience of our
senses. In other words, they have perceivable
qualities. This page and its printing is such
an example. The paper has certain qualities
to both our sense of sight and that of smell.
But these tangibles are no more a reality than
many of the intangibles which influence our
lives and to which we must adjust. Some of
these intangibles are morality, what it is; the
theories of society and govemment; immor
tality; the purpose of human existence, even
as to whether there is a purpose; God; happi
ness; causality; justice and order. These are
but a few of the myriad of intangibles which
we must construe in relation to our lives.
Abstraction is the reality which we give
to an idea in our minds and for which there
is no exact correspondence in particulars,
that is, in things outside us. Belief may make
an abstract idea become a convincing point
of knowledge to us. In other words, we know
the idea and, as such, it is as forceful in its
effect upon us as something we have objectively perceived. We confer upon it a valu
and integrate it in our behavior pattern.
Let us use an analogy to further clarify
this. Suppose ones home is near a heavy
traffic intersection, with motor vehicles rushing past at great speed. He recognizes these
tangibles. He has knowledge of them and
accordingly he acts in a cautious manner as
he approaches the intersection. Now, let us
suppose that he believes in a religious or
moral teaching which expounds that a cer
tain behavior is morally wrong and would be
detrimental to his afterlife.
There is little distinction in these two kinds
of knowledge so far as their effect upon the
individual is concerned. One knowledge is
of immediate perception, the actual observa
tion of the traffic intersection and its potential
danger. The other knowledge is a coilclusion
which the individual has arrived at in his
reasoning. It is composed of the elements

of what he may have read or heard upon

the subject of immortality and its relation
to moral behavior. The individual cannot
objectively prove this latter kind of knowl
edge by the confirmation of his senses as he
could that of the intersection but, until it is
disproved, it carries with it a mental conviction which is a strong motivation in his relations with other persons.
There are other elements of our knowledge
which are perceivable but which are never
theless an indirect experience. These ele
ments have not been directly subjected to our
personal analysis, or have they been rationalized by us so as to constitute a belief. These
things are matters of hear say, what others
relate to us as being facts or true. Such in
formation may be but the opinion of another,
a conclusin not arrived at through any per
sonal contemplation. The one who accepts
such hearsay as knowledge is doing so wholly
on faith alone. There is a great amount of
data which we consider part of our general
knowledge and that is of this latter category.
We d not take time to investgate this in
formation and, in many instances, we cannot
do so. The fact that much of it may be ultimately proven to be erroneous may not in
any way be adverse to us in the present. In
other words, it may be of such nature that
we are at the present time not obligated to
resort to or rely upon it.
Unfortunately, however, there is much of
our knowledge of the hearsay and opinion
type that does govern our personal viewpoint
of lifes vicissitudes. We take the point of
knowledge at its prim a facie valu, the mean
ing it merely seems to have. Even if such
points of knowledge are not factual subjects
which can either be demonstrated or objec
tively disproven, we can nevertheless con
tmplate them as abstractions. We can take
the particular idea as it has been presented
to us, or as we have inherited it from the
customs of our times, and subject it to per
sonal scrutiny. We can ask ourselves, Can
the idea have a meaning other than that

Page 27

OCTOBER, 1959

commonly associated with it? Is there a real

rational ground for the ordinary conception
of the word or term?
Dwelling on abstractions in order to arrive
at a personal conception of them is a most
satisfying procedure. It often results in a
complete reversal of some of our habits or a
change in our idealism. It can often alter
the pessimist so that he becomes an optimist
where certain important issues are concerned.
The reason is that the valu, the content of
the point of knowledge, may by abstraction
go through a complete transformation.
Again let us resort to an analogy for a bet
ter understanding. Let us take a hypothetical
question, Why is the afterlife, existence after
death, of such great concern to multitudes of
people? In beginning such an abstraction, it
is first necessary to rid ones mind of all the
preconceived notions one has about the sub
ject. We are reminded in this regard of the
remarks of Rene Descartes, the noted French
philosopher of the 17th century, with respect
to this point: As for all opinions which I had
accepted up to that time, I was persuaded
that I could do no better than get rid of
them at once, in order to replace them after
ward with better ones, or, perhaps, with the
same, if I should succeed in making them
square with reason.
In the analogy we have here, put aside
whatever religious or philosophical ideas you
may have about life after death. In other
words, what do you think about it? Begin a
series of personal, even critical questions on
the subject. Why should man live after
death? What evidence is there that he does?
Do you have a conviction that there is such
an experience? Is it because you want to be
lieve it? Does such an inclination stem from
any basic emotion as, for example, the instinct of self-preservation?
Bringing the clear light of reason to bear
on many abstract subjects may shatter some
illusions you have long pursued. You may
experience pangs of conscience, have a sense

of guilt that you are deserting od traditions.

You can fortify yourself at this stage by
pointedly asking yourself, Do I want to know
the truth? Do I want to know and believe
what is acceptable to both my conscious and
subconscious mind?
Once you are over the hurdle by freeing
yourself of previous attachments, the under
standing that eventually comes to you as a
consequence of abstraction will appear as a
self-evident truth. It will seem to have the
perspicuity of intuition. You will have a feel
ing of intimacythat what you know really
belongs to you. It is born out of your own
mental and psychic powers. It is not just a
tenant of your mind, that is, a kind of outside
squatter in your consciousness.
The rules which Descartes gave for our
process of arriving at relative truth drawn
frm abstraction can be applied by anyone.
We feel it advantageous to set them forth:
The first rule was, never 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 it
self so clearly and so distinctly to my mind
that I should have no occasion to entertain
a doubt of it.
The second rule was, to divide every difficulty which I should examine into as many
parts as possible, or as might be required for
solving it.
The third rule was, to conduct my
thoughts in an orderly manner, beginning
with objects the most simple and the easiest
to understand, in order to ascend, as it were,
by steps to the knowledge of the most composite, assuming some order to exist even in
things which did not appear to be naturally
connected.
The last rule was, to make enumerations
so complete, reviews so comprehensive, that
I should be certain of omitting nothing.
Abstraction need not be laborious. It does
not have to be tedious and fatiguing. Each of

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 of the U. S. Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of the Supreme Council of AM O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sterling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sferlng) per yearFOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page 28

us has often had a passing doubt about one

or more things that pass as accepted knowl
edge. Some evening, or any time when you
can relax and be quiet and have an hour to
sparetake the timebring a particular sub
ject to the fore of your consciousness. Figuratively, turn it around and around; look
at it from every mental angle and quizz
yourself as directed above. At first, concen
tration may be difficult, that is, holding the
mind in focus upon a single subject. As the
inconsistencies of the subject, if there are
such, begin to flake off from the idea and the
core stands revealed, you will then begin
to derive emotional satisfaction. This will
make concentration much easierin fact, enjoyable.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
How to Improve Your Concentration
As I look back, it seems to me quite often
as a boy when I was assigned a task or a
lesson to which I did not give my full atten
tion that someone would say, Keep your
mind on what you are doing. That phrase
must have been quite popular a good many
years ago, and probably others will remem
ber it being used. The phrase contains a lot
more information than we might think at
first examination of the wording. It is doubtful that from a psychological standpoint it
would bear the scrutiny of careful examina
tion, but generally the idea was conveyed.
I or anyone else to whom the phrase was
directed would realize that from a stand
point of a parent, teacher, or supervisor,
work that was to be accomplished was falling short of the ideal due to the lack of
attention that was being given to it. An
other common phrase that carries more or
less the same idea is simply the two words,
Pay attention!.
If work of any kind is to be done, the con
sciousness must be directed to it. Someone
may contradict this statement by saying that
habitual actions take place without directing
our conscious attention to the process. That
is true, but at the same time, those ac
tions or procedures which we do habitually
without attention are usually more or less
routine activities. Any work that we do,
anything that is worth while requires that

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the focus of our minds be directed at what

we are doing. In other words, to a degree
we should concntrate on anything that is
worth having our attention at any particular
moment.
The teachings of this organization are
based upon a fundamental concept that if
an individual is to evolve in the application
of the principies that are taught and is going
to be able to use their inner powers to the
full extent of their possibilities, the indi
vidual must develop the ability to concn
trate. Concentration is directing the forces
of the mind to apply to a specific event,
action, or achievement that is to be desired.
The process of concentration as taught in
the Rosicrucian monographs is one of the
most important keys to human development
that ever has been made available to us as
individuis. The individual who is capable
and persistent enough to develop the technique of concentration to the point of per
fection has gained an important step in liv
ing and has gained a tool which that indi
vidual can utilize in the development of
psychic, mental, and physical abilities.
Concentration is to the mind what manual
art is to the body. When one becomes proficient in the doing of anything that requires
manipulation or manual function, he is said
to develop dexterity. Dexterity is almost
synonymous with perfection; that is, the
utilization of our physical body in a way
that brings about an accomplishment or an
achievement in the manner that accomplishes an end or purpose. What dexterity
is to the physical body, to the coordination
of our muscular system in order to carry
out certain physical acts, concentration is to
mind and consciousness.
We are taught that the Creative forc of
the mind is one of the greatest and most
powerful forces that can be used by the hu
man being; but with all things, there are
methods, procedures, and techniques neces
sary to bring about the actual manifestation
of any art. There are necessary periods of
training, practice, and experience to develop
a complex manual operation; for example, to
gain the dexterity to use the hands so that
they will skillfully direct the operation of a
tool or be properly directed over the keyboard
of a musical instrument. In concentration, we
are using our minds to bring about a certain
desired end. When we concntrate on a prob-

OCTOBER, 1959

lem, the concentration is directed toward

bringing us a solution. The development of
perfection in that technique will solve many
of our problems.
As far as the technique itself is concerned,
the Rosicrucian is referred to the instructions
in the monographs that provide, step by step,
the methods by which perfection or betterment of the procedure will be achieved. But
more than anything else, the individual
needs to leam that as with any task concen
tration requires, to repeat the phrase, To
keep your mind on what you are doing.
There are many people who believe they
concntrate, but actually are permitting all
kinds of extraneous matter to enter the mind
at the same time. They start out in accordance with the Rosicrucian technique of
visualizing and directing their consciousness
toward a certain fact, principie, or idea and
then let their minds wander. Their minds
wander due to the attraction of the environ
ment of external pressures that may be
brought to bear or merely by daydreaming
and thinking of something else rather than
the task at hand. The first step in concen
tration and a continuing step to make it
effective then is to always keep your mind
on the fact of concentration itself.
To achieve what you may hope to achieve,
to use the principies taught by the Rosicru
cians to solve your problems, you must learn
to concntrate. To learn to concntrate you
must learn to direct the functioning of your
mind, to think of one thing and to exclusively keep your attention in that direction.
Then, when it is dismissed from conscious
ness to dismiss it entirely, to leave the mind
blank, as it werefree of interference not
only from the idea or concept upon which
concentration was directed, but free from
extraneous ideas entering and literally spoiling the picture. It is a good idea for the
Rosicrucian who feels that his advancemnt
is not all that should be desired to review
the technique of concentration and then to
honestly review the effort and accomplishments of ones self in developing this tech
nique as well as it can be.
Concentration is needed in times of crises,
when problems arise, when serious situations
develop in our lives or we reach a point
where we seem to have accomplished all we
can. Frequently, concentration is the only
key that we have, the only tool that we can

Page 29

use to bring about a solution. To be ready

for the important events in our lives, to be
ready for the crises or fr the solving of a
major problem, the technique of concentra
tion must already be developed. It is too late
when the problem arises; therefore, when
you concntrate or meditate or direct your
attention to constructive thoughts, remember
to keep your mind on what you are doing.
Then, you are laying the foundation that
develops the technique of concentration that
will be available to you when you need it
most.A
Asking for Help
At a membership Forum held at one of the
Rallies sponsored by a Rosicrucian Chapter,
this question was asked of the panel: Why
is it necessary for us to ask the help of the
Cosmic for others in view of the fact that the
Cosmic is all-seeing and all-knowing?
This question actually involves two factors
that need to be separated before the answer
can be given intelligent consideration. The
first factor concerns the condition of neces
sity. Is it necessary to ask the Cosmic for
help for ourselves or for anyone else? The
answer to that phase of our question is no.
It is not necessary that we ask the Cosmic
for help. In fact, it is conceivable, although
it cannot be proven true, that there have been
people who have gone through life without
calling upon the Cosmic or upon a deity for
help of any kind. This would be an unusual
incident, I admit, because even people who
have professed to be atheists have at times
engaged in more or less informal prayer;
that is, they have called for help upon forces
higher than themselves, even though in their
lives they may have denied the existence of
such forces.
It seems, although again this may not be
subject to proof, that there is a human tendency to reach for something above or be
yond the usual environment when one is
frustrated. An individual whose circum
stances may lead him to a condition where
he finds human help and his own of no avail
in bringing about a solution to a problem
will unconsciously cali on other sources.
Usually this takes the form of some type of
prayer, an appeal to a god, to a higher forc
to intervene or to help him surmount the
obstacles with which he is faced.

Page 30

Nevertheless, it is not necessary for man to

do this. Men may live without calling on
forces outside of themselves, but I believe
that if they do their lives will be fuller and
more satisfying. Not to cali upon higher
forces than those of our own making or at
our own level is to have no interest or aware
ness of them. The process of concentration,
meditation, or prayer is an actual acknowl
edgment in terms of action or function by
which an individual, both consciously and
subconsciously impresses upon his mind the
fact that there are areas of being more im
portant than he is.
Therefore, to retum to the first part of this
question, if the necessity exists, the necessity
is to aid man by his own process of acknowl
edgmentacknowledgment of forces greater
than himself. Whether or not he asks for
help for himself or for someone else is going
to be his own decisin. If he does not, it will
be his own loss, not only in terms of whether
or not he receives the help but in terms of
increasing his intimacy with forces outside
himself.
Even if we ask for foolish things, or things
to which we have no right, we are in a small
degree directing our attention away from the
stresses and activities of our day-to-day living
sufficiently to acknowledge that there is some
other forc to which we can direct ourselves.
I would say, then, for man to live a wellrounded existence, and to be able to evolve
himself as an entity, that it is necessary for
him at times to cali upon the Cosmic or what
ever else he wants to cali the forces lying
outside his own environment. But his cali
for help is not so important as his acknowl
edgment of the forces.
When we ask for help for someone else,
we are putting ourselves in a position sympa
thetic to the higher purposes of the universe.
In other words, in considering someone else,
we are taking ourselves away from the wants,
needs, and demands of our own limited
sphere of existence. We are expanding our
selves, as it were, and involuntarily acknowledging that all life is from a single source,
and that all life is related.
If we are to succeed as individual expres
sions of life, it is not going to be simply
because we are different or we are outstanding, but partly as a result of the success or
the forward movement of the life forc itself
throughout eternity. I do not believe it is

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

possible for one individual to gain tremendously in his evolution or any psychic advancement while all other members of
humanity go the other direction. I believe
that each of us has a responsibility to a cer
tain degree to try to encourage the awareness
of the inner self on the part of all human
beings. To the extent that we do encourage
that awareness, we are not only helping
others through the good advice we may give,
but we are helping ourselves. Again, we are
involved with this law of necessitythe nec
essity of living to the fullest. In that process
we are acknowledging forces that exist be
yond us and acknowledging that we are one
segment of life and not a completely isolated
entity.
The other phase of this question raises the
problem of why the Cosmic has to be asked
to do what it already knows should be done.
That problem is as od as man. It has been
discussed by theologians and philosophers for
centuries, and probably no satisfactory an
swer has been reached which would be acceptable to every person who has ever considered
the question. The thought in the mind of
the individual who asked the question at the
beginning of these comments must have been
that if the Cosmic includes all knowledge and
all awareness, since we also presume that
the Cosmic is good, why should it be neces
sary to indicate to the Cosmic, to God, or to
any other forc that one entity, one expres
sion of life, is suffering or needs help beyond
its own limitations, or the limitations of other
human beings about it. The presupposition
is that the Cosmic should know an individ
ual^ needs and should come to his rescue,
as it were, without being asked. The pre
sumption here is based on a wrong premise,
which is that no help is given by the Cosmic
until someone asks for it.
Every day many people appeal for help
to the Council of Solace of this organization.
These requests are for matters of health-r
personal problems that may be social, inancial, or relate to other acute problems of liv
ing. These problems are usually matters
which the individual feels inadequate to solve
alone, or at least, he realizes his own limited
abilities and wants all the help he can get,
which is perfectly natural and that is why
the Council of Solace exists.
Let us examine for a moment what hap
pens when an individual asks for help from

OCTOBER, 1959

our Council of Solace. I do not mean what

happens mechanically speaking in the Coun
cil of Solace here at Rosicrucian Park, as I
have written on that subject matter horoughly in the Forum before. What I mean
is what happens psychologically and psychically.
An individual becomes aware that he has
a problem. Regardless of its nature, he feels
that he is incapable of reaching a solution,
so if he is wise, he will try to get proper
help. If it is a problem regarding health, he
will consult his physician. If the problem is
of a different nature, he will consult a specialist in that field. But in addition he will
write to the Council of Solace to the effect
that he has a problem concerning a certain
matter, and will ask for the help of the
Council. In this sense he is appealing to the
Cosmic, because the Council of Solace is made
up of individuis who attempt to provide
services as intermediaries between the indi
vidual and the Cosmic. It represents a point
to which our membership and those inerested in our work may turn. It is an intermediary, as it were, not that it is absolutely
necessary, but it is an aid.
Now whether or not the individual submits
his problem to the Council of Solace, direct to
the Cosmic, through a religin, or any other
process, it does not mean that prior to such
submission the Cosmic was not aware of the
individuals problem and not doing anything
about it, if we may speak as though the Cos
mic were a type of personality, which, of
course, is not quite accurate.
The Cosmic is the collection of laws, prin
cipies, and forces that have been put into
effect by the Creator. They are functioning
at all times. They function for the good and
welfare of the whole universe and for the
ultimate carrying out of the laws designed
and made effective by the Creator. Therefore,
we are all benefiting by them at all times.
We will benefit by them more if we will
cooperate with them. Anything we do, such
as appealing to the Council of Solace, directly
to the Cosmic, or giving absent healing in the
case of illness, is simply an attempt to place
ourselves in a position to be in a harmonic
relationship with those forces and better able
to use them.
A crude illustration might be made in this
way. A copper pipe carries water to various
parts of our home. If the pipe is clean and

Page 31

not clogged in any manner, the flow of water

will be better than if some impediment enters
the pipe and prevens the flow of water. Now,
he flow of waer is like he manifesaion of
he Cosmic. I pervades he whole universe.
If we keep ourselves clean, figuraively
speaking, ha is, if we direc our houghs
oward he principies conducive o a harmonious relationship wih he Cosmic, hen
we are in a better posiion o draw upon is
forces and processes ai he time of our need.
Consequenly, when we are faced wih problems of our own or are seeking o cali upon
Cosmic forces for help wih oher peoples
problems, as for example in he case of giv
ing absen reamens, we are placing our
selves in he bes possible sae of mind and
body o be recepive o hese forces. In oher
words, we are, figuraively speaking, cleaning our pipes. Wre are preparing ourselves
o be worhy of being able o uilize o he
mximum he forces ha exis and may funcion hrough us.
If man ever ains a perfec sae, he will
be able o cali upon hese forces insanly
o manifes in a way ha he can uilize. I
do no say ha he will be able o perform
miracles in he sense ha ha word is popularly inerpreed. Man will always have o
exer his own effors, use his own intelli'
gence, and develop his own skill, bu he will
also be able o bring immediae help wherever necessary. Tha, in he final analysis,
is masership.
Mos of us who live oday are ai various
sages of advancemen in our aemp o aain evenual masership. Therefore, we are
imperfec; bu hrough mediaion, concenraion, and he direcing of our houghs,
regardless of he moive, from time o ime
o he perfection and puriy of he Cosmic
forces, we are relating ourselves o hem.
Each ime we do so we should equip our
selves o act as a mdium or a channel
through which we also can help ohers.
The mehods by which hese processes ake
place are explained o some degree in our
bookle, The Art of Absent Healing, and in
our Sixh Degree. The maers peraining o
healh apply subsanially also o any prob
lem ha may be he lo of a human being.
Our relationship, hen, is wih a world of
perfection while we live in a world of imperfecion. We are gaining knowledge hrough
our relaionship wih his inadequae physi-

Page 32

cal universe. If we are aware that there is

a perfect universe, of which this is only a
shadow, then we are in a better position to
develop ourselves toward that perfection. The
Cosmic does not function exclusively for our
benefit. It will function for the benefit of
all life, for the benefit of the eventual accomplishment of the purpose of the universe
itself. We as Rosicrucian students through
the application of our philosophy create a
closer relationship with the Cosmic and as a
result with God and our inner selves.
The Sixth Degree tells us that the perfect
condition of the human body, or the human
being, is the state called harmonium, where
absolute harmony of relationship prevails
among all parts of the body and mind. Then,
perfect health and a degree of contentment
result. The words As above, so below are
well known. To extend this concept further,
there is also a universal harmonium which
is exemplified by the perfection of God and
the perfection of His laws, which are the
Cosmic. This state of universal harmonium
can be extended to include the physical uni
verse as well as the Cosmic.
As we raise ourselves toward these Cosmic
laws, we enter, too, into a degree of perfec
tion. To the extent that we do so, we under
stand and utilize those perfect forces to meet
the problems which result from our imperfect
understanding and adaptations.A
Did Egyptians Believe in Reincarnation?
A frater addressing our Forum says: If
the Egyptians believed in the release of the
soul following transition, why did they go to
such pains to mummify and in other ways
preserve the bodies of the dead in monu
mental tombs?
This question opens up a fascinating re
view of some of the principal concepts held
by the ancient Egyptians relative to the soul
and the afterlife. Though most all peoples
have had a belief in immortality, the earliest
religious doctrine of the survival of life after
death was formulated by the Egyptians. This
religious belief in survival after death contributed greatly to the architecture, arts, and
industries of the Egyptians. It inspired great
tombs of a monumental nature, as the pyramids and the splendid mortuary temples
such as that of Queen Hatshepsut. The tombs
of the feudal nobles became depositories of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

artifacts and the elabrate designs on their

walls revealed the life and customs of that
ancient period. The building of the pyramids
was an evolvement from the mastaba, or
mud-brick, fat, oblong coverings over a shallow pit grave in which the body of the departed was placed.
In the Egyptian religin the survival was
not thought to be merely a shadowy or im
palpable kind of being. It was thought that
the body was reborn in physical substance
the soul, or spirit, re-entered into a resurrected body.*' The surviving personality re
tained all the sensations of its earthly exist
ence provided it passed the judgment of the
gods, the weighing of the soul which we
technically cali psychostasia. In such a state,
the deceased experienced no adversity or suf
fering of any kind. The sensations felt were
mostly ecstatic, an intensification of the enjoyments of this life.
The soul of man was commonly depicted
by the Egyptians as a human-headed bird,
translated Ba. On the tmb illustrations, this
bird was seen fluttering from the mouth at
death. Ba, as a bird, was associated with
breath and wind, a common association of
soul among ancient peoples. As the soul, or
Ba, entered at birth, so likewise it departed
at death. However, we repeat, the physical
body was thought to be infused by Ba after
death and to occupy heaven. 1
Accompanying Ba was another figure
which we today interpret from the hiroglyphic and demotic writing as Ka. This
latter was a miniature replica of the deceased.
The significance of this figure has been a
polemic subject among Egyptologists. It is,
however, generally conceded to be a symbol
of the self, the inner being, or, as we might
say, the conscience of the individual. It was
thus distinguished from the soul. It was the
personal guide, the personality of the indi
vidual.
In the chapel adjoining the sepulchral
chamber of the tomb, the family of the de
ceased would leave actual quantities of food,
or symbols of it, for the departed. Likewise,
in the tombs were placed the treasured possessions of the embalmed body. The favorite
weapons, musical instruments, furniture and
even timepieces were placed therein. These
were to be used in the physical sense by the
deceased in his afterlife.
If this practice seems elementary and

OCTOBER, 1959

primitive, we must realize that in civilized

lands today many religionists have an idea
of the afterlife quite approaching this notion.
They may not place objects in the crypts for
the dead to use in the next world, but they
do imagine that the deceased lives in a quite
material realm doing and using things quite
similar to those used on earth.
The place of the other world, to the ancient
Egyptians, was w here Osiris dwelt. Osiris, a
most highly venerated god, had been murdered by his brother, Sethfrom this it is
conceived the story of Cain and Abel originated. The body of Osiris was dismembered
and east into the rushes of the Nile. His
sister-wife, Isis, recovered the pieces of his
body, put them together, and he was resurrected. The resurrected form was then
eternal in the next world. This is the earliest
evidence of the doctrine of resurrection. The
whole tale of the death, resurrection, and
immortality of Osiris became a religio-drama
of the mystery schools. It was the first passion play. This idea of resurrection greatly
influenced all later concepts conceming it, including that of Christianity.
The Book of the Dead is a collection of
liturgical prayers and magical rites, painted
and inscribed on papyri rolls. Therein it
states that if the body should decay the soul
^may settle in one of the deceaseds portrait
statues. In front of the pharaohs mortuary
temple were great, domed portraits of him.
Inside the tombs of the nobles and viziers,
and of the great officials of the pharaohs,
were also placed beautifully sculptured stat
ues of them. The soul of the departed was
also thought at times to again enter the
mummified body in the tomb, returning from
the other world for a brief sojourn. If the
body were disintegrated, then it would temporarily occupy a portrait statue of itself.
In the next world the surviving personality
would sit on thrones in the circumpolar
regin of the sky. It was there that the
higher divinities dwell. In the tomb wallpaintings, or on the decorations inside the
sarcophagi (mummy cases), the souls in the
next world are also depicted as perching like
birds on branches of a celestial tree. The
stars were thought to be the souls of the de
ceased perching on the tree of the heavens.
There they would be surrounded by the
more eminent of the deceased, that is, the
kings or pharaohs, who, in the next life, led

Page 33

the life of royalty and served as judges.

Modem Egyptology has translated from
the Book of the Dead prayers that the de
ceased might leave the tomb, not just by
night, when all spirits are free to haunt
the earth, but by day in any form they
chose. Such forms in which the deceased
could incarnate were animals, birds, and
flowers. It is interesting to note that on many
of the sarcophagi are painted small ladders.
These were intended to help the soul of the
deceased to ascend to heaven. Finally, little
faience ladders, blue or green in color, some
not over two inches in length, were placed
as symbols upon the mummified figures. In
the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, in Rosi
crucian Park, the funereal collections of hu
man mummies and sarcophagi include origi
nis of these fascinating little faience ladders.
Included in the funereal appurtenances
were what are termed ushabtiu, or respondent gods. These are small figures representing
the deceased who were in the next world
and assuming for them all the unpleasant
tasks which the deceased had to perform
here. This, then, left the deceased free for
the enjoyment of his exalted existence. A
most interesting collection of these is also to
be seen in the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum.
This next world of the ancient Egyptians
had two main divisions: first, the spirit of
light; second, the field of rushes. The lat
ter is the most common, and it referred to a
fertile area in the afterlife where agriculture
was carried on with ease resulting in tremendous cropsthat is, producefar exceeding anything of earth. Agriculture, the cultivating of the land, was the great enterprise
and wealth of the Egyptian freeman and
noble. He could not conceive of anything
more gratifying than to be the owner of a
fruitful area of land. This, then, they con
ceived was the habitat of those whose souls
were weighed against the feather of Truth
and found morally good after death. Also it
was thought that at the cise of each day in
the celestial world the soul would play
draughts, a popular game on earth.
From the Book of the Dead we quote a
passage: the dead man follows Osiris in the
realm of the dead, the gates of the underworld open to him, barley and spelt are giv
en to him in the field of rushes (in heaven)
and he is like th gods who abide there.
We are told that the soul of the deceased

Page 34

might journey with the sun from sunset to

sunrise in the latters journey across the
heavens. The sun was depicted as a solar
boat sailing across the heavens; on many of
the temple walls and in tombs, we find this
solar boat portrayed. The souls of men might
also journey in similar boats. It is significant
that at sunrise the souls were said to be at
liberty to return to their od homesmuch,
it seemed, to the consternation of the living.
At their home they could sit in the shade
of their garden and enjoy breezes of the
north wind. These beliefs contributed to
the fear of apparitions and the roaming
spirits of the deadwhich fear persists to the
present day.
Animis were worshipped as early as the
beginning of the feudal period of Egypt.
However, most Egyptologists, and we must
concur, do not think that this is indicative
of a decline in the Egyptian religin. The
animals were worshipped, at least for a con
siderable period, because they symbolized
some virtue or power which men revered.
Animals and birds were strong, swift, virile,
cunning, or pretty. In these living creatures,
therefore, men saw objectified the qualities
which they desired for themselves, either
here or in the next life. It was a religious
duty for them to reverence the animals, not
for themselves, but for those qualities which
they exhibited.
Later, however, it was believed that these
animals were the abode of spirits of divine
and other beings. The bull Apis was wor
shipped at Memphis. It was thought to be an
incam ation of the god, Osiris, and the second
life of Ptah. These bulls were especially
selected by the priests. Only those who bore
upon their forehead a natural white triangle
were chosen. With great ceremony these
bulls were embalmed and interred in huge
stone sarcophagi. One of the largest of such
necropolises is the Serapeum at Sakkarah,
the site of ancient Memphis. The bull Bkha
was likewise reverenced; it was black and
famed for its strength, violence and pugnacity. This bull was thought to be the
reincarnation of Mentu, a war god of the
little town of Hermonthis about ten miles
from Thebes, ancient capital of Egypt.
We have here noted that, according to the
Egyptian religin, the popular belief was
that the dead could assume different shapes,
or forms, at will. This is the doctrine of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

transmigration so often confused with rein

carnation; it is the belief that the soul resides
in animal form instead of passing only into
a human shape. This transmigration belief
of the Egyptians must be distinguished from
the later beliefs of the Vedic teachings of
India. The soul, according to the Egyptian
concept, was not made to reside in various
animal forms (as the Indians taught) to expiate for its mortal sins.
It would seem from a casual examination
of the Egyptian religin that the ancient
Egyptians were intoxicated with a belief in
the afterlife, and that their earthly existence
was one of joyous anticipation of this next
life. However, a spirit of skepticism and pessimism entered into a period of their history.
This period is actually referred to by modern
historians as the Era of Pessimism. It
would seem that the Egyptians became somewhat dubious of the claims of their priesthood. After all, there was no tangible evidence of the existence of an afterlife. Even
the pyramids which had been standing for
centuries, during the time of the feudal age
and the empire era, were beginning to decay
and were no longer the glorious houses of
the souls of the departed. One papyri inscription laments: Death tears a man away
from his house and throws him upon the
hills. Never will he return again to behold
the sun.
Then, at a funereal feast during this Era
of Pessimism there was sung:
And he who lives in the grave perceives
not
Your lamentations
T herefore
W ith joyous countenance keep a day of
festival and rest not in it;
For no one takes his goods with him,
Yea, no one returns that has gone henee.
In spite of this pessimism about the after
life, the belief in transmigration and incarnation prevailed. Herodotus, Greek historian
who spent some time in Egypt with the
the priesthood, says: The Egyptians were
the first who asserted that the soul of man
is immortal, and that when the body perishes
it enters into some other animal, constantly
springing into existence; and when it has
passed through the different kinds of terrestrial, marine and aerial beings, it again en
ters into the body of a man that is born; and

OCTOBER, 1959

that this revolution is made in three thousand

years. Some of the Greeks have adopted this
opinion, some earlier, others later, as if it
were their own; but although I knew their
ames I do not mention them.
It is to be noticed that the soul was thought,
after death, to incamate upward in successive
stages through lower forms, eventually after
three thousand years to again function in
human form. There are other definite indications of a doctrine of reincarnation. The
ritualistic ames of the first two kings of
the XIXth Dynasty seem to bear out that
they were to incarnate. Amonemhat I s
ame was He who repeats births. Senusert I s ame was: He whose births live.
Also, in the XIXth Dynasty, the Ka ame of
Setekhy I was: Repeater of births. The
XVIIIth Dynasty, during the empire period,
left records that indicate that reincarnation
includes the lesser folks. The Book of the
Dead has a dozen chapters for spells (magical
rites) to be recited to aid the deceased to in
carnate. The XVIIIth chapter begins: the
beginning and gives spells for making ex
istence in forms, to live again.
Pythagoras is usually credited with having
invented the concept of reincarnation, but
this doctrine was hoary with age before the
time of Pythagoras, who, it must be remembered, spent considerable time in the mystery
schools of Egypt. Herodotus says of Pythag
oras that the latter adopted this opinion as
if it were his own. At least, Pythagoras
gave it eminence and rid it of many of its
elements of superstition, giving it a more
transcendental meaning.X
Learning while Sleeping
There seems to be a revival of interest in
the question of whether or not instruction
can be continued while an individual sleeps.
On the market are a number of devices
theoretically made for the purpose of increasing ones knowledge by having an instrument under ones pillow that plays
certain information from a record while a
person sleeps. The amazing thing about the
appeal of this instrumentand I refer to it
as one instrument although there are, I un
derstand, a number of themis that many
people think that this idea is new. Actually
the concept is very od. Learning while
sleeping has been discussed and experiments

Page 35

have been performed in this field for many

years.
Deviating from the central theme, I would
like to refer to the question of motivation.
Why does an individual want to utilize the
period of sleep for learning? I know that my
answer is going to be opposed by many indi
viduis but, frankly, I believe that the inter
est to learn while sleeping is due to a human
urge to want to do something as easily as
possible. In other words, to make it perfectly
clear, we all have a degree of laziness in us
and would like to learn in a way that would
require the minimum of effort. This will
probably be emphatically contradicted by in
dividuis who favor the process. Actually,
I am not sure they have a great deal on
which to stand in their argument.
Sleep is a process established by nature
that is very little understood. Medically,
psychologically, and physically we know
very little about sleep. We know some people
take more sleep than others. We know that
under stress we can do without sleep and
still perform certain activities with a high
degree of efficiency. It has also been proven
that after a certain length of time, depending
upon the individual himself, this degree of
efficiency breaks down when there are prolonged periods without adequate sleep.
I have used the term adequate sleep, and
yet no one knows exactly what constitutes
adequate sleep. Some people require ten
hours or more in twenty-four before they
seem to be completely rested. Others sleep
as little as four hours in twenty-four, and
there are, of course, many degrees in-between.
Medically, it has been found that complete
rest whether or not accompanied by sleep
will sometimes perform as much service to
the human body as will our sleeping soundly.
No doubt all of us have had the experience
of waking in the morning from a sound sleep
and being tiredthat is, sleep did not seem
to produce all the rest and relaxation that it
should have produced. But regardless of any
theories we may have in regard to the proc
ess of sleep itself, we may be evading the
question by deviating greatly in that field.
Nevertheless, in considering learning wThile
asleep, it should be constantly kept in mind
that no final solution to the central problem
will be given until we know more about sleep
itself.

Page 36

Insofar as some advertised courses are

concerned in regard to gaining abilities while
asleep, anyone giving serious consideration to
paying out money for the purchase of an
instrument for this purpose should think
carefully before he takes the step. The appeal
in some advertisements I have read has been
that it is a sensational new discovery, that
an individual can gain a great deal in the
process of listening to the repetition of facts
while asleep.
My first experience with this subject took
place when I was studying psychology at a
university many years ago. At that time the
idea had not been given any popular adver
tising or promotion. It was purely a study
in the psychological laboratory.
In the experiment with which I personally
was involved, the class was divided into two
parts. We each received for a certain period
of time every day instruction in the Morse
Codethat is, the code used for normal telegraphic communication. No one in the class,
if I remember correctly, was proficient in the
code, so we all started out comparatively as
equals to learn the Morse Code and to be able
to use the telegraph key to prove our learning
ability. The instruction we received was that
which would normally be given to an indi
vidual training to be a telegrapher.
The experiment lasted about three weeks.
All of us received identical training except
that half the class received an additional hour
of training, if it might be called that, by hav
ing the Morse Code and the letters each
symbol represented repeated on a phonograph record while they were asleep. In
other words, half of the class received in
struction while asleep to supplement that
which they received while awake.
At the end of the course, a test showed
that there was no specific correlation between
the sleep instruction and the instruction re
ceived while awake. In other words, the
average of the two groups was practically the
same, which proved to the professor and to
us at the time that nothing had been gained
by those who received instruction by phonograph record while asleep.
I have read reports on this subject that
differ with my experience, and I am cer
tainly open to being convinced of any fur
ther developments in this field. I have tried
personally in the study of a foreign language
to increase my vocabulary by going to sleep

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

with a record playing giving various meanings of words to be learned. I cannot honestly say that my knowledge of the language
was augmented by that process.
Insofar as Rosicrucian psychology is con
cerned, it seems to me that there is a very
obvious fact basic to the Rosicrucian teach
ings that is overlooked by the individual who
believes that he might be helped while being
instructed during the course of normal sleep.
It is presumed that the subconscious mind is
always alert regardless of whether we are
awake or asleep. On this premise it is be
lieved by some that if suggestions would be
subtly given to the subconscious mind, such
as the Morse Code, or words of another lan
guage, or any other series of facts we want
to learn, that the subconscious mind would
grasp that knowledge. It would be easier for
us to make that knowledge then a part of our
objective awareness. In other words, we
would be able to become consciously aware
of the knowledge we seek and with more
facility than we could without the instruc
tion during sleep.
There is one great fallacy in this argu
ment. During conscious moments, we are
not necessarily aware of the content of the
subconscious mind. There is a great storehouse of knowledge that exists in the sub
conscious mind as a result of all our experi
ences. It is believed by many that the sub
conscious mind never forgetsthat every im
pression registered upon consciousness, con
sciously or unconsciously, becomes a part of
the vast storehouse of memory that remains
in the, subconscious mind forever. In the
earliest degrees of our teachings we are given
a simple experiment in regard to intuition,
that of determining the time of day by directing our thought to that purpose and allowing
our subconscious mind to bring that knowl
edge to the level of consciousness. Each of
us has had various degrees of success with
this experiment. Each can decide for himself
how successful he or she has been. But we
all have had difficulty with that experiment
and still greater difficulty with some of the
more involved experiments. In other words,
in our normal living, we are not in a state
conducive to be aware of the content of the
subconscious mind.
As stated, I have attempted to improve my
knowledge of a foreign language by use of
sleep-instruction. Now, it is quite possible

OCTOBER, 1959

that my subconscious has an absolute mastery of the language with which I am con
cerned. In faqt, I am of the belief that it
does. I have studied the language over a long
period of time, and I believe each bit of in
formation that I have learned about it is
registered in the subconscious mind. Possibly
by listening to phonograph records while I
am asleep, I could add even more information
on the subject to my subconscious conten.
But that does not help me when I go to speak
the language because I do not have the ability
to draw all knowledge from my subconscious
mind.
The Rosicrucian studentinstead of di
recting his time, effort, and money to equipping himself with the facilities to learn
something while he is asleepwould be much
better off, it seems to me, by using the exercises as given in the Rosicrucian teachings
to increase his ability to draw upon the
knowledge that exists in his subconscious
mind. The attainment toward which we all
direct our efforts is to fully realize the potentialities, content, and knowledge of the sub
conscious mind. In one lifetime, we will
never gain perfection in our ability to tap
that source of information, but, to the de
gree we do so, we can direct our ability to
improve in any field of knowledge to which
our subconscious has been exposed, as well
as to draw upon experiences of the past and
the complete storehouse of memory.
Rather than to attempt to edcate our
subconscious mind, our first attention should
be to edcate our conscious mind, our objec
tive consciousness, to learn to use the intui
tive knowledge that comes to us and to
develop the habit of making it a part of our
living experience. Intuition can become so
infallible that we can draw upon it whenever
we wish to do so. This is the challenge of
Rosicrucian psychology. Some degree of per
fection may be achieved as the result of exercises and concentration presented through
out the Rosicrucian teachings.A
Is the Soul Conscious?
A frater rises to address our Forum. The
soul has consciousness from eternity. The
brain is the channel through which we are
conscious of self. Then, what mdium does
the soul use to be conscious of itself? Does
the soul use the mind as the viewer, and the

Page 37

personality as the mirror, or vice versa?

The fraters question is a profound, metaphysical abstraction most worthy of consid
eration. Let us first arrive at an understand
ing again of the nature of soul. The hu
man organism is a combination of forces.
First, there are the molecular substances that
constitute the matter of which the body con
sists. The Rosicrucians refer to this as spirit.
It is the same essence which underlies the
structure of all matter. But, also, there is the
vital life forc. Infusing matter of a certain
consistency, this makes it animate, alive.
Accompanying the vital life forc is con
sciousness as an attribute. This vital life
forc, with its attribute or consciousness, is
identical with the universal or Cosmic Con
sciousness. Other terminology of a mystical
nature would refer to it as the universal
mind. Wherever there is consciousness you
have some aspect of mind.
We must really associate the soul of the
individual with both the vital life forc and
self. What do we mean ordinarily by soul?
Ordinarily, it is understood to be the divine
essence, or Cosmic intelligence which permeates man. Since vital life forc transmits
the universal consciousness, it is then that
which gives rise to what men cali soul. Ob
viously this same quality also exists in lesser
organisms. Man is not privileged alone to
have this essence; but it is man alone, at least
on this earth, of all living things, who has
the realization of this element and comes to
term it soul.
With the brain, man has developed the
ability to analyze the consciousness itself.
Man is able to distinguish between externally
stimulated sensations and those which seem
to have their origin entirely within him.
Aside from perceiving his body, his physical
self, man also is aware of the emotions, instincts, and sentiments which he generally
comes to define as the psychic, or inner self.
It is this highly developed self-consciousness
which man interprets as soul. It may be disputed by some that self and soul are synon
ymous. Some religionists want to make of
soul a kind of seed implanted in man. But
the personal self or soul cannot be separated
from each other, in fact. Ask the average
religionist what he is conscious of about him
self and that he designates as soul. His description of his feelings, impulses, even his
ideation and what he calis his moral sense

Page 38

are psychologically related also to what he

calis self.
Simply put, then, our consciousness of the
consciousness in our being, in other words,
our exalted self-consciousness, is what we cali
soul. This functional aspect of soul, the fact
that it is not an implanted substance, does
not lessen the divine or mystical importance
of it. In experiencing what we cali soul, we
are, in fact, becoming conscious of the uni
versal or Cosmic intelligence that permeates
us and all beings.
The only individuality of the soul is its
personality, as incongruous as this may
sound. We have said that the notion of soul
arises from the function of consciousness
operating through the brain and nervous sys
tems by which we have self-awareness. But
the state of awareness, the development of
consciousness of each person, vares, as we
well know. To the extent that we have a
realization of the universal consciousness
within us, to that extent do we express it.
We try to conform to the sensations we have
of this exalted self (soul) to the best of our
interpretation. Our behavior, then, in response to it, the objectivity of the thoughts
and feelings it arouses within us, is our per
sonality. The personality, then, is the indi
vidual image of our concept of soul.
For further clarification, let us use some
of the analogies of the frater who has asked
these questions. The objective consciousness
is a kind of mirror in which are reflected the
impulsations of the stream of Cosmic Con
sciousness within us. This is the universal
soul, as we have said. But the image in the
mirror of the objective consciousness is not a
direct correspondence to the object, that is,
to the Cosmic Consciousness within us. Our
interpretation and our realization distorts the
reflection, the image which we have. Conse
quently, our soul-personality is never identical with the cause that engenders the notion
of soul in our minds. Conscientious study of
mystical subject matter and certain religious
elements brings about a refinement of the
self-expression which corrects the image and
gives it a closer resemblance to the divine
essence within us.
Is the soul conscious of itself, the frater
asks. As we realize the consciousness of the
vital life forc within usor selfto that ex
tent does the universal soul have a kind of
self-realization. The universal soul with its

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

consciousness has an awareness of its internal

nature by which it persists and carries out
its dynamic activity in the Cosmic. In other
words, it responds in various ways so as to
persevere in its functions, and this is con
sciousness. But to know itself as a human
being tends to realize himself could only be
accomplished through an organism such as
man with his complex brain and certain
limitations. Certainly the pur, dynamic,
universal consciousness would not have the
sensations and feelings that man has, or
would it have the personality reaction to such
an experience the same as a human being.
The next point at issue is whether the par
ticular soul-personality, the quality and char
acter of mans consciousness of his own inner
self, survives in just that form. It is like
asking: does the olfactory image, the par
ticular scent that man associates with a flower, continu to persist when his organ of
smell is gone?
The cause of that olfactory image, which
man has, constitutes the vibrations from the
flower, and they persist without human nostrils to detect them. It is only the scent or
smell reacting on the human brain that gives
the flower its particular image or scent-personality in mans mind.
We want to believe in a way that it is
difficult to demnstrate, objectively at least,
that the conscious image we have of vital
life forc and its consciousness within us remains on after the physical organism has
disintegrated. It is as though in the mirror
which is broken the image would not be lost.
Having once been formed as an image, it
would persevere in a mysterious way! It is
quite possible that the image of selfthe con
scious personalitydoes impinge upon the
whole stream of the vital life forc. Then,
when at death the stream of universal con
sciousness is no longer flowing through that
particular body, it will, nevertheless, carry
with it a subtle impression of the personality
it produced while in the physical body. This
impression, then, made upon the universal
consciousness, would be conveyed with the
vital life forc to again enter any other or
ganism capable of retaining it and realizing it.
To the present time, we only know that
human beings are capable of having such a
realization as soul. The impressions of the
past personality would, if this all be sound

OCTOBER, 1959

reasoning, influence the interpretation and

realization had of the inner self in the mind
of the person into which it was reborn. It
would perhaps give that person a more facile
grasp of his inner self, which would be
termed a more highly evolved soul concept.
These are naturally but speculations and
are offered as possible paths of research to
substantiate the age-old religious and mys
tical concepts of the survival of personality
and of reincarnation.X
This Issues Personality
It would almost seem that some men are
destined to be exposed at an early age to a
variety f cultures and customs. Further,
they seem to be endowed with such reason
and visin as to be able to extra ct from such
experiences the best that each provides.
These men, whether they realize it or not,
become the real missionaries in the world.
They do not necessarily advance any par
ticular creed or system of thought, but they
are prepared to properly evalate conditions,
and therefore to make plain to others, whose
experiences have been less varied, the true
vales of life.
Such a person as this is Grand Councilor of
AMORC, Frater Emil Gerhard Starke of
Buenos Aires, Argentina. Frater Starke was
born in a little town in Saxony (Germany)
on April 30, 1903. In his instance his parentai influence was an exceptional factor in
greatly orienting his life. His father was a
prosperous textile manufacturer, a success
that implied that he had a practical outlook
on life. Beneath the business acumen, how
ever, his father was a philanthropist and a
true humanitarian. In fact, he was the silent
benefactor to many economically distressed
families in the community.
No less an instrument in the character
formation of young Emil Starke was his
mother. He well recalls how she often reminded him that the examples by which one
must live are not all to be determined from
prominent people. Those in humble situa
tions have virtues which are often commendable. After all, success in itself is not neces
sarily a badge of justice, tolerance or honesty,
for example.
Emil Starke, after attending local schools
until ten years of age, was sent to a large
school in a nearby city. There he learned

Page 39

Latin and French. Four years later he was

admitted to the famous Saint Afra College
at Meissen, a city renowned for its manu
facture of pottery. The College, though
originally sectarian, was now nonecclesiastical. Its specialty was the Humanities9
classical Greek, Latin, and philosophy. The
students apparently took *a page out of an
cient history by living a Spartan life and
stringently disciplining themselves. How
ever, a great spirit of democracy prevailed in
the school which was diametrically opposed
to the socialistic trend of Germany at the
time.
Life in this College was inspiring to youthful Starke. It inculcated in him a freedom of
thought and almost a reverential love of learn
ing. By todays standards, however, the in
stitution was not utilitarian. There was
the ever-increasing pressure in Germany, as
elsewhere in the world, not to just love
knowledge as a beacon but to use it as an
implement, or tool, figuratively, to grub out
an existence. After leaving Saint Afra Col
lege, Frater Starke began the study of law.
The economic conditions immediately fol
lowing World War I did not make it possible
for many of his classmates to strive for a profession. They were compelled to seek any
work, no matter how menial. Emil Starke
himself lost his affection for law when he saw
the socialistic trend of the government of
Germany of that period.
Frater Starkes father and grandfather
both, at early ages, had been sent abroad as
part of their liberal education. Young Starke
was thus sent to Argentina. He arrived at
Buenos Aires in the winter of 1924, a young
man not yet twenty-one. Customs were ob
viously quite different. After leaming the
language, he quit his employment and set
himself up in a business as a foreign manufacturers representative. In his spare time,
he studied medicine at the local university.
He eventually decided against such a career,
as he could not be in accord with the prevailing theory of diseases. His studies, how
ever, did engender his interest in psychology
and the working of the mental processes.
As Frater Starkes work advanced, he saw
the need to familiarize himself with engineering principies. After various vicissitudes, he
became proficient in machine design.
World War II, and the fact that he was
of Germn origin, caused him to be placed

Page 40

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

on the American Black List, which was a

severe blow to his business as a manufacturers rep resen tativ e. Subsequently, he
re-established his business, however, and
contines in this field today.
In 1946 Frater Starke Crossed theThreshold into the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC.
A few years later several other fratres approached him to help him establish the
Buenos Aires Chapter. This became an accomplished fact in 1955 and Frater Starke
was honored by being appointed the Chapters
first Secretary. In 1957 the Grand Master
of AMORC appointed Frater Starke to the
honorable office of Grand Councilor of
AMORC, Argentina, which office he still retains.
Frater Starke says the only personal con
flict that he really has been confronted with
is that of being torn between two interests
the one being the wholly practical extrovert
tendency and the other to devote himself
only to the pursuit of knowledge. But he says
it was the Rosicrucian teachings which
helped me to gradually understand that it
was not my duty to give way to either one
of these tendencies exclusively, but to merge
them into a harmonious way of living.
Frater Starke is married, and his wife and
family have given him much encouragement
in his excellent devotion and service to the
Rosicrucian Order, AMORC. He feels, too,
that it is his personal mission to combat the
incredible reluctance on the part of so many
people today to accept new and unbiased
thought.X
The Meaning of Symbols
A frater of South Africa now addresses our
Forum: Is symbolism arbitrary? Would
some of our symbols be just as satisfactory
if their ntithesis were used, that is, for ex
ample, white for black?
What is a symbol? It is a sign or design
representing, in a compact form, an idea.
Actually we may say that a symbol is a pic
ture or objective image of an idea. Now, of
course, it is true that the objectification of
ideas or concepts may vary with different
peoples. But an analysis of most symbols
indicates that psychologically they are a very
cise representation of the thought for which
they stand.
Symbols are of two general kinds: First,

natural symbols and, second, artificial ones.

Natural symbols are elements of natural
phenomena, of things actually seen or heard.
A circle with oblique lines radiating from it
has for untold centuries depicted the sun to
man. Wavy lines have represented the surface of water. The inverting of the letter V
has signified a mountain peak. Two interlaced but perhaps crudely drawn triangles
portrayed a star. Natural symbols are principally pictographs, that is, primitive drawings of what man has experienced objectively.
If one makes even a superficial study of
Egyptian hieroglyphics, he will see that this
early writing evolved from making pictures
of things.
Artificial symbols are those which man has
created to represent an idea. They are usu
ally abstract, that is, the symbol does not
necessarily look like any reality. The arti
ficial symbol, in fact, depicts a principie
rather than an elementary reproduction o
something.
Let us consider the qualities of black and
white to which the frater has referred. Black
has long symbolized darkness and evil in the
moral sense; also ignorance. Further it has
depicted a void or chaos. Now, could the
ntithesisthat is, whitehave been arbitrarily used as effectively? The answer is:
Most certainly not. We might say that black
and white are a combination of natural and
artificial symbols. Simple reflection upon this
will make the point quite obvious. The night
is black. In the night all objects usually perceived in the day either become invisible or
the forms lose many of their qualities such as
color and proportion. Darkness then is unrevealing and confining. It certainly can
symbolize ignorance for one whose mind is
in darknessnot exposed to a variety of ex
periences and reality and which remains devoid of any new knowledge.
Black is as well a symbol of immorality
or evil. Darkness is a cloak that obscures.
We cannot in darkness see the acts of others.
Darkness, therefore, conceals crime and
wickedness. In fact, the wrongdoer prefers
darkness to hide his malevolent acts. Terror,
therefore, can lurk in darkness. Especially
was this so for early man, who feared predatory beasts as well as human beings.
Conversely, white depicts the brilliance of
sunlight. The sun was an object of worship
to peoples of almost all early civilizations.

OCTOBER, 1959

Not only did the sun give out light and heat
but it impregnated the earth with its rays
and caused it to be fruitful. Light is revealing. Everything that has substance stands
fully exposed in light. Light dispels shadows
and reveis whatever may be lurking in
them. In the light, man experiences many
things. He observes. He learns. Light thus
became the symbol of learning and of wis
dom. Further, white depicts purity. A thing
which is white has no blemish. It is uniform
in the quality which it presents to the eye.
It does not suggest that it is obscuring any
thing. The pur spirit, the noble soul or char
acter, was one without obscurity or blemish.
Consequently, white was an excellent symbol
of the abstract notion of virtue.
The Rosy Cross is an abstract or artificial
symbol. It consists of two elements, either
one of which could represent some other idea.
The rose in itself is a natural symbol. It is
an entity, neding no further interpretation,
that is, it conveys the immediate idea of a
flower. The abstraction is the additive mean
ing given to it mystically. The cross has had
numerous abstract meanings. One of its
earliest meanings disclosed mans observation
of phenomena from which he deduced cer
tain principies. The numeral two represents
duality. A pair of anything suggests to the
mind that there is a dual quality to that par
ticular reality.
Early man realized the principie of duality
from many of his daily observations as, for
example, night and day, male and female,
light and dark, hot and coid, life and death,
and so on. He also discovered that, in the
unity of dual things, manifestations and distinctly different phenomena often occurred.
Hermetic philosophy, an evolution from an
cient Egyptian teachings, symbolized the
unity of dual forces or conditions by joining
two lines. This was done at first in the form
of an X and then in variations of such a
joining.
The Rosicrucian cross symbolizes the phys
ical body of man, with arms outstretched,
facing the light (for an influx of knowledge).
In the center where the horizontal arm joins
the vertical staff of the cross is superimposed
the rose. The rose, to early Rosicrucians, as
the alchemists, represented dew, a spiritual
effusion. Subsequently, it represented the
soul of man in the physical body. The partially unfolded rose alluded to the evolving

Page 41

consciousness of the soul as it receives the

Greater Light, Cosmic lllumination.
To a principally artificial and abstract
symbol as the Rosy Cross almost any mean
ing could be attributed by the imagination
of man. But the simple design, as a symbol
should be, pictorially teaches a lesson of
many words. It allows every intellect to
frame the principie in ideas which are most
intimate and comprehensible to it. For ex
ample, the brief mystical explanation we
have given here of the Rosy Cross could have
been, and has been, elaborated on extensive
ly. Od Rosicrucian mystical tomes have devoted pages to this simple symbol. The
Hermetic Rosy Cross, or the Alchemical
Cross, is a very complex symbol and also an
abstract one, because the elements of which
it is composed are arbitrary ones to represent
signs of the zodiac and chemical elements.
The more complex a symbol is, the less
specific it is, that is, definite in its meaning.
Since signs suggest images to the mind, the
more of them, the greater the profusion of
ideas. Escutcheons, heraldic shields, armorial
insignia are usually of this complex nature
and seldom convey a distinctive intelligence
to anyone except the designer or those who
have been informed about them. The simpler
the symbol, the more likely it is to be uni
versal ly understood.
For those who wish to pursue this interesting subject of symbolism further and more
fully,, we recommend the small fully-illustrated book of symbolism entitled Behold the
Sign. It is available at the R o s i c r u c i a n
S u p p l y B u r e a u , Rosicrucian Park, San Jos,
California, postage prepaid, for $1.60 (11/9
sterling) .X
Have Our ames Hidden Power?
A frater arises to say: I would like to
have the Forum discuss the following ques
tion: Does the ame one bears have anything
to do with what he really is? For instance,
the girls ame Martha contains the vowel
sound mar. Rodman, a mans ame, contains
the basic rah and ma vowels. The first initial
of the late Dr. H. Spencer Lewis contains
eh from ehm, pronounced aim. There are
many other examples but the above will
suffice.
What I am trying to arrive at is whether
or not our ames have anything to do with

Page 42

our success or failure. Does the sounding of

our ame, either by ourselves in giving our
ame to another or by the speaking of it by
someone else to attract our attention, have
anything to do with our success?
In modern times there has been widely
popularized a system of numbers, in relation
to the alphabet and the formation of words,
called numerology. These systems, for there
are variations of them, profess that every
letter or combination of letters has correspondence to a number. These numbers, in
turn, are stated to have a vibratory content
which may affect human beings in various
ways. Thus, using a combination of letters
in ones ame is an assurance of producing
specific effects, either advantageous or detrimental. For their authority, the majority
of these systems refer to Pythagoras, Greek
philosopher of the 5th century, B. C.
Actually, a study of Pythagoras system of
numbers reveis that it has little in common
with these modem systems which cater, in
general, to the credulous and superstitious.
In discussing with some of these students of
numerology the origin of their system, we
found that they had not even made any study
of the Pythagorean principies so far as they
are still extant.
Pythagoras philosophy of numbers may be
summed up in the doctrine that things are
numbers. If we give thought to this a
moment, it does not seem to make sense. A
number is abstract. How can it, therefore,
be a thing? However, if we think of it in
the modern scientific sense, it would appear
that the philosophy of Pythagoras was actu
ally anticipating the scientific concept of this
subject. In modern science a substance, as a
chemical element, has an atomic number and
weight. The atomic number is the total of
the positive charges of the atom. For ex
ample, hydrogen has an atomic number of
1; carbn, 6; oxygen, 8; iron, 26; gold, 79,
etc. Atomic weight, on the other hand, con
sists of the combined number of positive
charges and neutrons in an atom. For further
example, the atomic weight of oxygen is
taken as 16.
Though many modern historians are disinclined to attribute such an astute visin
of physics to Pythagoras, in all probbility
he did mean that things are composed of par
ticles. The number of the particles and their
vibratory nature is what causes them to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

manifest their qualities or form to us. To

know the number of something, in this sense,
is to know its power to materialize as a real
ity. This does not mean, however, that the
abstract numeral had a potential power in
itself. For analogy, the element carbn has,
as said, an atomic number of 6. It is the six
positive charges, and their negative opposites,
however, which give the chemical property
of carbn. The numeral 6 is not a power in
itself except as it is related to the positive
charges, the protons, or, as we Rosicrucians
state, positive electrons.
Pythagoras, in his philosophy, also taught
that the units of numbers are considered as
physical points. In other Words, he related
a spatial quality to numbers. Thus, the fig
ure 1 was the beginning; 2 was duality; 4
was the square, and so on. He used numbers
to symbolize certain abstract notions and ac
tual circumstances as well. Justice, Pytha
goras symbolized by the square, and the
numeral 4 represented both the square and
justice. This has been termed nonsense by
moderns. It is not, however, if we think of
it in terms of symbolism only. Certainly, the
abstract numeral 4 inherently is no more
just than any other number. Further, a
square, which has four corners, has no more
justice to it than a triangle or a circle. How
ever, when we look at the matter symbolically we find the suggestion for the idea
underlying both the geometric form of the
square and the numeral 4.
All sides of a square are equal. Equality
is an expression of justice. To be just, one
must equally consider all sides. No one side
shall be given greater preference than an
other. The equality of sides is justice. We
even use the slang term with relation to
honesty by saying that someone is on the
square. A mere play on words, yes, but the
words and signs are used to express an ab
stract principie, that of justice. Certainly
this is no more exaggerated than the religious
connotation attributed to the symbol of the
crucifix or the national idealism which the
flag of a nation is made to depict.
Pythagoras endeavored, in his philosophy,
to show the generation of reality, the becom
ing of beings by the symbolism of numbers.
He began with a dot as a point of beginning
and then led upward through numeris to
show development in the physical universe.
He assigned, perhaps arbitrarily, a polarity to

OCTOBER, 1959

numbers. Some had a positive conten;

others, a negative. Nevertheless, we cannot
assume that he meant that there was a posi
tive property or power in certain numbers.
Rather, he meant that certain quantities of
properties, in relation to other groups of sub
stances or things, would act in a positive
manner. It is related that, in illustrating his
proposition that things are numbers, Pythag
oras drew a picture of an object. Then he
filled the outline of the object with pebbles.
This was to indicate that a particular number
of a kind of particlesatoms, if you willis
required to give an object its nature to our
senses.
ames have vowels within them. These
vowels, when intoned as sounds, have a vi
bratory quality. Vibrations of sound can
affect us directly through the sense of hearing. This is a common experience. Also
certain vibrations of this nature, impinging
upon our sympathetic or autonomous nervous
system, can affect the emotions and excite
psychic centers. These sensations, in turn,
produce a change of ideation, thoughts, men
tal images, psychic and emotional states.
Music, of course, is the common example of
the latter effect, combinations of vibrations
heard as sound and producing within us
various moods.
As for ames, the sound of their tonal
quality can be soothing or irritating, as each
of us has had occasion to experience. How
ever, what is pleasing in a ame to one person, that is, its sound, may not be to another.
In other words, all vibrations are not universally beneficial or detrimental. This very
fact is sufficient to make nugatory the precept
of the theory of numerology, as it is presented
in most of the popular systems. Even com
binations of sounds, such as ra and ma, which
have generally certain psychical effects, must
be intoned at a certain pitch. It is not just
the intonation of the vowel but its exact vi
bration that is important. This fact is
stressed in the Rosicrucian teachings.
Quite naive are those persons who believe
that the changing of their given ames to
include certain vowels will mean the embracing of harmonious vibrations that will
alter their personality and mentality to their
benefit. All they need to do is to make a
casual investigation and they will find indi
viduis whose ames since birth have included the very vowels and combinations of

Page 43

them which they now want to adopt. They

will find that such persons have not neces
sarily had wonderful lives. They will find
that such persons have also experienced ad
versity, sorrow, and disappointment, notwithstanding the nature of their ame.
Life is not quite so simple that we can
evade its responsibilities, and the exercise of
our mental and physical faculties, and gain
success by the mere act of changing our
ames.
In connection with this thought, the little
verse quoted by the frater who asked this
question is rather significant:
Verbena hasrt any beans, the catnip
cart meow,
T he dandelion doesrt roar because it
dort know how.
T here9s nothing in the ame at all9 as
you can plainly see,
A rose by any other ame would smell
as sweet to me.
To travel on your ame alone wort get
you very far.
T he ame you bear has naught to do
with what you really are.
-X
Rosicrucian View of Divorce
A Latin-American soror asks our Forum:
When two married persons, who are companion members, get a divorce, are they go
ing against the Rosicrucian principies and
does the Order consider this action contrary
to its prestige?
The Rosicrucian Order considers marriage
a sacred institution. Mystically, of course,
marriage consists of the unity of two souls or
personalities, as well as the unity of two
physical beings. In the mystical, as well as
the biological sense, marriage is the unification of the two polarities or sexes in which
the presumed ideal state is attained. How
ever, marriage is also a necessary social insti
tution. Marriage, with its legal and social
obligations, makes possible the first social
imit, the fam ily. There can be a family rela
tionship, of course, without the formality of
the marriage rites, but these rites exercise a
restraining influence upon the individuis
and, in most instances, encourage the family
association.
The family is the basis of society because
ordinarily it provides an atmosphere of pro-

Page 44

tection and affection for the offspring. It

constitutes a mdium for the transmitting of
certain moral, ethical, and other codes neces
sary for a citizen of society. Marriage, and
the family relationship, is intended to harbor
the child until he has sufficient maturity of
mind to adapt himself rationally and proper
ly, as an adult, to the demands of his society.
The dissolution of the institution of mar
riage would mean widespread sexual promiscuity. The responsibilities of the parents
for the children would, therefore, he lessened; and the culture, training, and preparation of the child for its social obligations
would be diminished. Without the family
relationship there is little affection or respect
for adults and their way of living on the part
of the children. The family is the basis of
the home also and in the home there are
inculcated certain aesthetic tastes and respon
sibilities for those things which society considers essential to its well-being.
An individual, it is presumed, marries
principally because of the natural biological
urge for unity with the opposite sex expressed in various phases of desire or love.
There are, of course, so-called marriages of
convenience for security, economic, and so
cial advantage; these, relatively speaking, are
in the minority in contrast to the motivations
of most marriages.
Philosophically, however, the final cause
of marriage is the individuals desire to attain a state of happiness through the unity
which it provides and which he believes can
not be realized in his single status. Marriage
is notin the majority of instancesan intel
lectual venture. It is, so far as what the
individual expects to accrue from it and what
motivates him in the first place, principally
emotional. The individual expects it to be an
accretion in his personal happiness. He be*
lie ves it will add to the enjoyment of his life.
Marriages are not made in Heaven! The
only aspect of marriage that lies outside the
province of man himself is the immanent
desire for the opposite sex which he may interpret according to his moral and intellectual
capacity. There is no guarantee that the
selection the individual makes is the best for
the desires that motvate him. To use an
analogy that may leave us open to criticism,
marriage is like selecting a food to satisfy
ones appetite. We may later find the selec
tion is not digestible.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

The selection in marriage is psychologically difficult for many reasons. Physical beauty
and attractiveness, the so-called magnetic
personality, usually are the principal determining factors in first drawing together
members of the opposite sex. The physical
appeal is inherent; it is instinctive, genetically and biologically. Such appeal might be suffi
cient for producing a healthy race. However,
such a selection is not adequate to establish
the basis for the family or for happiness,
aside from sexual satisfaction. Incompatibility of interests, as religin, education,
idealism, and temperament, may eventually
cause individuis to detest each other, even
though married. This in itself reveis that
there is no divine protective mantle that
descends upon those who enter into the mar
riage state.
So far as nature is concerned, biologically,
if there is offspring, the unin is complete
and its function is served. But mans moral
and social ideis make of marriage a different
condition than that of nature. They confer
upon marriage a halo of sanctity which may
not exist in fact. A true marriage must be
made by the individuis who enter into it,
not by theological and legal fats. Since the
majority of individuis enter the state of
matrimony for a happiness exceeding what
they have experienced as unmarried, any
thing less is failure.
To compel individuis to live together, defiling each others character, supplanting love
with loss of respect, if not hatred, is a mockery of the ideal of marriage. It is the antithesis of the mystical unin which all
advanced religions expound as the esoteric
nature of marriage. Likewise, it does not
accomplish the social purpose of marriage.
Under such conditions the family relation
ship is inharmonious and an environment is
established which does not contribute to pro
ducing an emotionally stable citizen, having
the probity expected of him. In fact, modern
criminology attributes much crime and men
tal disorder to the emotional trauma of in
compatible marriages.
Many persons make mistakes in contracts
and agreements which they enter into with
one another. If there is no meeting of the
minds, a contract cannot be equitably consummated. Marriage, in the legal sense, is
a contract. If circumstances develop so that
there is no meeting of mindsand hearts

OCTOBER, 1959

resulting in the torture of the personalities,

why should such a marriage be continued?
Why impose upon the individuis less happi
ness than they could experience separately
or in a new marriage? Why take the attitude
of exacting from the individuis the penalty
of enforcing the terms to the hurt of both
parties?
As far as the truly mystical and spiritual
point of view is concerned, there is no of
fense against God or the Divine in divorce,
where a continuation of the marriage would
be an injustice. Would a Divine Father, a
loving God, exact unhappiness and impose
mental cruelty and torment upon mortals
who, in their finite judgment, made a mistake in the selection of a mate? In this very
statement is the farce of the theological dictum that the marriage selection is divinely
inspired, that individuis have been brought
together as puppets and, therefore, they must
endure the consequences of such circum
stances. Certainly such an arrangement
would be no credit to a made-in-Heaven
marriage. There would be in it none of the
spiritual joys one would expect.
These comments, then, in brief are the
Rosicrucian philosophical views of marriage.
As Rosicrucians, we deplore divorce and the
shattering of the ties of marriage, with all
their idealistic and mystical significance. But
if marriages, so far as the selection of a mate
is concerned, are to be left to the fallibility
of mortal judgment, then, after reasonable
attempts at reconciliation without success,
mortals should be permitted, through divorce,
to correct their errors. Such correction should
be without the consequences of moral or
social stigma.X
Knowing a Mystic
A soror rises and addresses our Forum:
Some time ago this Forum discussed the
main characteristics by which we might
judge whether a man is a Rosicrucian. Could,
in a similar manner, those of a mystic be
given? Also, is philosophic mysticism the
same as religious mysticism? In other words,
what is the core of mysticism, whether philo
sophic or religious?
Mysticism in practice is an acquired state.
No one is born a mystic. He attains to its
ends. But what is a mystic? There are
numerous connotations extant with regard

Page 45

to a mystic. The most common one is a

corruption of its original meaning. To many
persons a mystic means a delver in the mys
terious, weird and concealed. In fact, many
of the lexicons of the day give such a defini
tion. In ancient times the word mystic had
an entirely different meaning from that at
tributed to it now.
The mysteries of Egypt and later of the
Orphic and Eleusinian Schools of Greece alluded to a secret gnosis, a cherished wisdom,
not to be profaned by divulging it to the
masses. It makes no difference how we judge
such knowledge today, whether we think it
worthy or not. To the ancients it was a
sacred knowledge to command the spiritual
response of the individual. It was the equivalent of the sacred doctrines of a religious sect
todaywhose beliefs also may seem ludicrous
to a people five hundred years henee or less.
Initiation was the divulging of the mys
teries, an exposing to the worthy candidate
of the symbol s and rites by which the mys
teries were to be learned. The mystagog was
the initiator into such mysteries. The one
attaining the highest degree in these mystery
schools was known as the epoptic. The word
mystic as related to the mysteries passed over
to any individual who indulged in certain
religious practices. Finally, the appellation
mystic was perverted; it carne to mean any
individual who indulged in matters, regard
less of their moral nature, that were weird,
strange, obscure, or even occult.
Actually the true mystic is quite apart
even from the initiates of the mystery schools.
The initiates were not only concerned with
the nature of soul and eschatological prob
lems but also with cosmology and the known
arts and sciences. First, the mystic must
have a monotheistic conception. He must be
lieve in a Supreme Being or Intelligence, not
a multiplicity of gods. However, this Su
preme Intelligence need not be conceived as
a personal god. The mystic often adhered to
a belief in an all-pervading Divine Mind,
perhaps called the Absolute or, as we might
term it, the Cosmic. As a mystic, he must
believe that his soul is an extensin or an
infusin of the Divine essence, describe it
as he may.
With these two points, a Divine source and
the human soul, begin the tenets that con
stitute mysticism. The function, the tran
scendental aspiration of the mystic, is to

Page 46

bring about conscious unity of the personal

soul with its source, God or the Absolute.
The mystics position holds that being of God
is not sufficient. It is necessary for him to
enter into the plethora of Divinity, into a
full consciousness of a oneness with the souls
source.
In that oneness with God, there is not only
attained (believes the mystic) a greater per
sonal power of accomplishment but an il
lumination by which life can be lived in accordance with divine order. In such guided
living, the errors of the impetuosity of desires
and passions can be over come. Spelling it out
in common language, this means a freedom
from the mistakes of the humans sol dependence upon his limited mortal faculties
and intelligence.
The art of mysticism, its technique, con
sists of learning how this personal unin with
the Godhead, the Absolute, is to be attained.
It is done through meditation, that is, a
change in and an evolving of consciousness
to embrace the divine essence resident within
self. An important element of mysticism,
which distinguishes it from most religions
is that the mystic, to experience the ecstasy
of unin, is not dependent upon any intermediary. He needs no other man, be he
pope, prelate or priest, to intercede for him.
He must invert his own consciousness in cer
tain ways. For analogy, no one can digest
food for us to nourish our body, and so no
one else can experience for us the Divine.
The mystical experience is an intmate con
sciousness of God.
Anything further than this delineation becomes just an intricate elaboration of the
ways, means and methods of different schools
of mysticism. The basic precepts, however,
must be the same or one is not a mystic. In
the Middle Ages the majority of mystics
were ascetics and recluses. The theology of
the time stressed the evil of the world. Salvation of the soul was only to be attained by
mystical unin and that, in tum, by escape
frm the world. Further, any adherence to
bodily comfort was adjudged submitting to
the sins of the flesh.
The modem mystic has moved to the op
posite pole from such extreme views. The
modern mystic still desires this Cosmic un
in. He still resorts to meditation and specific
preparatory steps by which he invokes the
conscious state of oneness. However, he no

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

longer renounces the world. He believes that

only as he understands the needs of mankind
and his place in it, can he fully appreciate,
as well, the divine self and its connections.
More than this, the modern mystic believes
that his unin cannot be attained with a selfish motive in mind. He cannot expect that
the illumination he will have as a personal
transcendency is just for his individual satis
faction. The unin with the One, if and
when attained, as Cosmic Consciousness, im
poses upon the mystic a moral obligation. He
must utilize his knowledge, and whatever
endowment he has received, for the welfare
of other men.
The modern mystic interprets the help that
he can give as meaning that he should become more proficient in whatever is his
trade, business, profession or occupation. It
is not just that he may materially benefit in
a personal sense but that in some way,
through his efforts, the mantle of ignorance
and suffering may be lessened for the rest
of mankind. To do these things the modem
mystic cannot live or act as an eccentric. He
cannot hie himself away to some mountaintop or the depths of a forest and exelude
himself from humanity. Quite the contrary!
He must win the respect and confidence of
his fellows by associating with them. He
must dress in an everyday way, and live
and look as others dowith modification. He
must try to depict good health, aspiration,
morality, intelligence, and such virtues as
tolerance and justice. This is a lot to expect
of any mortal but at least the sincere mystic
can excel most men in some of these things.
Consequently, a mystic can be, for ex
ample, a lawyer, a physician, truck driver,
merchant, stenographer, clerk or farmer; he
can be from any walk of life and be as active
in it as any other person.
The philosophy of mysticism is the intel
lectual aspect of mysticism. It is, for ex
ample, the attempt to explain what the
mystic conceives by the word God, or the
Absolute. Further, it is an analysis of the
various steps of consciousness by w hich the
mystical unin is attained. It may also con
sider, in a dialectical way, the content of the
mystical experience, that is, in terms of sen
sations had and the motivations which fol
low. The philosophy of mysticism may take
the whole procedure of mysticism and divide
it into successive phases, naming each phase

OCTOBER, 1959

This has been done in this very Forum in

the past and in articles appearing in the
Rosicrucian Digest. In fact, the Rosicrucian
teachings include, as part of their vast subject
matter, a very comprehensive system of the
philosophy of mysticism. The latter, how
ever, we reiterate, is the intellectual, the
rational, aspect of the subject. But the pur
results are the psychical aspects, that is,
the personal, individual unin with the
Cosmic.X
Exercises to Perform Daily
So often our students in the early Neo
phyte Degrees write to us and request a pro
gram that they may follow for best results
with the Rosicrucian teachings. They gen
erally point out that there are so many
experiments in the First and Second Degrees
that they are at a loss to know just which
ones to continu and which to set aside. They
explain that it is physically impossible to
work with all of the experiments each day;
so just what procedure should be followed?
In the first place, the student should keep
in mind the purpose of the experiments
which naturally is that of stimulating the
health and developing the divine inner forces,
and should therefore concntrate his atten
tion along these lines. There are a great
many experiments in the early lessons that
are particularly beneficial to the health.
These, of course, deal with deep breathing
and various health-giving habits. No doubt
one of the most important experiments to
include' in any program is that of concentrating on the parts of the body while holding the breath. This exercise can be performed in just a few minutes and can be
done regardless of ones surroundings; in
other words, regardless of where one may
be at the time. So, this exercise especially
should be indulged in.
Very often a daily schedule can be so arranged as to incorprate several exercises at
a time. For instance, instead of setting aside
a definite period for indulging in deep breath
ing and then another period for concntrating
on the parts of the body while holding the
breath, these can be done together. This in
itself will save many minutes in the course
of a busy day. The student should also try
to follow the schedule of drinking a certain
quantity of water, especially upon arising
in the morning and before retiring at night.

Page 47

These exercises are especially beneficial in

building up the health. The exercise of concentrating on the parts of the body while
holding the breath is mentioned as an experiment for developing within the student that
condition known as Cosmic Consciousness. It
tends to awaken all of the parts of the body
and eventually will result in an extensin
of the perceptions.
Then, we have the purely mystical or psy
chic experiments that -are very necessary to
ones daily routine. It would seem that the
average student works with an experiment
a few times during the week following his
studies and then sets the experiment aside
from that time on. Particularly is this true
of the experiments in Mandamus Lessons
Five and Six. After the student finds that
he can successfully cali upon the Still Small
Voice Within, he gives no further thought
to it; and yet, is it not true that a highly
developed sense of intuition is desirable?
Think for a moment what a wonderful
thing it would be to be able to receive in a
moments notice help and inspiration from
the divine inner self. This can only be done
by a certain development of the important
glands and centers, and to bring about this
development, practice is necessary. And so,
is it not important to submit all questions,
regardless of their nature, first to the inner
self before attempting to analyze them in
the physical? The same is more or less true
of the exercise in Mandamus Lesson Six that
is for the purpose of sensitizing our transmission and receiving equipment.
Then, to go further, the student should try
to hold as many Cathedral of the Soul Contacts during each day as is convenient to his
daily routine . . . These periods of silent
meditation are beneficial in ways too numerous to mention. A careful examination of the
Cathedral booklet, L iber 777, will help the
student to understand the wonderful benefit
he can receive by a few minutes of silent
meditation during the various hours suggested.
Naturally, there are a great many other
important experiments in the early lessons,
but it is true that it is difficult to add each
and every one to a daily routine, and so we
say again: Arrange a system that will incor
prate a few of the most important exercises
and maintain this system.
(From the October 1939 Forum)

t7fty4tene&

Tfttd

N O W - - Experiments
In Mental Phenomena!
Y our home will be your labora -

tory. In its privacy you can

cond u ct explorations into the
c o n s c io u s and su b c o n s c io u s
minds. Simple instructions . . .
fascinating experiments similar to
those used by outstanding researchers into the realm of the human
consciousness and intelligence.
Exercises in imagination visualization, ex tr a s e n s o r y p e r c e p t io n
mental telepathy reasoning illu
sions, judgment . . . and other intriguing subjects of mind.

Seientifieally Correet

Simple

Fascinating

Hours of fun, instruction, and useful advice

An opportunity to truly test and improve your powers of mind
No previous education in the subjects required
Experiments can be conducted also by family and friends
Equally interesting for men and women

This

LABOR ATORIUM

This laboratory kit (box dimensions are 11" x 15" x 2")

contains everything you need
apparatus, charts, guidebook,
diagrams . . . and also a re
cording of vocal instructions.

ONLY

$7.50

(2/14/9 sterling)
P O S T P A ID

ROSICRUCIAN

SUPPLY

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U. S. A.

TH E ROSICRUCIAN P R E S S , LTD.

PRI NT ED IN U. S . A.

RUREAU

December, 1959
Volume XXX

No. 3

Rosicrucian Forum
A p rv a te

p u b lic a tio n for m e m b e rs of A M O R C

FRANCES H O LLA N D , F. R. C.
Granel Councilor o f A M O R C fo r Southern Califo rn ia

Page 50

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

PO V ER T Y AND PO W ER
Dear Fratres and Sorores:
The two greatest contributing factors to
war are poverty and power. The former is
a physiological cause, and the latter is a psy
chological one. The gnawing, impelling urge
for food will compel a people to east aside all
normal judgment and restraint. The risk of
life and of properties means little to the
human who is continually haunted by the
need of the bare necessities of living. Life
without such necessities is a torture not to be
endured. It is considered worth the gamble
of death to be free from abject poverty and
all of its horrible accompaniments.
It has been truly said that there are many
things worse than death. Slow starvation and
the resultant disease, pain, and months or
years of mental torment are such things. The
people who intentionally or unwittingly,
through stupid government regulations, cause
a nation to be economically throttled and
thus starved are provoking wara war in
which no quarter will be shown by the
enemy.
The love of conquest does not always be
gin with military aggression, but often may
lead to it. The active mind loves domination
over its environment, and those circum
stances which challenge it. The student, the
philosopher, and the scientist love to exert
the power of their minds over the mysteries
of the unknown. They like to experience
mastery of self over the forces of nature.
Such mastery is a satisfaction to the ego, yet
it is constructive and beneficial to the whole
of humanity. The philosopher who dissolves
the superstition, by revealing the mental
causes which produced it, finds great satis
faction in his achievement. In addition, how
ever, he has been a benfactor to humanity.
The same may be said of the scientist who
devises a time-saving instrument. Such per
sons find satisfaction iri the application of
their personal power. What may later be
derived as personal gain from such power is
of no concern to them. Most of the great
philosophers were not rich in worldly goods.

Many of the great scientists and inventors

were likewise not wealthy men. Even if
wealth did inure to them later as a conse
quence of their Creative powers, it was evaluated by them as very much less than their
joy of accomplishment.
It is, therefore, not wrong to have a love
of power. It is in the application of the pow
er that the danger arises. The man or men
who have made their end in life the accumu
lation of natural resources, or a gaining of
the wealth of facilities, are the ones who are
really dangerous to humanity. Their spirit
of conquest is tainted with avarice and cupidity. They want power for possession.
Power for possession results in its use against
others. The lover of power for possession
is not content to have all that which he may
need of something. He has also the perverted
desire to have more than any other may
possess.
Further, such a use of power seeks to
prevent others from having to the same ex
tent. It is, in other words, the restricted use
of power, the attempt to immure things or
conditions with it. The person who uses his
powers to forc entry into a source of supplies which others may share in some man
ner may rightly love power, but it is used
as a benefactor of society. The one who uses
his powers to bar the way for others is not
a real lover of power. He is not really enjoying the energy or forc he is bringing to
bear, but rather the ends which make it
available to him alone.
Today, therefore, any nation, or peoples,
which interprets or applies its economic, financial, and military power, in the sense of
denying, or restricting equal opportunities for
prosperity, freedom, and happiness to other
nations, is a provoker of war. A nation which
because of its natural resources and availability to trade routes, technical skills, and
monetary wealth, has acquired a power of
accomplishment is duty bound to exercise
a portion of such power toward assisting less
fortnate nations. The challenge of conquest

PECEMBER, 1959

Page 51

which compels the exertion of such power

cannot be confined to the territorial requirements of a single na tion alone. One cannot
consider himself, for analogy, a successful
physician if he has just applied the power
of his therapeutic skill to his own community, when disease is rampant in an adjoining settlement.
A powerful nation in the future must be
construed in the terms of one that accepts
the challenge of world conditions. It must
be ready to use the might of its resources
and skill to preserve for humanity what it
also enjoys for itself. The real lover of power
finds his joy in exerting it under and in all
circumstances and conditions, whether the
results inure just to his immediate benefit or
to others as well. A true application of
political and economic power must therefore
be impersonal. It must work for all hu
manity collectively. Whenever the power is
confined to national interests exclusively, it
is an example of its misapplication and the
danger signal of war.
If poverty is a provocative of war, then
the powerful nations, to rightly use their
power, must ever accept the challenge of
poverty wherever it exists throughout the
world. People may see eye to eye on the
need of food, security, and comforts. How
ever, after these physical needs are met, a
succession of different interests develops.
These divergent interests are due to tradition
and endemic customs. It may take many
centuries, with all of our technical developments, to produce a standardization of living
which will unite people. This pursuit of
often extremely different aims makes it dif
ficult for a people of one nation to understand another and to be sympathetic to their
needs. Especially is this so where ideis or
intellectual aims are had. An example of
such intellectual idealism is the various po
litical ideologies of today which bring the
people in conflict with each other. If it is
more generally realized that humans are still

far more emotional than intellectual, this

difficulty can be bridged.
More often the emotional nature finds its
satisfaction in c e rta in cu ltu ra l pursuits.
Russian, French, Germn, English, and
American audiences, who are responsive to
music, will alike enjoy a symphonic concert.
All of their intellectual, social, and traditional heritages and differences are bridged by
this single emotional appealthe love of
music. The same can be said of painting,
sculpturing, and handcrafts. If the great
powers will sponsor international art exhibits
and concerts, a bond of fellowship will be
established between all peoples. A common
ground of appreciation and regard for each
others cultural ideis will be had which will
subordnate the intellectual ones out of which
conflict now often arises.
It is often believed that the extremes of
intellectualism which exist between peoples
those who differ from you in their views
make such persons strange and to be suspected. When it can be shown that the depth
of feeling of those who do not necessarily
think as we do is the same as our own, hostility disappears. They become to us brothers beneath the skin. A people who have
one major interest in common are more
tolerant of the lesser differences between
them.
In the Rosicrucian Oriental, Egyptian Mu
seum, we have proven this to be a fact.
Periodically in one of our galleries we display exhibits of paintings done by celebrated
artists of foreign nations. The collection of
paintings are either released from New York
or San Francisco. Recently [1945] we ex
hibited the work of contemporary celebrated
Australian and New Zealand artists. The
love of art attracted to the Rosicrucian Mu
seum, upon this occasion, people who perhaps
would have been otherwise hostile to what
they imagined to be the Rosicrucian philosophical or intellectual ideis. Their appre
ciation of our display of this art, on the other

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jos, California,
under Section 1103 o f the U. S. Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times o Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of the Supreme Council of AM O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sterling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sterling) per yearFOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page 52

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

hand, did not necessarily invoke an interest

in Rosicrucianism, or was it so intended,
but it did make them friendly and more tolerant of our other efforts.
The average man can feel more deeply
than he can think. Cultural unity, therefore,
must be furthered by the exchange of that
which appeals to the higher emotions and
sentiments of people everywhere. A brotherhood of mankind can more often be
sensed through the work of music or art than
through the work of a philosopher. When
men feel they are one, then later they can
define that oneness in terms of principies
and laws which they might collectively un
derstand.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
(From August 1945 Forum)

Imperator.

Sexual Activity and Spiritual

Development
Several persons lately have addressed our
Forum asking questions conceming various
aspects of sexual appetite, its gratification,
and in particular what effect, if any, will
sexual activity have on ones inner or spirit
ual development.
These questions have covered nearly the
entire ground of this subject, from the frater
who writes, Is it true that sexual desire is
base and materialistic, and that we can nev
er achieve enlightenment until we learn to
negate it? to the one who asked, How
many days or hours must we abstain from
intercourse before entering the sanctum?
In order to fully answer these queries, we
must explore the question of sex and human
moris from a realistic viewpoint.
The normal human being, in his earthly
existence, is subject to a number of needs
and appetites wholly connected with his
physical or material existence. Because of
this relationship of these needs with earthly
existence, various religions and sects have
taught that the way to enlightenment is
through achieving freedom from them. These
would include the need for food, drink,
shelter, and so on, as well as the desire to
relieve the sexual urge, which is normal in
man.
A study of the validity of these ideas,
however, shows that the material existence
is just as important to our total development

as is the Divine existence. If this were not

so, why would we even have a life on the
earth plae? Our physical life and those
needs or urges which accompany it are nec
essary experiences, and the satisfaction of
these appetites, by the same token, are
necessary as well.
We should realize, of course, that any
thing may be overdone, and this includes
the fulfillment of our biological needs and
urges as well as anything else. These appe
tites overserve their need when they are indulged in to extreme excess. This applies to
eating, as well as to sexual relationships.
However, again, we must qualify our
comments by cautioning that it is not wrong
to enjoy filling these needs. It can be argued
that the final, trae end of eating is the sustenance of life, and that nature has set reproduction as the final goal of sexual
attraction, but this should in no way mean
that we should not enjoy a properly prepared
meal with some of the finer added attractions which make the difference between
bare sustenance and a pleasurable experi
ence, or that there are no other ends asso
ciated with our sexual relationships.
Most persons do find a pleasure in fulfilling their sex desire, and this is absolutely
normal. Sexual abstinence, particularly selfenforced celibacy, is in truth unnatural, no
matter what authority, ecclesiastical or otherwise, might be quoted in its support. To
continually oppose any natural desire, including sexual, results in frustration which
may cause serious psychological damage or
personality distortion.
Realistically speaking, then, we find that
normal sexual activity is the proper course
to follow, and that celibacy, particularly
self-enforced, even for so-called spiritual
reasons, as well as extreme overindulgence,
is what would be considered against the laws
of nature.
Finally, and we have been asked this
several times in recent weeks, where does
self-stimulation fit into this over-all picture?
Self-stimulation, in the sexual sense, has
been long frowned upon as an abnormal or
even unhealthy practice. Religionists and
doctors both, for many years, wamed against
it. And yet it is almost universal throughout
all the peoples of the world, and prevalent in
both sexes. This might lead one to wonder

PECEMBERf 1959

if it isnt a more natural practice than people

have been led to believe.
Psychologists finally began to launch a
thorough study which has brought a reappraisal of the ramification of indulgence in
self-stimulation. It has now been found that,
like any other normal sexual practice, it is
not harmful where not carried to extremes,
but rather is a useful outlet for relief of
tensions and frustrations which might occur
when normal means of release do not pre
sent themselves. There is, however, the pos
sibility that this habit may be indulged in
when more normal means are available. In
this case a problem is present which should
be turned over to a physician for care.
As a summation, then, we find that the
continuance of, or indulgence in, a normal
sex life is in no way a hindrance to ones
inner development. In fact, just the opposite
is likely to be the case. In order to achieve
inner peace and development, outer contentment should also be present. The ex
istence of tensin and frustration due to a
mistaken idea of the requirements for enlightenment would certainly act as a block
preventing the attainment of that enlightenment.W
Conscience Distinguished from Desires
A frater of West Africa asks our Forum,
How can we tell the difference between the
Voice of Conscience and urges and desires?
Succinctly, conscience consists of urges
and desires. However, this must be further
qualified. Conscience is not altogether the
dictates of a divine intelligence implanted in
man or made vocative through him. The od
theological concept of conscience was that it
was a charism, that is, a direct endowment
conferred by God on man, Actually, con
science is a construct of several elements,
some, of course, so subtle that we do not
recognize their origin. An important part of
conscience is the inherited taboos and prohibitions which gradually accumulate in any
society. These things become part of our
moral code. They represent evil or wrong
conduct, as well as the virtues. They have
as their weight of authority religious pronouncemnts. Further, there is the social
condemnation of all acts which society has
come to believe are immoral r as acting
against the public welfare.

Page 53

It must be realized that what we cali con

science is related to a sense of guilt. Guilt,
however, is realized in terms of definite be
havior. One is not just guilty but guilty of
something. Each societythat is, peoples
throughout the worldhas built up a whole
series of written or unwritten laws of wrong
acts by the individual. Many of these are of
a moral nature. They are declared to be a
violation of the individuals spiritual self.
Therefore, when an individual violates any
of these moral precepts, he engenders a sense
of guilt within himself. He feels he has done
wrong. If he is to perform some act, partici
pate in some activity which is contrary to the
social and moral code with which he is
familiar, he may again experience a feeling
of guilt that may restrain him. This feeling,
the inner restraint and conflict, he calis con
science.
The individual may know that something
is socially and morally wrong, but this does
not necessarily mean that he has corresponding sense of guilt. Knowing that some
thing is contrary to the recognized good is
solely an intellectual state. What causes the
emotional response of guilt when there is a
violation of the moral code? With this ques
tion we enter into the psychic and psycho
logical aspects of the subject. Man is not
intrinsically evil if by evil we mean that he
inherently wants to defy the conduct which
all his fellows have decided is best. The ego
of the individual wants approbation and
recognition. The ego wants love. By that we
mean that it wishes to be desired, to be joined
in relationship with other humans so as to
experience gratification or happiness. This
is the psychic or Cosmic impulse within
normal men. It is the spiritual aspect of con
science as distinguished from the intellectual.
There is, then, an impulsation on the part
of men to do good, if we interpret this good
as meaning conformity to such behavior as
will cause one to be held in esteem by his
fellow humans. There are, as we well know,
great variations of conscience or, by some
standards, a seemingly complete absence of
it or the moral sense. These variations of
conscience are most often displayed in the
difference in behavior standards of the par
ticular society. What one people may hold
to be virtuous, even inspired by the gods,
may be readily denounced by another nation
existing at the same time in the world, This

Page 54

is, of course, due to the gradually evolved

customs of which we have spoken. Polygamy
is such an example. The taking of more than
one wife among one people is a morally cir
cumspect custom. With other peoples it is
bigamous and immoral. The natural impulse
to be part of the good causes the individual
to adjust to the customs of his nation or
people with free conscience.
In every society, however, there are those
who act and live quite contrary to its moral
standards and apparently are devoid of any
pangs of conscience. Such conditions may
often be due to an emotional abnormality.
The individual may be emotionally immature to the degree that he is not as responsive
to the psychic impulses of his nature that
constitute the factor of conscience. Perhaps
he has a paucity of desire to share in the
good will of his fellows. He is inclined, by a
distorted construction of his feelings, to actu
ally be antisocial. Therefore, he can and will
act in a way that violates the moral behavior
of his group without a sense of guilt of any
wrongdoing that marks the function of con
science.
All persons who conform to the dictates of
society, its laws and moral codes, are not
paragons of conscience. Social pressure, the
compulsin of social influence, and, frankly,
fear of punishment and other condemnation
are the reasons why great majorities of peo
ple conform to the requirements of their
group. There are many whose moral impulsation is deficient and they only await
the opportunity to deviate. A good con
science, however, is the unity of both the
psychic and intellectual factors. In other
words, one should be guided to do the right
by the inner desires, but he should also ex
amine closely the customs of his time. Many
things that are proscribed or denounced as
evil should be reinterpreted in terms of a new
social relationship and a greater understand
ing. Few persons today would think it
wicked to play tennis on Sunday, as it
was generally thought to be a century ago.
Consequently, though there is an inner motivation to conduct oneself so as to be free
from an act of immorality, one could never
theless play tennis without a violation of con
science.
There is ofttimes a conflict, as we have had
occasion to say before in this Forum, be
tween public and private conscience. The in-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tellect, as in the example given, will show

the obsolescence of some customs, the viola
tion of which would theoretically be opposed
to public conscience. However, the private
conscience can no longer accept such. This
may cause one to be a lawbreaker from societys point of view, that is, from the estab
lished rules and regulations, and yet be
morally circumspect so far as the psychic
direction of the personal self is concerned.
Thus, as said, conscience in part is composed of urges and desires, but they are relatively lofty. The desires and urges of
conscience move us to want to have the
friendship, love, and respect of our fellowmen. Any desires which we have that are
detrimental to the health, freedom, and
security of other men, or which vilate their
dignity as human beings, do not stem from
conscience.X
Combating Negative Thoughts
Our Forum is now presented with two
questions, one from a frater who is a medical
physician, and another from a soror. These
questions are similar in nature. One asks:
How may we combat or nullify the depressing effects of the auras and thoughts of oth
ers? Being a physician, these are very pow
erful at times, especially when one is caught
unaware. My belief is that such experiences
are not the result of personal karma but that
we must learn the way to negate such in
fluences.
The other question submitted to our Forum
is: How can od thoughts be negated and
new thoughts planted in our subconscious
minds when we are subjected daily to misconceptions, habits and beliefs which are the
mode of the day? How can we, under these
conditions when we penetrate the wall of
habit, be sure that what we are placing there
is for our good?
To begin with, let us be certain that we
understand what is the nature of a negative
thought. All negative thoughts are by no
means destructive or immoral. A thought
may be disappointing, disillusioning, restraining, and thus, in its relationship to certain
ideas or activities, be relatively negative.
But such a thought in itself may not be improper and, in fact, should perhaps be re
ceived and accepted by us.

PECEMBER, 1959

Let us use a simple analogy to further

explain this premise. Little Johnny wants
to eat a chocolate bar of candy just before
his dinner. His mother tells him definitely
that he may not do so, knowing that it would
affect his appetite for dinner, and that the
lad should first eat some wholesome food.
Now, Johnnys thought is positive! It is
dynamic. It consists of obtaining and eating
the chocolate. In relation to his positive
mental program, his mothers order and ex
planation is negative. It is negative because
it obstructs the positive nature of Johnnys
thoughts. Johnny would like to combat his
mothers negative thought, but should he?
The thought of the mother in itself is not
negative. The content of her thought is like
wise positive. After all, it consists of a proposed action interfering with an act of
Johnnysnamely, the eating of the candy
barand it concerns his own welfare.
Now, let us be realistic. Many things in
life that restrain us or obstruct our plans
and even our cherished ideis, we condemn as
being negative. Rationally, they are negative
because they are the ntithesis of what we
consider are our thoughts and actions. We
often think of govemment rules and regulations as inhibitorytherefore negative. They
may not have any valu, and then again,
such rules and regulations, if analyzed impersonally, would perhaps be found to our
advantage even though they do irritate and
apparently obstruct us.
It is necessary then, if possible, to deter
mine the motive behind the contra-thoughts
of others. Are they vengeful, jealous, acrimonious, or are they the result of a sincere
conviction with good intent? If they are of
the latter classification, that is, with the
proper motivation, such thoughts, even
though relatively negative to Our own, cannot
affect us in a detrimental way psychically.
They can have no harmful effect upon our
aura or emotions. Of course, if we mentally
dwell upon them, the fact that they curb our
actions and that we allow ourselves to become angered because someone dared to suggest a view opposite to our own, we then
cause our own distress!
If thoughts are intrinsically negative, that
is, if there is an ulterior motive being direct
ed against us, we then should stimulate our
consciousness and will, and arouse the Crea

Page 55

tive forces of our own mind. With each of us,

as Rosicrucians, as human beings, in fact,
there are certain thoughts, mental images or
words which have a personal, positive qual
ity. The mentally saying of such a word or
the intoning of the vowel sound or the visu
alization of the inspiring thought image, will
mitgate any negative thoughts directed to
ward us. We use the word negative now in
the sense of malicious. In other words, you
will then build up a wall of sanctity and protection about yourself. You must remember,
too, that your own thoughtsunless you are
in a hypnotic statealways have a far great
er efficacy than the thoughts of others direct
ed to you. By suggesting to yourself peace
and protection, and conceiving that these
come from the divine or cosmic world, you
strengthen your will to command inner
strength and mental reserve to repel any
agitation.
By this process you make your own aura
of such a vibratory and positive polarity that
it easily counters and resists any external
and otherwise negative forc. Again, we use
the term negative in the sense of being de
structive.
In our teachings we are told of an age-old
mystical process. It is that of drawing a
circle of magnetic, psychic forc about our
selves, into which thoughts intended to be
harmful cannot penetrate. Actually, this
drawing of the circle about us constitutes the
raising of ourselves to a plae of conscious
ness where we become insentient to such
negative vibrations.
One of the questions before our Forum
asks how any thought can be planted in our
subconscious when we each day are continually subject to misconceptions, wrongful
habits, etc. The fact that we know that
something is erroneous or false makes it quite
simple to no longer allow it to influence our
thinking. After all, no normal intelligent
person will consciously and willingly accept
what is erroneous and deceive himself. We
immediately reject whatever we know has no
reality and which is not veridical. Just to
yourself, at least, figuratively dissect, that is,
thoroughly analyze what you think or know
to be false. Then, at the same time, replace
it in your mind with the truthful facts.
Simply stated, substitute truth and fact for
misconceptions and falsity. You have then
immediately and completely mitigated any

Page 56

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

detrimental effect that the false knowledge

could possibly have on you.
One must realize that an idea has no power
in itself. Only as an idea is accepted and
becomes a part of our consciousness can it
possibly affect us in any way. Intellectually
that is rationallydismissing an idea renders it worthless in power insofar as influencing you is concerned.
Much that we accept as knowledge, as we
have often said in this Forum, is a relative
truth. For the time being, insofar as it lies
within our power to perceive and understand,
something may appear as true and have a
beneficial valu. With the passing of time
and the transition of circumstances, yesterdays truth may be todays unreality or illusion. The only thing we can do in this regard
is to continually probe ideas that come to our
attention, and which have a vital bearing
upon our lives. We must not accept some
thing merely because it is traditional, is be
lieved by many, supports what we want to
believe, or flatters the ego.
Further, what may prove false tomorrow
may be a relative good for us today and
from which no harm may ensue. Many acts
in the past have been committed in good
faithbut also in ignorance; there would be
no karma involved in the committing of such
acts if they were done in a sense of innocence9 that is, with no malice aforethought.
However, today knowing better, we would
vilate our inner sense of righteousness if
we were to perform those same acts. We
would then be incurring a moral and a Cos
mic responsibility.X
The Christmas Theme
Christmas has many meanings for many
people. Actually, the primary meaning to
those of the Christian religin is the observance with respect and profound feeling of
the birth of the one who originated their
religin. Perhaps Christmas means some
thing different to you. The theme that is
uppermost in your mind may have connotations which go beyond the life, regardless of
how great it may have been, of one indi
vidual.
There may be others like myself whose
reaction to the concept of Christmas is based
upon the memory of Christmas stories. There
exists a vast amount of literature about

Christmas, and in the English language,

some of these have become classics that are
repeated almost every year in school, on the
stage, and in churches. They are read for
enjoyment by individuis and families. One
of the best known of these classics is, of
course, Dickens Christmas Garol, a story
which is probably known to every reader of
the English language throughout the civilized
world. It carries a theme and series of ideas
that bring home very poignantly the prin
cipie which we are taught from childhood as
constituting the ideis of Christmas.
There are other stories equally as impres
sive. For example, there are: Van Dykes
The Other W ise Man; Gal dos The Mul and
the Ox; and the most recent of these classics
insofar as they appeal to me is the now wellknown opera by Menotti, Amal and the
Night Visitors.
It would seem that the stories of these
authors, each living at different times and
under different conditions would be entirely
dissimilar. Actually, there is a central theme
in all these stories. In my mind, this theme
is the Christmas theme, the meaningful prin
cipie that lies behind the concept of the
Christmas season. Let us examine for a
moment these stories and see if we can distinguish this theme.
Dickens Christmas Carol rvolves around
a crippled child, a child that suffers, and
through his suffering, the attitudes, actions
and lives of individuis of his family and
those indirectly affected by his family are
greatly modified, the central theme being
that suffering produced a comprehension of
beauty, a realization of the aesthetic, the
mystical and the idealistic in the minds of
those who were associated with the events
portrayed.
Van Dykes The Other Wise Man conveys
the principie of loss. One man seeking the
newborn king is delayed from proceeding
with his companions, who continu their
joumey to Bethlehem. Further tragic events
delay the fulfillment of his purpose, and in
seeking to achieve his purpose, he gradually
gives away the wealth that he had accumulated and intended to lay at the feet of the
newborn king. And in the giving, in the expenditure of what he had given of himself,
while not directly a form of physical suffer
ing, but nevertheless of sacrifice, this wise

PECEMBER, 1959

man in the end finds the king he seeks in a

very unusual and unexpected experience.
T he Mul and the Ox by Galdos, probably
less known in the English-speaking world, is
also the story of a child, a child who passes
through transition and in transition experi
ences a tranfiguration and an attainment of
a desire which also affects the lives of a
family. The central theme of this story is
that realization, the realization of self, is
achieved as the result of suffering and tran
sition. This realization on the part of the
child and the parents and associates of the
child could not have been realized except
through this experience.
As I previously stated, a great achievement
which carne out of our modern entertainment
world was that of a number of years ago when
the composer, Menotti, was commissioned to
write a short opera for televisin presenta
ron. His achievement was the production of
the hour-long opera entitled A m al and the
Night Visitors. Many who have seen this
opera presented on televisin will agree that
it is one of the greatest achievements of re
cent years in the field of opera and enter
tainment. Also, it presents a beautiful story
most appropriate for the Christmas theme.
Here again, Menotti uses the age-old theme
of a child who suffers, a crippled child, but
through the realization that comes from
hearing of the birth of the Christ and the
purpose for which Christ comes into the
world, the boy loses the affliction that had so
hampered him all his life.
In these brief summaries, we see the theme
of realization, human comprehension coming
about as the individual is forced through cir
cumstances to direct his realization beyond
the routine events as they take place as
objective external entities. This idea is par
ticularly well illustrated in Dickens Christ
mas Carol when the character known as
Scrooge, who knows no purpose for existence
except the accu m u latio n of money, is
changed completely in his attitude by the
realization of the futility of his life to that
time, and that fulfillment of his own exis
tence could only be achieved by assisting in
the fulfillment of the life of a crippled child.
This similar theme contines in Menottis
Amal and the Night Visitors. The three
kings going to pay their homage to the newbom king bring a change into the life of a
crippled boy that will, it is implied as the

Page 57

opera finishes, affect not only their lives but

the lives of all men everywhere.
It would seem to the casual examiner of
the Christmas theme that religin has controlled the idea of Christmas, but actually the
true idea of Christmas lay deep in the
thoughts of men before the dawn of any
religious concept such as we know today.
This time of year, the beginning of winter,
has always been observed by rites and ceremonies because it was the end, we might say,
of the period of the suns going to the south,
for those who live in the northern hemisphere. Thereby the day became shorter and
shorter until finally the earths movement
became reversed, and the days began to
lengthen again.
Primitive man believed this an evidence
of rebirth, and so he began to observe the
season as a period of rededication. Gradu
ally, in the Christian world, tradition associated the birth of Christ with the same
season, and so rebirth and the development
or the creation of a period of new opportunities became the theme to be observed at this
time of year.
Each year we, therefore, observe the possibilities of rebirth and, as in Galdos famous
story, the possibility of transfiguration, the
realization that the powers of the inner self
and soul can become predominant and bring
us out of the error and difficulty of the mech
anistic or objective form of life that concentrates only upon those things which will
perish.
Each great avatar has advanced the same
theme. It is generally better known in the
field of C h ristia n ity as exemplified by
Christs life. Before Jess, Buddha also tried
to make men realize that the purpose of life
was the realization of self, the realization of
life as a time or a place in which man could
experience that which would endure and
give him valu beyond anything that he
could possess in the physical world.
Buddha taught his followers to deny the
physical self and strive only for the mental
world, the concept of realization. Jess, of
course, illustrated his principie by dignifying
the inner man, by pinting out that the real
life, the real valu was of the soul rather
than of the body. He persisted in his mean
ing to the point of sacrificing his own body
in order to illustrate its small importance and
to symbolize to man, what was later accepted

Page 58

as doctrine in the Christian religin, that

he died so that men might live. Actually he
illustrated that death had no significance as
long as proper realization was given to the
real part of beingthat is, the soul.
In the beginning of Mohammeds career,
he advocated the same theme, but he deviated as time went on and did not completely
fulfill the promise of his earlier years. But
still as we read some of the magnificent
passages in the Koran, we find echoed the
same principie that submission to one God
and the placing of less emphasis upon the
physical self than on the awareness of self
are means to the realization of all that is
worth while and of eternal valu.
Into these concepts is incorporated the
essence of mysticism. Mysticism brings into
the realization of mans experience the fact
that self is what is to be developed, enlarged
upon, and that man should gain realization
of self through the process of the experience
of life. If man is to achieve significance in
the scheme of things, then the whole Cosmic
scheme must be a part of his thinking and
of his concept of being. The m}rstical reali
zation which will bring about a comprehension of the purposes of being and of mans
existence are those which have come about
as the result of mans ability to see beyond
where he actually is isolated at the present
time.
The materialist lives as a man who en
doses himself in a windowless house. As
such, he sees nothing except that which is
immediately before him, but the mystic, in
turn, is like the man who lives in a house
of glass so located that he can see the expanding horizon; he can witness the rising
and setting of the sun, the change of the
seasons, and the existence of all the manifestations of those laws put into effect for mans
realization.
The mystic looks out of the shell of the
body and sees existence as extending indefinitely beyond the limitations of all those
forces and events that seem to bind him to
the physical world while the materialist can
see only that which is immediately before
him. The barrier of material itself shuts off
the visin of being, the visin of purpose and
the theme of life as it advances beyond any
thing that is limited by the nature of the
universe in which we are temporarily existent.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

It would seem, then, that the theme of

Christmas should find a harmonious rela
tionship with the theme of peace, the theme
of human suffering, and that of realization.
And why, we ask, as have all men through
out all time, does suffering have to be so
closely a part of the procedure by which the
mystic realization is achieved by man?
To answer this question is only to theorize.
We cannot answer it completely, but we do
know if we observe the manifestation of na
ture, the fulfillment of cosmic law, that
suffering, pain and trouble, has a part of all
transitional phases of being. Birth and death,
the two great transitions of the whole life
span, are usually accompanied by pain. The
change of the Caterpillar into the butterfly
is effected by contortions that take place and
must be accompanied by a degree of pain.
Even in nature, we find the great changes
in the manifestation of the physical universe
itself take place by upheavals such as storms,
earthquakes, tempests and torrents, which
are in a sense related to mans individual
concept of pain.
In other words, there exist in the universe
good and evil, and as I have written elsewhere, I have chosen many times to compare
evil with the material and good with the im
material or the psychic. Material is negative
and the psychic is positive. We live in a
negative world in which we are a positive
cell.
All forms of evil trace their origin to
material entities. That evil, pain, suffering,
and grief are a part of the lot of mans physi
cal existence, we cannot deny because they
actually are existents that we must face. We
are continually faced with the problem of
evil and the imminence of pain. We face
the fact that on a mental level, we cannot
always adjust ourselves satisfactorily to the
demands and needs of the circumstances in
which we live. In this Christmas theme we
have seen that there is hope because in each
case suffering, or what we might cali evil3
has been the key to realization and to evolvement.
What is mans position, then, in this uni
verse of good and evil? M a n s moral
obligation is, of course, to live as best he can,
but mans free will is given him so that he
may choose the direction in which he will
go and the selections that he will make. Man
could receive no valu from this right of

DECEMBER, 1959

free choice, from this ability to choose, were

there no choices to make. If all the universe
were good, if there were no pain or suffer
ing, then man would only experience good
and peace. He would never be able to un
derstand them were he not familiar with
their opposites.
We were made by the Creator as entities
empowered with the ability to choose, to
choose between the good and evil, the nega
tive and the positive, the dark and the light.
Therefore, man exists in a position where he
can, by choice, determine his own end and
goal. We can acquire a degree of virtue by
making the right choice. We can move to
ward the good because we are granted the
ability to act right, to select good when at
the same time it is possible for us to act
wrongly or select evil. Free will gives us
the choice. It gives us the right to be virtuous when we could choose to be evil. As a
result, we cannot only increase the growth of
our own soul, the evolution of our own being,
but by choosing right, by choosing good, we
can expand the amount of virtue in the uni
verse and, so affect others about us.
In these Christmas stories, we perceive the
Christmas theme, which tells us that those
who chose to do good vastly extend the in
fluence of their lives so as to produce good
for others as well as themselves. Therefore,
those who acquire virtue by their own efforts,
as a result of their resistance to temptation
and their endurance of suffering, are worthy
subjects for the realization of the Christmas
theme, for the realization of the true dignity
of man and his relationship to God through
the mystical experience.A
Faith and Superstition
The difference between faith and supersti
tion is a difference of degree rather than of
technical definition. Questions asking for
clarification of the significance that one term
may have over another term are frequently
based upon a confusion in regard to meaning
regardless of what may be their use.
Terminology is a man-made means of ap
plying certain meanings to certain sounds.
Due to the long period of time in which
terms are in effect, the exact meanings become confused by various interpreta tions.
One of the classic examples of this fact is
found in the distinction of meaning between

Page 59

the words soul and spirit. Originally, the

words probably had specific meanings, each
isolated from the other, but today, due to
interpretations that have been placed upon
the words over a long period of time, they
have become in some respects synonymous.
In other respects, the words are so confused
that they are used indiscriminately without
clarifying their shades of meaning or indicating any distinction.
A similar situation exists in regard to the
words faith and superstition; however, the
degree of difference is considerably greater.
Many individuis who profess to have profound faith would be insulted or at least
offended if the faith which they had was
branded by another as a superstition. Gen
erally speaking, faith is considered to be
more refined or more advanced than a con
cept or an incident interpreted as a supersti
tion.
Historically the meanings of these terms
are found in the history of mans own
thought. Many actions on the part of primitive men were the basis for the development
of practices, attitudes and procedures, which
can be technically classified, in view of our
knowledge and experience of today, as super
stition. In other words, individuis placed
certain vales upon certain objects, events
or procedures without knowing or even be
ing concerned as to why that valu was so
placed.
Superstitions have developed out of more
or less unrelated events. For example, if an
individual had a successful hunt when trying
to feed his family and on that hunt he saw
a certain sign such as a rock falling from a
cliff or a leaf falling from a tree, he incorrectly related the two events in the cause
and effect relationship. Thereafter he be
lieved that whenever a rock fell from a cliff,
it would be a good time to hunt. Many be
liefs and practices were built up in a similar
way; that is, one event was observed at the
time of another event, and primitive man
chose in his own mind to relate the two oth
erwise unrelated events.
Actually, we know today that such events
are merely coincidence. If a man makes
money or wins a lottery or has some other
similar type of what he would refer to as
luck when his shoe was untied, he might
believe or develop the idea that by leaving
his shoe untied he would be more successful

Page 60

financially. Actually, we know such a con

clusin is completely false. It does not have
any relationship insofar as the two events or
circumstances are concerned. Nevertheless,
much that has governed the lives of primi
tive men was based upon causes and effects
just as unrelated as are these illustrations.
In more modern times there still exist
some superstitions. However, some of them
have been replaced by faith, particularly in
the field of religin. Many who profess cer
tain religious convictions might take offense
at the statement that modern faith is, in a
degree, no more or less than a superstition
based upon the experience of someone else.
The average person today, does not base faith
on any religious principie, precept or being,
because of his own experience necessarily.
He bases his faith on what someone has told
him or what he has read in a book. Faith
based on such a premise is little different
from the superstitions that grew out of the
everyday life of our primitive ancestors.
In order to interpret this subject matter
more broadly, we will consider some of the
classic definitions of these two processes as
a means of better examining their meaning
and significance for us as individuis. In a
standard English dictionary, we find that
faith is defined very briefly. In fact, here is
a concise definition: Belief in God, revelation, and so forth. This modern definition
ranks faith as a part of belief. In other words,
the principie undrlying this definition is
that anyone has faith who accepts and practices a belief in the existence of a being or a
power that lies outside the limitations of
mans existence or outside the material
world.
According to this definition thenand
which is, as I have already stated, given by
a reliable dictionaryfaith and belief are
synonymous. They are the same thing.
There is no faith without belief. There could
be no belief without faiththat is, insofar as
God or immaterial things are concerned.
Such a definition limits faith, but at the
same time, it simplifies the meaning of the
terminology involved. It also, we must con
cede, makes the word faith a purely religious
matter. In fact, faith becomes a doctrine of
religin insofar as it applies to a Supreme
Being. We, of course, can have a degree of
faith in our fellow men, and we practice an
other form of faith in our belief that certain

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

material entities exist and will continu to

exist. We exhibit faith in this sense every
time we cross a bridge. We presume that
the bridge will maintain its rigidity and will
not collapse while we are in the process of
Crossing.
Superstition in the same dictionary is de
fined in a considerably more complex man
ner. It says, An irrational abject attitude
toward the supernatural, nature or God, proceeding from ignorance and unreasoning fear
of the unknown. The dictionarys presentation of these two words, as considered in
relationship to each other, indicates the one
immediate conclusin that faith is a good
thing. It is a worth-while concept. It is, in
a sense, a concept that has had or received
the polish of civilization and has been modified by mans advance in learning.
Superstition, on the other hand, is treated
as a purely primitive concept based upon
lack of reason, based upon acceptance of
ideas without reason. This interpretation of
the two definitions is consistent with the historical references I made to the subject earlier. It seems to bear out that superstition
became faith as man progressd, but, if this
is the case, then to distinguish specifically or
to draw a definite line of demarcation be
tween superstition and faith is impossible.
We cannot indicate a point of advancement
in mans history of thought where supersti
tion ceased and faith began.
What is faith today grew out of the super
stition of yesterday, and what may be faith
tomorrow may be considered a superstition
today. In other words, superstition gradually
becomes faith with use over a period of time;
it depends upon our perspective. In other
words, a concepts relationship to the march
of events will decide whether the concept will
be in the classification of superstition or faith.
Primitive man would still accept modern
faith as a form of superstition while modera
man accepts it as something better or more
evolved than superstition. However, the line
where the change took place cannot be de
fined. Consequently, exact definition of ei
ther term is impossible because they are
trms that have to do with the evolvement
of mans thought and are constantly changing. The God in which I have faith today,
for example, may be an entirely different
concept from what I was taught as a child;

PECEMBER, 1959

and this statement probably applies to any

one who acknowledges a belief in God.
One of the more classic definitions of faith
is that of St. Paul when he said, Faith is
the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. This classic defi
nition has been of great solace to many who
believe in the religin to which St. Paul gave
his life to propagate. It is, as it were, a substitution of uncertainty for certainty.
St. Paul was aware of the fact that man
is a material being; and even in his time
there were materialists just as there are to
day. In his attempt to offset the arguments
of materialism and the support it received in
distinction to the religious ideology in which
St. Paul was interested, he tried to find some
thing upon which man could attach his ex
istence. He searched for some foundation
upon which man could stand and that would
substitute in the immaterial world for what
he found to be stable and apparently enduring in the material world. Therefore, he
brought to mans attention the possibility
that faith might be this element, that it could
be the substance of those things he hoped for
and had not yet obtained. In other words,
faith would take the place of an actual ma
terial entity, and it would be the assurance
of those things which he could not perceive
through his physical senses.
In this sense, we have again an example
of a religious leader using terminology to fit
his own argument. Not that his arguments
were unsound or had no valu, but still he
applied the concept of faith to the parallel
illustration of a physical entity. He did not
bring the question of reason into faith. He
simply made a dogmatic statement that could
be the basis of mans acceptance of the premises which he was trying to instill in mans
reasoning.
To retum to our dictionary definition, I
think one of the important references to
superstition is that it not only proceeds from
ignorance but is based upon unreasoning fear
of the unknown. Most of the superstition
that has existed and still exists in the world
can be found in the roots of ignorance and
in the inability of the individual or, we
might say, the refusal in some cases of the
individual to reason about what he does not
know.
The Rosicrucian Order has always had as
one of its tenets the opposing and the sup-

Page 61

pression of superstition. In many religions

today there is more superstition than there
is faith of the type that St. Paul and other
leaders taught. The dependence upon fear
in order to enforce certain beliefs is to a
more or less extent the basis upon which
certain religious procedures, groups and practices, hold control over their aclherents. In
this, superstition would apply better to their
activities than faith, although few modern
religions would admit this practice.
In other words, after analyzing the history
of mans thinking, the modern dictionary
definitions of the words with which we are
concerned, and St. Pauls classic presentation
of his concept of faith, we find that faith
today is no more than a civilized veneer
placed upon superstition. It is an evolving
concept that causes man to hold fast if he
will subscribe to the principies and to the
ideis that cannot otherwise be proved. Faith
does, in a modern day, cali upon man to
exert some reason, but usually the less he
exerts, the better off he will be if he wants
to remain content with the acceptance of
principies or ideas upon faith. But at least
when man begins to question the infallibility
of faith, he is using reason to a degree which
is a step toward knowledge.
Neither superstition or faith can exist
in an atmosphere of complete knowledge.
Knowledge must contain all the answers if it
is absoluteand thereby would be eliminated
the need of individuis to carry on practices
which they had been taught would help
them. Knowledge would make clear as to
whether or not certain practices, procedures,
customs or activities would have valu. Man
could then decide upon the vales which he
would think necessary to achieve in life.
This he would do on the basis of knowledge
rather than faith.
Absolute knowledge, in other words, is the
one concept that can replace both supersti
tion and faith. Idealistically, the Rosicrucian
teachings look toward that achievement. It
is stated early in the Degrees of our study
that knowledge is more important than faith
and that we should devote ourselves to such
acquisition because to the extent that we
obtain knowledge, we set aside the necessity
of looking to faith to sustain us regardless of
what may be the circumstances under which
we exist.

Page 62

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Man is imperfect in his present state, so

absolute knowledge is in the realm of the
divine. Until man develops his own divine
nature, he cannot reach out to absolute
knowledge; consequently, his knowledge will
only be partial, and he will probably con
tinu to use faith to supplement or to fill the
gap between the limitations of his knowledge
and the concepts of the divine. But gradu
ally man can evolve to the point of absolute
knowledge that will supplant all superstition,
faith, and any other support in which he
hopes to achieve a point of view that will
help him live his life to the fullest.A
This Issues Personality
To read into the lives of people who have
served AMORC is often an adventure into a
world of fantastic activity. Francs Holland
has a seemingly bottomless reservoir of ener
gy as she moves about from lodge to chapter
to pronaos in the large Rosicrucian population of Southern California. In her new office
as Grand Councilor for that area, she makes
frequent contacts with hundreds of Rosicru
cian members each month. As a representa
tivo of the Grand Lodge she is their counselor
and mediator in all issues, large and small.
Hers is truly a life of dedicated service to
ideis which were already manifest in her
as a child.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, June 4, 1914, she
was raised in an environment which directed
her interests toward mystical subjects. Al
though orthodox at the beginning, when only
thirteen years of age, she sought for some
thing more beyond the confines of her
religious affiliations of that time. It was in,
1933 that her attention was first drawn to
AMORC. This was the culmintion of her
initial search for more knowledge. She was
immediately impressed with the integrity
and authenticity of the Order. Yet there
were obstacles to overcome. She was still
under twenty-one years of age, she had no
AMORC member to vouch for her, and no
employment to meet the obligation of dues.
During a two-year-waiting period, she subscribed to the Rosicrucian Digest, listened to
AMORC-sponsored radio programs, and read
all available AMORC books.
Soror Holland subsequently applied for
and was accepted as a member of AMORC
in 1935. She immediately set out to meet

other members, and has remained a eonfirmed protagonist of Rosicrucian subordinate

bodies and their activities. It is in this field
that she finds the greatest outlet for her
energies.
Since 1937, she has served in a number
of ritualistic offices at Hermes Lodge in Los
Angeles, later becoming Master of the San
Diego Chapter, then organizer and first Mas
ter of the Pomona Chapterall in Southern
California. In 1958 she made a capable
chairman for the International Rosicrucian
Convention in San Jos, was appointed In
spector General for AMORC that same year,
and a year later was elevated to her present
high office as Grand Councilor.
Other than her AMORC activities, Francs
Holland has given years of work to commu
nity service projects. The Y.W.C.A., the Red
Cross, her local Disaster Council, and a large
industrial firm have all had the benefits of
her skill in public speaking and teaching.
At home with her husband, Soror Holland
now indulges her favorite avocations which
include writing, gardening, and interior
decorating. Her happy and successful mar
riage to a design engineer complements a
life filled with love and dedication.B
The Psychological Effect of Music
We have a question here which, reduced
to a few words, amounts to this: Recently a
musician playing a piano in a Chicago saloon
began to play the piece titled h, Sweet M ys
tery of Life. A man standing near by began
lo cry and demanded that the music be discontinued, and then took a gun out of his
pocket and shot and killed the piano player.
The question is: Why did this particular
piece of music cause the man to take the life
of another man?
The psychological effect of music is very
difficult to understand, but there are certain
pieces of music which do have certain defi
nite forms of effect. There is a good psycho
logical reason why a definite classification
of music is used for military purposes, to lead
soldiers to war. There is just as good a reason
for the use of other classifications of music,
such as the pieces selected as anthems, or
music in the cathedrals for prayers.
We know the psychological effect of a
beautiful waltz, such as the Blue Danube,
and we are only too familiar with the psycho-

DECEMBER, 1959

logical effect of jazz on our young people.

But outside of these four classifications, there
are many intermediate stages of classification that have very different effects upon the
human consciousness. We must take into
consideration the emotional and mystical de
velopment of the individual. It is a psycho
logical fact that any song which a very
young child hears repeatedly, such as a
lullaby that was used continually by the
nurse or the mother to pacify the child, has
become so registered in the consciousness that
that lullaby played in the future life of the
individual will awaken mixed emotions of
sadness and sweet memories and something
very sacred.
It is known also that music that was associated with the passing of a loved one ever
remains as a sacred piece in the consciousness
of those who suffered the loss most. If a
mans mother were passing through a funer
al ceremony, the son hearing a special song
would ever remember that piece of music,
and wherever it would be played it would
arouse memories of his mother and he would
instantly refrain from wrong actions, or
from profanity, or even from damning God
and the Church. He would cease his wrong
actions and endose himself with reverence
and an attitude that would control all of his
actions. To all of us there are certain pieces
of music that are sacred and idealistic and
representative of the better side of our
natures.
The late Reverend Dr. Robert Norwood, a
noted ecclesiastic, w rote m any mystical
books. He wras a true student and supporter
of Rosicrucian ideis and wrote one story
dealing with a low character who was saved
by his love for a little flower. But every
psychologist and every criminologist knows
that even a criminal can be made to turn
back in his tracks and undo the wrongs he
has done through the influence of a piece of
music, and sometimes that piece of music
would surprise us. It might be a simple
lullaby, or even the ditty of Jack and Jill.
It might be a popular song, and among some
of the popular songs can be found songs that
have had a great influence for good upon the
untrained mind.
There was a time when the song of a
childs plea for the father to come home from
the barroom had a great effect upon the fa
ther. Today there are many such songs: Ah,

Page 63

Sweet Mystery of Life, TheRosary, and a few

other ones are songs that are typical of great
emotional effects on various types of minds.
Now, in that particular incident of the
musician being shot in the Chicago saloon,
we have a peculiar instance. Whether true
or not, from our viewpoint it is a typical
possibility. The man who did the shooting
had evidently been drinking, maybe through
sorrow, grief or cussedness. Whatever the mo
tive he was there in a place where this par
ticular piece of musicAh, Sweet M ystery of
L ifeseemed to him to be a sacrilege. The
effect of the music upon him in that place
became unbearable. If he had been at home
and heard it over the radio, he probably
would have been moved to tears or to prayer,
and in other ways would have revealed the
suffering that he was going through. In a
different environment, he could not express
himself; therefore, he demanded that the
music be stopped and when it did not stop,
he destroyed the source of it. From a psycho
logical point of view this is very logical, although entirely wrong.
I know what it is to suffer from such effect.
Just the other day while all of us were at
Mt. Pico, one certain piece of music was
played. The effects suffered by me were so
great that it was all I could do to keep from
shrieking and crying. I did not want to stop
the music although personally it would have
helped me. We were having our mystical
demonstration. I had selected the music for
the orchestra, and one of the numbers was
one that always affects me deeply. I knew
it would affect all who were advanced
members.
(From June 1937 Forum)
Are Experiments All-Important?
One of the biggest problems facing our
members in their progress, if we are to judge
by the many letters to this Forum, as well
as the AMORC Department of Instruction, is
the lack of success with some or even all of
the experiments in the lessons.
How oftn we receive letters full of despair. The member is certain that he will
never progress, or even be a good Rosicrucian,
because he failed to achieve satisfactory
results with some experiment. Sometimes we
hear from some totally despondent person

Page 64

who has never succeeded with any experi

ment or exercise.
This correspondence causes us at times to
askPrecisely what degree of emphasis
should we place upon the experiments? As
the student can tell, an experiment is never
put in a monograph as a filleror for itself
alone. It always relates to, and in most cases
serves as the proof of, the main underlying
theme or principie in the lesson.
But do we expect these experiments to
work infallibly, at all times for all students?
We could not be realistic and still answer
this in the affirmative. There are many
reasons why an exercise might not work:
conditions of environment or physical sur
roundings and comfort, such as noisy traffic,
TV or radio, very hot or coid weatheror
perhaps the proper mood in the sanctum
becomes impossible to establish. These and
many other difficulties might cause occasional failures with exercises or experiments, as
well as with rituals.
But what about those who just cannot
seem to ever achieve the desired results, or
at least fail in the experiments with a degree
of regularity? Can they hope for develop
ment?
We say that they certainly can develop
in fact their development is actually constant,
so long as they continu to study and prac
tice. Often there is a degree of success which
is minute, or which might not impress the
member who is looking for vast or startling
results. But he is aiding his progress by the
very performance of the experiment.
The main thing for all to keep in mind is
that success with the experiments is not a
prerequisite or even an essential to progress;
the main essential is our understanding of
the principies in the lessons. This under
standing can be achieved through study, even
if the experiments might not prove all that
one could ask.
So if you have been disappointed with your
experiment results, dont become discouraged
reread the monograph and attempt it again.
Send in a report to the Department of Instruction, even if at the end of the week it is
a negative one, for the Instructors can often
give further advice for specific exercises. And
above all, remember that the understanding
of the principies is the truly important consideration, not necessarily the successful per
formance of the experiments.W

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Human Souls and World Destruction

A soror from New York, new to our Forum
circle, asks: If human souls reincarnate
over and over again until a state of perfec
tion is finally reached, what would happen
to souls in various stages of development if
the earth, or world, in which we live were
suddenly destroyed? Would such souls have
to continu their development in a disembodied form, or would they reincarnate in
human bodies on some other world?
To begin, I believe that when the soror
refers to souls in various stages of develop
ment she means soul-personalities, for the
soul is never imperfect. The soul being the
only divine element in man, it never loses
its nexus, or link, with its source; it never
diminishes in its quality of perfection. It is
the personality of the soul, the Self, which
must be evolved and perfected to be in har
mony with the ever-perfect and divine soul.
Suppose some sudden cataclysmic destruc
tion of the world should occur, and such is
not beyond probability. For instance, novae,
or new stars, are on the increase in our
galaxy. Seen through telescopes, they appear
suddenly as brilliant specks, millions upon
millions of miles distant from earth. It is the
conclusin of several eminent astronomers
that these so-called new stars may actually
be distant suns like our sun, perhaps even
larger, which are not ordinarily visible
through our telescopes, and which have sud
denly exploded. The tremendous brilliance
of their light is the result of their complete
disintegration. Sometimes they remain for
several weeks; at other times, they disappear
in a very short time.
It is also the opinion of these astronomers
that our sun, the center of our solar system,
must at some time explode in a similar way.
When that occurs, the theory is advanced,
the side of the earth facing the sun at that
time would be seared; the seas would boil
and evaprate; the crust of that side of the
earth would be like molten lava from heat
reaching a temperature of several hundreds
of degrees. Even the opposite side of the
earth could not support life because of the
excessive heat and the radioactivity, which
would immediately destroy all living things.
Under such circumstances, the soul-person
alities, which would still be resident in bodies
on earth, would be released as in transition,

DECEMBER, 1959

but as the result of this other cause. The

same Cosmic principies would apply. The
soul-personalities would be drawn into the
Absolutethe Cosmic, of which they were a
part. If the earth is the only theater for the
expression of lifelife as far advanced as
manthen the Cosmic wold need to provide
for the development of the soul-personalities
on another plae.
However, there is no proof to indicate that
life does not exist somewhere in one of the
other universes, of which the cosmos consists.
In fact, we can neither prove that life does,
or that it does not exist elsewhere than on
earth. All that we can declare is that the on
ly human and animal intelligence, so far
known to man, is on the earth. In all probability, advanced life is not immured on one
of the planets of our solar system. If it were,
and possessed an intelligence far in excess of
ours, it would have by now made itself known
to man by Communications, at least of a
physical nature.
It may be said that we ourselves are not
able to communicate with another planet in
our own solar systemso how could we expect them to do so! That has been true, but
is not true now. Radar beams propagated in
straight lines have penetrated the former
obstacles of the earths magnetic belts. Once
free in space, they can and will reach other
planets. Signis are tlien possible. If these
people have faculties similar to ours and have
intelligence at least equal to our own, they
could then comprehend the signis as being
instituted under the direction of mind.
Suppose that our solar system does not
respond to any such signis which we transmit. Suppose, even further, that rocket exploration on, or immediately above, planets,
in the not-too-distant future, will reveal no
signs of life, that would still be no indication
that the whole cosmos is fallow so far as
life is concerned, with the exception of earth.
Our universe is but one of a number of
island universes, many of which are more
vast than ours, and which are visible to us
only as a nebulous haze. In all probbility
beyond them, beyond any present means of
detection, there exist still other universes.
Each of these has its one or more suns, or
perhaps countless satellite planets of as grat
or even greater magnitude than our earth.
It is hardly probable in all this vastness of
the cosmos that the phenomenon of life has

Page 65

occurred merely on earth. From a purely

scientific point of view that would mean that
only on earth there occurred, as if adventitiously, that combination of physical con
ditions which are able to support life.
It is known that certain factors are neces
sary to life. In fact, life on earth hangs upon
a thread of balanced, favorable conditions.
However, if there is a unity of natural law
throughout the cosmos, these factors, these
conditions must occur elsewheresomewhere
on the infinite number of worlds which exist.
It was the physicist, Kirchhoff, who con
cluded after demonstrations, that the dark
lines in the spectrum of the sun are caused
by the continuous spectrum of the sun pass
ing through layers of gases which surround
that luminous orb. These gaseous layers are
cooler and absorb those light waves which the
sun itself would send out, and which would
otherwise appear where the dark bands are
found in the solar spectrum. It was found
that certain elements, heated to incandescence and placed in the path of a beam of
light, produced corresponding dark lines in
the spectrum. Thus, it was known that the
gases surrounding the sun contain the same
elements as the earth.
The later experiments in spectroscopy
have shown that the spectra of distant stars
likewise contain various elements, such as
nickel and cobalt. If the same inorganic ele
ments as on our earth also exist millions of
light-years away from this planet, why not
organic elements as well? If, then, life is
elsewhere, and if earth were destroyed, in all
probbility the soul-personalities, not yet
having attained perfeetion, would come to
inhabit bodies in remte worlds.
As Rosicrucians we cannot subscribe to
the conjecture of some sects that there is
a hierarchy of worlds on which man must
reside, each in turn, before the soul may be
finally absorbed into the Cosmic as perfect.
In all of the traditional mystical writings
descending from venerable sources, it is held
that mastership, or perfeetion of the soulpersonality, may be attained on this earth.
Whether it also may be concurrently attained
by other beings born successively elsewhere,
we do not know.
Instead of jealously insisting, as in the
Middle Ages, that earth alone is inhabited by
intelligent beings, let us hope that time may
reveal that we do have cosmic neighbors in

Page 66

the dim reaches of space. It is my sincere

conviction that some day man may communicate with intelligent beings beyond
earth, who are the consequence of natural
laws, the same as himself. Most certainly,
human intelligence is not a chance seed,
dropped inadvertently upon the earth, or is
this globe so regal that she, alone, was selected for man. We agree with Giordano Bruno:
. . . the earth is but a planet, the rank she
holds among the stars is but usurpation; it is
time to dethrone her.X
(From October 1946 Forum)
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 mankind 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 objectively 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 selec
tion 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. W think in terms of our sense

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

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
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 Cosmic impressions flash into con
sciousness as self-evident truths; as we all
know, they seem quite complete and compre
hensible. It is because of this preconsciousness or preobjective association of the ideas
that the Cosmic 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, effective analogy of how Cosmic guidance is
translated 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 combinations
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 will represent
to us the objective impressions, the result

DECEMBER, 1959

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 composition, there would need to be keys on the
piano to correspond to them or the result
would fall far short of what was intended by
the composer.
Education does not necessarily make for
profundity of thought. Intelligence, observa
tion, 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
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 nol
related to him by another. In such an instance, 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

Page 67

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 motvate 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
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 ex
plain this. The perforation of the roll is done
to conform to the composition of a professional, or perhaps even a master musician.
If We make slits in the roll arbitrarily, we
distort the true interpretation of the master.
We can advaiice the valu of Cosmic guid
ance 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 opportnity 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
concerned 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
(From April 1954 Forum)

Page 68

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

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.
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 recurrences^ 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.
Obviously what lies beyond this range of
mans discemment 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 A b
solute. The absolute, most men place in the
category of the Divine or spiritual realm.
It is common fallacy to associate that which
is not comprehnded 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.
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 phenomenon 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 njinds
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 con
sidered to be an invasin into the spiritual,
into the supematural 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.
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
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-

DECEMBER, 1959

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 at
tributed 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 immanent, 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 mecha
nism 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, or 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
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 leam that the wonderful
mystical experiences we have, and which
transcend in their beauty and inspiration

Page 69

anything objectively seen, actually do not

flow direct from an extemal, spiritual source,
but from the depths of our own conscious
ness, are they less divine? Consciousness
within us is like a river; as it flows outward
into the sea of the Cosmic it becomes deeper
and broader and more extensive in the im
pressions that it engenders within the human
mind. These vaster experiences of our con
sciousness are but a greater perspective of
the whole divine intelligence 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 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 manifes
tation of themthe bark and leaves the
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 attribute
them to nature. Conversely, that which for
the moment lies beyond this range we define
as spiritual. Underneath, however, their re
spective causes merge to form the harmony
of the onethe Cosmic.X
(From June 1954 Forum)
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 mono
graphs ?
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,

Poge 70

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
payment 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 indicate
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
understanding, how much more should we
honor those who have been steadfast with the
Rosicrucian teachings for years! The label
on each membership cardbeyond five-years
membershipis a simple method of showing
the Grand Lodges recognition of the members years of affiliation with the Order.
There is, however, no corresponding rela
tion between the years one has been a Rosi
crucian member and his personal advancement in knowledge o f 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 affili
ated for fifteen years. Further, one ma}^ unfold in five yearsthat is, displaygreater
personal powers than one who became a
member ten years previous. It must be realized 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

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

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 monographs 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 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 meta
physical 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

DECEMBER, 1959

Page 71

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 was 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
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 im it
as those members of long standing can well
attest.X
(From April 1954 Forum)

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 mas
tery. 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
concerned; that is, there is no absolute and
final wisdom and power which man comes
to attain, and beyond which he can never
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

<gaira^iM
HAVE YOU ever looked with concern at the
language habits and customs which your child is
acquiring? Do you want to bring out the best
qualities of your child and, as well, adapt him
admirably for the world of tomorrow? What is
the proper psychological attitude for the develop
ment of a child before and after birth?
If the mothers diet, improper clothes, and insufficient sleep affect the unborn child, then what
effect does worry, fear, and anger have upon it?
What should or should not be curbed in the parent or the child to cultvate Creative abilities early
in life? The ability to develop the personality
from babyhood, to avoid harmful habits, and
awaken latent talents, impels the paren t to con
sider seriously the important period before and
after the child is born. It is said, give me a child
for the first seven yearsbut it is also imperative that the parent begin before the first year
of the infants life!
TH E ROSICRUCIAN P R E S S , LTD .

/cceftt 7
6& 'pnee ^006
The Golden Age of Pericles in Ancient Greece
taught the creation of a pleasant environment to
appeal to the sense of beauty in the parents. The
right start was and still is an important factor in
the birth and development of a child. The Child
Culture Institute offers a F r e e explanatory book
for the enlightenment of prospective parents, or
those with young children. You owe it to your
child to inquire. Address:

dille) Qutale nstitute

R o s ic r u c ia n P a r k

S A N

J O S E ,

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

C A L I F O R N I A

February, 1960
Volume XXX

No. 4

Rosicrucian Forum
A

p riv a te

p u b lic a tio n

for m e m b e rs of A M O R C

DR. H. TH. V ERKER K PIST O RIU S, F. R. C.

G ran d M a ste r o f the Rosicrucian O rder, A M O R C , fo r H oliand

Poge 74

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

PROBLEM OF M ASTERSHIP
Dear Fratres and Sorores:
Perhaps the best approach to this subject
is to arrive at a general definition of what
constitutes mastery in any activity. Certain
ly, it must be agreed that mastership requires
activity, that is, initial effort. It is an indi
vidual attainment and not an endowment or
inheritance. We may say, then, that master
ship is the attaining of perfeetion in a func
tion or art. Art, in this sense, also alludes
to any science, or to manual as well as
intellectual enterprise.
Obviously, from the foregoing, a master is
one who excels in his or her specific undertaking. Consequently, we have master artisans, artists, teachers, scientists, physicians,
and spiritual practitioners. A master spiritual
practitioner is one who is well versed, not
only in a spiritual idealism, that is, in possessing a knowledge of Cosmic laws and
principies, but who has acquired, as well, the
skill to apply his knowledge to the mundane
affairs of man. Again, we see that in spiritual
and moral vales, a master is an active person; his mastership is the result of the reduction of his exceptional knowledge to an
objective and expedient end. In fact, the
only way one can display mastership, wheth
er in the execution of fine silverware, or in
connection with mystical principies, is by
accomplishment.
Mastership in any realm is a matter of
first expending conscientious effort and long,
laborious practice. In recognizing a master
we are recognizing the gradual development
of a skill. The mastership of an individual
can only be realized by the fruits of his work
in comparison with that of others who are
striving along parallel lines. Mastership is
derived not alone from a sudden illumination,
inspiration, or hunch. One may have an
ideal, an inspired mental image of doing some
thing differently and more efficiently, but it
must first be tried. It is the application of
effort in spiritual matters as well as in some
craft that brings about the refinement of
which mastership consists.

Practice results in the development of ones

functions and often the awakening of dor
mant talents. Slowly, it also brings about
the coordination of whatever special powers
we have. Practice may also reveal that mas
tership in some chosen enterprise cannot be
ours. Every artist cannot be a Rembrandt,
or every composer a Beethovenany moro
than every spiritual idealist can become a
renowned mystic in achievement. Practice,
if intelligently performed, will improve all
of us. It may reveal as well that we are not
equal to our aspirations. It may disclose that
though we may improve our results, yet our
personal talents and abilities are such that
we cannot exceed the work of another. In
other words, it may be disclosed that we may
not attain that perfeetion which constitutes
mastership.
Just what is a spiritual or Cosmic master
so often referred to in religious and mystical
writings? Historically, they are principally
mortals; they are individuis who have been
students of some moral philosophy or reli
gious teachings to which they have given
much profound thought and contemplation.
Psychologically and mystically they have
induced a personal, religious, or mystical
experience. They have had an intmate
consciousness of what, to them, is the Abso
lute, the Cosmic, or God. They then feel a
unity with this transcendent reality. As the
result of such a theophany, they are illumined. They have a more perspicuous in
sight into human relations and mans affinity
with Nature.
All of this has not as yet made the man a
master, except perhaps to make him a convincing exponent of what he believes or
professes to know. His mastership is only
revealed when he goes out among men, enters into society, and brings his transcendent
experience down to a utilitarian, everyday
level. In other words, when he exerts an
unique power of accomplishment because of
the enlightenment he has had, then he is a
master. Before that, one may be a master

FEBRUARY, 1960

Page 75

teacher or philosopher but not a spiritual

master.
Metaphysical systems and mystical teach
ings often relate that the intelligence of these
spiritual or Cosmic masters, even after their
transition, contines to help struggling humanity. Simply stated, in their mastership
of time and space and of the conditions that
may exist between the mortal and immortal
worlds, these masters are conscious of the
foibles and derelictions of a less enlightened
humanity. In spiritual compassion they then
assist the aspiring mortal to solve his problems and surmount the difficulties which he
confronts in life.
We may use a homely analogy to explain
this relationship. The function attributed to
these Cosmic masters is equivalent to that
of a professor of mathematics who notes the
sincere efforts of a student to solve a par
ticular problem. He then observes that the
student lacks the comprehension of an essen
tial part of mathematical knowledge; the
professor accordingly gives him special in
struction. With such help the student then
is able to assist himself.
Certainly it is patent in the analogy above
that the student of mathematics would never
become proficient in the subject and acquire
mastership except eventually through his
own efforts. A kind and benign professor
who would do the problem for the student
would actually be a handicap to the latters
education rather than a help. The Cosmic
master, then, whether he can inspire the
mind of a mortal from another plae of con
sciousness or instruct him visually and orally
on this plae, will never substitute for the
personal efforts, meditation, exercises and
practices of the student himself.
The false mystical philosophy, and often
theology, is one that robs the individual of
his own opportunity for mastership. It is the
one that makes the student or aspirant a
puppet in the belief that the Cosmic masters,
as unseen intelligences, may be appealed to

as intermediaries to accomplish what one

cannot o* will not do for himself. Psychologically, man is fortified by the belief that
there are transcendental powers to which he
can appeal or which he can invoke at times.
But it is necessary that he also believe that
such powers will only become an extensin
of his own. He should believe that their
purpose is to give him further knowledge
and mental, physical, and moral strength to
succeed personally by his own enterprise. If,
in ones system of teachings, the masters
become a substitute for the exercise of ones
own inherent powers of self, such teachings
are false and dangerous.
In the Far East, we find among a great
number of people a belief in numerous in
visible, supernatural masters. They are
thought to constitute a kind of hierarchy of
genii who are arranged in accordance with
the greater or lesser powers which they are
said to exert. In other words, they are
thought to literally stand ready to do mans
bidding.
Some individuis are actually helped by
this kind of superstition, but they do not attain this help as a result of a personal master.
Rather, when they fail, through their inability or indolence, to achieve a certain end,
they are saved from a sense of inferiority by
means of this belief. Immediately they ap
peal to one of the numerous masters. The
problem in the majority of such instances,
of course, is no nearer to solution through
appeals of this type. But when the act
asked for does not materialize, the individual
suggests to himself that it is not the Mas
ters will that it be done. In other words,
the individual excuses his own failure and
frees himself from a feeling of inadequacy
and inferiority by this kind of idea.
An analysis of the explanation of these
various masters which many of these persons
refer to reveis them to be nothing more than
figments of their own psychological idealism.
The masters believed in by such persons are

E n tered as Second Class M atter a t tlie P o s t Office a t San J o s , C alifo rn ia ,

u n d er Seclio n 1 1 0 3 o f the U. S. P o sta l A ct o f O ct. 3 , 1 9 1 7 .

The Rosicrucian Foruhn s Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Departmeni
of Publication of the Supreme Council of AM O RC , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sterling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sterling) per yearFOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page 76

actually often unknown even in any traditional religin or system of mystical thought.
The ame of the master is either one the devotee has assigned to his Master, or he may
have no appellation for him at all. It is found
that the individual, however, has a spiritual
ideal.
This ideal is the result of his cogitation on
some personal problem or an impersonal, abstract one. The individual desires a certain
satisfaction in connection with the problem.
In other words, there is the desire that the
problem be solved, a mystery cleared, certain
questions answered, or a void flled. The
individual then imagines the kind of being
and the attributes which he would need to
have in order to achieve this desired end.
One may say that in the subconscious there
is a transference of the spiritual ideal which
the person has to an imagined, external,
transcendental personality. The hope, the
wish, is transformed into an imagined, super
natural entity.
Of course, such a master is always emotionally satisfying to the individual. The
Master is born out of the ideal which he has.
If he can make the ideal seem alive, it brings
a kind of deceptive gratification. He has
thereby created an image of fulfillment in
which he can take refuge when reality becomes too difficult to confront. The fact that
his resorting to this kind of psychological
master does not actually remedy any situation does not trouble him. As we have said,
he considers the failure not to be his. Rather,
he believes that such failure is the conse
quence of another and higher purpose that
his Master, the imaginary one, has in mind
for him.
It is apparent that masters of this type
which some individuis set up for themselves
are not true Cosmic masters; they are selfinduced delusions.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
How to Study the Monographs
Every day many letters are received from
members asking the advice of the Depart
ment of Instruction conceming the proper
means of monograph study in order to gain
the most from the reading.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

A review of the various study methods indicates that probably the best way to really
learn any material is by using a technique
taught in college How-To-Study courses,
popularly termed the S Q 3R, or Survey
Q 3R, method of studying. This technique
is outlined in detail in many books, including F. P. Robinsons Effective Study, a stand
ard college How-To-Study text.
Briefly, the ame of the technique indicates the way in which it is used, for it
means Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and
Reviewthe steps in which the study is
done. We will proceed here to outline the
basic system as it applies to the monographs.
Like all course or study material, the
monographs contain only a few basic or
major points in each lecture, with supporting, substantiating, or explanatory material
filling in the rest. Also, like any other study
material, the lessons contain clues indicating
these important points. The majority of these
are obvious, such as the paragraph heading
and the points in the summary. The illus
trations also often offer valuable clues.
Thus the importance of the Survey is
shown: skim through the entire monograph,
noting the paragraph headings, the sum
mary, and other clues in the lecture.
Now we come to the Q or Question
part of the method, and here is where our
work actually begins. Tum the first heading
into a question which will serve to arouse
your curiosity and cause you to really read
to find the answer. This will help increase
your understanding and will also make the
point stand out in the explanatory material.
The first R, as we have shown, stands
for Read. Now that you have formed a ques
tion, you read to find the answer. Go right
to the end of the first section, not passively
plugging along, but actively searching for
the answer.
The second R indicates that we Recite.
After reading the section, put down the
monograph and try to recite the answer to
your question. Dont try to quote from the
lesson, but use your own words. If you dont
remember, glance over the paragraph or sec
tion again. Take very brief notes, putting
down cue phrases in outline form in your
notebook.
After leaming the first paragraph, page,
or section in this way, go on to the next and
repeat the Question, Read, and Recite steps

FEBRUARY, 1960

for each one until the entire lecture is completed.

After you have read the entire lesson in
this manner, review your notes to get an
over-all picture of the various points and
their relationships; check your memory by
reciting the major points under each heading. Do this by covering your notes and try
ing to remember these main points. Then
uncover each of these in turn and attempt to
recall its sub-points.
Once you have studied the monograph in
this manner, and are satisfied with your re
sults, go back and perform the experiment
for the week if there is one. By being thoroughly familiar with the subject matter of
the lesson, you will find it much easier to
perform the experiment that proves it.
At first, this procedure is going to take a
little time, because you will have to train
yourself to study. After a while, it will become easy for you, especially if you study
regularly each week, and do not allow mono
graphs to accumulate. Furthermore, you will
never be satisfied thereafter to merely read
a monograph, and you will have learned the
distinction betw een read ing and studying.W
Does Prominence Signify Evolvement?
A frater of Caada now states: I have
been thinking and wondering a lot lately
about our evolving personalities. Why do we
not see more of those who are nearing perfection? It seems there should be a large
number of highly evolved personalities on
this plae, considering the advanced age in
which we live. Do such personalities withdraw into obscurity as they are being
evolved? I would think that they would be
elevated to prominent worldly position.
The question here, as we see it, is the determination of evolvement. What constitutes
the evolvement to which the frater refers?
Then, does that evolvement go hand in hand
with prominence? Further, of course, just
what is meant by prominence? We shall
consider the question in this categorical order.
Let us begin with the intellectual aspect of
mans nature. Generally, the age in which
we live affords the average person in most
civilized lands the opportunity of furthering
his education. Education, except in the ex
tremely economically depressed countries and

Page 77

some exceptions, as well in those countries

having religious and political despotism, is
more accessible today than in any other peri
od of history. In comparison with the past,
public schools are extensive. There are, too,
many opportunities for higher education for
those who are ambitious, such as scholarships.
In this technologically and at least scientifically advanced age, we find an increasing
number of these intellectually evolved per
sons. Because of their specific training, they
are afforded excellent opportunities in the
business and professional worlds, which pro
vide them with personal probity as well as
substantial income.
However, there is yet another kind of
evolvement to which undoubtedly the frater
has reference. This is the evolvement of the
personality. We do not mean congeniality,
but rather that refinement of self-expression
which constitutes philosophical insight and
such mystical unity with reality as causes
one to rise above the usual foibles of human
character. It is manifested in tolerance, a
broad view, and the endeavor to give freedom
to the more subtle psychic forces and perceptions of ones being.
The religionists might refer to such an in
dividual as spiritual, the mystics, as an
evolved consciousness, and the intellectuals
would perhaps cali him an enlightened men
tality or an inspired idealist. Are there more
of this type of individual than there were,
shall we say, one hundred or two hundred
years ago? On this we can only speculate
and offer a personal opinion, but we will
venture to say that percentage-wise, even
considering the world population increase,
there are no more mystically evolved person
alities than there were in the past. Educa
tion and technological advancement do not
necessarily create that sensitivity of con
sciousness known as spiritual or mystical
evolvement. Many specialists in the professions are wealthy but they are often
avaricious, envious, and intolerant. Many
intellectuals have a low moral sense and are
ruthless.
Oftentimes, but not generally, academic
pursuits cause a sacrifice of response to the
other aspects of ones self-consciousness; that
is, one sacrifices conformity to what are
known as the virtues. The intellectual may,
in the pursuit of his ideal, believe that he

Page 78

must forfeit all else in life toward its attainment. Therefore, that individual becomes
callous. He intentionally suppresses certain
sympathetic responses which might move
him in the direction of mystical or philosophical idealism. These ideis, at least he so
believes, conflict with his material and em
pirical views. They are thus thought to be
an obstacle and are disregarded. Eventually
such persons find that certain of their psychic
impulses become less and less felt. The in
dividual perhaps is a success materially, but
nevertheless displays a mean and self-centered character.
One who has evolved his personality mys
tically, expanded his consciousness of self,
may gain prominence in one sense and yet
not in another. The individual may not have
that prominence which the world recognizes.
This brings us to the topic of prominence.
To be prominent is to stand out, to be easily
discerned, to become even conspicuous. It
requires that one does or has done something
which draws attention to him. One can be a
prominent fool as well as a sage. By com
mon usage, however, we have come to associate prominence with some socially accepted
act. The opposite kind of prominence is
known as notoriety.
Before one can be prominent, he must
excel in some quality. He can only attract
attention to himself, directly or indirectly,
if he does excel. Further, that in which he
excels must be of a nature that is readily
recognized and understood by another. If
the qualities of one are unrecognizable because persons are ignorant of them, then the
individual is not prominent to such persons,
no matter what his proficiency. Therefore,
popular prominence is of those characteristics
or qualities which the majority of men recognize as exceeding some function of their own.
Prominent artists are often at first only so
recognized and accepted in their own circles.
They may have a style that the public cannot
understand or appreciate. The same may be
said of other specialists. A mystic, one hav
ing a highly evolved consciousness, may not
be recognized as prominent by the public
at large. If one has no aspiration toward
mystical and philosophical insight, and the
development of his latent faculties, such accomplishment in another has no particular
valu to him. In fact, such a person may
often think the mystic to be inferior because

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of his extremely different and often incom

prehensible terminology and views. The
tendency of the human ego is to ridicule that
which it does not understand rather than
admit its own ignorance. Many mystics, for
example, who in more enlightened times
have had their works and lives acclaimed,
were derided as fools by their contemporaries
who then did not understand them. Of course,
the same may be said of poets and those who
have furthered humanitarian ideis which
were far in advance of their time.
There is the problem of vales to be taken
into consideration also. The more materialistic a nation or people becomeand there is
an intense wave of this at presentthe more
are individuis measured by such kind of
vales. Such questions as these are commonly asked. Has he a big home? Does he belong to an outstanding, expensive and ex
clusive club? Is he wealthy? Is he making
a big salary? Is he the head of a large Cor
poration? Does he receive recognition by the
press, the local politicians and the like? If
an individual fails to meet these conditions
he is appraised by many persons as having
no prominence whatsoever. The individual
actually may have noble idealism, have a
broad view of life, a profound understanding
of human relations, and yet be accepted as
nonprominent, if not quite prosaic in his re
lations.
Many persons with an evolved conscious
ness are of this category; that is, they haye
no worldly prominence. Actually worldly
prominence, resulting in adulation, with the
pretense, hypocrisy and parasitism that accompany it, would be a hindrance to their
real interest. We must not, however, create
the impression by what we have said that
one who is successful in material or professional endeavor or who has acquired an
abundance of worldly goods is, therefore, not
evolved in consciousness in the mystical
sense. We know many Rosicrucians who are
prominent in the generally popular sense.
They head corporations. They are outstand
ing in some branch of science or as physicians, government dignitaries or military
officers. But they are also mystics. They are
persons having an excellent, well-developed
personality, displaying all aspects of the in
tegra ted selves of which man consists.
There is little to indicate to the masses
that these prominent Rosicrucians are mys-

FEBRUARY, 1960

tics, because these Rosicrucian mystics resort

to no eccentric conduct or preachments.
Those who know them in a business or professional relationship would praise their integrity and nobility of character. They would
refer to them as compassionate, fair, tolerant,
and as possessing high ideis. The motiva
tion behind all these qualities would be their
mystical temperament and the study of the
mystical precepts in the Rosicrucian teach
ings. Many such prominent Rosicrucians
whom we know will readily acknowledge
that it was their membership in AMORC,
what they had leamed from it and applied
to their lives, that contributed in a major way
to the worldly success and prominence which
they have attained in the eyes of other
men.X
This Issues Personality
It is both interesting and significant that
those who serve the Order in the capacity of
Grand Lodge officers in the various jurisdic
tions of the world have had most diversified
lives. It would appear that life prior to their
officership had almost been designed to train
and prepare them for the demands made up
on them by their Rosicrucian duties.
Such, too, is the life of Dr. H. Th. Verkerk Pistorius, Grand Master of Holland.
Frater Pistorius was born on April 2, 1908,
in Surabaya, Java, which was then the Dutch
East Indies. His father was superintendent
of some twenty tobacco plantations. His
earliest memory of childhood was of a large
country house facing a lake, above which
towered in the distance Lamongan, one of
Javas active volcanoes.
Young Pistorius had his p re lim in a ry
schooling in a village some one hundred miles
distant from his home. He recalls, with
pleasure, that his weekends were spent duck
hunting on the lake with his father, or picnicking in the nearby forest. As excellent
as was the paternal care shown him, his fa
ther neglected giving him a formal religious
training because the latter did not favor it.
The inherent religious feelings, the spiritual
inclination, however, made themselves felt
emotionally in young Pistorius at an early
age.
At the age of 17 he went to Holland, finished his secondary schooling, and enjoyed
a European education. While in high school

Page 79

at The Hague, he was on the debating team

and lectured on various tropical subjects. He
published a monthly periodical which linked
the high schools and gymnasia in The
Hague. The periodical continued to be pub
lished for a considerable time. Subsequently,
Frater Pistorius returned to the Dutch East
Indies and applied for outdoor work on one
of the coffee plantations because of his love
for the outdoors. Living without companions
eventually depressed him, and finally he obtained an office position with a large oil
Corporation. This, however, obliged him to
move about the Indonesian Archipelago.
One day Frater Pistorius wife caused him
to realize how evanescent are material things.
Circumstances, he was told, gave him ma
terial advan tages but could likewise easily
take them away. Thereupon, he began to
study esoteric literatureastrology, meta
physics, the works of Madame Blavatsky,
and numerous others. His was a serious
search for something, but just what that was
he was not certain. He finally decided he
needed to return to Holland and study phi
losophy. But just at that time the book The
Magnum Opus of the Rosicrucians carne to
his attention. He was subsequently brought
in contact with Grand Master Visser of the
Dutch East Indies. Through him he was introduced to the Ancient Mystical Order
Rosae Crucis. Frater Vissers personality and
remarks inspired him.
In 1942 Frater Pistorius, as many others,
was a victim of the Japanese invasin of the
Dutch East Indies. He was shifted to a series
of twelve Japanese prisoner-of-war camps in
succession, but was miraculously protected.
He worked as common laborer for a few cents
a day to supplement the scanty food the Jap
anese provided. He carne, during that period,
to recall the words of Frater Visser: Poverty
is instructive, only it is so fatiguing.
The supply of medicines to physicians be
came exhausted, and many thousands of per
sons suffered. Frater Pistorius, though only
in the middle degrees of AMORC, had developed a considerable technique as a healer.
After his grueling work each day, he spent
many more hours giving treatments to those
who appealed to him.
While a war prisoner, Frater Pistorius had
many strange mystical experiences. He later
had them confirmed by mystics as being
realities. He returned to Holland and con-

Page 80

tacted Frater Jan Coops, Grand Master of

that country. He ably assisted Frater Coops
in his work as time permitted. He went
again to Indonesia, but subsequently returned
to Holland and completed a course at a lead
ing University. He then carne to occupy an
important position with a large petroleum
company. At this time the aging Grand Mas
ter, Jan Coops, was in need of permanent
assistance. Frater and Soror Pistorius decided that the former should resign his executive position, which demanded so much time,
and serve the Order in Holland. This meant
a great financial sacrifice. However, they
were soon Cosmically assisted by another fine
position which was offered him. This did not
make such demands on his time, and further
allowed him to remain in Holland to con
tinu his service to the Order.
Since the transition of Frater Coops, Frater
Pistorius has been appointed by the Imperator, Ralph M. Lewis, as Grand Master
of Holland. In this capacity he functions
most excellently. His literary ability has
made it possible for him to offer several very
splendid works for the spiritual and financial
benefit of AMORC in his country. Soror
Pistorius has been not only an inspiration
to her husband in his Rosicrucian duties, but
also devotes many hours each day to the
furtherance of AMORC in Holland.
It is people like the Pistorius family who
are noble examples of the lives of Rosicru
cians in our times.X
Does the Cosmic Decree Transition?
A soror of the state of Virginia asks our
Forum, Why believe that the Cosmic wills
our transition if mere man can change it?
The same soror further states, I simply can
not reconcile present-day catastrophesthe
sinking of shiploads at once, the cremating
and gassing of thousands at once, etc.with
the teachings that the Cosmic wills our time
to depart this life. I have questioned this
before but did not have a satisfactory ex
planation.
These questions resolve into one; namely,
if the Cosmic exercises will and directs the
affairs of man, can man oppose the will of
the Cosmic with his own? In my opinion, the
term will of God, or will of the Cosmic, is
a misnomer. First, it does not convey the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

true function of the Cosmic Mind; second,

it causes an idea to be had with which it
is often impossible to reconcile the experi
ences of every day. Ordinarily when men
refer to the will of God, they use the word
in the same sense as the human will. It is
a conception of the faculty of preference,
the ability arbitrarily to choose between
alternate things or acts. The conferring of
this human faculty upon the Cosmic Mind,
or God, is actually a human weakness. It
is an inheritance of a very primitive thought.
It is that interpretation of God known technically as anthropomorphism, which means
a god that is manlike.
Mans evolution of the idea of God has,
to an extent, kept abreast of his own in
tellectual and physical development. When
man had little or no knowledge of natural
law, when the most simple phenomena such
as lightning, sunrise and sunset were great
mysteries to him, God then was identified
with such phenomena. In fact, anything
superior to mans powerand understanding
was apotheosized, that is, conceived as a
deity of some kind. Psychologically, the
premise was that God is any power or source
greater than man. Man did not necessarily
conceive such gods as being beneficent or
particularly concerned with the welfare of
himself; in fact, man did not love such gods
and often he did not believe that they loved
him. He was imbued with a fearsome respect for their ubiquitous power, just as a
small boy looks with intermingled feelings
of fear and admiration at a giant steam locomotive.
Slowly man mastered many of the things
which he once feared. He was finally able
to control almost all living things. Many
things not directly subject to his control, like
the elements, he carne to understand. The
understanding removed the dread fear of
them. This gradual supremacy which he
acquired he rightly attributed to the power
of his own mind. It was his ability to reason
and to think that was making man a master
of his environment. He was conscious that
therein was his greatest asset. Notwithstanding his advance, man has likewise been con
scious of certain continued limitations. Also,
his admiration has grown for the magnitude
of the universe as he perceives it. There was
existing in this universe so self-evident a
skill, far exceeding his own prowess, that

FEBRUARY, 1960

mans conception of God, his ideal of the

Supreme Power, was thus transcended. God,
of course, must exceed man. Mans greatest
asset is not muscular strength but mind.
Therefore God, man believed, must be a be
ing that exercised mind but to a far vaster
extent. The anthropomorphic conception of
God became a being that thinks, reasons, and
wills.
Since man creates what he wills, men be
lieved that their God did likewise. Each
thing that is, is contended by many religionists to be the result of a divine decreean
expression of will. Men are quite well aware
that they are prompted to exercise their
will because of desires which they have,
especially desires of a mental nature. De
sires which are directly of the body, as the
appetites, do not require will to enforce
them. A normal person does not need to
will himself, for example, to eat or to drink.
The mentality, however, creates artificial de
sires. We have moods or inclinations which
are the sum total of our thinking and of our
feeling. These become mental desires or
preferences. They are often so impelling that
we choose them in opposition to an appetite.
Many times we refuse to eat when hungry,
simply because we have some mental desire,
some purpose which so occupies us that we
do not wish to take time to eat. Again there
are those who, for analogy, go on hunger
strikes. They choose an ideal or a mental
desire instead of a bodily appetite.
When men ascribe will to God, they are
thus conferring upon Him desires. The ques
tion then arises, What kind of desires would
God have or need? If the Cosmic Mind or
God is self-sufficient, constituting the whole
of being, desire could not be experienced. A
condition of plethora is usually attributed
to the Divine state. This plethora is a fullness. A Divine desire would be an indication
of a lack in the Cosmic. Can God lack any
thing requiring Him to will to prefer
something apart from His own nature? Fur
ther, if something could be desired by the
Cosmic or God, from whence would it come?
It would have to be desired because it is not
in Gods nature. Therefore, from where
would it be acquired? If everything must
come from the One, out of the Cosmic being,
then it must be apparent that there would be
no desire for something which already is.

Page 81

It is but a polemic and circumlocutory discussion to counter by saying Gods will is

not a desire or a preference for things but
a wish that His purpose be fulfilled. To de
clare that God must will man to do this or
to do that infers that there is an alternate
way; namely, that man can escape from the
Cosmic plan and be or do something else.
This ascribing of purpose to God, that is, his
will that something shall come to be or shall
be, is an atavistic ideait is a going back
to a time when primitive man conceived that
there is also a malevolent power or intelli
gence in the universe. This they called by
various ames. Today this being is conceived
of in orthodox circles as Satan. It was be
lieved that there was a Divine struggle with
Satan for supremacy in the Cosmos. Each,
God and Satan, had final ends or purposes
they sought. It was Gods will to achieve
His ends and Satan sought to enforce his
own objectives.
If God has a purpose which He must will
that is, choose and toward which all
creation is evolving, it is an indication of
the lack of perfection of the Cosmic. It would
mean that God has not yet attained His final
and perfect state. I am reminded of the
splendid words of Spinoza with respect to
this thought: The latter appear to affirm
that there is something external to God and
independent of Him, upon which, as upon
a pattem, God looks when He acts, or at
which He aims as at a definite goal. This
is simply subjecting God to fate, and nothing
more absurd than; this can be maintained
concerning God, who is the first and only
free cause, as well as the essence of all things
as of their existence.
God is the essence of all things as of their
existence means that all laws, all phe
nomena in their primary state, always have
been and are of God. The way things are
and will be is now the full and perfect plan
of the Cosmic, from which nothing can
escape. That something shall happen one
way and something else another way does
not signify an arbitrary fiat or expression
of God. It is merely that the effects are dif
ferent because the causes have varied. That
some men shall die today and others pass
through transition tomorrow does not mean
that the Cosmic has willed a specific time
of transition for each. It is part of the great
Cosmic Order that humans have a certain

Page 82

amount of flexibility in the exercise of their

being. They can misuse their powers and
terminate their earthly existence today. Oth
ers, through application and circumstance,
can use their earthly experiences wisely and
thus live longer. . . .
We say in our monographs that the Cosmic
wills the transition of every man. Perhaps
we should not have used the word wills. It
creates the misconception that the Cosmic
Mind has inscribed the hour of passing for
each mortal. What is really meant is that
in the mind of the Cosmic there is an effect
for every combination of causes. Whenever
a man shall so live that certain causes shall
come about, the effects of which mean his
transition, then he shall die. A shipload of
humans sinks and hundreds of lives are lost.
The Cosmic has not arbitrarily willed that
at that hour catastrophe is to occur and that
it shall be the appointed time of transition
for each one on board.
It is in the Cosmic Order, however, in the
very nature of that which is the Cosmic, that
men through their sociological and political
affairs and their technological developments
can invoke causes which, by the necessity of
their nature, will bring about death. Humans
themselves, collectively as a nation or as a
group, instgate causes which bring about
their end. It is in the essence of the Cosmic
that every mortal shall pass through transi
tion. It is likewise in the essence of the Cos
mic that man himself evokes the causes of his
transition, depending upon the experiences
his soul-personality needs and which experi
ences in turn are what directs a full life or
a short one.
There is no escape from the Cosmic Order,
but man may adapt that order to his living.
There is an orderly way and a disorderly
way of living. If we live disorderly in the
Cosmic sense, we are not opposing Gods will,
as religionists often say. We are only producing a combination of ill effects for our
selves, which should cause us eventually to
desire to prefer the orderly way of living.
The manufacturer of the piano keyboard, for
analogy, has not willed that man shall play
upon it harmoniously. He has provided man
with a keyboardmathematically, acoustically, and mechanically properwhich if used
in various ways will produce numerous
manifestations, that is, com binations of
sounds. Man can produce on that keyboard

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

either a harmonious sound or a discord. If

one plays a discord on the keyboard he is
not opposing the manufacturers will. He is
only bringing about an unpleasantness for
himself.-X
(From April 1943 Forum )
Vibrations and Transparency
A frater, addressing our Forum, says:
What are the properties of such material,
solid substances as glass, cellophane, and cer
tain clear plastics which allow the vibrations
of all other material substances to pass
through and reach our eyes unhindered? In
fact, in certain conditions, vibrations not
manifest to the unaided eye are brought into
view by the use of the magnifying glass,
telescope, microscope, etc. To my mind,
transparency in solid, material substances is
a mystical property, and I would appreciate
very much whatever elucidation you may be
able to make.
Let us consider the question, turaing our
attention to glass which is the commonest
transparent substance. Glass is made from
a fluid condition at a high tempera ture
which has passed to a solid condition with
suficient rapidity to prevent the formation
of visible crystals We know, of course,
that glass consists of a combination of silicic
acids and alkalis, that is, potassium or sodium. In glass, it would seem that the molec
ular structure offers little resistance to the
transmission of light waves. To use a general
term, light is a vibratory energy consisting
of various wave lengths; these compose the
ocular and invisible spectrum. By invisible
we mean those wave lengths not discemible
by the unaided eye, such as X rays.
An opaque object reflects wave lengths to
the viewing eye. We know that daylight is
composed of all the colors of the visible spec
trum. A white object, therefore, is an opaque
one that reflects all the wave lengths falling
upon it equallyall the colors, simultaneously. Then they blend into the white light
of which they are composed, and cause the
object to appear white. Suppose we have a
red cloth and hold it in daylight. It looks
red because it reflects only those long wave
lengths which produce the color red. (Red
wave length, 0.000063-78 centimeters.) If a
red cloth receives only waves which have no
red, it will appear dark. The color of an

FEBRUARY, 1960

opaque object then depends upon the wave

length of light which it will reflect. It seems
that the molecular structure of an opaque
substance can absorb or hold back certain
wave lengths (vibrations of light), letting
others pass through which reach our eyes,
and which are later, in the brain, translated
into a particular color sensation.
Let us now take a piece of red glass and
place it in the path of daylight which is dispersed by a prism. We will note that all the
colors of the spectrum formed by the prism
are absorbed except the red, causing the glass
to appear red. If we put a green light in the
path of the spectrum of color every color
except green is absorbed. If we put the green
and red glasses together, in a similar way,
light coming from the prism almost vanishes.
The color of a transparent object such as
glass depends on the wave lengths of light
it transmits. We note that an opaque ob
ject reflects waves and that a transparent
one transmits the vibrations of light. One
theory has been advanced that the atomic
structure of a transparent substance has less
density, let us say, less compactness of its
atoms and permits most of the waves of the
visible spectrum free passage. There are
certain glasses which have the property of
transmitting ra d ia tio n s of shorter wave
lengths than occur in the visible spectrum.
For example, the ordinary window glass of
our homes seldom transmits the shortest rays.
Conversely, a fused boric oxide will, like
quartz, be transparent even to the very short
est rays. A specially manufacturad glass
known as Vita Glass, employs the factor of
transmitting these shorter rays. Yet, it looks
like common window glass. Its ame implies its health qualities.
If iron oxide is present in glass in a ferric
condition, it is said to greatly diminish the
transparency to the shorter ultraviolet rays.
Glass having lead in its composition will ab
sorb all of the ultraviolet rays. The long
waves (red) are refracted least. The short
waves (violet) are refracted the most.
In the instance of the magnification of
light wayes, to which the frater refers, the
waves are concentrated, focussed or gathered,
so to speak, so that more of them reach the
human eye, increasing the apparent size of
the object to the sight. We cannot agree with
the frater that the vibrations of all of the
material substances pass through transparent

Page 83

substances. As has been noted, certain

glasses, for example, obstruct all of the ultra
violet rays. Furthermore, certain glasses
hold back, absorb, the wave lengths of light
being reflected from objects. Certain plastics,
though appearing transparent, have a crystalline composition which obstructs the pas
sage of particular waves of lightif not of the
visible spectrum, then those of the invisible
one.
We cannot entirely follow the fraters
comment that in his opinion transparency
in solid material substances is a mystical
property. We could say that until the
physical phenomenon of transparency is un
derstood it may mystify one, but there is no
mystical element or principie actually in
volved. At the most, transparency, as a
quality, can be symbolically related to mor
ality and purity. That which is transparent
obviously cannot deceive or conceal. Trans
parency at times has allegorically referred to
an attribute of human character, namely,
frankness, simplicity or innocence, freedom
from guile. In our opinion that is the nearest
approach of transparency to being a mystical
quality or property.X
Mental Treatment Fads
One of the greatest frontiers, as yet little
explored, is not alone interstellar space, but
the realm of the human mind. Though psy
chology, neurology, and psychiatry have
made great strides as explorative sciences of
the mental functions, the brain and nervous
systems, there remain tremendous mysteries
of the mind to perplex them. Just how we
reason, imagine, perceive, will, feel, and
know is only partially understood. Howr im
pressions of the receptor senses are transformed into sensations, and these in turn
converted into ideation or chains of ideas,
is still a matter of some fact interwoven with
much hypothesis.
The instincts and emotions have been
plausibly theorized since the time of the
ancient Greek philosophers. In recent years
the James-Lang theory of emotions was the
center of controversy in science until super
seded by more advanced theories. In the time
of the Greek philosophers all mental func
tions were primarily associated with the soul.
This was particularly so of the faculty of
reason. However, Democritus (about 460-

Page 84

360 B.C.) declared that our perception of extemal images was due to certain sized atoms
entering the apertures of our sense organs
which accommodated them.
The greatest mystery of mind that has persisted down through centuries of rationalism
has been the cause of mans abnormal mental
motivations. Why, in other words, have cer
tain men acted in ways contrary to their
own and societys well-being? Why have
they displayed such erratic or eccentric be
havior as to be considered insane by their
fellows? Certain theological theories, re
ligious beliefs, even to the present day, have
considered such unfortunate persons as victims of an extemal, supernatural forc, such
as evil entities, devils, or demons. Persons
were thought to be possessed and needed to
have these entities exorcised by the prayers
of priests or the incantations of some magician. The methods resorted to as cures
were often brutal, such as chaining the
afflicted person to a wall and lashing him into
unconsciousness to drive out the devils.
With the popularity of the terms con
scious, preconscious, superconscious, subcon
scious and the like in recent decades, various
theories about them, with systems founded
upon them, have been advanced. Since the
time of William James, who established the
first laboratory for psychological experi
ments, inquiry into these subliminal realms of
consciousness has been usually by academic
investigators. They were those who had to
have some training in physiology, neurology,
and medicine, as well as psychology, before
they could treat what were regarded as men
tal or emotional diseases.
When the transition occurred then mind
was no longer thought to be wholly a matter
of philosophical speculation or a subject con
fined to theology, it became popularized.
Emile Cou (1857-1926), a French psychologist, was the first modern advcate of posi
tive thinking, offering a mechanism by which
this was to be accomplished. His system of
affirmations and self-suggestions, though hav
ing merit, was exaggerated and exploited by
his contemporaries. Actually, his system be
came eventually so distorted that the mere
affirmation became a substitution, with many
persons, for the necessary act itself. To sug
gest to oneself that a condition was to occur
within oneself was erroneously made to
equal the act of bringing it about.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Of what the power of suggestion consisted, and how the subconscious or uncon
scious mind acted upon it and performed
so-called miracles, became the subject of
many best sellers and articles appearing in
popular periodicals. In addition, traveling
psychologists, many with no formal edu
cation in the subject, traveled about giving
public lectures on the theme of secrets of
the subconscious and at substantial fees.
Freud and his psychoanalytical principies
and theories were next highly popularized.
Sigmund Freud was a genius. He, more
than any other man of recent times, revealed
how the greater part of self, like the bulk of
an iceberg, is submerged. We are not con
scious of this submerged self and its innate
expressions and latent desires. However,
such expressions are released as urges and
impulses into the conscious mind where they
assume quite a different nature. Why we act
and behave as we do became principally associated with this stream of the subconscious
in the articles dealing with the subject. The
abnormalities and anxieties of emotionally
disturbed persons were said to be due to inhibitions, repressed desires, and impulsations
often from an infantile period in their lives.
In part this theory is generally recognized
by psychologists and psychiatrists. On the
other hand, such other classical authorities in
the field as Jung and Adler do not wholly
confirm the Freudian concepts.
The technical aspects of the subject were
intricate and difficult for the layman. Then
carne the popular expositions, mostly unauthoritative exploitations of the public in
terest in the subject. They were mostly by
ones who wanted to capitalize on the desperate individuis who felt that they personally
needed help for mental health or for mem
bers of their family, but could not afford professional fees. In various cities in the United
States, England, Australia, New Zealand, and
elsewhere, numerous little advertisements
appeared by so-called hypnotists, psychoanalysts, mental catharsis practitioners, and
the like. Their fees were more reasonable
and the gullible reader succumbed to the ap
peals.
Even more recently there has been proclaimed in these countries and elsewhere
revolutionary systems for discovering men
tal blocks and engrams that are inherited
from past lives. These systems claim that by

FEBRUARY, 1960

an interrogation method uof an unique na

ture they can clear the consciousness and
cause the individual to understand his real
desires and to view his self and his worldly
relationships in a new light. All this was
not to be done in a philosophical or mystical
way, but as a scientific treatment principally for emotional disturbances, inferiority
complexes, and mental illnesses.
There is a very strong appeal to the imagi
nation in these systems. It is claimed that
one is to be taken back, by regressions and
in a semitrance state, to experiences had in
very early childhood and even in past lives.
This practice is not concemed with the mys
tical or metaphysical doctrine of reincarna
tion, but for the practical purpose, it is
claimed, of clearing from the inherited
memory unconscious urges which conflict
with the individual^ common experiences in
this life.
Who accomplished these things as in
structors, analysts, or consultants? Were
they physicians thoroughly grounded in the
morphology and physiology of the brain and
nervous systems? Were they gradate clinical psychologists or psychiatrists holding
university degrees in the field of the subject
and licensed by the local government to con
duct therapeutic or healing practices? Absolutely not. The early ones were those who
read a book on these so-called unique meth
ods. Some of these readers were bookkeepers,
truck drivers, ditch diggers, and salesmen.
They became interested in the fantastic,
popular theory of the semifictional literature
which they read. The literature or book was
often syncretic, that is, borrowed phrases
from texts on philosophy, metaphysics, psy
chology, and psychiatry. But the majority of
these readers did not know that many of the
phrases were borrowed. They did not have
the background to know i t They thought
that all the terminology was original.
The popular books then grew into centers
or schools where, for short courses and for
fees in amounts from $50 to $500, one might
himself become a practitioner with no other
background than the money he paid for fees
and the desire to become a consultant and
give treatments.
There is a strong appeal to the mercenary
aspect and ambitions of the individual in this
whole system because, after so many lessons
from an instructor who has also paid a large

Page 85

fee to someone else for the same teachings,

he may become a consultant. He may then
set up an office and advertise to clear others
of their mental obstructions and, of course,
charge substantial fees in turn. One is led
to believe that soon he will eam back the
original investment and from then on make
a substantial profitwhich some do.
The fact is that there are eventually more
who take the course, sometimes at great
sacrifice to themselves and family, than there
are persons who will subsequently come to
consult them. A great number of such gullible persons find that they never get a sufficient number of customers or clients, if you
will, to even recover their initial fee. The
individual who is garrulous, a born huckster,
and can talk fast, makes a success of it, pro
vided he is equally unethical. A great num
ber who lack academic training and are not
familiar with promotion and public relations
come to regret that they ever spent their
money.
The regrettable part of the whole system
is that many unfortunate, afflicted men,
women, and children are being subjected to
a system or method that is not scientifically
recognized and that is conducted by persons
who perhaps but a few weeks or months be
fore were attending gasoline pumps at a serv
ice station or waiting on trade behind a counter in a grocery store. Persons who are
highly emotional are subject to the attention
of unskilled, and often uneducated, practitioners. Persons are trusting the delicate
mechanism of their minds to practices simi
lar to hypnosis. These persons are especially
sensitive to suggestion or ideas implanted in
their minds by these consultants who interpret the impressions, and the victims are
told that such interpretations are really the
latent ideas and desires coming from their
own being which they must obey.
Happily married couples have had their
marriages disrupted by these interpreters
who may say that the individuis are not
suited to each other. Individuis, who need
ed the care of trained psychiatrists, but in
stead have gone to these neighborhood
pseudo practitioners and have taken up the
system at a cost of a few hundred dollars
in fees, have also paid the penalty of losing
their sanity.
When one has a serious intestinal disorder,
for example, he no longer buys a nostrum

Page 86

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

from the traveling medicine man who, during

circuslike performances, claims a special cure
for his product. If ones eyesight fails, he
does not trust his eyes to an examination by
one who took a course of some kind a few
weeks before. Why, then, trust your mind
and mentality, upon which your whole rela
tionship to reality depends, to some pseudo
or highly-amateur mental practitioner re
gardless of his personality?
What valu do you place upon your sanity
or that of your familyor on your peace
of mind? Investgate the quality of such
treatments and courses with at least the
equal care you use in examining the food
you buy.X
Fear and Anxiety
ln a letter a frater comments upon various
phases of his studies and asks that some space
in the Rosicrucian Forum be devoted to the
subject of fear and anxiety, because he feels
that a great many people are victims, in a
sense, of these emotional states.
There is no doubt that many people become almost obsessed by false fears, and the
anxiety that results from such condition is
truly a detriment to their physical and men
tal well-being. No doubt this continual men
tal stress is an underlying cause of numerous
physical and mental disturbances. Many
common ailments are functional in their
cause; that is, there is a mental condition
behind that which finally becomes a physical
manifestation. Almost all doctors of all
schools will concede this point.
A fairly common malady, among men in
particular, is that of stomach ulcers. A frater
who is a stomach specialist and a prominent
medical doctor has told me that most cases
are due to mental stress, to anxiety, tensin,
and concern. If this one, more or less com
mon, physical ailment has functional begin
ning, there is no doubt that there are other
physical disorders with a similar basis. In
view of the fact that statistics show that in
stitutions for the care of the mentally ill are
filled to capacity, and even overflowing, we
could generally conclude that a great deal of
the treatment necessitated in these institu
tions is no doubt fundamentally due to a
functional condition. Basic in most of these
conditions is fear, and it might be well to
give a little consideration to the analysis of

what constitutes fear and anxiety, and the

types qf fear which seem to affect many in
dividuis.
It is true that fear has a physiological basis
and reaction as well as a psychological mani
festation. Fear is an emotion. It is not a con
dition based upon and controlled entirely by
reason. We cannot here go into a complete
analysis of the emotions, but, in general, we
all know that emotions are under the control
of the sympathetic nervous system and not
completely dominated by the reasoning mind.
In proof of the statement that fear is an
emotion, we state that it is perfectly normal
for any human being to fear regardless of the
reason he exerts. If you are walking in the
dark, for example, and a sudden movement
which you cannot explain takes place near
yousomething touches youa white figure
crosses your path an unexplained light
flashes near you an unusual noise attracts
your attention your reaction is fear. Re
gardless of how brave you may be or how
quickly you are able to exert your reason to
overcome that fear, still the first reaction can
be one of fear. Fear will manifest under
such conditions because it is a part of the
structure of our physiological system that is
closely related with our instinct of selfpreservation.
Fear is an emotion which has a definite
physiological manifestation. Under such a
circumstance as has been described, the body
becomes tense, hair rises on the neck, the
adrenal glands release their product into the
blood stream, which reaction is for the pur
pose of giving the body quick energy, to pre
pare it to flee from the source of the trouble,
or give it additional strength to face whatever
may be the physical requirement that the
condition brings about. In other words, the
emotion is under such circumstances a part
of the protective system of the body, making
it possible for man to be able to get away
from a dangerous situation or to defend him
self, and the mental reaction is first to a
certain extent that of fear.
Without fear, man would be unable to live
in a very complicated world. He would not
have the involuntary incentive to prepare
himself to take care of unusual situations.
He would be unable to exercise at all times
sufficient reason and judgment to keep him
self out of difficult and dangerous situations.
Therefore, as in the case of all emotions, fear

FEBRUARY, 1960

has a certain protective and useful valu to

us. The problem of fear develops when it is
assigned to many other things and is so dwelt
upon by the mind that a constant state of
anxiety exists. Anxiety is nothing more than
a continued state of fear a concern that
something is going to happen that is not
wanted, and that is not going to be conducive
to our best interests and well-being.
Oddly enough, the average individual soon
reasons away the sudden emotional surges
of fear. To retum to our example, if an indi
vidual sees a white object in the dark, he im
mediately has a sensation of fear. Almost at
the same time he may find that the white
object is nothing more than a handkerchief
that someone has dropped and which the
wind has blown. Reason immediately comes
to the rescue to allay the fear that has developed within him. It is difficult to be afraid
of the known, particularly when that known
in our experience is harmless. The emotion
of fear arse in our minds and affected our
actions so long as the handkerchief in the
above example was not known. As soon as it
was known reason took over and fear was
subordinated.
It would seem that the obvious conclusin
from these observations would be that the
best way to eliminate fear is to understand
those things which seem to develop fear and
anxiety in our lives. This is a very simple
step when it concerns simple situations. To
use the same example again, when an indi
vidual has explained the momentary fear of
an unknown object on a dark night and
reason has dismissed the thing as harmless
and known, such a situation has banished
fear from the mind. However, if a morbid
individual would continu to dwell anxiously
upon this problem, it is quite possible that he
might associate all white handkerchiefs in
the dark with an absolute fear. This latter
possibility is extremely remte unless there
have been other factors contributing toward
an unstable personality, to begin with.
The biggest problem related to fear and
anxiety in our lives, as already inferred, is
not so greatly concerned with these simple
situations, but with far more subtle condi
tions. The average individual who may suf
fer from constant anxiety has far more subtle
fears underlying his life and thinking. These
fears are mostly ill-defined and are brought
about sometimes by a feeling of inferiority

Page 87

or without the circumstances in which reason

would be able to take over for the emotion.
Most of the fears that exist today are not so
much fears of the unknown, insofar as a
physical phenomenon is unknowable, but
rather fears as to the possible reaction of
other people and things.
I believe that I would find confirmation, in
many fields of psychological research, of the
statement that the anxieties and fears that
most people are burdened with today are of
a social and economic nature. They are fears
of losing a job, of not being able to get along
with associates, of displeasing the boss, of be
coming ill and not having the funds to meet
the demands; of having their income reduced
or of having their expenses increased. Some
have fears of not being able to accomplish the
work which they believe is expected of them,
the fear of social distinction, of inability to
act or behave properly in the presence of
certain individuis, and the fear of becoming
social outcasts by not being able to make the
proper impression upon people with whom
they wish to associate.
All these fears closely related with making
a living and getting along with people are so
subtle they do not bring about the violen!
reaction that a loud, unexpected noise in a
quiet room might produce, or the sight of a
white object on a dark night. However, they
enter into the consciousness and remain there
without reason dismissing them, and they
become to the mind what an unhealthy infection is to the body, constantly poisoning the
mind with anxiety and causing every de
cisin, motion, and act to be weighed in terms
of this irritating anxiety that is constantly
within the mind. When this condition becomes sufficiently infused into the thinking
of an individual, the individual has gone
beyond the mere act of will or reason to re
lieve the condition. By merely saying, I will
not worry any more about my job, one is
expressing an idle affirmation which he him
self does not believe, if he thinks his job is in
jeopardy and he cannot secure another one.
To overcome fear and anxiety one must
have something that has in his life more
valu than any physical or mental thing of
which he could be deprived. If you are
anxious and worry about your job, your
social obligations, your financial status, or
any factor related to any of these things, il
means that you are assigning more impor-

Page 88

tance to those particular things, or any one

of them, than you are to anything else, and
it is a perfectly natural reaction for a person
to exhibit more concern or anxiety about the
things upon which he places the greatest
valu. Therefore, the fundamental way to
rid oneself of fear and anxiety is to redistribute or reshuffle vales concerning them.
The truly deeply religious personand I
do not necessarily mean the one who observes
religin in its outward forms, but the one
who has a firm belief in God and in His
poweris one who has diminished a tendency to worry. This also applies to the
individual who has gained conscientiously a
philosophy of life, which is the same princi
pie as that of the individual who has a firm
religious conviction. For example, if we, as
Rosicrucians, not only read the teachings
and principies which are put forth, but also,
firmly and honestly, without any trace of
doubt in our minds believe these things and
live these principies, we become aware that
the greatest and most desirable vales that
can be achieved by man are in terms of his
soul and the development of his psychic
being.
We further become aware of the fact that
regardless of what may be our fortune, and
regardless of the vicissitudes of our daily
lives, nothing can take this greatest of all
vales from us. Therefore, since we know
that the thing which we most cherish is in
destructible and cannot be taken from our
grasp, the things which are secondary will
cease to cause us worry. This seems like a
simple statement, but it covers a broad con
cept; it covers the concept of not only formulating in words a philosophy of life, but of
formulating the convictions to live that phi
losophy of life. It is not easy, but it is most
satisfying when it is done.
It is important to mention that the building
of a stable concept of life upon a nonmaterial
world does not mean that the physical world
is to be ignored. Just because our treasures
of greatest valu may lie in a psychic plae,
does not mean that that gives us license to
shirk our responsibilities, for the one who
has such philosophy of life is equally aware
that the responsibilities which he assumes in
this earthly life are for the purpose of greater
inner development to be utilized at still other
times to come. At the same time, however,
we will be aware that we do not have to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

allow anxiety as to our physical position to be

a constant drain upon our energy and upon
our physical and mental well-being.A
(From Forum February 1947)
Divine Mind and the Human Mind
This problem involves a series of questions
that have been asked by many students and
by those who have seriously considered the
subjects of philosophy and metaphysics. If
the human mind or the mind of man is a
segment of the Divine mind, why are there
so many unanswered problems in the uni
verse? Why is it that man cannot better
conceive the scheme of the Cosmic and be
more aware of the working of a Divine
mind?
Implied in these questions is the underlying belief that because our mind is con
sidered to be a manifestation of the Divine
or Supreme Being, why should a segment of
that mind be in ignorance of many vital
questions that concern life and death, as
well as the purpose of the universe and the
position or valu of the human being in his
relation to it? The question is partly answered by considering that while there is
no difference in kind, insofar as various segments or manifestation of mind are con
cerned, there is a relative difference. This
principie is somewhat illustrated by comparing the adult mind with the child mind.
We consider that lack of knowledge and
experience cause a child to be different from
the adult. A child will make mistakes that
an intelligent adult will not. A child will
have a comprehension of things about him
that is different from the conclusions reached
by an adult. The adult knows, from his ex
perience, that experience will also come to
the child mind, and that in its growth it will
come to understand what the adult also
understands. At the same time, we who are
adults know that as the child mind develops
to understand certain things many gaps or
questions will remain, just as they do in the
adult mind.
Growth, the gaining of knowledge and of
experience, in other words, all development
constitutes a state of transition in human life.
We advance toward a personal realization
wherein all knowledge will be at our command, and therefore, all understanding will
be available and no questions will be un-

FEBRUARY, 1960

answered. However, we do not advance in

one lifetime to that complete comprehension,
just as the child does not advance in one
hour, one day, or in one year, to complete
adult comprehension. The adult has purposes, ideas, and problems beyond the com
prehension of the child so that the child
may feel, in fact, that he is being thwarted
or his freedom interfered with in his at
tempt to live and understand. So the adult
in not knowing the full functioning of the
Divine mind feels that he too is thwarted
in that there are forced into his life restrictions that are beyond his ability to grasp.
Human mind, or the adult mind particu
larly, insofar as the family relationship is
concemed, dominates the child mind. There
is the belief on the part of the adult that this
is for the best interest and welfare of the
child. Certainly no parent that has any
civilized decency is purposely going to restrict a child merely for the pleasure of
restriction. It is reasonable to think that
even if we do not understand all the Cosmic
laws and Divine purposes, if we work on
the premise that the Cosmic laws are pur
poseful and the Divine mind represents the
ultmate good, we are not going to conceive
of this Supreme Being as one that is merely
placing restrictions upon human life for the
satisfaction that might be brought to such a
Being by seeing mankind in a position of
suffering, trial, and the continual facing of
insolvable problems.
A few days ago I watched a gardener
changing a bed of flowers. He took up by the
roots many healthy plants, each of which
were living things expressing as best they
could in the way nature ordained that they
should express themselves. The soil was
then changed, cultivated, and made ready
for what the gardener believed to be more
beautiful plants, and new expressions of
plant life that would thrive and bring satis
faction to him and those who enjoyed the
garden.
Now, if we could imagine that these in
dividual plants were capable of intelligent
thinking, we could consider that those which
had been destroyed must have at the time
believed they were subject to the will of an
avenging forc or creature that was greater
than themselves. If they could form a phi
losophy, it would have to be a philosophy
of fatalism and dooma belief that they

Page 89

were subject to forces over which they had

no controland that eventually their lives
would be snuffed out and they would be de
stroyed. They would not be able to grasp
the over-all picture. They could not see that
beauty and the development of the plot of
ground was of primary importance; and
more essential than the maintenance of their
individual lives. They would not be able to
grasp the fact that, within a few months, the
place they once occupied would be more
beautiful, more complete, more expressive of
natures laws for the reason that they had
been superseded by other forms of plant life.
They might go so far as to establish a phi
losophy which would include a belief in im
mortalitythat when their lives were ended
due to the power of a being beyond their
control, their life expression would go on in
another place or in another form.
It is not very satisfying for us, supposedly
intelligent, free-willed human beings, to
place ourselves in the same position with the
universe as these plants had occupied in rela
tion to the gardener. We do not like to
believe that we are subject to the whims of
a Supreme or Master gardener who is more
interested in the expression of the earth or
in the expression of humanity as a whole
than in us as individual beings. We, too,
have built up a philosophya philosophy
that has a hope that the expression of life
on earth is only a segment of the total ex
pression, and that when that manifestation
of life ends it will have the opportnity to
*row further and to express itself in dif
ferent and, we hope, better surroundings.
Our illustration does show, limited as it
is, that the Divine mind of which we are a
part has within itself a purpose beyond our
complete comprehension. Just as the child
can gradually develop to a point of compre
hension equal to the adult mind that directed
it, so can we eventually develop to a point
of comprehension equal to the Divine mind
of which we are a part. However, to the
best of the knowledge of scientists, this cycle
of life on this earth has been going on for a
longer period of time than we can readily
imagine. Therefore, any single life is a very
small transitory expression in relation to
this whole. Little wonder, then, that there
are so many questions left unanswered. If
we can find some satisfaction in answering
a part of these questions, we can have a

Page 90

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

fuller satisfaction in that another life can

begin at a point of advancement beyond the
beginning of this one.
Mans expression of himself, of his true in
dividuality, comes through the process of
dealing with the universal forc about him.
Our physical lives are constantly modified
and tempered by the physical conditions with
which we deal. We can take one of two
attitudes toward this position in which we
find ourselves. It can be one in which we
resent being placed in such a positionand
by that resentment actually thwart the pos
sibility of growth, development, and advance
ment toward a more complete comprehension
of things or it can be an acknowledg
ment of the position in which we are, not
as a position beyond our control but that
within our control rests the ability to strive
for those vales which seem evident as being
of more valu than mere resistance to the
state of things about us. We will gain little
by fighting against what we are; we can gain
much by co-operating with the forces about
us, and in that very process become more
aware of the Divine mind of which we are
a part.A
(From Forum June 1947)
Willing Oneself to Relax
A soror of Caada rises to ask our Forum:
Can the application of will power sometimes
be a deterrent to the acquiring of a desired
result? I teach people to relax, using a sys
tem which follows throughphysically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, as deeply
as each person wants or is able to take it.
Now, one of my greatest difficulties in teach
ing a certain type of pupil is to overcome
their determination to do itin other words,
to relax their will power. Such people grit
their teeth and try to forc a response by an
effort of will. Now I cannot teach that will
power is undesirable; someone in the other
crner of the room may be in need of just
enough self-discipline to help him find the
time and energy to do the necessary daily
practice.
To relax means to cause a condition of
tensin to become lax, or to yield. There are
innumerable things which may cause ten
sin. Primarily these are stimulations by
which we have, through the lash of will,
driven ourselves to accomplish something.

The muscles, under the impulse of the nerves

being tense for a long period, are unable im
mediately to slacken or yield when the work
has been accomplished. It is like a spring
that has been compressed for a long time un
der pressure. It loses its resilience and is un
able to return completely to its former state
when the pressure is removed.
There are, of course, psychosomatic tensions. We are not conscious objectively of
what causes our nervous tensin under such
conditions. There is a subconscious aggrava
tion as subliminal anxiety which causes emo
tional reactions. These emotional states cause
the tensin. Such persons cannot readily be
taught to relax. They do not know the cause
of their tensin and cannot elimnate it with
out help for their emotional disturbances.
They first need the assistance of a psychologist or psychoanalyst to make them aware of
the latent causes of their trouble. When they
can again face realities, realizing them, adjusting consciously to circumstances which
they may have been subconsciously opposing,
the tensin easesat least, from that time on
they can be taught to relax.
It must be realized that will is a mental
desire. We say mental desire to distinguish it
from the desires arising solely out of the ap
petites and instincts. The desire of will, as
we know, can and often does oppose other
desires. We may, for example, forc our
selves to go on a hunger strike when physi
cally our body eraves food. We may, likewise,
deny ourselves sleep in rder to pursue some
work or pleasure. One may deny a sex ap
petite because of moral ideis enforced by
will. Therefore, will can be and often is
with everyone, an intensely positive desire,
an extremely stimulating motivating forc.
Will compels action of some kind whether
physical or mental. The action takes the
course necessary for the satisfaction of the
wilVs desire. Consequently, we can freely
say that will power stands in a contra-position to relaxation. Will is the concentration
of energy, the necessary tensing of certain
muscles in order to accomplish an end. Re
laxation has as its purpose the easing, the
laxine, of tensin. One can no more relax
by willing himself to do so by the use of in
tense concentration than he can shout him
self into silence.
A contra-activity, however, may help at
times to induce relaxation. Suppose one is

FEBRUARY, 1960

obliged to pursue a strenuous mental activity

for several hours a day. Perhaps he is a
public accountant or a university student
cramming for a final examination. For hours
he has been concentrating, focussing his at
tention on pages of a textbok, or on rows of
figures in a ledger. Such a person can find
relaxation by a change to a temporary and
vigorous, physical exercise. Fast walking,
swimming, doing push-ups or riding a bicycle
will bring the relief. They are also expending energy by this physical exercise, contracting, using muscles. But, there is a rechanneling of the energy and a withdrawing of it
from its former source of concentration.
They relax the existing tensin. As soon as
they feel the former tensin leave they can
cease their physical activity. The short peri
od of exercise will not have been sufficient
to have caused any other tensin and so
they can immediately rest and recover.
There is, however, a habitual tensin
caused by an inherent restlessness. This has
a psychological basis, as well. An overconscientious person may have this experience.
Such an individual is reluctant to take time
away from his work or duties. He thinks of
entertainment and recreation as wasted
time. He has acquired the habit of using
will to drive himself. When he is not working there is the taunting urge of conscience
and will to keep going. Consequently. even
though trying to particpate in some change
of activity, such a victim cannot entirely do
so. The habit impulses keep his mind chained
to the subject of his work. In a sense the person is not happy until he retums to it. But
he is always made uncomfortable by the ten
sin under which he constantly labors.
This restlessness, the ceaseless drive to
work, the pangs of conscience when one
takes time away from it, usually have a psy
chological origin. The individual may have
a subconscious guilt complex. Subconsciously,
he may believe that he has neglected doing
something of importance and is ashamed of
the neglect. He is, therefore, now conscious
ly trying to compnsate for that guilt by
excessive conscientious application to his
work. What he neglected and what caused
the shame may have no relationship what
ever to his present occupation. In fact, the
individual may not even realize that there
is any relationship between some past, for-

Page 91

gotten experience and his present restless

ness.
Are there different ways to relax? Yes,
there are many ways, almost as many as
there are individuis. In other words, each
of us usually finds some little method that
seems to relax us. We may not always succeed, however, in making that system or
method function equally well for another.
The causes of our tensin are often quite
different from those of another. We may
learn how to compnsate for the particular
circumstances that cause our tensin. How
ever, probably the same compensations would
not be applicable to another.
There are a few simple suggestions that
the Rosicrucian teachings offer which, though
not universally beneficial for the reasons
mentioned above, have been helpful to many
persons. First, there is deep breathing.
Loosen the clothes, particularly around the
neck and throat. Step outside or stand before
an open window. Inhale deeply. Hold the
breath as long as it is comfortable; then slowly exhale. Continu this for several minutes.
This brings into the lungs the positive po
larity of the vital life forc and of Nous. It
charges the blood cells, revitalizes the blood,
and eases nervous tensin.
Next, be seated in a comfortable chair in a
semi-darkened and quiet room. Avoid bright
light. This is what many persons fail to do.
Light is a stimulus. It causes visual sensa
tions and thus prevens relaxation. Loud
sounds are also stimuli that interfere with
relaxation. Remove tight clothing and shoes
which will allow easier circulation of the
blood to all parts of the body.
Bring together the thumb and first two
fingers of the right hand; then, press these
fingers in the hollow at the base of the skull
at the back of the neck. This is the occipital
regin of the brain. While so pressing the
fingers firmly but gently, take a deep breath
and hold it as long as convenient and slowly
exhale. Do this several times. This causes
a discharge of excess psychic energy, as ex
plained in the Rosicrucian teachings. This
energy then goes through the radial nerves
into the finger tips and thence is transmitted
to the occipital regin. The energy is then
further transmitted to the spinal nervous sys
tem and eases tensin.
It is difficult not to think of something
while relaxing, that is, to keep the mind vir-

Page 92

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tually blank. But one can at least keep out

all thoughts of the day or of tomorrow that
will arouse emotions. The emotions, as feel
ings, cause nervous responses which can in
duce tensin. Do not will any thoughts. Do
not will at all except to dismiss disturbing
thoughts. Keep the feet raised at least at a
level with the body; this causes less labor
to the heart in pumping the blood. Of course,
if you can lie in a completely recumbent
position that is even better.
Try this method in addition to any of your
own experiences that have proven help
fu l.-X
W hat Makes Genius?
A frater of Australia now addresses our
Forum: It was stated in a previous Forum
that, before intuition can be fully effective,
it must have the materials of the problem at
hand to deal with. So I ask: What makes for
genius in a child? Having read the other
day of a child who, at a very early age, was
a genius at mathematics, without having
learned it, makes me ask how his intuition
functioned. Is it possible that there was a
psychic influence guiding the childs mind?
All genius is not necessarily excellence in
a special talent. Psychologically, genius has
been held to constitute a high degree of in
telligence. An intelligence quotient that exceeds 140 is recognized as genius. The
intelligence of a genius is generally applicable to any problem in which there is
interest. For example, Leonardo da Vinci
was an artist, a scientist, an inventor, and
an engineer, excelling in all those fields.
Many great statesmen have been excellent
artists or musicians. Sir Winston Churchill
is an outstanding statesman, an excellent
writer, and has great ability at painting.
Dr. H. Spencer Lewis was this type of
genius. His intelligence was principally
directed into specific channels. However,
whenever there were other activities that
aroused his interest and he applied his in
telligence to them, he excelled in them also.
He was an excellent orator and author; he
was proficient in painting and had an exceptional mechanical ability in creating devices
and apparatus for the Rosicrucian Planetarium and science activities.
There are individuis who, at a very early
age, show exceptional ability. They mani

fest a distinct talent, without much training

in the field. For example, there have been
child prodigies who have composed operas at
a tender age or led a symphony orchestra
with great skill. However, all the elements
of such talent are not inherent. In other
words, the child was not bom with the
ability to read a musical score or to know
one instrument from another. The child
would need to learn the musical scale ob
jectively as would any normal person. The
genius, as talent, would be displayed in the
exceptional application of what he would
have learned. It would manifest in the Cre
ative enlargement of these elements into new
and elabrate forms.
Within the brain certain association areas
having to do with music, tone vales and
harmony of sound, would be abnormal. By
abnormal we mean exceptionally responsive.
Any impulses or sensations related to the
function of those areas would stimulate them
in a manner to produce related ideas exceeding the product of the normal mind.
As for the child who became a proficient
mathematician, investigation would undoubt
edly prove that the child had been taught the
integers or whole numbers and their par
ticular vales. The talent consisted of the
phenomenal ability to utilize these numbers
in the solution of mathematical problems.
Such a person is not necessarily a genius in
the true sense of the word. In fact, he may
be a mental freak. There have been child
prodigies who, upon attaining adulthood,
were failures in other enterprises. They dis
played no flexible exceptional intelligence
applicable to various situations that arse in
later life. In fact, the talent of many child
prodigies has been known to subsequently
diminish with age.
Unusual intelligence and creativity are the
more certain signs of genius. These in turn
are definitely related to the intuition or, if
you wish, the psychic consciousness and in
telligence. It would seem that a very intelli
gent person registers many impressions in
his subconscious mind, in the inner archives
of consciousness, of which he is not always
objectively aware. When a situation arises
or a problem is brought to his attention, the
genius draws upon his consciousness (the
subconscious). He may not consciously
draw upon it but, having an idea in mind,
there will flow from the intuition related

FEBRUARY, 1960

ideas by which the matter at hand is seen in

its clear and logical light.
The Creative mind is of this type. Ideas
which engage the reason or hold the attention
seem immediately to stimulate the intuition.
Other ideas come forth which, systematically
and immediately, integrate the loose thoughts
in the objective mind into a harmonizing
whole. A psychologist has called this creativity of a genius or of any Creative mind
a subliminal uprush.

Mysticism and psychology have agreement

in part on the functioning of the intuition.
We, as Rosicrucians, say that intuition is a
superior or exalted judgment of the mind.
It takes the elements suggested to it by our
usual thinking procedure and integrates and
arranges these elements into a highly satisfactory and superior order. By superior or
der we mean that arrangement of ideas
which transcends what our reasoning accomplishes. Consequently, the intuitive flash or
idea usually appears to us as self-evident,
that is, leaving no doubt in our minds at the
time as to its accuracy.
Mysticism refers to this procedure as the
Cosmic mind or divine intelligence within
man. It is actually the working of a latent
and a more profound functioning of the
mind. However, the terms or ideas them
selves which come to us intuitively are born
out of our actual objective experiences. We
never have an intuitive experience in a for
eign language or are our intuitions ever
foreign to our interests. The Cosmic does not
implant ideas as such in our intuitive mind.
Rather, the function of this superior intelli
gence consists of a reorganization of our
thoughts in a manner exceeding that of
which our reason is capable.
Oftentimes this work of the intuition goes
on without objective awareness. We may
perceive something, see or hear it, which does
not unduly command our attention. Sudden
ly and definitely, then, there flashes into our
consciousness what seems an entirely unre
lated idea. Where did it come from? There
was perhaps something in what we perceived
and which did not necessarily hold our at
tention that, in the inner mind, in the sub
conscious, fused several thoughts into a new
and rational idea. Of course, the iiewness
of the idea would only exist in its particular
combination. Its elements would be those
with which we were familiar, otherwise, the

Page 93

new combination would be incomprehensible

to us.
The intelligence of genius is also shown
in the supporting analogies which it is able
to bring forth to confirm an idea. The intelli
gence is shown in relating an analogy quite
different from the idea in its particulars but
the same in spirit. The ability to bring forth
such analogy reveis a clear insight into the
function and purpose of that which is a Cre
ative idea. Thomas Edison said that genius
is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent,
perspiration. This is most certainly true. The
new idea, the Creative idea, though clear in
mind, always needs to undergo much refinement before it is practically adaptable.
The idea fundamentally may not change by
such a procedure but the elements of it will
be altered by trial and error. This anyone
who is known as a genius will readily admit.
Genius or exceptional intelligence is also
exhibited in the ability of abstraction. This
consists of taking intangibles, hypothetical
subjects, and bringing them into a rational
order without reference to any external or
material factor. The deductive process of
reasoning is equally important with the inductive process, to the exceptionally intelli
gent person. By means of the deductive
method he can imagine in its entirety some
program as an end to be attained. This then
may be submitted later to those inclined to
analyze each part inductivelyand thus may
be established the deductive concept in fact.
Many men who have presaged events or
things which were not possible in their time,
but which later carne to pass as reality, were
such deductive thinkers. Their visualizing,
however, exceeded the means of fulfillment
at the time in which they lived.
Do we carry over a knowledge from a past
life? According to the doctrine of reincarna
tion, our previous experiences are implanted
in the soul-personalitys consciousness. These
then become part of our subconscious and
incline us to similar interests and pursuits
in the next incarnation. It is, as Scrates
said, a matter of awakening the memory of
the soul. There is also the probbility that,
if one is in psychic attunement with a mind
having a special fount of knowledge, such
might be received by the subconscious mind
of the recipient. The transference of such
knowledge is, of course, done in a limited
way through hypnosis. If the knowledge is

Page 94

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of a complex nature and if one does 1101

possess a high degree of intelligence, it is
doubtful if the objective consciousness could
subsequently properly interpret what it had
subconsciously received.X
Emotions versus Moris
A soror now rises to address our Forum:
Will you please discuss how far human
beings should go in their consideration of
their fellow man. As an example, a cise
male relative married a girl whom he no
longer loved as greatly as he did when they
became engaged. After an overseas absence
of more than a year, he met another girl
whom he loved more and with whom he wTas
in complete harmony. Yet, because his fiance had waited for him and he had pledged
his word to marriage, he felt obliged not to
hurt her upon his return. He thought it the
right thing to do to marry her because of
their promise, etc. The marriage is not a
#iappy one. It constitutes complete self-sacrifice on the part of this man.
One sometimes sees people mated who
have very little in common, and yet even the
association with more harmonious companions of the opposite sex is avoided because of
so-called obligations and the ethics of society.
Although right and wrong are producs of
our own individual minds, just what course
of action can be considered justifiable with
relation to our fellow human beings? Also
how does Karma play its part?
In the first instance which the soror mentions, we have definitely a conflict of emo
tions. One aspect of these emotions is, of
course, popularly called conscience. More
concisely put, there is the desire for the companionship of the girl who is not the fiance
on the one hand and, on the other, the desire
to conform with the innate sense of righteousness or moral dctate. The normal person is inclined to abide by what he feels
constitutes the good, the just. He does not
wish to be a social outcast or iconoclast. This
sense of justice is a psychological transfer
ence of the effects of conduct toward another
to ones self. In other words, justice is the
sympathetic extending to oneself the effects
of circumstances and conditions to which
others are exposed. We feel that something
is unjust if it is a hurt which we personally
would not want to experience.

Conscience, as we have had occasion to

declare in our Forum before, is a combination
of the innate Cosmic urge to conform to the
good and the social and moral codes which
define that good, and its opposite evil. It is
because conscience is such a combination
that there is no universally expressed con
science or accepted moral code. The psychic
aspect of conscience, the so-called moral
sense, always has to be interpreted in the
language and experience of the individual.
It is this objective aspect of conscience which
accounts for its diversity of expression.
Our desires, psychic and emotional im
pulses, are not all of equal intensity. Further,
they are not necessarily of a hierarchal or
der; that is, some are not always the most
intense and others always less. The most
intense desire at one time can be subordinated at another time. W ill itself is a desire.
It is a mental desire. If will is enforced, then
it is the preferred desire. We know, of
course, that will can, and often does, suppress a natural desire, even an appetite.
Such is an excellent example of the supremacy of mind over matter.
If one has a strong conscience, the positive
impulse to conform to a recognized valu, the
so-called good or right, can supersede a
physical desire, though often such succumbing to conscience may bring frustration as in
the case cited. The young man interpreted
his conscience in the sense of moral obligation; promises made and acts to the contrary,
to him would constitute an injustice. To do
other than he did would have undoubtedly
brought the young man greater mental anguish than his continued marriage. Psycho
logically, he was not prepared to sympathetically experience the hurt of what he
considered an injustice to another.
Was the individual right in following his
conscience? Yes, he was. From the viewpoint of the outsider, the one who is not
exposed to this emotional conflict, it would
seem that he made an unnecessary personal
sacrifice for an ideal. But if one is to experi
ence any degree of peace of mind, he must
pursue a course that is consistent with his
conscience. To do that which humiliates one
or causes a loss of his self-respect is to exist
in a state of mental misery.
Of course, it would seem that the expedient thing would have been to frankly explain
the situation to the fiance and thus avoid a

FEBRUARY, 1960

Page 95

more or less loveless marriage. For the young

man, however, it was not a question of expediency or a rational decisin. It was a
matter of submitting to a preferred desire, of
succumbing to the ethical obligation of so
ciety which had become integrated with his
conscience.
The moris and ethics of society are a
collective decisin; that is, they represent a
majoritys idea as to what constitutes not
just the good for a particular individual but
for the whole. Again, such is an objective
code. It is objective in contrast to the per
sonal subconscious moral impulse. It is the
form in which that impulse is expressed.
Such moral and ethical codes are sometimes
contrary to the biological nature of man
They may acquire a hoary tradition which
becomes fanatically adhered to when, in
fact, the ground of the tradition is obsolete.
Many persons realize that such public moral
or ethical codes are not really expressing
their own personal moral sense. They, how
ever, are afraid to defy the code or conven tion for fear of condemnation or legal punish
ment.
An example of this obsolete moral code
is the former puritanical laws of New England. To attend theatres on Sunday, to enter
into any sports, to dancein general, to display any joys or participate in plea surable
activitieswas considered a moral wrong, a
sin. The fallacy of this is that man is so
constituted by nature that he will seek pleasure and happiness physically in enjoyment
whenever and wherever he can. Happiness
cannot be construed only in terms of re
ligious fervor and experience. Conformitv to
such codes is usually due to fear of public
condemnation.
Most biologists, anthropologists, and psy
chologists will agree that man is inherently
inclined toward polygamy, that is, having
two or more mates. In many primitive societies this practice is followed without any
degeneration of society. However, in most
civilized lands of the world the practice is
now taboo. It has been declared immoral by
most of the worlds prominent living re
ligions. This, then, is the cause of a conflict
between desires upon the part of many indi

viduis. On the one hand is the biological

urge of attraction toward those of the oppo
site sex and, on the other, the moral impulse
to conform with what has been interpreted
as the good, the restriction, and this brings
conflict. Consequently, where the impulse of
conscience is not dominant, we then have
numerous examples of promiscuity.
It must be realized that conscience has no
terminology in itself, no specific rules, codes,
dos or donts. It is but a Cosmic urge left
to the objective mind to define in terms of
its own experience as to what constitutes the
right or the wrong. This wrong and right in
specific acts the individual draws from his
religious teachings, the conventions of society,
and his own personal experience.
All men cannot be left to their individual
conscience and their construction of moral
behavior. There could be no common good,
no unity, no public discipline if such were
permitted. The most society can do is to
analyze human behavior and intelligently
try to determine which acts are for the pub
lic welfare and which are not. Time has
shown that perjury, theft, cruelty, rapie,
murder and the like destroy civilization and
eventually man himself. Obviously, then,
these become necessary prohibitions and are
included in moral and ethical codes. Of
course, morality includes as well the theory
as to what is conducive to spirituality and
is in accordance with divine law. In inter
preting divine law, we have nothing more
substantial in most instances than the doc
trines of the various religious sects and what
their teachers proclaim as their sacred works.
The enforcement of such religious codes
never has a universal acceptance. The con
science of many persons will not compel their
compliance. For example, there is a religious
sect that will claim it is a mortal sin to
practice contraception. Others, being equally
motivated by conscience, feel it is morally
more consistent to keep a family limited to
the number that can be properly cared for
in every respect. These latter also believe
that to give one an opportunity to become a
healthy, educated, worthy member of society
is preferable to the mere contributing to the
numerical propagation of the race.X

Experience
Provides Knowledge

At the Rose-Croix University, demonstrations

and personal instruction convert theories into
useful realities. Enjoy classroom and laboratory
instruction in various arts and sciences.

Awaken Talents - Redisco ver Life

..

.a t te ^6&e-0to%

%{*Uvenitcf
Haphazard events bring only unrelated
knowledge. Directed experiencespractical demonstrations of natural phenomenareveal the
order and system of nature. Things do not just
happenbehind each occurrence is the cause
from which it follows by necessity. Through
the intelligent use of such causes you can ac
complish mastery of life.

Rose-Croix Unive rs it y

Do you long to investgate personally some

of the mysteries of nature, functions of the
mind, the mystical effects of music and color,
and numerous other related subjects? Fully
qualified Rosicrucian teachers will satisfy your
intellectual desires.
Simple instructionno university or college
education is necessaryas easy to understand as
your Rosicrucian monographs. Plan to come
next summer for three wonderful weeks! Write
to the address below for a FREE copy of T he
Story of Learning , which fully outlines the
curriculum and requirements for entrance.

- R osicrucian P ark - San Jos, Calif., U.S.A,

June 2 0 - July 9
T H E R O S I C R U C I A N P R E S S , L T D . l S p j i o P R I N T E D IN U. S , A

April, 1960
Volume XXX

No. 5

Rosicrucian Forum
A

prvate

publication for m e m b e rs

of A M O R C

JULES MOTTE, F. R. C.
G ran d Council of A M O R C fo r N orthern France

Page 98

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

ADVANCED AGE AND A T T U N EM EN T

Dear Fratres and Sorores:
Often, persons of advanced age are in
clined to believe that it is futile for them to
retain membership in the Rosicrucian Order.
They think that their impaired visin, diffi
culty of concentration, and failing memoryretention, make continued practice of the
Rosicrucian exercises of no avail. Such an
attitude, however, is one of abandonment.
It is true that as we grow olderfrom fifty
years onwardthe faculties of perception
gradually dull, in some individuis almost
imperceptibly so. Psychological research has
revealed that very gradual indeed has been
the diminishing of the intellect of persons
who have kept mentally alert, who have
studied and resorted to mental exercises all
their life. In other words, at an advanced
age, such persons continu to display a keen
intellect often far-exceeding younger persons
who are not mentally active.
The following are a few classical examples
of those who at a later period in life achieved
intellectual greatness.
The Romn, Cato, at 80 years of age, be
gan his study of the Greek language.
Scrates, at an advanced age, learned to
play on musical instruments.
Plutarch began to leam Latin at an age
between 70 and 80.
Jean Philippe Rameau was beyond fifty
years of age when he wrote his first opera
and made a great success.
Dr. Samuel Johnson applied himself to the
Dutch language but a few years before his
death.
Tudovico Mondalesco, at the great age of
115, wrote the memoirs of his own times.
John Ogilby, the translator of Homer and
Vergil, was unacquainted with Greek or
Latin until he was past fifty years.
Benjamin Franklin did not seriously begin
his philosophical studies until he was fifty.
John Dryden in his sixty-eighth year commenced the translation of Vergils The
Aeneid, his most pleasing production.

The great enlightenment, the experience

mystically referred to as the attainment of
Cosmic Consciousness carne to most of the
great avatars at about the age of thirty-five.
However, this period of enlightenment occurs in accordance with cycles of seven years.
Therefore, many persons have experienced
their greatest mystical and intuitive insight
conditions which brought them under
standing and peace of mindat later periods
of life. We have reports from members who
had these profound, mystical experiences at
the ages of forty-nine, fifty-six, sixty-three,
or seventy years of agein fact, some of
them had these experiences even at a greater
age.
Since the average age of a Rosicmcian
student is approximately forty years, by the
time many members have attained the age
of sixty they have had years of study in
AMORC. By then, the intellectual aspect
of the teachings is of lesser importance to
them. If he has been conscientious in his
studies, the member is quite aware of the
basic principies and doctrines of the Rosi
cmcian philosophy. The later years are
those of application, of applying what has
been intelligently acquired and known pre
viously; it means trying the exercises and
endeavoring to achieve what constitutes the
objectives for which the member is striving.
Since the majority of the higher degree ex
ercises concern psychical matters, any di
minishing of the objective faculties of the
person would not be a deterrent.
There is really an advantage, mystically
speaking, in advanced age. There is less demand upon the objective self; the material
ambitions of the individual have then usual
ly been realized. He or she has raised his
family. In all probbility they are retired
from the great objective demands of a trade,
business, or profession. Further, they have
had many years of experience with the vicissitudes of life. They know the faults and
evanescent appeal of many of the events and
things with which one is confronted during

APRIL, 1960

Page 99

the course of his life. Their judgment being

more mature, they then have a better un
derstanding of what constitutes lifes real
vales.
The average person who has been a stu
dent of mysticism for many years finds in
later life that mystical attainment is far more
facile than it was when he was younger.
There is less conflict with self, for one thing
the physical desires, the appetites, are less
demanding. Self-discipline is therefore more
easily achieved.
We may use the analogy of a balance, or
scale. With the descending of one side of the
scale, the objective and subjective, the other
side, the subconscious, the psychical, ascends;
we mean that the ascending side becomes
more responsive. Even those older folks who
have had no training or study in mysticism,
would more readily admit that they are more
intuitive than when they were young. They
sense conditions and circumstances for which
there is apparently no objective clue. They
are more subtly sentient. They frequently
have what are called monitions and premonitionsthat is, knowledge of events that are
happening at a distance or that will happen.
In some circumstances they may have a
mental image of the impending event in al
most minute detail. In other instances they
may just feel, that is, have an emotional response as to the effect of an eventthat it will
be fortnate or unfortunate.
A younger person who is not aware of this
greater sensitivity, that usually accompanies
advanced age, may attribute it to overanxiety
or the susceptibility to suggestion.
Philosophers have often said that each
period of mans life has its virtues and its
rewards. Pythagoras divided mans life into
four quarters, each corresponding to one of
the four seasons. Spring is for youth; summer is for maturity; fall is for middle age;
and winter is for od age. These philosophers
stress the futility of endeavoring to continu
or restore all the satisfactions of one period

of life in the next period. In the fall of life

it is not possible, for example, to expect all
of the functions and virtues of the spring of
ones life. To use a phrase from the vernacu
lar, one should truly try to be his age.
Certainly, though one may reminisce on
the pleasures of youth, he would not want
to forfeit the wisdom (if he is at all contemplative) which time has conferred upon him.
Often we hear persons say: I would like
to be young again if I could then know what
I now know. Maturity of mind and a more
cogent view we have of life and our adjust
ment to itare some of the virtues of the
fall and winter periods of life.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
The Cost of Peace
Rosicrucians are repeatedly asking what
to do to help maintain, preserve, and bring
about peace in the world. This is a most
typical R o sicru cian question. With the
knowledge gained from AMORC teachings,
the student desires to develop his inner self
and to evolve to the point of raising his con
cepts completely above those of the physical
world. He realizes that discord and inharmony, being so much a contrast with the
purposeful and useful forces of the universe,
make war purely a waste of time on the part
of man. Not only are discord, inharmony,
war, pestilence, destruction, and all these
negative forces a waste of time, they also
deprive man of his most important right
that is, the time needed for perfecting his
inner nature, the time needed for growth and
evolvement, instead of its being used to di
rect mans whole attention, effort, and ener
gy toward the accomplishment of something
extemal to his personal development.
No one can deny the terrific cost of war
in money, material, and lives, and we look
back to regret the terrific expense that has

E n tered as Second Class M atter a t the P o s t Office a t San J o s , C a lifo rn ia ,

un d er S ectio n 1 1 0 3 o f the U. S. P o sta l A ct o f O ct. 3 , 1 9 1 7 .

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Departmenl
of Publication of the Supreme Council of A M O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sterling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sterling) per yearFOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page 100

happened twice in this century. The events

of the two world wars together with other
wars that have taken place in this century
have cost an inconceivable amount, in fact,
an amount that cannot be judged because
the valu of the price cannot be transferred
into terms of material vales or entities.
But more than these costs has been the
cost of time. During war or during total
war, as the term has evolved in recent years,
mans attention and efforts become directed
toward the prosecution of the war. Little
else can be done. War becomes a mad rush
on the part of the population of countries to
equip themselves to prosecute the war itself.
All of us who can remember events of either
one of the great world wars or possibly of
both of them fully realize the implications
that are created mentally and physically.
Society becomes absorbed as a part of the
system of war. It directs itself completely to
doing nothing but working for the winning
of the war; and, as a result, men have little
time for anything but to eat, to sleep, to
work, and to entertain themselves in the
moments that are free.
In other words, what I am trying to say,
among the penalties of war is the penalty
of lack of constructive thought. The process
of war makes man no more than an animal.
The advancements that are accomplished
during war (although some can be applied
to pea cetime uses) are fundamentally and
practically those which are associated direct
ly with the prosecution of the war itself.
Therefore, to summarizewar is a terrific
waste, a waste of life, of materials, of mental
creativity, and a retarding of spiritual evolvement. Obviously, life and materials are
wasted. Mans Creative abilities are tumed
away from the things toward which he
should be directing his efforts; therefore, the
human being fails to develop as it had been
ordained by the Creator that he should.
Mans advancements are in the material
world during war, and he retrogrades inso
far as his spiritual advancement and evolvement are concerned.
It would seem from this analysis that almost any price would be a worth-while price
to pay for peace, and no doubt this is true,
unless that price itself becomes so involved
that it, in turn, creates the same conditions
as are created by war. Unfortunately, from
this point of view, the situations that have

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

occurred in the events that have proceeded

to take place since the ending of the Second
World War have not changed substantially
the philosophy that developed from war it
self. Today we still are directing a substan
tial part of our efforts in the same channels
that we would be directing them if war were
still an actual fact. Much of our effort is
being given toward the development of
means that will, we claim, maintain the
peace. Much mental creativity is directed
toward the development of ammunition,
methods of defense for our protection and,
incidentally, to keep us up-to-date with what
might be the possessions and developments of
a potential enemy.
We proceed to consider life as something
to be paid or forfeited for this purpose. In
this race to achieve supremacy in a material
world where we can kill our enemy before
he can kill us, we have the tendency to emphasize a materialistic philosophy of life so
that man has less time for his own inner
development and for his evolvement to a
plae where these material vales would no
longer have significance and, therefore,
cease to bring pressure upon him.
Today, great nations are racing with one
another. They are demanding that all their
attention and effort be directed toward the
conquest of those areas which man now does
not dominate. It is most worthy that the
experimentation be directed toward the exploration of space and the gaining of knowl
edge of our universe. One purpose of man
is to learn domination of the universe, to
learn to understand the operation of and
the control of physical laws, but at the same
time, it is not the goal of being that we
should so direct our efforts to these purposes
that we forget a more fundamental fact
that is, that mans existence is not alone for
attaining physical dominance in a material
world, but also for the development of soul,
which is to be eternal and must have the
attention of each of us. Those factors which
detract from such knowledge tend to limit
and restrict the evolvement of each indi
vidual being.
Furthermore, even if we do not enter into
a discussion of the metaphysical phases of
this matter, that is, if we forget for a moment
that mans purpose is to unfold his soul, that
segment of him which is a part of God, or at
least develop his own understanding of it,

APR1L, 1960

there is placed today such emphasis upon

the gaining of physical mastery and supremacy that we do not direct or divide equitably
the efforts that are put forth.
At present in various places in this coun
try, fabulous amounts of money are being
spent to experiment with different types of
destruction and transportation methods. The
amount of money spent in each such experi
ment is almost inconceivable to the average
human being, and if only half of this money
were spent in this manner and the other
half used to direct intelligent research in the
fields of health and of social problems, man
could be benefited and possibly his psychic
evolvement would be helped, or at least a
situation for it made more favorable. If we
would devote more of our attention, our
wealth, our effort, and our creativity toward
the fighting of disease, poverty, economic and
sociological problems, as well as toward the
conquest of space and the preparation to resist a future enemy, we might achieve the
ability to maintain peace.
It will be very easy for my intent here to
be misinterpreted. I do not think that we
should give up preparedness, that any nation
should permit itself to be placed in a posi
tion where it is not reasonably using its
resources for its own preservation and for
the benefit of its citizens. At the same time,
it seems that it would not be wrong for in
telligent human beings to consider their
position and to use judgment in the proper
distribution of wealth and effort in such a
manner that these efforts and this wealth
would be directed to benefit as many as pos
sible.
Also we should consider that in fighting
our enemies, we should include such enemies
as cncer, mental disease, poverty, economic
problems, and similar conditions as enemies.
These need our concentrated effort and we
should direct our best mental creativeness
against them. Anything that seeks to delay
or impede the evolvement of the human soul
is the enemy of man; therefore, we will pay
the price of peace, but let us pay it in work
ing against all things which obstruct peace
among countries, peace among peoples, and
peace of mind.A

Page 101

Misplaced Faith
A soror now addresses our Forum: Realizing the power of faith and the valu of good
intention, should one establish for himself
or anyone elseany limitations in the expectation of mira ces? In other words, friends
have argued with me that all is possible.
They have implied that limbs or organs that
have been missing would, by an exultant and
unswerving faith, be replaced, etc. What are
the limits on these goals?
We first answer this question by saying
that either we believe in Cosmic and natural
laws or we do not. If we believe in these
laws, then we must assume that there are no
exceptions to them for any purpose. Re
ligions speak of sacrosanct laws, divine decrees. Philosophy and science expound the
dependability of Cosmic and natural laws.
If we are to infer or believe that, under
unique or special circumstances, these laws
may be mitigated or completely nullified to
allow a miracle, then a series of problems
arises.
We readily admit the incongruity of some
theologies. On the one hand, they expound
divine laws and yet, conversely, preach of
miracles which, in fact, constitute exceptions
to them. Any intelligent individual will
readily admit the meager knowledge of man
as regards the myriad phenomena of the Cos
mic. Much may happen which man cannot
anticipate or comprehend. However, the
same intelligent person wants to believe, and
the orderly structure of his personal existence
depends upon it, that Cosmic laws are infallible. It is in this very infallibility that
the intelligent and thinking person may
recognize divine or Cosmic justice.
In fact, one might ask himself, What re
liance could one put upon moral codes and
sacred promises predicated upon divine laws,
if they are revocable by divine caprice? Most
religions and systems of mystical philosophy
exhort man to follow spiritual guidance. This
implies an utter confidence and dependence
upon the stability and eternal valu of such
precepts as the guidance must include. Ob
viously, there would be great hesitancy in
accepting such principies, if they were be
lieved to be subject to arbitrary changes.
Miracles have always been prominent in
the hagiography of the various religions.
What, then, are these miracles? As one reads

Page 102

of them, they almost all appear as exceptions

to natural phenomena. They are miracles
only because they appear to go counter to
or mitigate natural laws. Are such miracles
figments of the imagination, or can natural
laws be arbitrarily set aside under particular
circumstances? Obviously, the miracles, as
we know them, are hearsay. They are ac
cepted on faith alone, which means the
implied authority of the source relating
them. In modern times there have been few
reports of miracles that parallel the traditional ones.
It must be understood that what would
appear as a miracle to one people might not
be so to another. Where people are lacking
in the understanding of how something is
accomplished which is spectacular and an
uncommon phenomenon, they will think it
a miracle. By a miracle is meant the arbitrary exercising of a supernatural power that
will cause a phenomenon as an exception to
natural law. For example, to natives on an
isolated tropical island, the hardening of
water into ice, so that one can walk on it,
would be a miracle. A device in which man
could be seated and fly would be another
miracle. A voice coming out of a small box
as a radio or phonograph would be still an
other. A photograph taken and immediately
processed, showing the image of a person,
would be an act of magic or a miracle.
Ignorance on the part of the spectators of
the physical or psychological law which
brought about the manifestation would be the
reason for their accepting it as a miracle.
As we look around us today and note the
commonly accepted technological developments, we cannot help realizing that these
would be miracles to the superstitious believers of the Middle Ages. It must be
realized, too, that the average ignorant and
superstitious person is always inclined to be
lieve in an arbitrary supernatural intervention. It is a form of primitive reasoning.
It is such a belief that is the basis of magic.
The intelligent and educated person today
is not predisposed toward accepting the idea
of miracles. He has seen too many fantastic
and amazing accomplishments come about
through the human direction of Cosmic and
natural lawsnot as exceptions to them.
Consequently, if something strange, startling
and different occurs, such a person first seeks
for the rational explanation. He searches for

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the natural cause. He wants to believe in an

orderly universe, not one in which man
stands at the mercy of an unpredictable will
in all things.
There will continu to occur, and there
has often occurred in recent times, that
which is, at first blush, so astounding and
perplexing as to suggest that it is a miracle.
Man is easily inclined to slip back, to regress,
into the primitive state of thinking that an
arbitrary will has set aside natural lawT. He
has to fight this state of mind continually
or be led back into superstition. There are
happenings in healing, in cures, for which
no immediate explanation is forthcoming.
From existent knowledge, experiences of the
past, these events should not have happened
and yet they did. However, even so, this is
not proof of a miracle. Rather, again it
demonstrates the paucity of our knowledge
of certain phenomena. Eminent physicians
and surgeons, men of science, not given to
superstition, will often say in effect: Some
thing brought about this event which, I must
say, mystifies me.
The intelligent mentality, the inquiring
mind, will not let such an experience end
there. It will be a challenge to him to find
the original cause in Cosmic and natural
laws underlying the phenomenon. Such a
person will not allow himself to accept it as
a miracle.
Numerous persons will cite how prayer
and faith in religious doctrines brought about
a desired result when all known pragmatic
methods had failed. This will be conceded,
but it is still not an indication of a miracle.
In prayer and meditation, an individual
often receives an influx of power, a regeneration of his whole organism that is both
psychic and psychological. There is a stimu
lus that accomplishes an end where often
medication and other material methods can
not. However, such is the use of laws, of
natural powers and forces perhaps not as yet
understood. Men have lived by their beliefs
in Cosmic help when materia medica or other
therapeutic methods have given up hope
for them. They have exercised the power of
mind so as to revitalize the life forc in
themselves in a manner such as material
means could not accomplish.
Seemingly hopelessly paralyzed persons
have been made to walk after entering into
fervent religious revivis. Others have re-

APRIL, 1960

gained their speech when visiting a religious

shrine in which they have had implicit
faith. But we will not concede that such
examples are miracles. They are the result
of the efficacy of suggestion which releases
a tremendous stimulus from the psychic na
ture of man. The affliction is subject to a
counter shock which remedies the original
block or inhibition caused by some early
trauma. These results cannot all be easily
explained by natural and Cosmic laws. Many
are yet too mystifying. But always the at
tempt should be made to find such a natural
solution, if we are to hold fast to the conception of an orderly universe.
As to whether all is possible, we would
prefer to say that such a phrase must be
qualified. If it is meant that any natural
law can be set aside because of ones faith
that it can, then we say that such statement
is erroneous. Such a faith might produce
chaos. It would be possible, then, for one
to have implicit faith in an exception to
natural law for personal benefit, while an
other might have faith in the reliability of
the same law for his well-being.X
Idealism and the Practica! World
The question of how to relate ideis which
one has accepted as worthy of support and
worth while as the basis of ones own phi
losophy of life to the conditions that exist in
the practical world is a problem that has its
roots in the basic conflict between idealism
and materialism. As long as human society
is in conflict or has a difference of opinion
between those who subscribe to one or the
other extreme, the problem will continu to
exist in the minds of all people who attempt
to reach a satisfactory adjustment in their
own thinking and behavior.
Various methods have been used and are
used today by those who believe that they
have solved their particular problems. One
way is to ignore, forsake, or shut oneself off
from the material world. To lead a life entirely isolated from the world and its problems
may have certain advantages and may not
necessarily be an indication of a degree of
ones support of his ideis, but it is somewhat
like the mythical ostrich who upon hiding
his head in the sand believes himself safe
from his enemies.
The material world exists as it does today

Page 103

whether we like it or not. If our ideis clash

with the majority opinion of the material
world, we are not going to solve completely
the existing conflict by ignoring that world
altogether. Idealism can be supported with
out compromise within the world in which
we find ourselves. If we were not for some
reason placed here to face the consequences
of the physical world, then we would possibly exist in a world entirely consistent
with our ideis, but it can never be forgotten that materially and physically every
human being is still in a form ati ve position.
He is learning, he is gaining experience, and
the experience that he gains may be dependent upon the problems and possible
conflicts that cannot be provided through
any other means than the material world.
Man has obligations to his Creator, to his
fellow men, and to himself. To ignore any
one of these obligations is to become unbalanced and, to a certain extent, a misfit in the
scheme into which he is born. Possibly
some individuis can find complete satisfac
tion in considering only their obligation to
God. The monastic life may settle the prob
lem to such individuis, but there are few
capable of gaining the experience they need
under such circumstances. This is due to the
fact that part of ones obligation to God is
also involved in his obligation to other hu
man beings and to himself. If an individual
chooses to stress only his obligation to him
self, selfishness is the result.
To ignore everything else, even though
making self-development the prime purpose
of life, is to forget the other two obligations,
which would mean leading a comparatively
useless life, insofar as others are concerned,
or actually becoming a detriment to other
peoples living because of concentration up
on self. The same applies to the third possibility. Exclusively devoting oneself to ones
fellow men may be very much misunderstood
by the very ones whom we seek to serve.
The conclusin is obviousthat man does
have all three obligations, and unless he attempts to balance his life to include a reasonable awareness of all three possibilities,
a part of his experience is being ignored.
Living in the world of practicality one
finds that to meet all of ones obligations he
must constantly be faced with the necessity
of attaining certain material things. Food
and shelter are considered instinctive in

Page 104

mans desire to have these necessary ma

terial accompaniments to his existence. Ex
treme idealism, on the other hand, would
teach us to have no thought of the source of
our food or comfort or even any care for
tomorrow; but to so live, while it might
serve self, does not take into consideration
the other two obligations to God and man.
Quite frequently our correspondence departments are faced with this question, usually
made in the form of whether or not an in
dividual can be consistent as to his ideis and
purposes and at the same time compete in
a world where selfishness and greed seem
to be the primary motives by which most
men live.
There have been many times when in
dividuis who have upheld their ideis rather
than to subscribe to methods or activities con
trary to their ideis have suffered by so do
ing. Certain noble sentiments have been
built up on behalf of those who have suffered
because of their ideis. Some have become
martyrs for a cause, but this is the extreme.
While there are many examples of people
losing out in life, insofar as the possession
of material things is concerned, by holding
their ideis higher than their desire for
personal acquisition of things, there are
thousands of other people who have lived
moderate lives, upheld their ideis without
compromise, and never found themselves in
the extreme position of starving or denouncing their idealism. The extreme cases come
to our attention more than the ordinary. Few
men have sacrificed much for their ideis,
but many have stood by their ideis at some
inconvenience and difficulty and gained respect by so doing, as well as self-satisfaction.
In the final analysis, the decisin between
ones ideis and the demands of the ma
terial world must be relegated to the role of
conscience. The basic character that makes
up our individual natures Controls our con
science, which is probably only a reflection
of the ideis to which we subscribe and the
character by which we live.
Conscience will direct us, if we will let it,
by emphasizing in our own thoughts the dif
ference between vales. If an individual
places more valu on possession of huge sums
of money, regardless of how they might be
obtained, in contrast to a clear conscience
and peace of mind, then his actions will be
questionable insofar as his idealism is con

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

cerned. On the other hand, if the loss of

certain material advantages is secondary to
the establishment of peace of mind and selfdevelopment, no one subscribing to such
idealism will feel that sacrifice has been great
in passing by some of the material things
that might be theirs at the sacrifice of ideis.
Probably the world needs more practical
idealism, more individuis willing to sub
ordinate the satisfaction of their senses and
the desire for material gain so that ideis
might prevail over a greater part of hu
manity.A
(From ForumJune 1950)
This Issues Personality
If each of us were to review his life, he
would find that it was a particular incident,
sometimes an unexpected event, that had
shaped the eventual course of his life. If it
had not been for that, the way we live, or at
least our idealism or career, might have been
different. This most certainly applied to
Frater Jules Motte, Grand Councilor of
AMORC for the north of France.
Frater Motte was born in Le CateauCambrsis in 1910. The first event that he
recalls vividly occurred on the date of Au
gust 26, 1914. It was a dreadful sword fight
between the French Cavalry and the Ulhans
of Death. This was the lads first introduction to the horrors of war and the brutality
of mankind. It made a lasting impression
on the young consciousness.
Frater Motte was reared by his mother,
for whom he had a very deep affection. The
responsibility of raising the boy was the
mothers, since Jules father was in the Near
East. During this time the boy attended a
strict, but charming, little Norman school.
The discipline of the school inculcated with
in him, at an early age, a love of knowledge.
When World War I ended, the family
were united in the north of France. Once
again they occupied the beloved family
home. Young Jules went back to school. His
appetite for leaming now having been whetted, he passed his examinations brilliantly.
Each Thursday Jules was free to do as he
wished. His favorite recreation then was to
walk in the open country. The fragrance of
the vegetation, the azure of the skies, the
caress of soft breezes, or even the bite of the
fail winds invigorated and inspired him.

APRIL, 1960

There was something wonderful about life

and living. In the summer, on these Thursday solitary excursions, he found he had
pleasure in seeking out plants and flowers
whose ames were unknown to him.
After completing his secondary education,
Frater Motte followed in the occupation of
his father. He had then also cultivated an
interest in world problems, particularly those
events which were contiguous to the welfare
of the individual. While a youth of only
seventeen, Frater Motte began to think that if
he were to ever understand people, he must
first know him self. He began then to look
within himself, to question his own behavior
and to analyze self. This also brought him to
the study of science and metaphysics.
It was an accident, however, that deepened
Frater Mottes interest in metaphysics and
eventually really led him to AMORC. He
was a young man taking part in a bicycle
race. A reckless motorist struck him down.
Spectators thought him killed, if not seriously
injured. In the fraction of a second, when
he was struck, and before he lost conscious
ness, there paraded before him in kaleidoscope some of the important events of his
life. Though Frater Motte was severely
bruised, he did not reveal the accident to his
parents so as to save them shock.
By sheer will-power he was quite recovered in eight days. This taught him to rely
on the Cosmic Creative forc within himself.
This newly developed confidence in the in
finite power never left him. He was inspired
by the accident to study the mystical works
of noted authors. These, as he matured, increased his desire to in some way unselfishly
serve humanity. At this very time he was
brought into contact with AMORC and
crossed the threshold of the Order.
Frater Motte was Secretary of the Des
cartes Chapter of AMORC at Lille, France,
upon its establishment. Subsequently, he was
appointed by Grand Master Raymond Bernard, of AMORC France, to serve as Grand
Councilor for the Order in Northern France.
Further indication of Frater Mottes desire
to serve humanity is the fact that he is Chairman of the Welfare Center at his birthplace.
He is likewise a member of the Red Cross
and other public Service organizations.
Many fratres and sorores in his section of
France look to Frater Motte as an example of

Page 105

a Rosicrucian, one who derives much from

life by giving much to it.X
Is Gambling a Vice?
A frater addressing our Forum, asks:
What is the proper viewpoint on gambling,
that is, in localities where it is legal? Should
a mystic shun such activities as lotteries,
bingo games, horse racing, etc.?
This is a rather delicate question to answer
without perhaps affronting some individuis.
There are those persons whose religious doc
trine prohibits gambling under any circum
stances for they declare it to be morally
wrong. From a rational point of view, how
ever, gambling in the sense of taking a
chance in games or lotteries which are legal,
does not involve spiritual vales. Such games
of chance do not detract from or inhibit ones
soul consciousness. Gambling is not intrinsically wrong. But circumstances related to
it at that time and place may make it a social
and moral wrong. After all, all life is a
chance, a gamble, and there is no certainty
except death and taxes, as the classical phrase
puts it. Whatever we plan to do is a gamble,
a chance is being taken on incidents and
events with the hope that nothing will occur
to obstruct and defeat our plan.
Psychologically, most persons in a small
way gamble in games of chance: first, for
the thrill of winning; second, because of the
human proclivity to gamble for something of
valu with little effort or cost. If gambling
is limited to just this, there is little or no
harm accruing from it. Certainly there is
no moral jeopardy. There are, however,
other factors which enter into the subject.
Criminal elements will control the games of
chance in many areas so that the opportunity
of winning favors them to such a degree that
it is principally to the disadvantage of the
player. Various rackets fix the games so
that the proportion of winning is unfair and
dishonest.
Because persons are instinctively inclined
to gamble for sport and hope to win some
thing for nothing, they unwittingly encourage the criminal element to control gambling.
However, religious protestations and the
eventual banning of all games of chance un
der their influence (as often happens) actu
ally increases the opportunity for criminal
domination of gambling. The majority will

Page 106

still want to play games of chance as man

has done since the earliest times recorded in
history. (In fact, in the Rosicrucian Egyp
tian Museum may be seen ancient gaming
devices.) Pursuant to bans placed on gambling, there are often set up illegal gambling
establishments operated by the criminal ele
ment. In such places the player is taken
advantage of, and cheated at every opportunity. He has no redress because what he is
doing is often illegal.
For example, since horse racing is legal
in many countries and in certain States of
America, and is Government controlled,
crime in connection with such racing is reduced to little or none. Further, a good portion of the proceeds of such legal racing
receipts is used for social welfare, hospitals,
orphanages, and the like.
The United States generally prohibits lotteries. Many people do purchase lottery
tickets which are legal in other countries. In
other words, such prohibiting of lotteries on
the mistaken ground of morality, compel
persons who are so inclined to obtain foreign
lottery ticketsillegally. For example, in
England and in Mxico there are national,
Government-sponsored lotteries and pools of
chances on winning football teams. These
are carefully supervised and the winning is
honest.
Millions of persons spend a little sum of
money every month in the hope of winning
some fairly large amount. The proceeds are
used by the Government in financing many
humanitarian services, homes for the aged,
hospitals, etc. Actually, the person who
spends money on these lotteries, even if he
wins no prize, does gain through institutions
which they support and which are also avail
able to him.
The opponents of such gaming declare
that it encourages individuis to waste money
needed for necessities and encourages the
incurring of debts, and they point out that
this is a moral wrong. Individuis who
gamble heavily and who cannot resist spending their whole income on games of chance
are abnormal. They are emotionally ill. By
prohibiting gambling you are not taking this
compulsin or weakness out of the individual
or are you removing temptation from his
path. You would thus be encouraging him
to go underground, to patronize illegal gam
bling syndi cates.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Mystically, we must understand that life

owes us nothing. Life has given us the opportunity to make something of ourselves
with the faculties with which we are endowed. We should create by being causative.
Therefore, to expect to go through life with
a minimum of effort and the hope that for
tune will smile upon one is unrealistic and
can result in failure and disaster. Those who
are of this mentality will always exist because they are weak in character. Eliminating legalized gambling will not affect the
change in the character of such individuis.
The individual who thinks he can use
mystical principies and Cosmic law to help
him win in lotteries and horse races will be
greatly disappointed. Mystical principies are
based upon the application of the powers of
the individual; they, we may say, are supplemental. In other words, when one is trying
to accomplish through his own effort and not
through chance, and then appeals to the Cos
mic, the mystical principies are more efficacious.
To conclude, no one is going to be morally
and spiritually contaminated by playing
games of chance for amusement, or even for
hope of gain. But there are qualifying requirements which we must make clear. In
playing these games of chance, one must not
do so if such practices will bring hardships
to others, or if one is violating other moral
precepts in so doing. For instance, we could
even say that it is morally wrong to make a
contribution to a church if, in so doing, one
violates his obligation of support to his fam
ily. In gambling, too, one must take into
consideration not the act, in itself, but any
and all circumstances relating to it.X
Bom to Fight
A frater from Caada now rises and
addresses our Forum: Recently I read a
description of the life of General Claire
Chennault, of Flying Tigers fame. Here
was a man born to fight and kill; in peacetime he Was aimless, restless, and unhappy.
There are others, of course, with this same
inborn instinct, and the role of the airplane
in modem war seems to have brought this
more into the limelight.
I began to think: Why do some men
have this compelling urge to fight and kill?
What of their mission in life since in peace-

APRIL, 1960

time they were bored and useless? Do they

incur karmic debt?
An extrovert is one whose world is principally objective. Infrequently he is inclined
to subjective activity such as contemplation,
abstraction, and imagination. Even when he
does resort to the inverting of his conscious
ness, it is not for the satisfaction which such
provides but rather it is a temporary expediency, that is, so that some objective and
material end may be served. Such persons
are bored by mental activity and nd pleas
ure and relaxation in physical work and
exercise. The extrovert has a very essential
place in our modern world. For example,
he can usually become a more proficient
salesman, public relations representative, and
successful politician.
The extrovert is not necessarily one who
loves war and killing. He is not any more
sadistically inclined than the introvert. How
ever, the extrem e extrovert in his love of
physical activity and objective excitement
needs to have his consciousness stimulated
from without. He finds it difficult to stimu
late it himself through study or through
mental creativity. Consequently, he is drawn
to those circumstances and environments
where such stimuli may be felt. The extro
vert, therefore, is inclined toward sports,
particularly as a participant. If that is not
possible, then he derives a vicarious satisfac
tion from watching games. The more challenging and rigorous the sport, the more
hazardous, the greater the emotional satis
faction felt by the extrovert. The extrovert
loves adventure and exploration. Psycho
logically speaking, the basis of adventure is
the thrill of its hazards, the risk it includes.
Therein lies the distinction between the
ordinary traveler and the adventurer. The
latter likes to conquer in a physical way,
not to just experience the new or the differ
ent.
The same kind of experience, however,
gradually causes ennui, or dullness. The
extrovert needs to intensify the stimuli if he
is to find the same satisfaction. A skillful
boxing match does not satisfy those who take
their thrills vicariously. They want to watch
a combat that is rough, brutal; they like to
see knock-downs and smashing blows. The
more of this that occurs, the louder are the
shouts of satisfaction. This attitude parallels
the behavior of the crowds who attended the

Page 107

gladiatorial contests in ancient Rome. Men

who are extreme extroverts are not as emotionally sensitive as are most introverts;
further, the more hazards which they experi
ence and dangerous feats in which they par
ticipate, the more conditioned they become
to them. It requires the greater impact of
more frequent dangerous incidents to pro
vide continued satisfaction.
In modem warfare, the man taken out of
civilian life has to be psychologically condi
tioned in training camps to the horrors of
war. He has to be taught to kill, kill, kill!
After all, any repugnance which a man may
have to killing in combat may mean the loss
of his own life and, moreover, the loss of
many more of his own nationality. Most
young men who are as yet not introverts to
an extreme can be emotionally hardened to
this psychological requirement of wareven
with reluctance. Those who cannot be so
conditioned for combat often have nervous
breakdowns. Psychologically, they reject
the circumstances and become psychiatric
cases. The young man who is normal and
not a very definite extrovert will later adjust
satisfactorily again into society and accept
the importance it places upon human life.
The professional soldiers of history, the
mercenaries of the Egyptians, Greeks, and
Romans, became, in a sense, professional killers. Their conscience troubled them not because they were acting within the bounds of
the law, serving the country in whose hire
they were at the time. The continual exposure to blood, mutilation, death, and the
risk of their own lives was a routine matter;
and it was accompanied by the lust for ad
venture and daring activity. Any other
activity would have been considered prosaic
and boresome. It would be practically im
possible to extirpate this love of warand of
killingfrom such individuis. They would
not kill merely for killing, alone. They were
not psychopathic killers. On the other hand,
killing as an incident of combat, of the ad
venture of war, would provide the thrill that
was necessary for their personal satisfaction.
Psychologically, we can truly say that
such persons are bom to fight. If they
could be provided with some other activity
that would offer the same hazards, as risking
their own lives in combat, they would prob
ably accept that activity. War, however, in
all its ramifications, finds little to compete

Page 108

with it in providing consistently daring adventure.

The courageous man, the patriot, may
become a hero in exposing himself to extreme
danger and perhaps in necessary killing. But
he will readily tell you that he hates it and
he means what he says.
There are those who are sadists and actu
ally are psychopathic cases. Such individuis
derive an abnormal satisfaction from killing
and in watching others suffer. These unfor
tunate persons are usually easily distinguished from the ones who are extreme
extrovertsthose who enjoy the thrill of
combat, for example. The latter are perfectly
willing to expose themselves through aerial
or ground warfare to risks which may involve losing their own lives. To them it is
a game, a dangerous one that brings pleasure.
As in the case of the knights of od, these in
dividuis find a certain amount of chivalry
and fair play in their combat. The great
Germn air aces of World War II had a cer
tain code of ethics in their single dog
fight maneuvers as did also the Allied
fighters. However, the sadist, the psycho
pathic killer, is usually a coward. He enjoys
the imposing of suffering upon others but he
avoids risking his own self to pain or death.
Karmically, perhaps, those individuis
who find a certain pleasure in martial com
bat, or war, have a lesson to leam. In some
manner the futility of what they do must be
brought to their consciousness. However, the
lesson cannot be taught them through physi
cal pain or suffering because such professional soldiers have often suffered personal
injuries and have often been on the threshold
of death. Their emotions have to be reached
through another kind of loss or sacrifice
something other than their own physical
selves.
Of course, this is often difficult to accomplish. These persons are usually self-confident and assured. They are reached only in
situations where they find them selves
helpless to defend or protect dearly loved
ones who may be suffering. Sometimes a
serious illness to one of their family, perhaps
the loss of a wife or child in an accident,
shocks them emotionally to the extent that
the shell of their callousness is cracked. They
gradually begin to develop a greater sensi
tivity; in other words, they begin to find
pleasure and happiness in finer sentimen ts.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

It is difficult to say specifically what mis

sion in life such individuis have. But, in
our present society, in the way we live to
day, I think it would be agreed that such
individuis are needed. As long as the world
is an armed camp, as long as we need tremendous armed forces, we have to have indi
viduis of that emotional structure.
Most ex-servicemen will tell you that the
top sergeants who trained the men for com
bat are of this typecourageous, deriving a
certain thrill out of the adventure of war.
They are a kind of leader that the world still
needs. Without them, a peace-loving nation,
one extremely sensitive to the finer things of
life, would be exposed to a people or nation
who were more ruthless; they would be help
less without that type of leadership in time
of war.X
Rosicrucian Healing
There has never been a perfect system of
healing. This is quite comprehensible when
we realize that man has not yet a complete
knowledge of the human organism and its
functioning. Further, science is not aware of
all the factors necessary for health and what
all the conditions are which mena ce life. In
addition, a generalization for the human race
is not possible yet. One people will thrive
in an environment that will prove hostile to
the mental or physical well-being of others.
It is, therefore, unfortunate, that there are
some systems of therapeutics which expound
or imply that theirs is undoubtedly the
panacea for all ills, a kind of direct road to
health. Such claims are the result of the
ignorance of those making them or are outright perfidy.
The fact is that almost all systems of
health, the result of serious research and in
telligent direction of natural laws, have merit
in part, at least, so far as man understands
himself and nature. No one system of heal
ing can effect all cures, for then there would
not be any need for others. It is regrettable
that rivalry and actual jealousy exist between
some of the health systems, drug and drugless. Each practitioner of a system obviously,
if sincere, has confidence in what he has
learned and what his method proclaims. He
will think it the best and, therefore, in loyalty to it, is inclined not to investgate honestly
other competitive systems but often to speak

APRIL, 1960

of them in a derogatory way. In doing this

the individual may be actually suppressing
some phase of healing that could alleviate
suffering.
Leonardo da Vinci, renowned artist, engineer and scientist, found it necessary to
make an extensive study of the human
anatomy for proficiency in his work. Michelangelo, the great painter, felt that he could
not do his best work without also a lengthy
study of anatomy. He practiced dissection
so that he might know actually what the
bone and muscle structure was like. Should
one who is treating, or attempting to heal,
the afflicted know less about the morphology
of mankind? There are, however, so-called
healers and systems of healing where there
is no attempt to study the physical nature
of man. Such systems, of course, even if
they have any merit, are ridiculed by those
who conscientiously study anatomy, physiology, biology, and related sciences.
Regardless of the oaths required of physicians or practitioners of certain systems of
healing, there are those individuis whose
principal interest is naught but material
gain. Their relation to their patients is a
kind of assembly-line procedure: to turn out
as many as quickly as they can in the course
of a day. Their methods suggest that their
interest is quantitative onlyin other words,
a number of persons per hour at a specific
fee each. The time given the patients is in
proportion to their mercenary motives. With
such practitioners, healing is a profession
only. In other words, it is not truly guided
by humanitarian impulse.
The patient is often as intelligent, if not
more so, as the physician, though he may
be educated, trained, or skilled in a different
field of endeavor. Such a patient reacts unfavorably toward such a coid mercenary
method of treatment. He is thus encouraged
to shop around among therapeutic sys
tems and healing cults for relief.
The Rosicrucian system of healing is
founded upon the basic principies of the
Rosicrucian philosophy. These, in turn, mean
natural laws and principies. To be effective,
the Rosicrucian member is obliged to study
certain physical aspects of mans nature as
well as the metaphysical ones. He learns
about the nervous systems, for example, to
the extent that it is necessary for the treatments, as well as their relationship to or

Page 109

ganic functioning. The Rosicrucian system

is not intended to train individuis to become professional practitioners. The Rosicru
cian system has brought considerable relief
to sufferers, as thousands of persons can
testify. In some cases no particular results
were had. There are many reasons why such
results were not forthcoming, but we can
only conjecture about them.
The rational aspect of the Rosicrucian
system of therapy is that it also recognizes
its own limitations. First, it sensibly does not
claim to be able to effect a cure of every
illness or that it is omniscient in its knowl
edge of disease. No other system is all-inclusive either, as said, but few will make
this admission. Also the Rosicrucian therapy
method frankly admits that for some condi
tions or afflictions other methods are neces
sary and even preferable. For example,
foreign bodies in the human system may re
quire surgery for relief. Also a badly decayed tooth needs extraction.
The Rosicrucian system recognizes that
heat and hydrotherapy are also useful as
well as certain types of medication. In other
words, Rosicrucian therapy avoids fanatical
devotion to any system at the expense of the
patient. How many patients of other sys
tems have died because the treatment they
received had been inadequate! And yet the
physician or practitioner would not recommend any other treatment that could have
saved the lifeor perhaps he was ignorant
of such remedies.
Not many years ago, hydro, thermo, and
short-wave electrical treatments were con
sidered quack methods under any circum
stances. Now medical science realizes their
advantages in certain applications, and so do
several drugless schools of therapy. The Rosi
crucian is always urged, if his malady persists, to consult a physician and, if serious,
to do so immediately, in addition to his
Rosicrucian treatment. There is nothing
about Rosicrucian healing methods that can
interfere with, for example, medical, chiropractic, or osteopathic treatments. In fact,
many Rosicrucian medical and other physicians have included certain Rosicrucian heal
ing principies successfully with their own
professional methods.
We must admonish all Rosicrucian mem
bers that Rosicrucian healing is intended primarily for the relief of the student himself.

Page 110

It is not intended to train him for profession

al service as a physician. The Rosicrucian
is not licensed to practice healing in any
form. Any attempt to heal others for monetary compensation, or to establish himself as
a professional healer, is a violation. First,
it is contrary to the Rosicrucian ethics which
prohibit such activity. Second, it is in viola
tion of medical laws in the community in
which the individual resides. Any person
who practices in defiance of this admonishment jeopardizes his membership in the
A.M.O.R.C. and is subject to arrest and fine
under the laws of his community for practicing healing without due license.X
Colors, Health, and Harmony
A frater asks our Forum: Just what is
the relationship of color to the human organ
ism?that is, how does color affect man?
Further, can colors be used for healing pur
poses?
Some years ago a group of scientists postulated the theory that the color sense in man
was developed over a great period of time.
The theory stated that in its first stage, this
color development was limited to the percep
tion of only two colors. It was declared that
perhaps the first color that man distinguished
was red. This assumption was based on the
fact that red is the most luminous and excit
ing of the colors. Though this theory ap
peared to have support, it has never been
generally accepted. The cave paintings of
prehistoric man, found in France and Spain
in particular, show variations of color. It
would appear that such colors were inten
tionally used and that early man distin
guished one from the other.
Light is, of course, the first stimulus;
color is a secondary stimulus. Even persons
who are color-blind are known to be just as
sensitive to variations of light as are those
persons who are not color-blind. Many insects, to whom color seems to have no distinguishable appeal, are attracted to bright
lights and luminous objects. Fishermen
know that fish are attracted to objects that
reflect a brilliant light. Prehistoric man,
probably first responded to the intensity of
light rather than to color variation.
In their tombs and temple decorations the
ancient Egyptians used a variety of colors.
Sir Gardner Wilkinson, noted Egyptologist,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

relates that the Egyptians used principally

red, green, black, and yellow. For a con
siderable time they did not have black. When
they discovered how to produce it, they then
used black extensively. Yellow was often
used to harmonize with it. Some of the
races of mankind had no ames for the col
ors which they used. There is, however, no
doubt about their distinguishing such colors.
For example, the Assyrians had no ame for
green; certain East African tribes have no
ame for purple.
The theory of the mechanism by which we
experience the sensation of color is still a
polemic discussion among physiologists, psychologists, and philosophers. Research has
shown that blue has the widest range over
the human retina; next in order are yellow
and green. In other words, if we were to
draw three circles over the retina of the eye,
for each of these colors, figuratively speaking,
the blue would be the largest zone of sensitivity. The Young-Helmholz Theory states
that the ends of the visual spectrum, the blue
and red, primarily stimulate the cones in the
eye. According to this theory, there are
cones which respond primarily to but three
colorsred, blue, and green. When these
cones, or sensory bodies of the retina, are
equally stimulated, we have the sensation of
white.
Conversely, however, psychologists and
artists do not hold to this theory. They are
of the opinion that there are four primaries:
red, green, yellow, and blue. All other colors
are a blending of these.
When we come to the problem of why
man is attracted to certain colors and displays preferences for one over another, we
then enter the field of aesthetics. Since the
early times of which we have record, man
kind has been, and primitive men of today
are, attracted to bright and shiny objects.
That which glistens, as a piece of metal or a
pebble, will seem to please the aborigine.
Perhaps this was first due to the intensity
of light as a stimulus of high importance.
The shiny objects were undoubtedly the first
things that were considered beautiful.
Even today, modern man is influenced by
this primitive urge for the bright and shiny
in objects he purchaseseven if such are in
tended for utilitarian purposes. The chrome
decorations on automobiles and many home
accessories are examples of this primitive

APRIL, 1960

aesthetic taste. The love of gems and glistening stones is likewise a primitive carry-over
in addition to whatever significance custom
attributes to them.
Red and orange have been found to be the
most popular colors among primitive peoples.
The color red is dynamic and appeals to
youtheven as it does to the primitive and
commonly to uncultured persons. The
ochreous earths most easily provided primi
tive pigments. In fact, red is found nearly
anywhere. We are all familiar with areas
containing red clays. This color is commonly
used for the adornment of the person by
primitive peoples, as a sign of beauty. Blue
is likewise popular with them because it is
like the sky in most regions of the world.
Man is conditioned to accept it as pleasurable, and therefore beautiful, because he
likes it.
Aesthetic colors are those that excite the
whole organism of the individual. They are
the ones that produce emotional responses.
With many lower animals the color sense is
bound up with feeding and reproduction.
The animal comes to associate certain colors
with his food and with sex. Man has like
wise been conditioned by his environment;
colors that are representative of naturethe
blue of the sky, the yellow or orange of the
sun, the green of vegetationhave a general
appeal, and in varying degrees are beautiful.
There are, however, variables that must
be taken into consideration where aesthetics
are concerned. Color preference is related to
environment. For example, the Chinese do
not react to the same colors as do the Americans or English. A story is told that before
Communism prevailed in China, a gasoline
station was painted white and did very little
business. To the Chinese, white suggests
death and sorrow. After a change in its
color, the gasoline station increased its sales.
Of course, we know the effect of color in ad
vertisinghow it arouses certain desires or
reactions.
In India, and to Hindus in particular, yellow is a symbolic color. Marigold flowers are
placed on corpses bfore they are immersed
in the sacred Ganges and crema ted. The
Rosicrucian Camera Expedition filmed such
a rite at Benares, the sacred city of the
Hindus, where the placing of these mari
gold flowers on deceased Brahmans was
common. In Japan, red is never popular be-

Page 111

cause of its symbolism of fire and destruction.

Our moods are often affected by the en
vironment in which we are placed. Certain
rooms or home decorations cheer us, and
others depress us. The same applies to colors
of clothing. Again, variables enter into these
considerations; that is, we may have been
conditioned to the stimulus of a certain color
so that we prefer it. In the former Rosicru
cian Clinic and Sanitarium there was a color
therapy room. In addition to other treatments given, certain patients were obliged
to lie in this room for a time, exposed to
colored lights which tinted the room. Music
was played which had an emotional relation
ship to the color used. Many patients found
relief from tensin under certain particular
color combinations. Lectures and demonstra tions on this subject are part of one of the
fascinating courses that are given each summer at Rose-Croix University, in Rosicrucian
Park.
Stanford University in California, a few
years ago conducted experiments in connec
tion with colors and their effects upon mo
tion picture audiences and spectators at
theaters. Dr. Robert Ross found that: gray,
blue, and purple were associated with tragedies. Yellow, orange, and red complimented
the comedy sense. Red was also suggestive of
great, dramatic intensity; gray and purple
were the next most effective.
The motion-picture director, William A.
Welmann, has, it is related, an interesting
theory in connection with the emotions induced by colors. He thinks that color is re
lated to primitive environment association.
Mr. Welmann made a chart of the emotional
equivalent of colors. These color and emo
tional relations he used in some of his suc
cessful films. For example, the following is
but a portion of the information on his chart:
BlackNightnegative; glum
W hiteSnowuplift; purity
GrayRain, fogod age; decadence
BlueSky, the seathought, inspira tion
GreenLeaves; foliageSpringtime;
health; welfare
RedBloodsunrise, sunsetcombat; life;
vigor.
Another example of the influence of en
vironment on color preference is that green
is popular in arid countries, as among the

Page 112

Arabs, and also among people of coid climates.

The greatest number of impressions are
received through the eyes. Subconsciously,
our emotions are affected by color vibrations.
Colors are light of different vibrations so it
is not strange that our bodies and minds
should have physical and psychic reactions
to them. There has been a controversy be
tween scientists and philosophers as to
whether color is a reality that exists outside
of the mind; the philosophers have declared
that color is but a sensation and is purely
subjective. They point out that to a colorblind person blue may seem black, or gray.
They endeavor to show that a color is not
such until it is perceived by the mind.
However, physicists take the position that
color is a reality and a quantitative thing,
and not dependent upon the color sense.
They point out that red, for example, has a
specific number of vibrations and has a
definite line in the spectrum, being specifically objective. They continu, saying that
no matter what the subjective interpretation
of that vibration is, it is a positive reality
which instrumentation shows, and does not
change its place in the spectrum. The argument, of course, can be carried further, for
the support of both sides. Insofar as our
realization of color is concemed, it is psychic.
Aristotle believed that there were colors
that had a relationship to certain sounds.
When we hear sounds, he contended, they
suggest particular colors. Sir Isaac Newton
also experimented with trying to find harmonious relationships with the diatonic
(sound) scale and the spectrum of color. Dr.
H. Spencer Lewis, in the early part of this
century, built a small color organ based on
Rosicrucian teachings and principies. When
played, the colors were flashed upon the
screen; they had a complimentary relation
ship to the music being played. This was
one of the first color organs ever constructed
in America.
In the middle thirties, Dr. Lewis construct
ed another color organ, a much larger one
and improved compared with the earlier in
strument. The screen, at that time, occupied
the full stage of Francis Bacon Auditorium.
Scientists, musicians, and the general public,
numbering several thousands, witnessed the
demonstration before the color organ was
dismantled. Much publicity was given this

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

color organ which Dr. Lewis had named the

Luxatone.
The specific relationship of a color to a
sound is still in the experimental stage.
There is no complete agreement on what the
harmonic relationship between the color and
musical scales should be. In the Rosicrucian
teachings there are interesting charts giving
the Orders conception on this matter; these
are included as part of the instruction the
student receives.
The Rosicrucian teachings disclose what is
meant by clash of colors. In general it
means those vibrations of the spectrum or
radiations of light in color given off by ob
jects which are inharmonious; these differences in certain colors are so extreme that
instead of blending or complementing they
oppose and cause a dissonance of color.
Many works have been written on color
symbolism. Some of these notions arise by
natural suggestion; that is, they are related
to conditions and circumstances in our en
vironment. Other color symbolism has been
artificially established due to some notion or
experience which man has had. For example,
red generally depicts action, couragealso
blood, carnage, and destruction. Yellow symbolizes glory, sunlight, prosperity, and gold;
for some, it alludes to illness. Purple has
long been the symbol of royalty, magnificence, heroism, passion, and mysticism.
The more sensitive the individual, the
more emotional, the more responsive he is
to color. Artists, writers, designers, poets,
and mystics are particularly affected by col
ors. It has been found that blue is the
favorite with women and red with men.
Athletes, both men and women, favor red.
Intellectuals are said to prefer blue. For
some strange reason, egoists choose yellow. It
is commonly known that children respond to
bright colors and primitive people do, as well.
It is perhaps the color intensity that attracts
these individuis. Conservative people gen
erally select brown.
The Rosicrucian teachings have a method
of diagnosis in connection with color which,
in general, is effective. Through this system
(which we will not describe in detail here),
it has been found that if the patient produces
a color response of blue or green he needs
negative treatment. Red and orange in the
diagnosing would suggest a need of positive
applications. When white is seen in con-

APRIL, 1960

nection with the diagnosis, a little of each

treatment, negative and positive, is recommended.
Colors have been used most successfully
in therapy for the emotionally ill. War veterans suffering from neurasthenia and shock,
and who were in deep depression, were
placed for several hours a day in a room with
green walls and yellow and amber lights.
It was reported that they showed consider
able improvement after several days. In an
other case, a veteran, suffering from severe
insomnia, was placed in a ward especially
planned for color therapy. The color scheme
was mauve, blue, and green. These colors
have a sedative action. After twenty-four
hours in this specially prepared ward the
patient slept.
Women suffering from melancholia were
placed in a room with red lights, carpets, and
walls. Red being a dynamic color, the melan
cholia was dispersed within a short time; in
some cases, the condition was eliminated
after the patient was in a color room for only
a few days. A mild stimulus is provided by
the colors yellow and gold. Patients have
been brought back to normal under such a
color influence when the emotional illness
was not severe.
In still another example of treatment by
color is the case of a patient who refused
nourishment; his condition became serious.
He was placed in a red room for twenty-four
hours and it is reported that he then asked
for his breakfast. In a mental institution in
Illinois a series of experiments in color
therapy was conducted. The conclusions
were that red had a remedial effect on those
suffering from melancholia; blue was beneficial to the neurotic and those not severely
disturbed emotionally. They likewise found
that among the mentally ill green was better
liked, and red was preferred by women.
Further conclusions a fte r investigation
showed that spring-green, a combination of
purest blue and yellow is a fine mental
sedative; brown is restful but depressing, but
may be relie ved by orange and yellow. Blue
is cooling and has sedative properties to some
who are depressed but it should be used with
caution. Green also has cooling properties
and counteracts the brightness of the sun,
thus exciting the eye to a less degree.
Color, therefore, can be most effective in
healing. We do not know as yet the full

Page 113

extent of the valu of color therapy. Important, also, is the use of color to prevent
illness. The color schemes of our homes, of
fices, schools, the lighting and drapery, the
walls and carpeting, even the clothes we
wear, are a field of continued investigation.
What must be brought out, however, at this
point, is that the color we like is not neces
sarily best for us. We may like the exciting,
stimulating color of red, and yet, for our in
dividual health, for our emotional selves, red
may not be as beneficial as blue or green,
or even yellow.X
The Souls Memory
A soror from San Francisco, addressing
our Forum, says: Why is there so little or
nothing mentioned in mystical writings of
the existence of the soul just prior to retuming to an earthly body?
Then, a soror from Texas rises in our
Forum to ask a related question: When the
souls are on the higher plae waiting to reincarnate, it has been said that they pass
through many strange experiences. Can we
know what kind of experiences? Is it a form
of punishment? Of course, it is not physical,
but is it mental or psychic?
We will readily admit that the Cosmic
plae most assuredly transcends this mortal
or physical one. By transcending we mean
to rise above the limitations of earthly
discernment and mortal consciousness. That
being agreed upon, then what mdium have
we to determine, to describe, the kind of ex
periences which are had by the soul-person
ality after transition? The qualities by which
we would explain any experiences would be
only those which we know. They would consist of ascribing, for example, to the Cosmic
such conditions as hot, coid, soft, loud, bright,
dark, colors, pleasure, and so on. Further
they would need be described in words or
framed in ideas formed out of the substance
of human knowledge.
Since we will not recognize, and rif^htly
so, that the consciousness of the soul-per
sonality after death would have sensations
dependent upon the human organism, we
have no actual means of describing the ex
periences after death. Such an attempt could
only consist of an elaboration of what we
consider the exalted state on earth or the
good as we know it. Ask, for example, the

Page 114

orthodox religionist what heaven is like and

you will receive an explanation of ecstasies
founded upon the mortal conception of hap
piness.
If one conceived that the soul-personality
after death is truly liberated from physical
sentience, then its perception in the Cosmic
will be of a distinctly different nature. It
will have its own experiences on a plae
related to it which it can perceive and comprehend in its own terms. The soul con
sciousness would not be restricted by ocular
or auditory range or by a sense of smell,
taste, and feeling. The soul-personality un
doubtedly has media of realization of which
the mortal self has no conceivable notion.
We think of the Cosmic state as being an
all-embracing one. Therefore, the nature of
the Cosmic, what it is, would not be channelized into particular qualities from which
could arise limited perceptions and sensa
tions. We can assume, and mystical tradi
tion teaches, that the soul-personality retains
the experiences which it has had during its
cycle of oneness with the Cosmic. This implanting or registration is conveyed then into
the subconscious, the psychic levels of con
sciousness of self, upon rebirth. How would
such experiences be realized by the mortal
who rein cama ted, or would they be?
First, we can say that these experiences
would be the impulsations, the various moti
vations, which we cali spiritual or moral
inclinations. When we, in our objective
conduct or behavior, try to attune with the
soul consciousness within us, the higher
levels of self, we would be brought en rapport with the souVs memory of its Cosmic
experiences. But such Cosmic or soul mem
ories would need be, and are, translated only
in the terminology, the ideation, of our
mortal minds. We could not objectively
know or could we understand the Cosmic
experiences which the soul-personality had
during such interlude out of the body, except
by the analogy of our own common terms
and language. In other words, the impres
sions we receive would naturally fall into
the categories of our sense qualities.
For a crude analogy, let us use the word
beautiful. Suppose in some way during your
meditation and contact with the memory of
the soul you had a sensation with which you
associated the term beautiful. What would
this mean to you? How would you express

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

it? Would you not find y ourself resorting

to the analogy of your senses? You would
describe something perhaps in terms of some
object seen, whose symmetrythat is, its
form and colorwas so harmonious and
pleasing to you as to be called beautiful. Or
perhaps you would recall beautiful sounds
or colors and say that your soul experience
of a previous time in the Cosmic was like
this, only far more so.
It must be realized that the impressions
coming from the memories of the soul, from
the higher self, are not always transposed
into sensations of the same sense. In other
words, one may not always express them
as visual images or auditory ones. They may
be realized as exquisite sensations that are
like and yet exceed in their stimulus any
experience that we can objectively recall.
The memories of the soul may guide one
through the process of intuition. This intui
tion functions as a higher judgment. It often
takes over and arrives at a self-evident con
clusin after we have abandoned some
problem objectively. It finds or brings about
harmonious relationship between our ideas
so as to make the solution indubitable to us.
At other times, the influence of the soulpersonality comes as a constructive inspirational urge. It moves us to act in a certain
way that inspires our confidence.
Objectively in this life, we may never
have participated in a venture such as we
may be intuitively urged to do. We may
then ask ourselves, Why should I do this?
How do I know that it will be successful or
even the proper thing to do? We neverthe
less feel within ourselves that it is right
and that it should be done. Perhaps we can
say that this feeling is part of the Cosmic
experience of the soul-personality after tran
sition. The soul-personality after transition
was exposed to the fullness of its Cosmic re
lationship and thereby acquired a more pro
found sense of evaluation; therefore, it becomes a more helpful guide when again
embodied. Once more we must warn that the
soul-personality would not experience in the
Cosmic any situation parallel to something
that exists on earth. The soul-personality,
however, in some way which we do not un
derstand does acquire a universality of val
es, that is, the ability to comprehend all
relations and subtly advise us.
We must realize, first, that most of us

APR1L, 1960

Page 115

medtate infrequently and, when we do, we

are inclined to tell the intuitive self, the
memory of the soul, what we want done. As
a result we are often not guided. Secondly,
most persons never learn, or even want to
try to learn, the art or technique of introverting the consciousness so as to contact
this soul memory. They are always too much
in a hurry to take the time for study and
preparation. As a result, they go it alone.
They may gradually lose the faculty of this
psychic contact. Furthermore, from a practical point of view, they spend more time in
recovering from mistakes in their over-reliance on their mortal consciousness than it
would have taken to awaken and to utilize
the intuitive memory of the soul as a
guide.X
W hat Is Sacred?
The concept of sacredness associated with
an object or idea is so vague in the minds
of most individuis that a definition of the
word sacred becomes involved and often confusing. Individuis have usually thought of
something sacred as necessarily removed
from their own reasoning and so have ac
cepted primarily the decisions or directions
of someone else as to what is or is not sacred.
With many words used without analysis by
persons who use them, it is sometimes worth
while to analyze their conception; therefore,
to determine to our own satisfaction the
meaning of sacred we should consider what
the concept implies.
It might be well in considering the state
or subject of sacredness whether or not an
object or idea has to be associated with a
religious thought or implication in order to
qualify for a concept of its being sacred. I
believe that the average individual imme
diately associates the word sacred with a re
ligious function, institution, or place. It has
been used so much in its religious connota tion that it is very difficult for many people
to conceive that religin actually does not
have complete monopoly over the concept
of that which is or is not sacred.
Many persons have been relig io u sly
trained since childhood to accept without
question the idea that certain tangible ob
jects and certain ideas are sacred and are
without doubt beyond the ability of any in
dividual to modify. The definition of sacred

implies in many ways the concept that I

have just outlined; that is, sacred has to do
with a religious concept, idea, or object. One
of the definitions given in a standard dic
tionary of the English language makes the
word holy synonymous with sacred and
refers to anything that is sacred as being
hallowed by association with a divine concept
and, therefore, entitled to reverence and
respect.
It is not my purpose here to detract from
any concept upheld or expounded by re
ligin, but actually I believe that the con
cept of sacredness is more profound than
that which may be limited only to one field
even though that field is religin. There are
many concepts in regard to the state of sa
credness. In reference to definitions again,
another definition of sacred is merely that
which is dedicated, that which is set apart in
honor of someone or something and, there
fore, devoted exclusively to a certain person
or to a certain end. In this concept or from
this point of view, the meaning of the word
sacred is immediately broadened. We find
that sacred can apply to objects and ideas
which lie beyond the limitations of religious
dogma or theological viewpoints.
There are, also, many false concepts, the
primary one being that sacredness is a state
in itself. This concept has developed among
many people who are not necessarily of limit
ed training or background. In our modern
civilization are those who believe that that
which is sacred or is believed to be sacred or
rather accepted by a certain majority as
sacred is something that is absolutely untouchable and cannot be explored, examined,
or submitted to critical analysis.
Many people actually believe that to sub
ject anything to examination that is consid
ered to be sacred is an unholy act in itself,
in fact, an act of disrespect for those who
might hold the object or idea as sacred. If
the concept of sacred is such that it cannot
be submitted to examination by intelligent
and sincere individuis, then it would be best
to banish such concept entirely.
Any concept conceived by the human
mind should be subject to analysis and even
to criticism by the human mind. I presume
that there are those who believe that any
thing considered sacred was not conceived
by the human mind in the first place but
rather that it is of divine origin. Actually,

Page 116

we have no substantiation of such a concept

because man himself has established his
ideas which he considers to be sacred and
also has selected the objects so considered.
The point that I am most interested in at
this time is to present for your consideration
the idea that the condition of being sacred
is not inherent in anything; that is, it is
only the valu assigned by an individual or
by human beings as a group that brings
about the state of sacredness. This, of course,
leads us to a consideration of the objective
and subjective aspects of trying to arrive at
a definition or a realization of what the term
really means. Actually, many of the con
cepts that I have referred to here have been
objective; that is, when man considers a cer
tain book, a certain statue, or any other
physical object as sacred, he is exercising the
tendency of projecting from his own think
ing an idea of someone else as a reflection,
in a sense, and associating that thought with
the object and presuming that the state of
sacredness is within the object itself.
Those who believe it is unwise, or at least,
ill-advised to criticize a holy book, such as
the Bible, have the feeling or have developed
the idea that the book and its content is
sacred because of the intrinsic valu of the
book and its writings regardless of their
source or who wrote them. Modem criticism
of literature has caused us to be somewhat
more realistic. We know that any holy book
is the result or record of the experiences,
reflections, or meditations of human beings.
It is true that many of the individuis may
have been more evolved than we are, but it
is also tme that many of them may not have
been evolved even as much as you or I;
therefore, such a book is subject to the same
errors as are the writings of any human be
ing. If the thoughts expressed cannot be
faced with pur reason, their valu definite
ly is not as great as might be presumed.
Writing and the ideas expressed in writing do not have to be perfect in order to have
valu. In many cases the imperfections
themselves lend valu because they point out
the frailties of human existence and the inevitability of human error. To tum to a
book considered sacred is to share in the
experiences and inspirations of those who
had the ideas that made possible the record
ing of the chapters and verses of such a book.
If we look upon those concepts or those

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

writings and the ideis expressed as being

beyond the limitation of our mind to analyze,
then we are depriving ourselves of the ability
to share in the same experiences, to share
the facts and ideas that were recorded for
our direction. The objective concept of sa
credness, then, is to project or, I might better
say again, to reflect the ideas of someone else
into another object or idea.
Actually, the true concept of sacredness
is a subjective concept. Sacredness or the
concept of being sacred begins within our
selves. This is well expressed by the ritual
of our own Temple Convocations when the
Master reads, We come to this sacred
Temple, made sacred by our thoughts and
conduct. It is, therefore, within the mind
of man and in the expression of manin
other words, in his mental content and his
behaviorthat he himself makes sacred those
things which are external representations to
him of ideis and purposes which he holds
of great valu.
The Temple of the Rosicrucian Order, for
example, its rituals and all the phases of its
function as they are exemplified either in
writing or by physical objects, becomes sacred
in direct proportion to your finding valu in
its functions and objects. You yourself pro
ject into these functions and objects such
vales and benefits as you have gleaned from
your associations. These then serve as ex
ternal symbols of the experiences that have
been a part of your own consciousness, your
own development, and, in a ,sense, a part of
your own life.
Sacredness, then, begins within, and its
expression on the outside is secondary to the
intent and idealism that underlies what we
find manifest in the world outside of us. We,
therefore, believe that that which is sacred
is not to be profaned by actions inconsistent
with our ideis. When we project, as it were,
our ideis into objects and concepts, we symbolize in an external form those principies
which we believe to be for us the highest
ideis and worthy of our direction and aspiration.
To profane a sacred object or a sacred
place or to belittle a sacred idea is to be a
traitor to our own inner self. We can do no
harm to any external object insofar as its
effect throughout eternity is concemed, but
to fail to respect the ideis which are exem
plified in this external form, and which we

APRIL, 1960

ourselves have assigned there, is to be inconsistent with our own ideis, aims, and aspirations.
None of us would want to see an object
held sacred by any individual to be profaned
or made to appear cheap or not worthy of
what it represents to another person, but
even more serious are the consequences to
the mind and to the experience of the indi
vidual who performs such an act because he
depletes himself of the ideis which have
been represented externally. In order to un
derstand the concept of sacredness, we must
remember that we ourselves create what is
sacred to us. In doing so, we realize that
every man, every woman, does the same
thing; therefore, in the process of evolve
ment, in the process of setting up our own
sacred landmarks, we are living in an en
vironment with other intelligent entities who
also establish their own ideas of what is
sacred.
Consequently, within the concept of sa
credness comes the concept of tolerance
and goodwill. In recognizing the in vilate
sacredness of other objects because they
represent a series of ideas established by a
creed, cult, doctrine, or philosophy, it is more
important that we recognize the right of
everyone to build his own sacred ideas and
that we recognize, with tolerance, the right
to maintain them. As we wish to have our
ideas respected, so we must respect others,
and if this concept could be practiced continually, then tolerance and peace would be
the lot of all men.A
A Suggestion for Learning
I recently wrote an informal discourse on
the subject of using our time properly to
apply the principies which we have been
taught. This brought to my mind a quotation
which I discovered quite by accident smetime ago. However, in preparation for that
quotation, I will point out that all of us have
very definite opinions; and, generally speak
ing, most of us think quite highly of our
own opinions. We believe in what we be
lieve, and most of us are somewhat reluctant
to have our opinions proved to be in error.
We tend to hang on to our own opinions as
if they were something of great valu.
Oddly enough, most of our opinions are
just what the word implies, ideas which we

Page 117

have accepted more or less in the objective

surface area of our consciousness. Most of
our opinions cannot bear too much analysis.
They have a tendency to break down when
faced with important facts or reason. The
reason for this is that we derive most of our
opinions by drawing conclusions from the
reactions of others or from superficial observation.
How many of us actually do any research
on our opinions? When you have formed an
opinion, when you have arrived at a con
clusin which you think is correct, do you
consult a dictionary, an encyclopedia, an
authority on the subject of your opinion, or
do you merely take the word of someone
such as a writer in a newspaper or a popular
magazine? Then, adding to it your own idea,
do you say, This is my opinion, and disregard the fact that somebody else may
believe differently? In other words, we frequently omit the research that might at the
beginning cause us to modify our opinion,
but nevertheless our opinions are something
that we have accepted as our own and which
we carry around with us and frequently are
all too willing to share with someone else.
We should, if we accept our opinions as
important decisions or important basis for
our behavior, at least develop with every
opinion a degree of tolerance. Many of us
do not. I am frequently intolerant in any
thing that would disprove the opinion that
I have accepted. I treat my opinion as if it
were a valuable possession. I want to show
it off. I want to use it, and there is certainly
nothing wrong with that, provided that at
the same time I have adopted a sufficiently
open mind and idea of tolerance to enable
me to have equal respect for the other persons opinionthe same respect that I expect
of another person.
However, what I am attempting to point
out here is that because of the high respect
with which most o us maintain our own
opinions, our general attitudes of mind are
more influenced by such opinions than they
are by the facts and convictions of others.
This should not be true. We should, as I
have said, always be willing to listen to the
ideas and principies of someone else. In other
words, we should be willing to examine the
proof, but since mans nature is such that he
does not always do so, we still can capitalize,

Page 118

as it were, upon this stubbom trait of charac

ter of the average human being. We might
take into consideration that when valuable
information is available to us, we should ac
cept it with the same degree of tenacity, or
at least study it with this same degree of
feeling as we do our own ideas. Our own
opinions produce a certain emotional overtone which causes us to react to them more
emphatically than we do to simple facts
otherwise presented.
Now, to return to the beginning of these
comments, I said that a quotation I had accidentally come upon brought out this point
very clearly. It has to do with gaining of
knowledge and the application of that knowl
edge as we study it. The quotation is as
follows: Lay hold, therefore, of my instructions and meditate upon them, and so let thy
heart be fitted also to conceive as if thou
thyself was the author of that which I now
teach.
Apparently this is an ancient quotation
and whoever was the author was very much
aware of the tenacity by which people hold
to their own opinions. He therefore advised
that in all learning that is worth while the
individual should take the attitude that the
teacher is expressing the opinion of the leamer, and the learner should take the attitude
that he can gain if he will accept these
teachings with the same point of view that
he would accept these principies if he him
self were the author. This is an important
view to remember. When you come in con
tact with ideas that have valu, that are worth
while, that are worth giving consideration,
think of them at least tentatively in the same
manner as if they were your own opin
ions.A
Meaning of Mental Images
Another member, addressing our Forum,
asks: When one closes the eyes and sees
places and faces unknown to him, do they
really exist somewhere? Or does the mind
invent them?
Visual images not objectively perceived
may result as a phenomenon from several
causes. Of course, we know that we all may
visualize; that is, we may recall from mem
ory on the screen of our consciousness a
scene or an object that we may have seen.
It may be a house or a shop window seen

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the day before or a rural scene from childhood. But why do we recall a scene if we
are not trying to do so? This may be caused
by what is technically known as free asso
ciation. This means that something we may
have seen at the moment or heard or some
sensation we have, became an element that
related itself to the present experience, that is,
the visual image we have. Consequently, by
association a complete image is then flashed
into consciousness from memory. Most often
we do not know what it is that stimulates or
arouses this free association.
Actually what we experience at the mo
ment as constituting the suggestion, and
which releases the image from memory, may
not be objectively realized by us. We may
not be particularly conscious of an impres
sion and yet it will be suficient to excite the
memory and bring forth the mental image.
How many times have you heard someone
say, after describing something that he sud
denly recalled, Now, I wonder why I
thought of that?
There are, however, other causes of mental
visual images of persons, places, and things
which are unfamiliar to us. One such cause
is what is known as paramnesia. Sometimes
we may have visited a city or town. A friend
drives us about, pointing out the interesting
and historie sites to us. We look and listen
as he explains. But perhaps, while we are
partially conscious of what he is describing,
we also glance in another direction. It may
be down an alley or side Street. Something
there attracted our attention but not sufficiently for us to become aware of it objec
tively, for we are still listening to our friends
words. Actually, then, we do not realize
consciously what we have seen when look
ing down the alley or side Street. Neverthe
less, what was seen was registered in our
subconscious mind.
Weeks, or perhaps years later, while we
are relaxed or maybe on the borderline of
sleep, there flashes into our consciousness
the image of a house with a peculiarly designed iron railing mounted on a low brick
wall. We try to recall the house. We are
certain we have never seen it. In fact, it
is unfamiliar to our conscious mind. What
has happened is that we have released, unconsciously, this image of the past experi
ence. These may also be called eidetic
images.

APRIL, 1960

Page 119

Also in connection with paramnesia is the

experience of being in a city that we know
we have never visited previously and finding a Street or house that seems very familiar
to us. How can we feel that we have been
in this lcale before and yet know that such
is impossible? Principally, such an experi
ence is caused by seeing in the city that we
are now visiting a Street, a shop or house,
some structure that bears a strong resemblance to one which we have previously unconsciously perceived somewhere else. We
cannot, of course, recall the original scene;
and we do not know that the one resembling
it in the town now being visited has by
suggestion caused a recollection of it. In
such circumstances, a person will say: This
place seems so familiar. There is something
about it that makes me feel I have been here
before.
There is another cause for seeing images
that are unfamiliar to us. This cause is re
lated to what we have previously explained.
We are aware of only that which we realize
and of which we are conscious. In concen
trating or having our attention attracted by
some visual image, one that is most promi
nent, we remember it. However, in walking
down the Street, for example, while in a
brown study (thinking, and in a partially
subjective state), we are nevertheless continuing to see. When we arrive home we
may not be able to recall much of what we
passed on our walk because of our being engrossed in our thoughts. Nevertheless, cer
tain visual and auditory impressions, even
scents, did penetrate and register upon mem
ory without our being conscious of them.
Consequently, later these images by associa
tion may be released into our conscious
mind. We wonder at the time where they
carne from. We also wonder if such places
and faces actually existed. Of course, they
are reality but we cannot recall ever perceiving them.
There is also the deeper psychicl aspect
of this phenomenon of mental images. We
must not neglect the possibility of a telepathic contact with the mind of another. In
meditation, while relaxed, we may, unwittingly and without effort, attune with the

mind of another person. We may know the

individual or we may not. The person may
not have any knowledge of us. We may
suddenly see a mental image of that person
for but a second. Then, again, we may not
see an image of the person but of his location or even some scene which he has in
mind at the moment.
Further, we can project our consciousness,
that is, cause a higher level of our conscious
ness of self to reach out into space and to
mentally perceive a place or a person. In
other words, the psychic self may joumey
in the flash of a second to a place which it
perceives; and then the impressions of it are
translated into a visual mental image. Usu
ally, however, the psychic experience of pro
jection is realized as such because, for the
moment, we lose entirely our awarness of
where we are and have only the sensation
of being in the place of our mental image.
This is called actualizing our realization.
Simply put, we are in such an instance
psychically in the place which we realize.
The experience, therefore, is quite unlike a
mere mental image that is unfamiliar to us.
If we have an active imagination (many
of us in our daydreams let the mind roam),
then in our fancy we see and hear many
things. We, of course, know they are not
realities but figments of the uncontrolled
imagination. Everyone has these flights of
momentary fancy. This uncontrolled imagi
nation, however, may suddenly result in the
formation of a scene or an image of a place
or person that had not been included in the
element of our fancy. It may startle us and
cause us to wonder if it has any resemblance
or relation to reality, something actually
once experienced. In such uncontrolled
imagination, random ideation, the subjective
processes of mind take over and there is an
involuntary combination of ideas. Elements
of many thoughts are combined with others.
It is like a child that takes scraps of photo
graphs and reassembles them into a new and
different order. Consequently, such mental
images as these are wholly producs of our
own minds; they have no existence externally as we perceive them.X

REMEMBER THE ROSICRUCIAN CONVENTION - July 10 through 15

 R Q S IS t
HAVE YOU ever looked with concern at the
language habits and customs which your child is
acquiring? Do you want to bring out the best
qualities of your child and, as well, adapt him
admirably for the world of tomorrow? What is
the proper psychological attitude for the develop
ment of a child before and after birth?
If the mothers diet, improper clothes, and insufficient sleep affect the unbom child, then what
effect does worry, fear, and anger have upon it?
What should or should not be curbed in the parent or the child to cultvate Creative abilities early
in life? The ability to develop the personality
from babyhood, to avoid harmful habits, and
awaken latent talents, impels the parent to consider seriously the important period before and
after the child is born. It is said, give me a child
for the first seven yearsbut it is also imperative that the parent begin before the first year
of the infants life!
TH E ROSICRU CIAN P R E S S , L TD .

rfccefet

Ptee

The Golden Age of Pericles in Ancient Greece

taught the creation of a pleasant environment to
appeal to the sense of beauty in the parents. The
right start was and still is an important factor in
the birth and development of a child. The Child
Culture Institute offers a F r e e explanatory book
for the enlightenment of prospective parents, or
those with young children. You owe it to your
child to inquire. Address:

Chile) Qutale (Institute

R osicrucian P a r k

SA N

JOSE,

PRINTE D IN U. S . A.

C AL I F ORNI A

June, 1960
Volume XXX

No. 6

Rosicrucian Forum
A

prvate

publication

for m e m b e rs of A M O R C

SE R G IO S A N FELIZ REA, F. R. C.
Inspector G eneral of A M O R C fo r Caracas, V ene zu e la

Page 122

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V

SHOULD RELIGION BE A N ISSUE?

Dear Fratres and Sorores:
This is a presidential election year in the
United States. It is a period of critical im
portance not only to America but to all our
allies as well. The party that wins the elec
tion will have certain particular foreign
policy ideis. Because of the prominence of
the United States in world affairs, this will
vitally influence her relations with other
powers.
The factors that influence a candidate for
president of a democratic government are
many. Ordinarily, his religious affiliation,
his particular faith, is not considered as affecting his ability to faithfully perform the
duties of his office, if elected. The United
States is primarily a Christian nation. It is
accustomed to expect that the President of
the United States will be of a religious disposition. The Constitution of the United
States, however, proclaims religious freedom.
Therefore, the candidate for president may,
in theory at least, subscribe to any faith.
To vote for a man principally on the
grounds that he is of a particular sect or
against him because of his religious convic
tions is bigotry. It is further contrary to the
spirit of the democratic Constitution of the
United States. This reasoning may well ap
ply to almost any of the numerous sects
which are represented in America. It is presumed that they are but varied methods by
which man expresses his conscience and con
cept of God. It is further presumed that
ones religin can only influence a mans
political office and obligations beneficently,
that is, function as a moral mould for his
thoughts and actions.
What, however, if his church is likewise
a sovereign power, a political state? Further,
when the hierarchal head of the candidates
religin is both a religious and temporal
power, exacting from its devout adherents
absolute allegiance to its edicts, the religious
influence then is a critical one. It is no secret
or is it a derogatory remark to state that
the Romn Catholic Church has the tradi
tional ambition to re-establish the Holy

Romn Empire. It is historical fact that the

church considers itself superior to the state
and the obligations taken to it as being paramount to those vowed to temporal authority.
It is likewise fact that the Romn prelacy
and the church as an institution have made
it known that the separation of the state and
church is an invalid theory. The Romn
Church considers that it has a divine mandate to enter into the political affairs of any
nation to direct, control, and influence the
future propagation of its faith. The Romn
Church, on its very doctrinal foundation and
by its dogma, cannot accept the principie of
religious freedom. It has proclaimed itself
numerous times throughout history as the
church founded by Christ and has assumed
the attitude that all other Christian sects are
pseudo faiths and deviations.
With such reasoning the Romn Church
cannot truly be tolerant of other faiths. It
cannot accept them as equals in cultivating
the religious spirit of the individual. Wherever the Romn Church has gained supremacy by establishing Romn Catholicism as
the state religin, it has used its influence to
oppose or abolish all other religions. Spain,
Portugal, and Colombia are the most conspicuous examples.
In countries where freedom of religin
still exists and the state functions independently of religious control, the Romn Church
has attacked the principie of separation of
the church and state. It has by various
political means endeavored to compel the
state to support its parochial schools, to publish its textbooks, to provide public transpor
tation for students to its schools, and to pay
Sisters of the church as teachers in the public
schools. All of this it has accomplished with
varying degrees of success.
The Romn Church has used its boycott
methods to enforce its censorship of plays,
motion pictures, books in public libraries, and
of radio and televisin programs. An ex
ample of this is the method used to prohibit
the exhibition, in certain cities of America, of
the film Martin Luther.

JUNE, 1960

Page 123

Religin should not enter into politics in a

democratic state. But what if the religin is
of such nature that its influence cannot be
divorced from the decisin which the chief
executive of a nation must make? What if
the religin insists that the edicts issued by
its hierarchal head transcend the interests
of the state? It is not a question of whether
one is a Romn Catholic or Protestant in
terms of how he worships his deity. Rather,
it is a question of whether one who is the
executive head of the state will be obliged
to give preference to the demands of the Vatican, a foreign power.
The Romn Church functioning in any
nation is at the most only nominally sub
ordnate to that nation. It is an intemational
power seeking to re-establish itself as a su
preme religio-political world state. Its decrees
are considered infallible, as Pope Gregory
VII declared. In his Dictatus, he claimed
that the Romn Church has never erred, or
will it err to all eternity. Further, no one
may be considered a Catholic Christian who
does not agree with the Romn Church. Can,
therefore, a Romn Catholic president be
concomitantly a conscientious servant of the
state and also a devout Catholic?
There will naturally arise in the course
of world affairs events where a decisin in
accordance with true democracy and the
Constitution of the United States will conflict
with the world policy of the Romn Church.
In such an event, a Catholic president (as
Romn Catholics who hold lesser political
office) will be confronted with the desires
if not the demandsof his church. W ill he
defy his church, to which as a devout Cath
olic his obligations are sacred and, therefore,
of primary importance?
It is pur political sedation to state, and
to have the people believe, that the religious
issue should not enter into a presidential
election where a candidate is a devout Ro
mn Catholic. It is an issue that concerns
the future freedom of the conscience and

thought of a people. It likewise concems the

freedom of our allies for the same reason.
America expends great sums for foreign aid.
Who may enjoy that foreign aid may well
depend on how free we are in a religious
sense to make that decisin.
The Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, is not a
religious or a political movement. As a
world-wide Order, we have persons of per
haps every faith affiliated with us and many
members who are nonsectarian. We harbor
neither prejudice or bias toward any sect.
We present these views realistically. We
must not say that the subject is not an issue.
It is. It has been for a long time, as world
history reveis.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator
This Issues Personality
If everyone were to have remained at his
place of birth the life of each would probably
have been quite different. Likewise, if those
who did remain had not, life for them might
have been either more or less favorable than
it is. Changing environment offers many
challenges to the individual. There are de
mands made upon ones intelligence and requirements that make for adjustment, and
these in turn mold character. Frater Sergio
San Feliz Rea was one whose fortunes were
indeed favored by travel in various lands
and at an early age.
Frater San Feliz was bom January 27,1896,
cise to the Cantbrico Sea in the Province
of Asturias, Spain. His was a large family.
He was the oldest of eleven children. The
large family constituted an economic burden
upon his parents but it contributed to a splendid home atmosphere. Notwithstanding the
hard labor on the farm to provide sustenance,
a spirit of charity was always shown to the
less fortnate. Frater San Feliz says, Never
was there a beggar turned from the door.

E n tered as Second Class M atter a t th e P o s t Office a t San J o s , C alifo rn ia,

u n d er Sectio n 1 1 0 3 o f the U. S. P o s ta l A ct o f O ct. 3 , 1 9 1 7 .

The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Department
of Publication of the Supreme Council of AM O R C , at Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sterling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sterling) per yearFOR MEMBERS ONLY

Page 124

As on most all farms, young Sergio was

obliged to help with the labor at an early age.
Raised as a Catholic, Frater San Feliz, as
was customary, attended Mass regularly. His
education was in the public schools, which
were v&ry deficient. He did not realize this
deficiency until later years when he was
obliged to compnsate for it by much additional study. In the ethical sense the school
system was commendable. He was taught
to respect his elders and to show considera
tion for the weak and the destitute.
In 1912 Frater San Feliz determined to go
to Toronto, Caada. Confusion arse in the
arrangements and he was obliged not to proceed. This caused him much disappointment.
Sometime later his father again gave him
the money to go to Caada. After some disagreement with the travel agency, he sud
denly decided to go to Tampa, Florida, where
he had relatives. This, says Frater San
Feliz, proved to be a Cosmic inspiration.
In Tampa he obtained temporary work in
a cigar factory. It was customary at the
plant to have a man read news items, excerpts from philosophical works, history, and
novis to the employees for a period of three
hours each day. Frater San Feliz was encouraged by these readings to further pursue
his education. He went to night school. His
interest was in sociology because he was
quite aware of many social injustices then
existing in labor relations.
In 1918 he left Tampa and decided to investigate the realm of therapeutics, especially
drugless healing methods. Arriving in New
York, he found it impossible at the time to
pursue such studies there and so proceeded to
Toronto, Caada. In that city he eventually
enrolled in a chiropractic college and graduated in 1925.
He desired to once again visit his parents
and the land of his birth. It was while in
Spain that the word Rosacruz carne to his
attention. He cannot recall where he heard
it or if he read it, but it kept pounding in
his consciousness. He tried to trace the
source of the word. No one seemed to know.
It then became a symbol o f search for him.
The search caused him to affiliate with the
Freemasonic Order. In his numerous per
sonal contacts he carne upon a professor in
the School of Medicine at the University of
Seville. The professor had been a disciple
of the renowned mystic, Dr. Encausse (Pa-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

pus). This gentleman referred Frater San

Feliz to Rosicrucian literary sources of the
past.
The year 1937 found Frater San Feliz in
France. He decided to exile himself from
Spain because he could not reconcile himself
to the political affairs in that country. In
this revolutionary period Spain was persecuting the defeated loyalists, especially the
Freemasons. His attention was then again
drawn to the new world, this time to Caracas,
Venezuela. Three days after arriving at that
city, Frater San Feliz met Dr. Juan Branger
Benedetti. Dr. Benedetti was instrumental in
Frater San Feliz eventually Crossing the
threshold of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC,
in November of 1940.
A world of new activity now opened to
Frater San Feliz. His personal affairs prospered. He became the first Guardian of the
Rosicrucian chapter in Caracas in 1946,
which body later became the present Alden
Lodge. In 1954, Frater San Feliz carne to
Rosicrucian Park and attended a term at the
Rose-Croix University. In 1955 he was ap
pointed to the honorable and responsible
position of Master of Alden Lodge. In 1956
he was likewise appointed a member of the
International Council of Solace. On June 26,
1957, the Grand Master of AMORC appoint
ed Frater San Feliz as Inspector General for
Caracas. Again he attended a term at the
Rose-Croix University in 1958, and in 1959
served as co-chairman of the International
Rosicrucian Convention in San Jos.
Frater San Feliz is married; he has three
charming daughters and two grandchildren.
His pleasing personality and devotion to the
work of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC,
have won him numerous friends of the many
nationalities in both hemispheres.X
Forum Readers
Do your Rosicrucian member friends read
the Rosicrucian Forum? If you enjoy the
Forum, speak about it to other Rosicrucians.
Ask them if they read the Rosicrucian For
um. If they do not, then kindly explain the
advantages which you have found in being
a reader. Tell them that the information
which the Forum contains is not obtainable
in the other Rosicrucian literature. Much of
the material in its pages cannot be found
in any other publications. It might be ad-

JUNE, 1960

visable in establishing your point and in

giving emphasis to your remarks to loan your
current copy of the Forum so that the other
member may learn of its valu direct. Of
course, you should see that it is returned
to you. The subscription rates are nominal
and an announcement of them appears inside the front pages.
The Rosicrucian Forum was begun thirty
years ago, in August 1930! It was originated
by our past Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis.
He conceived it as a personal and private
publication for Rosicrucian members only.
It was his intention that the Imperator would
use its pages to write for you upon subjects
of particular interest to Rosicrucians of every
Degree of the Order. The articles were to
beand always have beenanswers to direct
questions submitted by members. Thus, the
publication is truly a forum. That this pub
lication has succeeded all these years and is
fulfilling its original purpose is indicated by
the very splendid letters acknowledging its
contents.
We also receive considerable controversial
comments. Our member-readers may have a
different viewpoint. This challenge, of course,
keeps the Forum very much alive, instructive, and liberal in its views.
Since the Forum accepts no outside adver
tising, it must be maintained wholly by its
subscription price which, as we have said,
is very nominal. Consequently, the more
copies which are printed, the more economical it is to publish each copy, and the
cost is then amortized over the total circulation. It is for this reason that we appeal to
you to obtain for us more Forum subscribers.
Have you ever thought of what a wonder
ful year-round gift a Rosicrucian Forum sub
scription would be? And how economical, as
well? If you have a Rosicrucian friend who
does not read the Forum, give him or her a
subscription gift. In this way you will accomplish two very fine things. You will
bring pleasure and enlightenment to your
friend and, as well, you will further assist
AMORC in the publication of this unique
peridica!
We welcome the questions of every Forum
reader. We need your questions if we are
to provide answers. However, try to form
your questions on subjects related to the
Rosicrucian teachings philosophical, mys
tical, and on aspects of science. The ques

Page 125

tions must be of a nature that would be of

interest to others besides yourself. Further,
the questions should not be on subjects that
have just been treated recently in the pages
of the Forum. Obviously, we do not like to
repeat a subject frequently. Questions can
not be answered in the very next issue because each issue must be prepared some time
in advance for printing.
Your kind cooperation in all these matters
will indeed be appreciated.X
Proper Emphasis
It has repeatedly been stated that one of
the costs or penalties of modern civilization
is that we live under more stress and strain
than did our ancestors. This idea has been
promoted to such an extent that it is accepted
as a basic fact. Actually it might be worth
examining whether or not this concept is
merely an accepted opinion or whether it has
a basis of truth. We are told from the
standpoint of individual health that due to
the speed and stress under which the aver
age person lives today, each individual is
more prone to certain types of disease than
was current in previous times. The statistics,
bearing this out, claim that more people to
day suffer from diseases or physical disabilities brought about or exaggerated by the
economic, social, and political pressures un
der which they live.
There is no doubt some specific relation
ship between nervous tensin, pressure, and
physical well-being. The Rosicrucians have
taught for centuries that the ideal condition of the human body is that of harmony.
By harmony they mean balance between
all parts of the body and, even more importantly, between mind and body, between
body and soul. A perfect state of harmonium
exists only when this state of harmony is
complete, and man is cognizant of the fact
that he is composed of body, mind, and soul
and tends to reglate as best he can a har
monious relationship and adjustment among
all these attributes. In other words, it is not
new to the Rosicrucian that mental states
affect bodily conditions and that, furthermore, health of the mind and awareness of
the soul are as important as the maintenance
of order and health in the physical functions
of the body.

Page 126

On the other hand, among the conditions

that affect the body are the pressures that
produce emotional reaction. An emotion that
is set off by some factor in environment can
be very strong. One can suffer definite
physical illness as a result of a complex and
particularly from a sustained emotional ex
perience. But here is an interesting factor
which has not been given much attention.
In spite of the pressures existing in todays
circumstances of living, mans emotions have
not changed substantially in the past few
hundred yearsnot more so than his physi
cal body.
There have been physical changes I admit,
but they are relatively minor; that is, the
individual today has approximatelyin fact,
has very nearthe same physical capacities,
the same physical body that his ancestors
had a thousand, two thousand, or more years
ago. Consequently, he is substantially, from
a biological point of view, the same type of
individual.
Psychologically, the same fact applies. The
individuis who lived some centuries ago
had emotional experiences similar to those of
ours today; that is, the basic emotions are
grief, fear, pleasure, and others closely re
lated to our self-preservation. When a man
is thoroughly under the influence of fear, it
makes no difference whether he lives in the
Twentieth Century or had lived in centuries
prior to the time of Christ. The emotional
reactions will be as strong, will be of the
same nature, and will affect the individual
in the same way.
What I am attempting to point out here
is that man is not living today subject to any
stronger emotional reactions than his ances
tors had experienced. If a man is scared or
if he is suffering as a result of grief, then
these emotional influences will be the same
in any period of time.
The question, then, is whether our modern
environment seems to be a means of causing
more frequent or more prolonged emotional
experiences than in the past. Possibly the
emotional circumstances of todays living are
more subtle than those in other periods of
time. This is not necessarily caused by the
changes in mans environment, but rather
by his own desires, hopes and ambitions,
whereby he has subjected himself to more
frequent and more prolonged emotional provoking circumstances.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

I know an individual, for example, who

had a profound emotional experience because
his neighbor had bought a new Cadillac.
Now, that is certainly a very artificial circumstance. To permit an emotional experi
ence to grow out of envy is not so much a
circumstance of the times as a circumstance
of the immaturity of the individual who
permits such an emotional reaction to take
place. We should not permit ourselves to be
govemed by the behavior of others insofar
as that behavior has no bearing upon our
own general well-being or development or
upon the development and well-being of
society in general.
To be so enviously concemed about the
accomplishments, possessions, or attainments
of another individual as to allow that cir
cumstance to create an emotional impact
upon ones own life is substantially a lack
of ability to cope with the environment in
which we live, except on a very immature
basis. An adult individual with a mature
point of view should be concemed first about
his own development, about his own life,
and not necessarily judge that development
or his own accomplishments by the physical
possessions of someone else.
To follow this same line of thought a little
further, the individual to whom I referred
finally bought a Cadillac himself, and in
doing so created a debt. He is now involved
in another emotional experience as a result
of the sacrifices he is having to provide for
the appearance and prestige that he believes
he has gained. It is most unfortunate when
a brand ame of any material object becomes
indirectly the cause of a heart attack, ulcers,
or emotional disturbance. Nevertheless, this
situation exists.
As I have already pointed out, there is a
degree of immaturity on the part of the in
dividual who permits the emotional impact
of an experience to play such a predominant
part in his life. This, in turn, is partly due
to the fact that in much that we experience
today the emphasis is placed in the wrong
position. We are being geared, as it were,
to a life of climaxes.
A good example of this is found in what
someone has called the monster of the living
room, that is, the televisin set. I am not
going to begin a general criticism of tele
visin, but I want to point out that, in the
process of a program produced and intro-

JUNE, 1960

duced into the home in a limited amount of

time, the emphasis is frequently in the wrong
place.
Sometime ago I watched a televisin pre
sentaron of a classicRobert Louis Stevensons Treasure lsland. There was nothing
that could be criticized insofar as the mechanics of the presentation was concerned
and in the acting of the individuis, but the
scope of a long novel was packed into such
a very short time that what actually took
place was a series of dramatizations of the
climactic points of this story. The part of the
book which provides the background, or shall
we say the continuity, which has made it
reach the status of a classic, was not touched
upon. What occurred was a series of drama
tizations, and the events portrayed were, of
course, the outstanding events. It gave one
the impression that the individuis partici
pating in this dramatization lived through
one climactic emotional experience after the
other in rapid succession without continuity,
without connection, without reason.
If we are forced to be observers of such
presentations and to see only the high points
of emotional compact as exemplified in a
story in which the background is told in
more detail, then gradually we are going to
subject ourselves to thinking of life as a
series of emotional circumstances. Actually,
most of our lives are relatively smooth
that is, if we look back over the past year,
or five years, upon events that were of im
portance to us. There were the climaxes of
our lives as they occurred, but if we had to
relive our lives by simply living those cli
mactic experiences one after another without
the not-so-emotional periods in between, we
would in the end probably find ourselves ill
or very emotionally upset. Life provides the
times that are not periods of climax, the
times of relaxation, the times of routine
which are also important insofar as our total
experience of life is concerned.
Therefore, in our own lives, in dealing with
personal problems and being concemed with
our welfare, we must be careful how we arrange the emphasis. If every individual
would examine all of his or her problems,
with a full realization of true vales insofar
as their relationship to the universe is con
cemed, he could then place these problems
in proper category and judge them not neces
sarily in connection with each other and in

Page 127

connection with the desires, achievements,

accomplishments or gains of other people,
but merely as they stand in direct relation
ship to himself. He would be rearranging
the emphasis, putting them in proper order,
and distributing his energy in solving them.
Many problems fail to be solved by the
emphasis we place upon them. Such empha
sis causes them to lose perspective. We then
drain ourselves emotionally and worry about
the problems, rather than taking proper steps
to attempt their solution.
Therefore, we might say that if modem
times and modern civilization have become
a burden to humanity, it is not because of
this modem civilization itself but rather the
emphasis we place on things. If we feel that
the esteem of our neighbors is more impor
tant than anything else, we are going to be
influenced and led into unwise steps in try
ing to keep up with them. But if we fully
believe that the fu n d am en tal virtues,
the real vales of life, are found in the contemplation of the infinite and our place in
relation to it, then the fact that our neigh
bors, acquaintances, or friends may have
possessions which we would like also to have
can be recognized in that light and not by
overburdening ourselves with responsibilities
that will lead to emotional complications and
cause us to create rather than to solve
problems.
Proper emphasis, then, is the result of
proper analysis in considering our own place
in the scheme of things, and the relationship
of all the events of our lives to that scheme
of things and to our whole life. In the Cos
mic, man is but one point of manifestation.
Fulfillment of mans purpose is in his rerelating himself to the Cosmic. By being too
much involved with the physical world in
which we now exist, we draw away from the
attainments that should be our hearts tme
desire. When we place emphasis upon what
we really want and the ends to be attained,
the intermediary steps become less of an
obstacle to surmount.A
Purpose of Being
Many men have asked themselves why
they exist. Some of the classics of literature
contain thoughts expressing observations
which men have made conceming their
destiny. The question will continu to be

Page 128

asked as long as man is a thinking being for

the simple reason that to a certain extent it
is in such a question that man realizes his
own destiny.
The asking of the question is a step that
goes beyond the circumstances that usually
occupy mans mind when he is faced with
the question. By this I mean that when
man is satisfied, contented and happy, he is
not often concerned with his existence. It is
when he is faced with problems, difficulties,
grief or other pressing situations from within
his immediate environment that he pauses
to ask himself why he should exist at all or
what, after all, is his purpose of being.
Purpose and destiny are, of course, closely
related, or we might say that destiny and
finality are terms that have to do with the
ultmate purpose of being and the ultmate
analysis of life as a whole. Actually, we find
that any attempt we make to explore this
realm of thought, even though we acknowledge our inability to arrive at a final and
comprehensive answer, is to become involved
in terminology, concepts, and philosophies of
the past.
These concepts influence our outlook and
decisions so that it becomes rather difficult
to approach the question of purpose with an
entirely open mind and a complete realiza
tion of a situation applying peculiarly to us
and one that can be applied only to circum
stances which exist about us. In other words
conclusions reached by men on the subject
of destiny and being are usually influenced
by the same conclusions as have been reached
by other men. Our religions and philosophies
are more or less an accumulation of these
conclusions and even the man who may not
be well read is affected by the viewpoints
that have come to him from various sources.
Nevertheless, to analyze partly from a psy
chological point of view, the realization that
destiny is finality helps us to clear our
thoughts. Whether this be for a man or a
physical object, the eventual destiny is the
final end of any entity. For example, the
finality or destiny of a pencil is to write.
For a man, it is to live. The pencil fulfills
its real destiny when it writes well or proper
ly. Man fulfills his destiny and, therefore,
approaches his final purpose or purpose of
being when he lives perfectly. From this
point of view, the final end of being, and
within that final end is, of course, included

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

its purpose, is to realize fully the nature of

self or the nature of being. For the pencil,
its destiny is to write well; for the man, to
live well. But the difference between a
man and a pencil or any other tool used by
man exists in the fundamental nature of the
man and of the tool.
A tool being an instrument, a physical
entity, by its nature cannot motvate or act
vate itself. It is always dependent upon
external forces. Its purpose or destiny is
realized only by its being managed or di
rected by another entityin this case, a living
being. A tool, such as a pencil or any other
object, is inert. When lying on a table by
itself, it is nothing more than a material
entity. Its destiny is not within its own be
ing, but only as it is, in a sense, forced upon
it by an external object or powerthat is,
through the motivation conceived and exe
cuted by a thinking being.
Man, on the other hand, as distinguished
from a tool, motivates and activates himself.
He is capable of realizing his destiny by him
self without outside direction. Man is not
dependent upon the motivation that is initiated by objects in his external physical
environment. It is true that environment as
a whole plays a part upon all our actions and
indirectly has to do with the shaping of
motivations and actions, but physical en
vironment does not, in itself, perform the
function or motivation or activation. Man as
a reasoning entity is able to initiate such
functions through his reason and then put
his ideas into actual overt expression.
I have referred to the fact that the pencil
can lie on a table and be inert. It has only
a potential purpose. There is in its existence
no apparent destiny, finality, or purpose of
being. But it can be picked up by you or
me and put to a specific use. In other words,
the pencil or any physical tool lacks selfmotivation. It, therefore, is isolated from
fulfilling its destiny or its purpose through
lack of self-motivation. It is completely an
island in itself until some other forc causes
it to be something more than an inert object.
Man also can be considered, insofar as he
is a physical entity, of being isolated in space
or isolated in his own environment. But the
difference between man and any other physi
cal object is that he has within himself the
ability to transcend this isolation in proportion to his realization of the forces that func-

JUNE, 1960

tion or manifest in him which are in addition

the physical entity that he is. In other
words, man is more than the physical composition of which he is composed. While
there are material elements in him such as
are also in the pencil, there is also a forc
of life within him, and this forc produces a
source of energy, and participation in the
scope of the universe far beyond that of any
purely physical object.
For this reason, man need not be continually an isolated entity. He is able to
particpate in functions and activities by his
own effort and by his own initiative that is
not possible for a physical object. It is in
this respect that destiny and finality, insofar
as they are related to physical objects in comparison to their relationship to a rational
human being, have a considerably different
basis of expression.
There are, of course, many physical ob
jects. There is more than one pencil. There
is more than one man. Humanity is the sum
of all men, but in affirming and realizing his
transcendency (that is, his position in ad
vance of other physical entities) while participating as a member of the human race,
man is also a unique individual; that is, he
is a living soul.
In his capacity as a living soul, man fur
ther transcends isolated physical objects in
space, and to the extent that each individual
realizes the life forc or divine essence with
in him, he raises himself above the standard
of being merely another human being among
many others. Humanity, then, consists of
the physical entities that make up the human
race, and it also consists of those who have
been able to transcend this physical existence
to gain abilities, knowledge, and expression
which lie at a higher level. The individual
who gains awareness of his inner self becomes one of those human beings who is
able to express himself as a living soul and,
therefore, be one of those who give a pur
pose of being to humanity as a whole.
As a living soul, man is subject to a different law and order than exists on the
Physical plae. He is also subject to another
ar^a of law and order. By his nature, he
therefore, escape the limitations of the
Physical world and even the destiny of a
Physical human being while the tool or ma
chine cannot escape the essence of its own
^eiiig. By transcending the limitations of

Page 129

the physical world, man achieves an exist

ence, a realization, which carries him beyond
the potentialities of any physical entity.
Man, therefore, has great potentialities.
He, too, is a complex, physical being that
can accomplish a great many things at a
physical level, but also, as a living soul, he
can go beyond any physical accomplishment.
When man fails to achieve his destiny, both
as a physical being and as a soul-personality,
it is because of his inability or lack of desire
to release himself from the restrictions of the
material universe. It is doubtful that lack
of ability should ever interfere since each
man has the right to, or is endowed with,
the potentialities which make it possible for
him to look beyond the physical universe.
Lack of motivation, desire to be or to live to
the fullest extent of his possibilities, is usu
ally the limiting factor.
Man limits himself, that is, he fails to take
into consideration his immaterial potentiali
ties by giving too much attention to himself
as a physical being. He is too interested in the
appeasement of his appetites and the desire
to live as a physical entity. He may also
limit himself by directing all his attention
to other physical human beings as such, not
in consideration of the potentialities of their
development as living souls but as physical
entities with limited ideis and purposes.
Man often limits himself by developing a
desire to live for no other purpose than to
attain physical possessions or objects.
By taking any of these steps, man lowers
himself to the level of a tool and actually
becomes a tool in a sense because he, too,
loses the ability of self-motivation. He becomes controlled by external physical forces
just as the tool depends upon external physi
cal forces. The man who does not realize his
psychic or spiritual qualities and devotes
himself to the attainment of the satisfaction
of physical desires and the gaining of ma
terial vales is exactly like the pencil lying
on a table that is unable to realize its destiny
because there is no motivating forc to act
vate it except some physical object that may
press upon it in one way or another.
If man is going to learn to fulfill his des
tiny, he must do it first by a desire to raise
himself above the restrictions and limitations
of a physical world. It is by the use of the
abilities with which he is born, above all by
the use of reason, experience and feeling,

Page 130

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

that he is able to alter his course from a

physical tool to a living soul. These three
attributes seem to be primarily a possession
of man given to him, it would seem, for the
purpose of accomplishing the end of distinguishing himself from other physical enti
ties in existence on the face of this planet.
Reason gives man the ability to penetrate
beyond the obvious impressions which regis
ter on his physical senses. It is through
reason that he is able to coordnate the perceptive impressions reaching his mind and
to store that knowledge for future use.
Through mans living, he gains experience
which can be drawn on repeatedly, and he
can also, by studying history and the worlds
literature, philosophies and religions, draw
upon the experience of others. We must also
remember that man is a sentient being. He
has the ability to express the emotion of
compassion, not expressed by other living
creatures with which we are familiar.
Man can vicariously assume the difficulties
and problems of others. In this manner he
participates in a relationship between human
beings that is higher than those of purely a
physical nature and level. By fully using
his ability of reason, experience and feeling,
man is able to motvate himself to the de
gree of attaining the transcendent point of
view that looks beyond and over the limita
tions of man as a physical being whose pur
pose or destiny is only to be manipulated
like a tool in a physical world. Reason, feel
ing, and experience give man the ability to
be aware of himself as a living soul. He can
thereby place proper valu on the physical
part of his being as a vehicle to carry him
to certain experiences that will lead him to a
time and place for the further perfeetion of
his soul-personality w hich w ill endure
through all eternity.A
Sun Worship
Another frater asks our Forum: What are
the similarities and differences in sun wor
ship in various times and among different
peoples? In particular, I am interested with
reference to the Egyptians and the Incas.
The worship of the sun and the inclusin
of it in sacrosanct rites is prominent in primi
tive religions and in many of the highly
organized ancient religions. The subject has
been extensively written upon by anthro-

pologists, archaeologists, and by authorities

on comparative religin. The literary sources
on this subject, therefore, are very voluminous. We can only hope, in the space provided, to show briefly the trem endous
importance the sun had in the religious and
social life of ancient and primitive peoples.
It must be realized that primitive peoples
and those of ancient civilizations were more
contiguous to the phenomena of nature than
most peoples of today. The majority of these
peoples were dependent upon agriculture,
fishing, and hunting as a livelihood. The
skilled crafts and trades, though often highly
developed, as in Egypt, Phoenicia, and
Greece, employed a relatively few persons.
Further, many early cultures were composed
of nomadic peoples. They drove their flocks
and herds from one fertile area to another,
living simply in tents made of the skins of
animals.
The great sky was a source of continual
interest to such people during lonely hours
when their tasks were finished. Artificial
illumination was crude and encouraged little
work or recreation by its means. The heav
ens, therefore, provided tremendous fascination. As these simple people looked up into
the black canopy stretching over their heads,
they could not help wondering about the
shimmering rays of light which they saw.
What were they? Were they alive? Were
they gods or goddesses? Did they direct or
in any way influence the lives of mortals?
The clusters of stars that composed the
constellations assumed various forms. To the
fertile imagination of these sky-gazers these
constellations resembled animals, reptiles,
and so forth. The ames of these constella
tions today had their origin in these early
observations. It is just as we may see a
cloud formation which, to our imagination,
suggests some face or object.
The most important celestial phenomenon
has always been the sun. It is most promi
nent in the sky and its effects upon terrestrial
things and on man himself must have been
observed early in the ascent of man. Thus
man carne to learn his dependence upon its
heat and light. The sun appeared far su
perior to the moon and to the visible planets
because, when it appeared, they were subordinated or became entirely invisible. The
diumal journey of the sun, its apparent path
across the sky, was an awesome and perplex-

JUNE, 1960

ing phenomenon to many of the ancients.

The sun seemed actually to rise in the East
from behind a distant mountain or to come
up from out of the depths of the sea.
The fierce heat of the sun implied that it
was a powerful entity and one of great vigor.
Its brilliance suggested majesty and royalty.
All of these qualities men were accustomed
to attribute to a great leader, king or super
natural being.
In Babylonia, the pellucid atmosphere
made the celestial bodies seem relatively
cise. This inspired the study of their movements and speculation upon their origin and
purpose. Out of such study and speculation
there was engendered astrolgy and the
rudiments of the science of astronomy.
Among the ancients the sun, moon, and visi
ble planets were placed in a kind of hierarchal order. Thus they were arranged
according to their conceived power and rank.
The sun was always in a superior position
and the moon, next. The early alchemists
imagined a relation between prominent met
is and the sun, moon, and planets. The sun,
therefore, was a symbol of gold, the moon,
silver, and so on.
The civilization of ancient Egypt is the
longest in the history of the world. Conse
quently, there developed slowly from primi
tive cosmological concepts highly organized
theologies throughout the many centuries. In
that land of almost continuous cloudless skies,
the intense light and heat of the sun compelled the Egyptians to resort to various
measures to cope with them. The power of
the sun, therefore, commanded respect and
awe, both of which are psychological ele
ments that enter into reverence and worship.
The Egyptian kings and pharaohs were
recognized as representatives of the sun. The
sun was a divinity. The king was his son.
Therefore, he was also divine. One of the
ancient rituals required the Egyptian king,
as representative of the sun, to walk solemnly
around the walls of the temple in order to
assure that the sun should perform his daily
journey around the sky without interruption. The solar boat is seen inscribed on
many monuments in Egypt. It is a vessel
which was thought to transport Ra, the sun
deity, across the heavens, thence beneath the
earth and again to the East where he would
light the heavens in the moming.

Page 131

After the autumnal equinox the ancient

Egyptians held a festivity called the festivity of the suns walking stick. It was thought
that, as the luminarys light and heat diminished in the autumn, he would need a
staff to lean upon. The festivity was to symbolically provide him with such a staff.
Ra, the sun-god, was the god of the Heliopolitan priesthood. He was one of an Egyp
tian pantheon of deities but was quite
generally accepted as the supreme god,
especially in Lower Egypt. Tiy, the mother
of Amenhotep IV, was well acquainted with
the theology of Ra, the sun-god. Also, the
husband of his nurse was reputed to have
once been a priest at Heliopolis, the See of
Ra. The sensitive and aesthetic young Amen
hotep must have often meditated upon the
stories he had learned from his nurse and
from his mother of the powerful god of the
sky.
I think it very appropriate at this point to
quote from the excellent work, Son of the
Sun, by Savitri Devi and published by
AMORC:
Yet, one can imagine Prince Amen
hotep, a delicate and sensitive child,
stooping to pick up a fledgling fallen
from its nest, because he felt for the
frage drop of life; or smoothing down
with his little hands the burning-hot fur
of a cat lying in the suna sight so com
mon in ancient Egypt, where those
graceful felines were universally cared
forand enjoying to see how, while it
purred, it kept gazing at the faraway
disk with its half-shut emerald eyes. He
loved the sun as a living and loving god,
and, being by nature kind to living creatures, he loved them all the more in
Him.
Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, while still a
young man, rebelled against the Amen priest
hood and established a new capital city,
Akhetaten. This city was dedicated to the
new monotheistic religin which he estab
lished. To him there was one god and Aton,
the sun disk, was the symbol of this deity.
He changed his ame from Amenhotep,
meaning, Amen is pleased to Akhenaten,
Joy of the Disk. The sun was not wor
shipped in itself. Rather, it was the cosmic
energy which emanated from it that was the
object of his devotion. This energy was con
ceived to be the universal Creative forc

Page 132

by which all things carne into existence. His

conception of a divine universal forc radiating through the sun was too far in advance
of his time for general acceptance. We might
say that it was a religio-scientific conception.
The reverence that Akhenaten had for this
sol god and the Aton symbol is magnificently expressed in his renowned Hymns to the
Sun. There is a certain parallelism between
them and some of the psalms in the Bible.
We quote but a few lines from one of these
beautiful verses:
T hy dawning is beautiful in the
horizon of the sky,
O, living Aton, beginning of life!
W hen thou risest in the eastern
horizon,
Thou fillest every land with thy
beauty,
Thou art beautiful, great, glittering,
high above every land,
Thy rays, they encompass the lands,
even all that thou hast made.
The Brahmans make offering in the moming to assure the rising of the sun. They say
of the sun assuredly it would not rise were
one not to make that offering. The Greeks
believed the sun drove a chariot across the
sky. It is related that the Rhodians flung
a chariot and four horses each year into the
sea for the sun. Presumably they thought
that the horses that pulled the suns chariot
might tire. Therefore, this immolation of the
horses was to provide the sun with fresh
teams. The Spartans and the Persians also
sacrificed horses to the sun. The Spartans
sacrificed from Mt. Taygetus, a beautiful
range behind which the luminary set each
night.
The ancient Mexicans conceived the sun
as a source of all vital power. As a conse
quence, they named him Ipoluemohuani,
meaning He by whom men live. Since the
sun bestowed life, it was thought that it, too,
must have its vigor periodically revived. As
the heart was the symbol of life and vitality,
the bleeding hearts of men and women were
presented to the sun to maintain him in
vigor and enable him to run the course of the
sky. The most barbarous wars were con
ducted each year so as to obtain captives for
this monstrous human sacrifice.
Similar rites were performed by the Mayans in Yucatn. I have visited and photo-

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

graphed the sacrificial altar where, peri

odically in the past, youths and maidens
were laid on their backs, their chests were
split open with obsidian knives and their
bloody hearts, while still pulsating, were
tom from their bodies and given as an offer
ing to the sun and other deities by the priests.
The Incas had a well-established religin
in which the sun was the focal point of devotion. The sun-god was named Ynti. His
sister-wife, the moon, was Quilla. Cuzco,
visited by the Rosicrucian Camera Expedition, high in the Andes of Per, was once
the capital of the Inca Empire. There still
remain in Cuzco the foundation stones of the
Temple of the Sun, which is surrounded by
the temples of lesser deities of the Inca
pantheon. The planet Venus was said to be
the page of the sun, and thunder and lightning were his ministers.
Like the pharaohs of Egypt, the Inca was
conceived to be the son of the sun. Chaste
young girls from noble families were selected
to be virgins of the sun. They were placed
in institutions, actually convents, at a tender
age to dedicate themselves to the service of
the sun. They were under a kind of governess called mamaconas. Life in these institu
tions was very circumspect. No moral transgressions were permitted. If any girl deviated
from the moral mandates, she was punished
by being buried alive. Chastity and purity
within the institution was an inviolate rule.
These virgins were taught to make fine garments, to spin, weave, and paint. Some of
the finest examples of Inca art are the work
of these virgins of the sun.
Since these maidens were considered
brides of the sun> the Inca, being a son of
the sun, was allowed to choose concubines
from among them. When he tired of them,
they were released and sent back to their villages. They were provided for during the
rest of their lives and were honored by the
people.
Even our modern scientific knowledge and
theories conceming the nature of the sun
cannot prevent us from having a kind of
affinity for it. Perhaps it is our primitive
inheritance, but we cannot fail to recognize
the sun as one of the greatest cosmic phe
nomena intimately affecting our lives and
for which we have a deep emotional feeling.
Its energy is in us and almost all that we

JUNE, 1960

Page 133

desire or need is equally dependent upon it.

This dependence, then, creates in us an emo
tional bondage for the sun that coid reason
and knowledge find it difficult to shed.X
Cosmic Guidance
A frater of New York now addresses our
Forum: In complete attunement with the
Cosmic Consciousness, theoretically our SoulPersonality is capable of knowing all, of
reading the akashic records and then being
able to convey the necessary information to
our mind. It would seem, then, that the
evolvement of the Soul-Personality by reincamation is necessary only to attain the
faculty of intelligence and the facility of
psychic attunement with the Cosmic Con
sciousness.
A frater of California also asks our Forum
a related question. He says: During our
studies we gradually aim to expand our ob
jective consciousness by bringing into it the
contents of our total unconsciousness. The
shadow or veil between the objective and
subjective consciousness may be said to become thinner and thinner. This results in
the increased knowledge and the enlargement of the consciousness of man. I have
read that the annexing to our Soul-Personality from the deeper layers of the unconscios may lead to a state of inflation which
may change man for the worse. Please discuss how the Rosicrucian teachings will
guard against or prepare us for such infla
tion; and further, please comment on the
possibility of any hazards faced by the stu
dent if he is suddenly called upon to experi
ence an influx from the unconscious into his
objective consciousness.
Let us begin with the questions of the first
frater. The soul is an extensin of the Cosmic
or Universal Soul, in the Rosicrucian and
mystical doctrines. In essence, whatever
qualities the Cosmic possesses, the human
soul also possesses. We are taught, in contrast to tiie older theological notions, that
there are no variations of soul perfeetion or
omniscience. That which does vary and
which evolves is the personality. Succinctly
stated, the personality is the image and the
soul is the object. The personality as an
image is but a reflection of the soul. It is
not a perfect image because it needs to reflect

itself through the encompassing elements of

the human organism and objective conscious
ness.
That which is refined, evolved and perfected, then, is this image of the soul, that is,
the Soul-Personality. The more evolved the
personality, the more illumined it becomes,
and the more it represents in its expression
the qualities of the soul. The truly spiritually enlightened person is one whose person
ality is therefore more in harmony with his
soul. In other words, the image resembles
more closely the object, the soul.
The personality can never, however, possess the complete knowledge of the soul.
Mortal man can never acquire the omnis
cience of the Cosmic itself. But gradually,
through quickening and evolving the con
sciousness, man does expand the personality.
He does add to his objective knowledge
through what is ordinarily called intuition.
It would be more proper to say that from his
subconscious self, from the soul source, man
acquires a wisdom, a superior judgment. We
do not actually receive from the Cosmic a
font of facts, empirical knowledge in the na
ture of words or sense qualities. Rather, we
are more particularly guided by a difficultto-define impression that motivates us to take
this or that course of action. Our judgments,
under the subtle impressions of this subcon
scious influence, prove to be more accurate
and dependable than our usual reason.
Sometimes this Cosmic wisdom, this su
perior knowledge of the soul, or cali it the
intuitive faculty, constitutes an exceptional
perception. By this we mean that it is an
inexplicable insight. Usually there are no
empirical grounds for this insight, that is, no
objective reality to support the feeling we
have of the gentle urge for us to act in the
way we do.
Actually, reason, or what is popularly
called common sense (meaning the reason of
common experience) will often oppose this
Cosmic guidance. It may seem to us that
the guidance impulse is not rational, not
logical, and that it may be, in fact, quite
opposed to our customary experience. Because of this, many persons disregard what
the uninformed may cali hunches. They
think of such as being an inner emotional
response to a circumstance which should be
subordinated to coid reason. As a result,

Page 134

these persons lose the advantage which could

come to them from such Cosmic guidance.
This Cosmic guidance, that is mystically
in accordance with the Cosmic laws governing our composite being, must not be confused with emotionality, instability, or impetuosity. As most of us know, impetuosity
is experienced as a more or less sudden im
pulse or desire to act in a certain way. We
cannot really explain why we respond to
such impulses except that to do so provides
a momentary gratification. However, the re
sults of such impetuosity, as some of us have
come to realize, can be quite disastrous.
Conversely, mystical guidance is a kind of
gentle persuasin. It does not have the
fervor of desire and does not insist in an irritating way. Further, since it is a form of
higher judgment there accompanies it a kind
of reasoning. In other words, there is plausibility to the persuasin. However, the reason
ing accompanying the Cosmic guidance may
actually run counter to our previous personal
experience or what we may have studied or
learned about the circumstances which confront us. Since by habit we usually conform
to our reason and experience, we are apt to
think of the Cosmic impression as possibly
being erroneous and thus, as we have said,
may disregard it to our ultmate regret.
How many opportunities for improving
ourselves and our affairs have we lost because we had disregarded our Cosmic im
pulses! Actually, we may never know. We
push aside the impressions as being impractical and, instead, we act in accordance with
experience and reason. When we do the
latter, events may not be disastrous to us;
in fact, they may be normal in effect. Con
sequently, we may think that we acted wisely. However, had we submitted, had we
obeyed the Cosmic impulses, the results
should have been far more to our immediate
benefit.
Now, we will specifically answer the sec
ond fraters question. If one acquires good
judgment and makes many favorable decisions as the result of Cosmic guidance and
then becomes egostical because of it, he
forfeits his Cosmic contact. Having an inflated ego would mean that the individual
attributes the higher judgment and wisdom
he has exhibited to a condition wholly centered in his objective self, will, and reason.
This very attitude, then, would bring about

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

a detachment, that is, a relative separation

from the necessary harmonious attunement
between the outer and inner states of con
sciousness out of which Cosmic guidance
arises. An individuals lack of humility
would figuratively shut the door to the
very guidance he had previously received.
The individual would soon realize what he
had done.
The Rosicrucian is told of the danger of
egotism which might arise from the growing
power derived from Cosmic guidance. He
needs only to accept the admonishment and
be humble in the application of his source
of wisdom. If he fails to do so, the cessation
of the impressions becomes to him a most
effective lesson.
There are no hazards to be experienced
by a sudden influx from our subconscious
being. True Cosmic guidance is always for
the welfare of the individual. Further, it is
always interpreted in the terminology and
on the intellectual level of the particular in
dividual. The guidance may be profound in
its ultmate development or whatever it accomplishes for the individual. But it is ex
perienced in the simplicity of ones language,
within the realm of ones objective comprehension. Simply stated, Cosmic guidance
must always use the objective vehicle for its
expression.X
Pantheism God in Things
A soror, now addressing our Forum, asks:
How does pantheism differ from modern
Christianity? Is there any relationship be
tween the two? What are pantheisms most
distinctive attributes?
Concisely, pantheism, as the word indicates, implies that God is in things or that
all things are of God. God is conceived by
the pantheist as an all-pervading essence out
of which the variations of reality have their
existence. This is not to be construed as
meaning that any single expression of reality
is in itself the plethora or full nature of God.
The God essence is not confined to a par
ticular substance or quality, such as soul,
which is embodied in the nature of man. A
rock or stone, as well as an animate thing,
the pantheist believes, has this Creative, allpervading forc of God in it.
From the viewpoint of the philosophy of
Pantheism, the universe and God are synon-

JUNE, 1960

ymous. There is no such dualism as a

transcendent God who, on the one hand,
exists and, on the other, creates the world
apart from Himself. God is the universe.
When one looks upon a tree, a cloud, a star,
or any creature, no matter how humble, he is
experiencing a mode of the all-embracing
God. God is but another ame for the underlying energy and intelligence by which ev
erything is, but it has not just been created
by this essence, it is of it.
It is quite apparent that the pantheist excludes a personal God or an anthropomorphic
being as a deity, of which man is said to be
an image. In pantheism, God is not remte.
He is everywhere and in everything. He is
the continual expression of what we perceive.
It is obvious that there is something of a
parallelism between the ideas of pantheism
and naturalism, especially in the universality
which they both expound. Naturalism teaches
a mechanical universe, that is, material forces
which account for all of reality. Pantheism,
on the other hand, speaks of a mind cause.
The cause is God, as a purposeful motivation
working in and consisting of the nature of
all things.
Pantheism and vitalism are thus related.
God is a vital, living, thinking cause. He, as
the essence of all things, brings about a de
velopment and evolutionary trend by which
some things become a more complex expres
sion of His nature than do others. In panthe
ism there is also an awareness, a God con
sciousness., in all reality. God, in the smallest material element, is the conscious, the
knowing order, of its development. Conversely, in naturalism, things manifest by a
blind series of forces that apparently coincide
with a pattern which man recognizes as an
order.
Pantheism, to the liberal mind, has an
appeal that is not shocking to such a minds
religious sense. The world, according to
pantheism, is not just a material substance,
devoid of the infusin of the spirit of God.
It is not evil, or a corruption or retrogression from a high and divine state as so many
theologies conceive it. Rather, it is held that
the world, as matter, is intrinsically good,
for it is of God. Its attributes are of Him.
If one tries to understand the function of all
things, relate them to each other and then
to himself, he is brought into harmony with
God. Nothing is out of harmony with God

Page 135

for nothing is divorced from His nature.

Evil is not inherent; it cannot be in anything
in nature according to the pantheistic con
ception. Evil is only as man wrongly applies
things of the world and thereby comes to
create things which he calis by that ame.
It is erroneous to think that the pantheist
is apotheosizing things of the world, that is,
making particular gods of them. Since to the
pantheist all things are of God, even far
more than man can perceive, it is folly for
man to worship any single thing or a collec
tion of them as God. Man must worship God
in the impersonal universal sense, as mind
and energy assuming the multitude of ex
pressions which we experience.
Certainly Pharaoh Akhnaton was a pan
theist, though heralded as a monotheist. The
Aton, the sun disk, was a symbol of the Cre
ative energy of the universe. Its rays, as
Akhnatons hymns to Aton expound, de
scended into the earth and sea and are the
divine cause of all things.
Plutarch tells of an inscription appearing
in the temple of Isis: I am all that hath
been, is, or shall be; and no mortal has lifted
my veil. Here the mother goddess is identified with all reality. The Kabala of the
ancient Jews is pantheistic in that God, as
the power of word, expressed in letters of
the alphabet and in numeris, composed the
essence of all being.
Most of the Greek philosophers before the
6th century, B. C., were pantheists. Xenophanes, inveighing against the od theology
of the gods as heroic beings, said: But
mortals think the gods are bom as they are
and have perception like theirs and voice and
form. To Xenophanes, God is one eternal
nature, that pervades all things. To Parmenides, also of the period, there is only
being. God, he declared, is an unchanging
being, a continuous substance of which all
things consist. What can be spoken of and
thought of is; for it is possible for it to be,
and it is not possible for what is nothing
to be.
Baruch Spinoza expounded that God is an
infinite substance. His attributes are infinite
in number having various modes. Of all the
attributes of which the divine substance con
sists, only two are known to man, namely,
thought and extensin (space). Spinoza said:
. . . God, who is the first and only free
cause, as well as of the essence of all things

Page 136

as of their existence. A personal god was

not acceptable to Spinoza because it was not
worthy of the divine.
There has been and is considerable re
ligious objection to pantheism, especially on
the part of Christianity. It fears pantheism
on the grounds that it must oblitrate moral
distinctions and destroy faith in God with
whom man must converse. Here we see the
belief that it is necessary to conceive God as
a personal being, a specific image, so that
man may have communion with the deity.
We recall the objection that Xenophanes
raised toward this conception nearly twentyfive hundred years ago. He said in part,
speaking of mans practice of attributing
human qualities to God, Yes, and if oxen
and lions had hands and could paint with
their hands and produce works of art as men
do, horses would paint the forms of gods like
horses and oxen, like oxen. Each would
represent them with bodies according to the
form of each. So the Ethiopians make
their God black and snub-nosed; the Thracians give theirs red hair and blue eyes.
Is it not possible for man, in an environ
ment conducive to the elevation of his con
sciousness, to quietly attune with nature and
experience the Gods essence within her?
Can man ever be any closer to God than
when there wells up within him a great love
and reverence for the majesty of natures dis
play which he views? When man for the
moment realizes the unity of all, the matrix
of reality of which he is a part and senses
the power of the Cosmic, he is then en rapport with God. Certainly, it must be agreed
that God is more than what man objectively
experiences, but what he does perceive is of
God. Of what other source would it be?
Why must man imagine God as something
apart from what is? Assuredly the pantheist
glorifies the infinity of God more than any
single image of Him can do.
A religious objection has been that, if God
is in all things, then what about that which
is evil and sinful? It, too, then would em
brace God. How can we reconcile the divine,
the perfect, the good, with its opposite? This
viewpoint, as said before, is erroneously
founded on the premise that there is an abso
lute evil which exists. The pantheists contending that God is in all things does not
admit of a positive evil. What men term
evil is functional in relation to their per

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sonal perspective. The evil man is one with

a destructive and wrong interpretation of
life and social vales. Innately, however,
he is no more evil than is the substance of
any other being, animate or inanimate.X
I Am That I Am
A soror now rises to ask our Forum:
What is AMORCs interpretation or expla
nation of the Biblical phrase, I am that I
am?
The question refers to Exodus 3:14: And
God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM:
and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the
children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto
you. It is not our custom to endeavor to
interpret quotations from the Bible. First,
the Bible is a universal book; that is, it is so
written that persons of every level of intelli
gence and variation of education may derive
some meaning from it. There are those who
are wont to interpret the Bible in a wholly
literal sense, accepting each word for the
apparent meaning it conveys. There are
others who construe its terminology symbolically and esoterically. Consequently, it
is obviously difficult to have an agreement
on Biblical meanings. Since, also, the Rosi
crucian Order does not promlgate any re
ligious sect and is not a religious institution
itself, it is appropriate that we do not become
embroiled in religious controversy.
However, the particular phrase mentioned
above has often been referred to in mystical
literature. It has a particular esoteric quality
that would seem to require a mystical or at
least a philosophical explanation for under
standing. On these grounds we can endeavor
to give an explanation.
First, the words are said to have been
spoken by God to Moses. They are apparently a designation of the deity but spoken in
an abstract manner. In other words, how
would a Supreme Being, that is all things
and whose nature exceeds human perception
and apperception, describe Himself? Any
particular delineation in terms of form or
human sense qualities would detract in the
human mind from Gods ubiquitous nature.
A particularly limiting description of God
would not bring about a universal acceptance
of Him. Presume that an individual had an
intmate conception of the deity. This image
brought him peace of mind and a spiritual

JUNE, 1960

satisfaction, as it does to millions of persons.

Then, further presume that another person,
holding an exceptionally authoritative posi
tion as did Moses, were to come forth and
describe God in terms that were quite at
variance with the individual^ image of the
deity. Let us further suppose that the
authoritative person were to declare that
such was the manner in which God described
Himself.
From such circumstances serious confusion
would arise. The intimacy which the indi
vidual had with his own consciousness of
God and for which he would have an allegiance and devotion would cause him to
doubt, if not challenge, the statement of
Moses.
The phrase, I am that I am, precludes
such a sitation. We might better under
stand this, if we take the liberty of changing
the phrase to: I am all of that which men
think a great and beneficent God to be. God
could be neither less or more than what
constitutes his whole being. Again, we might
say, I am of what I am, which, in itself
is all things and, therefore, inscrutable in
terms of human qualities.
We note in the Biblical verse quoted that
God further said: . . . Thus thou shalt say
unto the children of Israel I AM hath sent
me unto you. Think a moment. What
more all-embracing term could be used, that
would be comprehensible, than I am? In
other words, whatever you want to conceive
the Divine, Ultimate Reality, Pur Being,
the Absolute, or the Cosmic, to be, God is
that. I am that which you think to be omnipotent, omniscient, and eternal, and any
and all other related qualifications.
Of course, one may construe the Biblical
account in such manner as to say that no
actual words that appear in the Bible were
spoken to Moses. Psychologically and mys
tically, it could be contended that Moses had
a mystical experience. In this experience he
became en rapport with the consciousness of
the Divine. He was inspired and subsequently he objectively interpreted his experience
in the words he gave forth to the Israelites.
In this sense Moses was illumined and real
ized the need to define the deity in a term
acceptable to all minds.
Since this phrase is so esoteric, each in
dividual may construe it in accordance with
his personal feelings and intelligence. How

Page 137

ever, whatever the interpretation, it can

never be resolved to a finite limiting status.
It remains an exalted exposition of the Abso
lute One.X
Is Psychic Power Spontaneous?
A member from Australia has addressed
the Forum with the following question:
According to the Orders teachings, it is
necessary to study certain principies and
make experiments to develop the psychic
powers.
I have a friend, quite advanced in
Spiritual studies, who says that these powers
will come naturally, and only then will my
thoughts and actions be purified, and there
will be no danger of misusing these powers.
What are the views of the Forum conceming this problem?
When answering a question of this kind,
it is first necessary to examine all facets of
its presentation. In this case, it would be
interesting to know where the friend received
his advancement in studies of a psychic na
ture. Fundamentally, all recognized schools
of psychic and occult thought have as their
basic goal the development of the psychic
powers. This always entails a great deal of
study and effort in one degree or another.
Therefore, in order to have reached his de
gree of advancement, the friend must have
had to study certain principies, very possibly
with experimentation of some sort combined
with them.
We can see, then, that his contention that
the ability to use these powers will come
naturally could not actually have been so,
even in his own case. It is quite likely that
the friend is a devotee of some Oriental
school of mystical knowledge, many of which
preach development through introspection
and withdrawal. They often refer to Buddha
as an example of the virtues of this system,
since his great enlightenment carne during
a period of rest and quiet meditation.
Similarly, the enlightenment of Amenho
tep IV carne during such a period. But the
factor often overlooked is that these persons
did not just spontaneously receive the powers
of perception and thought which were given
them; rather, these powers carne as the result
of much personal development and evolve
ment.

Page 138

When this question is analyzed, therefore,

it can clearly be seen that there must be a
program of study and development in order
that one be endowed with the ability to make
optimum use of these psychic powers.
Here we should clear up another misconception evident in the wording of this ques
tion. From the way in which the remarks
of the friend were phrased, it would appear
that these powers carne suddenly and, per
haps unsolicited, from some outside source.
Actually, we know from the teachings that
these powers truly exist within us, although
they may be dormant and the ability to use
them to advantage may not yet be ours. In
order to be able to use them effectively, or
even at all, for that matter, we must first
learn of their existence and be given the key
to their practical application. This we receive
from the monographs.
In a large sense, it is not absolutely essen
tial that the experiments be followed religiously. However, the studies are much
more satisfying if the exercises are done with
some degree of regularity. The principies
underlying the powers within us are contained fully in the text of the monographs.
Often these are stated empirically, leaving
little room for question. As a result, members
often ask, You state this principie in an
absolute fashion, but how do I know that it
is so?
The answer is, By performing and perfecting the accompanying experiment or
exercise.
The experiments serve as the proof of the
principies. We find the intellectual under
standing of the principies is had through
reading, but the application is developed
through experimentation, not meditation. One
will never learn to use his powers if he
doesnt practice.
It is often felt, by those who dont fully
understand the implications of the develop
ment of the psychic abilities, that experimen
tation can be dangerous. In fact, where such
experimentation has been suggested by irresponsible parties, it has proved to be so.
However, under a system whose sol purpose
is the development of the individual, where
the studies have been compiled and tested by
responsible, and even enlightened personalities, such a possibility is not likely to exist.
This is truly the case with the personal
instruction outlined in the monographs.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

These teachings have been developed and

expanded throughout many centuriesevery
thing in them is authentic and has been well
tested by many thousands of individuis. We
know and can prove that no danger, either
to the individual or others, can result from
a course of logical, reasonable experimenta
tion for psychic development such as is presented in the Rosicrucian monographs.
To briefly summarize, then, it must be
realized that the great natural forces or pow
ers and the ability to use them will not come
to us spontaneously if we only sit and wait,
but that they do exist already within us.
Also, we must engage in an active program
of study and experimentation in order to
learn to make full use of the powers. When
a reasonable course of study, such as that
of AMORC, is followed no danger of misusing these powers is present.W
Level of Attainment
We are accustomed to the fact that almost
everything with which we deal in the world
today can be measured by some standard.
The simplest measurements are those of size
and weight insofar as they concern physical
objects. More subtle measurements with
which we are acquainted are those of time,
temperature, barometric pressure and similar
conditions measured by an artificial standard
in order that they might be judged. To de
termine a length or width of an object is a
simple matter. It is easy to read the scale
of a thermometer or determine whether the
atmospheric pressure is going down or going
up by reference to a barometer. Other
familiar standards of measurement are those
on the instrument board of an automobile
which provide data conceming the function
ing of the motor.
Without these means of measuring and
judging the operating condition of a motor,
for example, or the temperature of a room,
we would be at loss if not actually handicapped by our inability to judge the matters
upon which we depend by a standard of
measurement. These measurements are not
an attribute that is intrinsically a part of
the condition or physical object measured.
In other words, temperature is a standard
by which man judges the relationship of
himself to the environment as caused by nat
ural conditions outside or artificial condi-

JUNE, 1960

tions in a room. We have learned, for

example, that at a certain point, water
freezes, and that at another point, it boils.
Most standards of temperature measurement
are based upon degrees existing in between
these two extremes. Or rather, these two ex
tremes may be considered the mximum
points by which temperatures relating to usual
living conditions are generally measured. We
have become accustomed to a point inter
medate between those two extremes that is
considered comfortable for human existence.
We know that, if the temperature falls below
that point, we need to take measures to keep
ourselves reasonably comfortable. This also
applies if the temperature goes above that
point.
This standard of measurement is so ac
cepted as a part of living that we pay little
attention to it; but, since these relatively
simple standards of measurements to which
I have referred are accepted so simply and
seem to be so obvious, we unconsciously tend
to want to apply some measurement to every
thing with which we deal. Outside the area
of our concern for the physical world, we
find measurements become more and more
involved.
Many years ago I was concemed with
what is known as tests and measurements
insofar as they apply to intelligence and educational standards. I administered and in
terpreted tests that were given to school-age
children. The first test usually given was to
determine the intelligence quotientthat is,
the intelligence ability of the individual
ordinarily known as the individuals IQ. The
second was known generally as an achievement test to determine what the individual
had learned in his process of education or
as the result of study and application.
At one time, many educators believed that
these tests were of great valu in determining
the native ability of the individual and in
judging the effectiveness of the education
which he had received. Later we began to
leam that other factors besides native in
telligence and learning affect the scale or
the final decisin as to the degree of advancement or intelligence that may have been
determined by the tests. If the child had a
headache or had left home under a strain
or an emotional stress, the test circumstances
and results would be different from those of

Page 139

one who felt in good health and had a wholesome outlook mentally, emotionally, and
spiritually.
Nevertheless, with our being accustomed
to judging so many phases of our life in
terms of measurement, it is, of course, also
natural for us to attempt to judge levels of
advancement or attainment in other fields.
It would be difficult to judge, measure, or
attempt to establish a scale to determine an
individuals philosophy of life. What those
standards would be, it would be difficult to
say. Whether my philosophy of life is better
than yours is not something that can be
measured by a yardstick, a thermometer, or
any type of test.
You may believe that my philosophy of
life is completely inadequate. I may have a
similar point of view in regard to yours, but
if we are relatively happy and relatively
well-adapted to environment, a third person
might say that while our viewpoints on a
philosophy of life differed, each evidentally
had some valu. Each had provided a de
sired end, a relationship to environment that
was substantially satisfactory to each of us.
An individual not adapted in any way to
environment or who violated certain social
practices or was extremely unhappy and
continually disturbed, unable to find any
point of view that would be a satisfaction to
him, would cause a general conclusin that
something was lacking in his philosophy of
life. As far as that is concemed, there is
probably something lacking in the philosophy
of everybody because none of us is perfect,
none of us has a completely satisfactory ad
justment to all the phases of environment.
From psychic levels, these adjustments
become even more involved. In the Rosicm
cian teachings, we have established Degrees.
These Degrees or grades might be interpreted
for some as being units of measurement. It
would be presumed that the individual in
the Ninth Degree, for example, would be
further advanced than the individual in the
First Degree. The same type of application
might be made for a child in school; that is,
the child in the Sixth Grade would have
more advancement than the one in the First.
But going back to the consideration of tests
and measurements, we would probably find
that the intelligence would not be greatly
affected by the grade in school. However, the
knowledge that had been accumulated as a

Page 140

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

result of memorizing or study would prob

ably be affected.
It is not even possible to measure such
advancement in terms of our psychic selves.
Whether we are in the First Degree or in
the highest one of this organization is not
as important as our basic outlook upon the
teachings and our ability to apply what we
have leamed. Although we all aspire to
perfection and to arriving at the highest
level of attainment, there actually is no level.
There is always a process of growth or
evolvement. All conditions, regardless of
what they may be, lead to change. It is the
continuation of change that makes possible
experience, growth, and the ability to cope
with situations with which we must deal in
daily living.
The individual who gives too much atten
tion to the extent of his advancement, or to
attempting to classify the level of his attain
ment, is probably more absorbed in that
process than in the attainment itself. While
standards of measurement and instruments
for measurement are of much valu in their
use insofar as they affect physical things, it
would be a good idea for us to attempt to
separate our thinking from this type of
standardization when we approach matters
that have a philosophical, social, religious, or
psychic valu.

The psychic advancement of an individual

cannot be expressed in terms of his experi
ence, but rather in terms of his total func
tioning as a complete human being. The
individual who has advanced the highest is
the individual who is able to cali upon not
only material aids for his well-being, but
upon immaterial conditions and to utilize
them. His life is balanced. He is able to use
the knowledge that he has leamed. He is
able to carry over into actual experience and
growth the principies that have become a
part of his consciousness.
Nothing is to be gained in classifying this
advancement, but rather in remembering
that attainment is a constant growth. It can
not be considered as a level if we wish to
represent it on a scale, but rather as a line
moving upward or downward depending up
on the individual. As we study, grow, and
apply the principies that we learn, as we
gain ability to rely upon intuitive knowledge,
the level of attainment is moving upward.
As it moves upward, we expand our con
sciousness and reach new levels from which
we can aspire even to higher ones. But what
that level may be in terms of any scale is of
no importance. What we are in relationship
to the Cosmic scheme is of importance to us
regardless of how others may judge it or how
we may classify it.A

REMEMBER THE INTERNATIONAL ROSICRUCIAN CONVENTION

July 10 through 15

JUNE, 1960

Page 141

IN D EX OF VO LUM E X X X

(Comprising the entire Six Issues of the 30 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
Abstraction, Valu of, 26a-28a
Accomplish, 106c
Accomplishment, criteria of master, 74b-d
Achievement, 19d
Adler, 84d
Advanced Age and Attunement, 98a-99c
Advancement in studies, 137c-d
Advancement, Meaning of, 69d-71d
Aesthetics, llOd-llla
Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life, 62d-63c
Akhnaton, 135c
All-lmportant? Are Experiments, 63d-64b
Amahl and the Night Visitors, 56c, 57a-c
AMORC: (see also Rosicrucian)
Active Member, 70a
Departments, 16b
Full ame Protected, 21a
Grand Councilor, 39b-40b, 62a-d, 104c-105c
Grand Lodge, 20b-d, 7b-8a, 62b, 79a-c
Grand Masters, 20b-d, 7b-8a, 7d, 79b-c, 80a
Grand Secretary of Italy, 7d
Independent Jurisdictions, 20d, 21a
Inspector General, Caracas, 124d
Italy, 7b-8a
Membership, 69d-70b
Objectives, 70a
Rights, 21a
Worldwide, 21 d
Anxieties, 84d
Anxiety, Fear and, 86a-88c
Apparition, 11c-14b
Application of Teachings, 70b-71d
Appointments, Visits and, I5c-17b
Arabs, 112a
Are Experiments All-lmportant? 63d-64b
Are Mind and Consciousness Synonymous? 22a-23d
Are You a Thinker? 17b-19a
Asking for Help, 29c, 32b
Assyrians, 110c
A Suggestion for Learning, 117b-118b
At-one-ness, 6d
Attainment and Process of, 140a-b
Attainment, Level of, 138d-140d
Attunement, Advanced Age and, 98a-99c
Awakening Cosmic Experience, 5a-7a
Awareness of Soul, 125d, 129b

B
Babylonia, 131a
Behold the Sign, 41 d
Being, Purpose of, 127d-130b
Benedetti, Dr. Juan Branger, 124c
Bernard, Raymond, 4d
Blue Danube, 62d
Books:
Aenid, 98b
Art of Absent Healing, 31d
Behold the Sign, 41 d
Bible, Universal, Book, 136c
Book of the Dead, 33b-d, 35a
Liber, 777, 47d
Rosicrucian Manual, 9d
The Magnum Opus of the Rosicrucians, 79c
T he M ide and the Ox, 56c, 57a
B om to Fight, 106d-108c
Brahmans, Offering to Sun in Morning, 132b
Brain, 5a-7a, 12b-c
Bruno, Giordano, 66a
Buddha, 6d, 57d-58a, 137d
Byron, Lord George Gordon, 12a-b

Cassara, Giuseppe, Jr., 7b-8a

Catholic Church, 14c, 15a
Cato, 98b
Chinese and Color, 111b
Christian, Cross, 8b-9b
Nation, United States, 122a
Religin, 56b, 58a
Sects, Pseudo Faiths, 122c
Christmas Carol, 56c-d, 57b
Christmas Theme, The, 56b-59b
Church? Should Rosicrucians Go to, 14c-15c
Churchill, Sir Winston, 92b
Civilization, Modem, 125c
Stress and Strain of, 125c, 126b
Color Vibrations, 82d-83c
Color Organ, 112b
Color, Experiments in, 11 Id
Colors, Health, and Harmony, 110a-113c
Combating Negative Thoughts, 54d-56b
Concentration: Definition, 2a, 28a
Perfection in, 29a
Concentration, How to Improve Your, 28b, 29c
Concentration, Today1s Lack of, 2a-4a
Conditions Concerning Forum Replies, 4b-4d
Conscience, 94b-95d
A good, 54b
And Guilt, 53c
Future Freedom of, 123b
Taboos and Prohibitions, a Part of, 53b
Theological Concept, 53b
Conscience Distinguished from Desires, 53b-54c
Conscious? Is the Soul, 37b-39a
Conscious of, 119b
Consciousness and Mind Synonymous? Are, 22a-23d
Consciousness: 28b, 84b-c
Content of, 17b
Cosmic, 5b-7a, 37c, 38b, 46c, 70b
His, 69c
Intimate, 46b
Lower Order of, 6d-7a
Mortal, 113d-114a
Normal, 17c
Our, 118b-119c
Past, 5b
Soul-personalitys, 93d
Stream of, 23a, 69c
Constitution of the United States, 122a-b, 123b
Cortex, T he Interpretive, 5b
Cosmic Guidance, 133a-134c
Cosmic: 29c-32a, 45d
And Individual, 140d
Consciousness, 5b-7a, 37c, 38d, 46c, 70b
Energy and Order, 68b, 131d-132a
Intelligence, 37c, 38a
Impressions, 66a-67d, 70b
Impulse, 53d
Laws, 9d, 101c-103a, 106c
Masters, 74d-76b
Mind, 93b
Neighbors, 65d-66a
Phenomena, 68b-c
Philosophy, 71b-d
Plae, 113d-114d
Relating Oneself to, 127d
Responsibility, 56b
Cosmic Decree Transition? Does the, 80b-82c
Cosmic Guidance, Interpreting, 66a-67d
Cosmic Experience, Awakening, 5a-7a
Cou, Emile, 84b
Council of Solace, 30d-31b

Page 142

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Creator, 59a
Cross: Alchemical, 41b-c
Celtic, 8c
Christian, 9a-b
Crux Ansata, 8b, 9a
Greek, 8c
Hermetic, 41b-c
Latin, 8c
Lorraine, 8c
Maltese, 8c
Rosicrucian, 41b
Rosy Cross, 8c, 41a, 41c
Tau, 8b-d
Cross, Sign of the, 8a-9d
D
Daily, Exercises to Perform , 47a-47d
da Vinci, Leonardo, 92b, 109a
Democritus, 83d
Descartes, Ren, 27b-c
Desires, Conscience Distinguished from, 53b-54c
Destiny of Man, 127d, 128a, 129d
Destruction, Human Souls and World, 64c-66a
DetachmentSeparation, Relative, from Attunement,
134c
Dexterity of Body, 28d
Dickens, Charles, 56c-57b
Did Egyptians Believe in Reincarnation? 32b-35b
Divine, Mind, Source, 45d
Divine Mind and the Human Mind, 88c-90a
Discipline, Mental, 2c-3b
Discourses Available from AMORC, 4d-5a
Divine, Father, 45 a
Divorce, Rosicrucian View of, 43d-45b
Do You Know? 20b-22a
Does Prominence Signify Evolvement? 77b-79a
Does the Cosmic Decree Transition? 80b-82c
Dryden, John, 98b

E
East Africans, 110c
Effects and Causes, 82a-b
Effort, 2c-d
Egotism, Danger of, 134b-c
Egyptian Museum, 15d
Kings and Pharaohs, 131b
Egyptians and Colors, 110b
Egyptians Believe in Reincarnation? Did, 32b-35b
Egyptians Festivity, Suns Walking Stick, 131c
Egyptology, 32b-35b
Electrical Current Stimulation, 5b
El Rosacruz, 20b
Emotional Reactions, 126a-127d
Stress, 139b
Emotions versus Moris, 94a-95d
Emotions, Analysis, 86c-d
and Guilt, 53c-54a
and Intellect, 51b-52a
and Music, 51c, 63b-d
Emphasis, Proper, 125c-127d
Encausse (Papus), Dr., 124b
Enlightenment, 98c
Environment and Color, 111b
Evil, 135c, 136b-c
Evolvement?, Does Prominence Signify, 77b-79a
Exercises to Perform Daily, 47a-47d
Experience, 26a-c
Experiments All-Important?, Are, 63d-64b
Experiments of Mandamus Lessons 5 and 6, 47c
Followed religiously, regularly, 138a-b
Extrovert, 107a-b

F
Faith and Superstition, 59b-62a
Faith, Misplaced, 101c-103a
Fear and Anxiety, 86a-88c

Forum Readers, 124d-125c

Franklin, Benjamn, 18d, 98b
Free Masonry, 7d
Freud, Sigmund, 84c-d
Functional Ailments, 86b

G
Galdos, 56c, 57a
Gambling a Vice?, Is, 105c-106d
Genius?, W hat Makes, 92a-94a
Ghosts, Theory of, 11b-14c
Giornale di Sicilia, 7c
God in Things,Pantheism, 134d-136c
God, 26a, 32a, 46a, 46d, 53b, 59b, 60b, 61a, 68c-69c,
80c-81d, 134d-136b
And Universe Synonymous, 134d
Describing Himself, 136d, 137a-b
en rapport with, 136b, 137b
Infinite Substance, 135d
of Heliopolis, 131c
Gods, 32b-34b
Grand Councilors, 39b-40b, 62a-d, 104c-105c
Grand Lodge, 4d, 20b-d, 62b, 70a-c
Grand Masters, 20b-d, 7b-8a, 79b-c, 80a
Grand Secretary, Italy, 7d
Greek Philosophy, 22b, 83d, 135d
Plato, 22b
Scrates, 22b
Xenophanes, 135d, 136a
Guidance, Cosmic, 133a-134c
Guidance, Interpreting Cosmic, 66a-67d
Guilt Complex, 91b

H
Habit, 3b-4a
Hallucination, 12b-14c
Have Our ames Hidden Power? 41d-43c
Health and Harmony, Colors, 110a-113c, 125d
Help, Asking for, 29c-32b
Hermetic Philosophers, 9b-c
Herodotus, Historian, 34d, 35b
History of Cross, 8a-9d
Holland, Francs, 62a-c
How to Im prove Your Concentration, 28b-29c
How to Study the Monographs, 76b-77a
Human Mind, Divine Mind and the, 88c-90a
Human Souls and World Destruction, 64c-66a

I
I Am That I Am, 136c-137c
Idealism and the Practical World, 103b-104c
Ideis, 116d-117b
Illumination, 71a
Images, Meaning of Mental, 118b-119d
Immortality, 26c
Incas, 132c-d
India and Hindus, 111b
Intangibles, 26a-c
Intellectual Aspects, 77b-d
Intelligence, Unusual, 92d-94a
Demands Made Upon, 123d
Interpreting Cosmic Guidance, 66a-67d
Intuition, 99a
Is Gambling a Vice? 105c-106d
Is Psychic Power Spontaneous? 137c-138c
Is the Soul Conscious? 37b-39a

James-Lange Theory, 83d

James, William, 23a, 84b
Johnson, Dr. Samuel, 98b
Jung, 84d

K
Karma, Social Service and, lOa-llb
Karma, and War, 108b
Kirchhoff, Physicist, 65c

JUNE, 1960

Page 143

Knowing a Mystic, 45b-47a

Knowledge, Draw Upon, 37a
vs. Faith, 61c-62a
Koran, 58a
Krishna, 6d

L
Lack of Concentration, Todays, 2a-4a
UAppello, 7c
L a Rose + Croix, 20b
Law, Spiritual and Natural, 68a-69d
Learning, A Suggestion for, 117b-118b
Leaming, 2c-3c
Learning W hile Sleeping, 35b-37b
Level of Attainment, 138d-140d
Lewis, Dr. H. Spencer, 9b, 92b

M
Making Things Easy, 19b-20a
Marriage, Philosophical Cause, 44b
Sacred Institution, 43d
Selection in, 44c
Mstership, Problem of, 74a-76b
Material World, 103b-104c
Maturity and Immaturity, 126c-127d
Mayans, Sacrifices, 132c
Meaning of Advancement, 69d-71d
Meaning of Mental Images, 118b-119d
Meaning of Symbols, The, 40b-41d
Memory, 17c-19a, 36d, 85a
Memory, T he SouVs, 113c-ll5a
Menotti, 56c, 57a-b
Mental Discipline, 2c-3b
Mental Images, M eaning of, 118b-119d
Mental Treatment Fads, 83d-86a
Mexicans, and Sun Worship, 132b
Middle Ages, lid, 65d-66a
Mind, 18d-19a, 22a-23d, 36c-37b, 83d
Adult, 88d-89c
Child, 88d
Cosmic, 93b
Divine, Universal, 37c
Mind and Consciousness Synonymous? Are, 22a-23d
Mind, Divine and the Human, 88c-90a
Miracles, 101d-102b
Misplaced Faith, 101c-103a
Mohammed, 6d, 58a
Mondalesco, Tudovico, 98b
Monographs, How to Study, 76b-77a
Moris, Emotions versus, 94a-95d
Moris and Ethics, 95a
Motte, Jules, 104c-105c
Music, T he Psychological Effect of, 62d-63d
Mystic, Knowing A, 45b-47a
Mystical Way, 85a
Age an Advantage, 98d-99c
Experience of Moses, 137b
Literature, 136d
Pantheist, (see also Rosicrucian) 69b-c
Principies, in Gambling, 106c
Process, 55d
Mysticism, 45b-47a, 58a-b, 93a-b
Mystics, 4d, 77d-79a
Affected by Color, 112c

N
ames Hidden Power? Have Our, 41d-43c
Natural Law, Spiritual and, 68a-69d
Naturalism Teaches, 135a
Neophyte, 70a
Nervous System, 12b-c
Sympathetic, 5a-d
Neurology, 5b-d

Nonmembers, Visitors, 15d, 16a

Norwood, Reverend Dr. Robert, 63b

O
Obligations of man, 103c-104c
And Ethics, 94b
Ogilby, John, 98b
Omniscience, 133b
Opinions, in Leaming, 117b-118b
O Rosacruz, 20b
P

Painting, 51c
Paintings, Prehistoric, 110b
PantheismGod in Things, 134d-136c
Pantheist, 69b-c
Personality, of Soul, 38a-39a
Survival of, 39a
Peace, T he Cost of, 99d-101b
Peace and Tolerance, 117b
Penalties of War, lOOa-lOlb
Penfield, Dr., Author, 5b-d
Persuasin, Gentle, 134a
Philosophy: 85b, 101c
Greek, 83d
Hermetic, 41b
Of Mysticism, 46d, 47a
Plato, 22b
Pythagoras, 42b-43a
Photographs: Cassara, Giuseppe, Jr., August, 1959
Holland, Francs, December, 1959
Motte, Jules, April, 1960
Pistorius, Dr. H. Th. Verkerk, February, 1960
San Feliz Rea, Sergio, June, 1960
Starke, Emil Gerhard, October, 1959
Physicists and Color, 112a
Pistorius, Dr. H. Th. Verkerk, 79b-80b
Plato, 22b
Plutarch, 98b, 135c
Poverty and Power, 50a-52a
Polygamy, 95b
Potentialities of Man, 129c-130b
Power, Poverty and, 50a-52a
Powers, Learn to UsePractice, 138b
Practical World, Idealism and the, 103b-104b
Preparedness, 101b
President of the United States, 122a
Romn Catholic, 123b
Primitive People and Color, llOd, Illa
Problem of Mastership, 74a-76b
Prominence Signify Evolvement?, Does, 77b-79a
Proper Emphasis, 125c-127d
Psychic Power Spontaneous?, Is, 137c-138c
Psychic, Aspect of Images, 119b
Projection, 12d
Psychology, 36a-c, 53a, 84b-85b, 94b, 95b, llOd
Immaturity, Maturity, 126c-127d
Psychological Effect of Music, The, 62d-63d
Purpose of Being, 127d-130b
Pythagoras, 35b, 42a-43a, 99b

Q
Questions, W e Invite Your, 4b-5a
Questions, Welcomed, 125b

R
Rameau, Jean Phillipe, 98b
Realize: see Conscious
Realization of Color, 112b
Reason, 80d, 87a, 130a
Reasoning, 93d
Reason, Experience, Feeling, 130a-b
Reincarnation?, Did Egyptians Believe in, 32b-35b

Page 144

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Relax, W illing Oneself to, 90b-92a

Religin Be An Issue?, Should, 122a-123c
Religin, 52d, 60a-61d
Christian, 56b, 57c, 58a
Egyptian, 32c-35b
Inca, 132c
Oriental, 57d-58a
Primitive, 130b-c
And Politics, 123a
Responsibility, 19d
Romn Church, a Political Sovereign Power, 122b
Intolerant, 122c
And Separation of Church and State, 122c-d
Edicts and Interests of State, 123a
Decrees Infallible, 123a-b
Rose, 9b-c
Rosicrucian Healing, 108d-110a
Rosicrucian: (see also AMORC)
Advancement, 29b, 69d~71d
Characteristics of, 69d-71d
Clinic and Sanitarium, Color Therapy, lile
Cross, 8c, 41a, 41c
Digest, 20b, 47a, 62b
Discourses Available, 4d-5a
Egyptian, Oriental Museum, 15d-17b, 33c, 51d
Employees, 19c
Forum, 4b-d, 47a, 124d-125c,
Started, 125 a
No Outside Advertising, 125b
Grand Councilor, 40a, 62a-d, 104c-105c
Harmony, 125d
Independent Misleading Groups, 21a-22a
International Convention, 62c
Marriage, Sacred, 43d-45b
Order, 20d, 61b-d, 21a-22a
Park, 15d-17a, b, 19c, 20d
Planetarim, 15d-17b, 92b
Psychology, 36c-37b
Science Museum, 15d-17b
Similar ames, Groups, (see Independent above)
Student of Life Principies, 71c
Supreme Temple, 16b-17b
System of Healing, 108d-110a
Teachings, 20d, 36c-37b, 43b, 47a, 55d, 61b-d, 70a, d71c, 91c, 99d, 112b-c, 125d, 134c, 136d, 138c, 139d
Technical Department, 4d-5a
Tours, for Members, 16b
University, Color Course, lile
Rosicrucian View of Divorce, 43d-45b

s
Sacred?, What Is, 115b-117b
St. Paul, 61a-61c
San Feliz Rea, Sergio, 123d-124d
Schools of Psychic and Occult Thought, 137c-d
Scott, Sir Walter, 12a-b
Self: 37b-39a
Inner, 37d, 39a
Psychic, 37d
Sexual Activity and Spiritual Development, 52a-53a
Should Religin Be An Issue? 122a-123c
Should Rosicrucians Go to Church? 14c-15c
Sign of the Cross, 8a-9d
Sleeping, Learning W hile, 35b-37b
Social Service and Karma, lOa-llb
Society, lOb-d
Scrates, 22b, 98b
Solar System, 64d-66a
Soul: 59b-c, 133b
Personality, 64c-65d, 133b
Soul Conscious?, Is the, 37b-39a
Souls and World Destruction, Human, 64c-66a
Spartans and Persians, Sun Worship, 132b
Spinoza, Baruch, 135d, 136a
Spirit, 59b-c

Spiritual and Natural Law, 68a-69d

Spiritual Development, Sexual Activity and, 52a-53a
S-Q-3R Method of Studying, 76c-d
Standard by Degrees and Grades, 139d
Standard of Measurements, 138d
Starke, Emil Gerhard, 39b-40b
Sun Worship, 130b-133a
In Primitive Religions, 130b
Superstition, Faith and, 59b-62a
Surgery, Brain, 5a
Neurological, 5b
Symbols, T he Meaning of, 40b-41d
Symbolism of Color, 11 Id, 112c
Systems of Healing, 108d-109d

T
Tangibles, 26a-c
The Ancient Order of the Rosicrucians, 21a
The Christmas T hem e, 56b-59b
The Cost of Peace, 99d-101b
The Interpretive Cortex, 5b-d
T he Meaning o f Symbols, 40b-41d
T he Other Wise Man, 56c-d
T he Psychological Effect of Music, 62d-63d
T he Rosary, 63c
The Rosicrucian Illuminati, 21a
The Secret Order of the Rosicrucians, 21a
Theophany, 74d
Theory of Ghosts, 11b- 14c
The SouVs M emory, 113c-ll5a
Thinker?, Are You a, 17b-19a
This Issues Personality, 7b-8a, 39a-40b, 62a-c, 79b80b, 104c-105d, 123d-124d
Thoughts, Combating Negative, 54d-56b
Todays Lack o f Concentration, 2a-4a
Tolerance and Peace, 117b
Tours of Park, Conducted, 16a-b
Transition?, Does the Cosmic Decree, 80b-82c
Transmigration, Doctrine of, 34c
Transparency and Vibrations, 82c-83c
True Rosy Cross, 21a
Truth, Rules of Descartes, 27c-d
Relative, 56a

Unconscious Action, 22c-d

Understanding the Principies, Important, 64b

Valu of Abstraction, 26a-28a

Vales, 27a, 88a-b, 105c
Van Dyke, 56c-d
Vibrations, 43a-b
Vibrations and Transparency, 82c-83c
Visits and Appointments, 15c-17b
Vital Life Forc, 37c, 38d
Vitalism and Pantheism, 135b

w
War, lOOa-lOla, 106d-108c
And Poverty, 50a-51b
And Power for Possession, 50c-d
World, I, 39c, 104d
World, II, 39d, 106d-108a
W e Invite Your Questions, 4b-5a
What Is Sacred? 115b-117b
What Makes Genius? 92a-94a
Will, Cosmic, 80b-c-82c
Willing Oneself to Relax, 90b-92a
Work of Cosmic Masters, 74d-76b
World, Idealism and the Practical, 103b-104c
Worry, 127c

Y
Young-Helmholz Theory, 110c