Professional Documents
Culture Documents
August, 1960
Volume X X X I
No. 1
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
PAUL J. ST EVEN SO N , F. R. C.
Inspector G eneral o f A M O R C fo r Phoenix-Tucson, A rizon a
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
Greetings!
V
W H A T IS C U LT U R E ?
AUGUST, 1960
Page 3
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 O N LY
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
pituitary glands, and so forth. This stimulation produces beneficial effects both physically and psychically.
It is this mystical and scientific premise
that constitutes the foundation of the traditional use of the vowel intonations in the
Rosicrucian teachings. We will not endeavor
to explain or to give the particular vowels at
this time because their use and explanation
is given in detail in the monographs.X
A M R A and Tithing
A soror of the United States asks: What
is the relationship between the Law of
AMR A and tithing?
In ancient Egypt taxation was a wellestablished institution. Taxes were of two
general kinds. There were those of a political
nature for the furtherance of the requirements of the state and to satisfy the Pharaohs needs; then, there was taxation or
tribute paid as a religious offering.
The latter type of taxation was based upon
the personal possessions of the individual,
his crops, vineyards, orchards, and fsh ponds.
Actually, the Egyptians did not use this
tithe, or tax, to maintain the temples. The
priesthood had acquired great land holdings,
the resources of which were exclusively for
the benefit of the temples. The taxation,
rather, was a tribute or offering to the gods.
It was symbolic of a gesture of love and appreciation of the beneficence of the gods. The
Egyptian kings in time of war dedicated a
tenth of their booty to the temples. Tribute
collected from vassal states was also used by
the Egyptian priesthood, and in about the
same proportion for religious purposes.
The taxation often took the form of a
tenth. It was from the word tenth, in its
etymological descent, that the word tithe
arse. Why a tenth was decided upon is not
generally known. We may speculate that it
was associated with the simplicity of counting as related to the number of fingers on a
persons hands.
The Babylonians had an elabrate taxation
system which was compulsory. Each of the
temples and sanctuaries had to be maintained by order of the king. The citizens
were assessed according to their holdings. It
appears that the tithe, or tenth system, was
also commonly applied. Payments were
made in grain, sheep, flour, and cattle. Ad-
AUGUST, 1960
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know any other object. God is not a mathematical entity or a system of concepts
mutually related to one another and having
no reference to experience. Awareness of
God is an experience that can become ours
through immediate knowledge of Him.
A second very important characteristic of
the mystical experience is that it, as any
other experience in life, can be a unitary
whole. In the physical world, when I ex
perience an object such as a table before me,
it means that innumerable data of experiences are merging into the single experience
or concept of the table. In other words, I
do not perceive a table as a unity, although
experience makes me think I do. Actually,
what I perceive is a multitude of sensations
entering my consciousness; these include impressions of size, shape, space, hardness, as
well as location in space. These data of
experience come into my mind and, as a
result of previous experience, form in my
consciousness a concept of a table. In other
words, out of this wealth of data I select
those that fall into a certain order of space
and time and, as a whole, I comprehend
them as a single table.
Insofar as the mystical experience is concemed, however vivid and rich it may be,
and even though it is reduced to a minimum,
such a complete analysis is not always possible. We are, in the physical world, constantly in our experience of perceiving things
consciously or unconsciously taking into
consideration the existence of both a subject
and an object. In the illustration, the table
was the object and I was the subject. We
distinguish between the two and have no
difficulty in separating in our minds the
subject and the object.
In experience it would seem that the
subject and the object are distinct, but we
exaggerate this discontinuity. In our thinking we have the tendency to consider the
subject and object as two separate entities
completely unrelated to each other. The
difference in the mystic state which differs
from ordinary rational consciousness does
not necessarily mean a discontinuity of perception. In either case, whether perception
be physical or mystical, the same reality is
operating in and through us.
The ordinary rational consciousness in
view of our practical need of adaptation to
our physical environment takes reality piece-
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Is God Goodness?
A frater of Caada, addressing our Forum,
says: I cannot accept the concept of God
being all love, all goodness, and I will not
accept it on hearsay. Personally, when I try
to understand what God really means and
is, I cannot see how any human can make
grandiose statements about Him. What does
all love or all goodness really mean?
God, as a Supreme Being, a Divine Mind,
is both subjective and objective in nature to
the human mind. There are various impulsations; we may cali them psychically motivated, that give rise to the conception of
God. There is the sense of humility which
an individual feels when confronted with
the majesty and phenomena of Nature, those
forces which lie beyond human control.
There is an innate awe of reality, of exist
ence itself, which results both in reverence
and fear on the part of man. Both from the
rational point of view and a psychical inheritance, man has a belief in a power transcending himself.
These motivations, these subjective factors
lying beneath what may be called the re
ligious spirit, are subject to objective inter
pretation. What is the initial Cause? Is it a
personal Being? Is it a teleological (mind)
cause unembodied in any form? Or, is it
mainly a congeries of energies and forces, a
purely naturalistic world? The answer, the
conception the individual ultimately formulates, is partially the result of his social and
religious influences and the conclusin he
may arrive at by personal contemplation of
the mystery. If he objectively construes the
so-called causes and effects which he experi
ences in nature, including his own being, as
but a mechanistic process, then moral vales
are not thought to have any divine content.
In other words, a wholly physical universe,
operating impersonally, as a machine, having no purposeful cause, could neither be
good or evil.
What comes forth, what comes into ex
istence, does so by necessity according to
this type of reasoning. Therefore, there
would be no transcending, no supematural
evaluation as to whether what is brought
forth is good or is not good. A thing or act
can be good only in relation to a valu which
is placed upon it. Since the notion of a
naturalistic universe allows for no subliminal
AUGUST, 1960
mind, there are then no vales to be attached to any aspect of creation. It would
be only the human mind that confers upon
the phenomena of nature vales in terms of
its particular relation to it. Man determines,
in other words, whether rain is good, wheth
er the heat of the sun is beneficial or destructive, and whether deserts are wastes
or not, etc.
However, one who conceives a personal
God, or a divine, universal mind, attributes
to these certain human attributes. An intelligent being thinks, a mind perceives and
reasons, and if highly developed, as a uni
versal mind would need be, it would have
purpose as well. It would be intentional. It
would have rational motivation. By this
kind of reasoning these particular thinkers,
using human behavior as an example, would
presume that a Supreme mind does not act
contrary to its best interests.
Therefore, a God or Divine Mind would
not create from its own attributes that
which would be adverse to itself. It would
always do all things with goodness to itself.
In other words, to use an expression of Aristotle, it would have as a purposeful ideal the
excellence of the function of each thing it
created. Man in his analysis of his world
and its particulars arrives at the notion of
what the excellence and proper functions of
things are. These functions, of course, as
said, are always judged from the point of
view of how they contribute to the human
satisfaction and well-being. It seems logical
to many persons, through this process of
reasoning, that a God or Divine Mind is,
therefore, inherently good. To create a uni
verse otherwise, working in opposition to its
own creator, would seem inconsistent with
the intelligence the human associates with
such a superior Mind.
Arguing from different points of viewT, one
may say that the initial cause (or at least
the underlying motivation) of reality is not
goodness, and say it just as rightly as to
claim that it is. It depends upon what the
concept of the transcendent power is. Let
us use a homely analogy to clarify this. If
one looks out at a distant object in a field
and thinks that it is a dog, he is justified,
then, in asserting that it most certainly has
at one time barked or that it will. On the
other hand, if the distant object appears to
him to be but the stump of a tree, he is
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thus: Mystically, this is a process of reducing the material elements of the body to
the primary elements through fire, as though
an alchemical process were being used with
crucible and fire. It carries out the ancient
law that the body shall return to the dust of
the earth whence it carne. Cremation simply
hastens the natural process in a most sanitary way. The custom of burying the dead
in the ground to decay was always consid
ered a barbarous and unclean practice by the
ancient mystics. Cremation is not a modem
method and will in time become universal
among civilized people.
An organ of the body can be bequeathed
in complete consistency with this sensible
Rosicrucian doctrine as the remaining portions of the body can then be cremated.X
This Issues Personality
Philosophy and mysticism are not by any
means pursuits limited to those who have
only classical and speculative interests. or
does technical training or a proficiency in
science necessarily disincline one to deductive reasoning and the cultivation of self
which are the requirements of philosophy
and mysticism. There are many Rosicrucians with an excellent understanding of the
Orders teachings, and the ability to apply
them, who are active in technical and scientific fields of endeavor. One of these is
Frater Paul J. Stevenson, Inspector General
for AMORC in Arizona.
Frater Stevenson was born in Marin,
Indiana, November 27, 1895. His father
was a medical physician and his mother had
been a teacher. The cultural influence of his
home was a factor in the later interests of
young Stevenson. The family moved West
when Paul was but six years of age. The
family migrated farther, finally establishing a home in California where young Stev
enson completed his high school education.
Subsequently, he attended college and Ari
zona State University.
At this stage in his life, Frater Stevenson
was basically interested in science. In his
university studies he majored in physics and
electronics. He participated in special laboratory work with the head of the physics
department. His Creative ability was stimulated, and he built specialized equipment,
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AUGUST, 1960
Frater Stevensons hobbies are motor boating and fishing; but these, he says, are subordinated to his serious interest in all phases
of photography, a subject in which he is
most proficient. A Rosicrucian is one who
seeks to bring about a balance of all of the
attributes of man. The diversified interests
of Frater Stevenson and the manner in
which he has applied them in the vicissitudes of life make him, therefore, an excellent example of the Rosicrucian tenets.X
AMORC - A ddressed
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T H E R O S IC R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D .
October, 1960
Volu me X X X I
No. 2
Rosicrucian Foru
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
GABRIEL FUMEY, F. R. C.
G ra n d Councilor of A M O R C fo r the Republls o f T g -3
Page 26
Greetings!
V
VALUE OF SKEPTICISM
Dear Fratres and Sorores:
You cannot really know a thing until you
experience it is an od adage. There are
flaws in this dictum, however. Much of our
present-day knowledge is not the result of
direct experience. We are obliged to accept
as knowledge a considerable amount that is
related to us only on the implied authority
of others. Much of this stems from such
sources as teachers, clergymen, newspapers,
politicians, and personal acquaintances. The
acceptance of such communicated ideas is
faith.
In a complex world, it is not possible
for us, by means of our own resources, to
discover all that should be known. or can
we put everything told us to a test as to its
validity. Faith, then, becomes a substitute
for the intimate knowledge that is learned
as a result of our own observation and rea
soning. In the course of our daily pursuits,
we do acquire personal knowledge to some
extent. We cannot fail to observe certain
things happening about us as events and occurrences. These are a perceptual knowledge.
At least they are factual to the extent that
we can rely upon what we see and hear.
For most persons today this perceptual
knowledge intrudes upon them. It is some
thing forcefully brought to their attention by
circumstances. In the course of performing
some particular act, a series of unanticipated
things, as causes and effects, may occur,
which they1cannot fail to observe. Such then
become an intimate knowledge to them. Ac
tually much of such interpreted knowledge
could be proved false, a wrong assumption,
if it were assiduously thought about. To use
a legal phrase, it could be wholly circumstantial and, therefore, subsequent careful investigation could prove it to be other than what
it appeared.
Faith should be indulged in only when the
source of information has been generally
established as reliable, An example of justi-
OCTOBER, 1960
Page 27
test of our sense experiences. We may rationalize to a degree that the matter is quite
self-evident to us. We may entertain no
doubt about it.
However, exposing the concept to an ob
jective analysis may subsequently prove it
to be false. Thus we are obliged to accept
the majority findings of our sense experiences
in contrast to reason alone. If we refuse to
accept what the senses convey, the reality of
certain conditions may destroy us. We can
not, for analogy, cise our eyes and assume
that the thoroughfare is clear of all traffc
and step out into it without risking calamity.
Therefore, the rational presentation of a
concept by another without the substantiation of objective experience is at best a reative truth. It is relative to the particular
reasoning of the individual expounding it.
In matters of abstraction, your personal contemplation and interpretation that have a
self-evident conviction to you are equivalent
t those of any other individual.
Let us consider the abstract notion of God.
This is a concept that is not an objective
reality. In other words, there is no material
thing which is a counterpart of the idea of
God and which has universal acceptance by
all men. Consequently, any individual who
arrives at a conception of God that is convincing to him, has a relative truth* equal
to that had by any other person on the same
subject matter.
The forfeiting of ones opinion, merely because it is his own, on abstract subjects and
conceding to that of another as an authority
is an unnecessary sacrifice of ones intellectual freedom. We find this blind faith and
trust too commonly displayed today. Because
some individual writes or talks in a popular
way on a subject that cannot be empirically
substantiated, does not warrant implicit faith
in the statements made. There is an increasing need for healthy skepticism.
A skeptic is not one who has a closed mind
to the postulations and expositions of others.
To think so is to do the true skeptic an injustice. The real skeptic is one who has arrived at a personal conviction about some
subject or issue. To him the matter is of a
certain content. He will not be persuaded to
supplant his own conception with another
unless fact can disprove it, or if it be con
cerned with an abstract subject, until it has
a more logical argument than his own.
The real skeptic is an intellectual individ
ualista a person who thinks for himself. He
is not readily influenced by mass opinion, the
fact that a number of persons believe thus
or that a popular journal has made this or
that declaration. To this skeptic truth is
reality. It has to be applicable to certain
circumstances and have a preponderance of
support from experience. If a thing has the
elements of truth within itself, then it is
worthy of acceptance, whether it has mass
support or not.
The skeptic, contrary to popular concep
tion, is not one who is inclined not to believe.
He is as ready a seeker of knowledge as is
the non-skeptic, the difference being that the
skeptic has certain criteria by which what
is offered as knowledge is to be evaluated
These criteria are the demanding for reason able substantiation of all postulations unless
such are prima facie abstract conclusions.
The skeptic says in effect: I want to believe.
I want to know. But I will not accept on
faith all that is told me or will I accept
without question an unsupported opinion.
It may take the skeptic a little longer to add
to his fount of knowledge. However, he is
much less likely to be deceived and disillusioned.
How can a man be free who does not think
for himself? After all, it is only the one who
thinks who makes a true choice. All others
are bound to the influence of suggestion,
whether it be subtle or direct.
Fraternally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator
The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Year (every other monfh) 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 year FOR MEMBERS O N L Y
Page 28
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
OCTOBER, 1960
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OCTOBER, 1960
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Z*32J1
taught it would have. In other words, I
leamed tliat God did not strike me dead if I
smoked a cigarette, drank some alcohol, or
wrote an article on Sunday.
This realization that there was a missing
liak or gap between the moral code and the
actual na ture of God made me and has probably made many persons realize that moris,
like many other man-made practices, are not
divinely ordained. A classic example is told
in story form by W. Somerset Maugham, in
which he sketches the life of two individuis
who hold themselves above submitting to any
temptation that would be in violation of the
moral code of the society in which they lived.
The story reaches its conclusin after the
death of these two individuis when they are
judged by the heavenly hosts and find to
their surprise that there is no record in heaveo of the sacrifices they made rather than
to yield to temptation. In other words, they
learn that the moral behavior of man is not
neressarily the concern of a deity.
And so to retum to the subject of capital
punishment, it is my belief that many indi
viduis who have at various times in history
npheld the principie of capital punishment
have been trying to set themselves up as
deities, as little gods, who relate moral
praetice and moral codes to the future life
of man or the state of immortality. The in
dividual who believes and upholds capital
punishment is trying to say to himself that
he is God, that He condemns to damnation
a man who commits a moral transgression.
In other words, the individual who sub
scribes to a certain moral code believes that
i he individual who breaks that code will after
death be assigned to a state of etemal punishrnerit in the flames of hell, as has been taught
at same times. The basic belief in taking a
rans life who has transgressed or sinned
against the moral code is that since he is
doomed to eternal punishment for violating
the moral code, then man can step in and
basten the beginning of that punishment. In
other words, the murderer, by committing a
moral wirong, is, under this concept, going
to go to hell, and nothing can stop him.
Man, who upholds this belief, says that he
will basten the beginning of the punishment.
The murderer is going to hell anyway and
sliood hegin his punishment now, so by a
process of law he will be deprived of his life
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
OCTOBER, 1960
Page 33
parts remaining within the patient. Naturally, those parts remain connected in the
natural way to their parent body, and those
which are removed are dead that is, Soul
and V.L.F. desert them.
There are, very likely, other points which
might come under this same heading of im
portant but secondary factors; however, these
are the ones which come most readily to
mind. They are considered to be secondary
because they can easily be argued at length
from both the pro and con side of the ledger,
so to speak.
But underlying all of these points is oije
final consideration which is the ultimate
question in this case and the factor upon
which our final answer is based.
Does self-consciousness exist in the brain
tissue kept alive in this laboratory environ
ment? Or is this tissue merely alive only in
the most highly technical sense? If Soul,
V.L.F., and therefore complete animate life
as nature gives it is present, then self-con
sciousness also must be present.
In this experiment, conducted in the
medical branch of the University of Texas
in Galveston, the brain tissue was kept
alive through the discovery of exactly the
right combination of ingredients to correspond to natural tissue fluid. It shows an
advance for medical science which indicates
great possibilities for future research and
application.
However, to come to a final answer to our
question regarding the presence of Soul, we
can see that not self-consciousness, but mere
physical (or in this case, electrical) activity
was recorded, and we must conclude that
Soul, henee complete, natural life, was not
present.W
AM O RC Membership and Military
Service
A question which is often asked of our
Forum, particularly in this age of compulsory
Military Service, the coid war, and the struggle for world pea ce, can be stated, How can
one reconcile membership in the Rosicrucian
Order with military Service? Will the neces
sity of active duty in the Service jeopardize
our standing in the Order, which can be
called a pacifistic society?
To answer this query, we must point out
that there is a great difference between loving
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
OCTOBER, 1960
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In fact, the Romn Church uses as a public sedation the cry of bigotry when a voice
of protest is raised. However, let him who
thinks these matters are exaggerated or fantastic stories of religious bigots enter into a
fraternal relationship or become a member of
any society or organization whose teachings,
writings, or activities are disapproved by the
Romn Church or which the church may feel
to be competitive. He will then soon personally experience the sinister forc rising
to act against him. He will then know it to
be a reality and not a figment of imagination
of a bigots mind.
Let it be known that free minds, free conscience, are not alone today confronted by
the menace of a malevolent political ideology. Tyranny can also garb itself in the
robes of sanctity and throttle freedom equally efficiently. World domination can be
achieved under various banners. Whatever
its symbol, such domination is equally obnoxious to free minds and free m e n -X
The Screen of Consciousness
A frater, addressing our Forum, says:
The subconscious mind is a great reservoir
of knowledge and wisdom. We use what
ever level of consciousness of this mind that
we can reach as a screen upon which we
visualize events, persons, and the like. Can
we not use it, as well, to tap the great pool
of the subconscious mind? I have experienced this screen of the mind as a sort of
black area, dark but yet not static. Rather,
it is filled with ever-changing points of light.
Should we not explore the possibility of converting the energy of this screen of mind
into psychic guidance and illumination?
There are various subjects embraced in
the fraters comments and questions. We
shall, therefore, answer them in categorical
order. First, the subconscious mind as a
reservoir of knowledge and wisdom is principally a figure of speech. By this we mean
that the subconscious does not contain the
elements of such academic subjects, for example, as mathematics, astronomy, physics,
and philosophy. The so-called wisdom of the
subconscious or the Cosmic mind within us
is not to be construed as a great depository
of points of knowledge, as particulars having
a qualitative or quantitative nature. The
Cosmic mind is not an encyclopedia, infinite
in a variety of finite things. Particular
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
OCTOBER, 1960
Page 37
rized that this visual purple acts as a sensitizer for the rods of the retina. After a
large accumulation of visual purple, the
sensitivity of the rods is said to be ten thousand times that of the cones of the retina in
daylight. Therefore, again we must not
confuse such a physical function as visual
purple with any psychic phenomenon.X
W hats in A ame?
For many years I have had an interest in
biology, particularly in the relationship be
tween living things and the environment in
which they live. As a hobby, I have particu
larly been interested in that part of the ani
mal kingdom represented by birds. As a
result of this interest, which is known among
various people, I have occasionally had peo
ple come to me with a description of a bird
which they have seen and wanting to know
what the particular bird is, that is, what it
is called. Sometimes the descriptions do not
fit any living species of birds, to the best of
my knowledge, and other times it is comparatively easy to give the accepted ame
to the bird described.
It has always interested me to see how
pleased the average person who asks such a
question is upon having a ame given to the
bird concerning which he has made inquiry.
It would seem that to many individuis the
giving of a ame seems to be a form of approval upon the existence of the living thing
which they had discussed or in which they
had been interested. This idea that a ame
has something to do with finality is a rather
odd concept when we analyze it.
Actually, there is no relationship whatsoever between any living thing and the ame
bestowed upon it. Individuis, as well as
groups, are given ames. We as species of
the human race have a ame of that species,
which includes all creatures of similar design. That is, the human race is a species of
the animal kingdom, but as individual mem
bers of this particular species, we also are
given ames, whether they be Tom, Bill, or
Mary or any other ame that may be applied
to us as a sort of label which makes it pos
sible for us to preserve our individual
identity.
That you or I would be anything different
if our ames had been selected differently is
certainly open to debate. Whether or not the
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THE R O S iC R U C lA N FORUM
there was a superstitious belief that the pronunciation of a ame could produce either
good or bad effects upon the individual bearing that ame. For that reason, it is claimed
among certain tribes, the ames were kept
secret because it was feared that one might
be harmed by ones enemy if that enemy
learned the ame and pronounced it under
certain circumstances.
We see evidences of this in some of our
religious heritage. Among the Hebrews it
was believed that there should be no ame
for God, because God should be nameless and
beyond the concept of a ame or title. In
this theory, there is a certain degree of truth.
There was a certain realization that the pow
er of a Supreme Being could not be encompassed in any ame; neither could the con
cept of a deity be limited to a ame. Therefore, it was among these people the general
idea that there should be no ame that should
be confined to such a power.
Today we have progressed beyond the con
cept of such primitive thinking, but neverthe
less we have not completely disassociated
ourselves from the importance of ame and
title. There are many people who will go
to great extremes in order to gain a title
which they believe constitutes recognition.
There are others who believe that the ame
is an intricate part of the total character of
the individual, whereas actually it is only a
label of convenience.
Returning to the illustration of my own
experience, I have sometimes identified by
ame a bird at the request of an individual,
and while the individual seems satisfied to
a certain degree with havinor a label to place
upon that particular form of life, he has gone
one step further and asked, What good is
it? This question from the standpoint of
biology is a very peculiar one. The valu of
the life of any living thing is not necessarily
measured in terms of human valu. In other
words, there are birds, animals, and insects
that are beneficial to humanity, and there
are others that are detrimental. When we
classify living things under any desire or
intent to test or make a record of their valu,
these vales are usually considered in terms
of human concepts.
Actually, every living thing has a place
in the evolutionary scale of all life, and its
valu was not necessarily made for man or
did it evolve to what it is today solely for
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Though the change might proye to be detrimental to the welfare of the individual; yet
the prediction is not of such a nature that it
would ordinarily be blocked in the mind of
the recipient by any principies that he had
established.
We must realize that the best defense
against so-called evil thoughts is to develop
a strong, upright, honest, just character.X
Should We Be Vegetarians?
A frater of England, addressing our For
um, asks: Is the eating of meat and fish essential to our diet? Pythagoras insisted that
his students and disciples be vegetarians. Is
there a health advantage in being a vege
taran? Is there an intellectual or spiritual
benefit in the practice of vegetarianism?
The early basis for the practice of what
is now known as vegetarianism was moral
compunction. Simply put, early religions, as
that of the Hindus and the worshippers of
Vishnu, considered it beneath the evoluntionary status of man, as, an exalted form of life,
to kill any living thing. The religious conception of the life of the soul was likewise
related to the practice of abstaining from
eating flesh.
In accordance with the belief in the transmigration of souls, it was thought that the
human soul might be rebom in lesser forms
as an animal, reptile, bird, or fish. This les
ser status of the soul was thought to be a
karmic retribution for some sin committed
while the soul was mortal. This conception
was really a perverted idea of reincamation.
However, in killing other life for food, it was
consequently thought possibly to be imposing
suffering upon a human soul embodied in
the animal form.
While in India, we observed a near lynching of a railroad locomotive driver by Hindus
because he had inadvertently killed a sacred
cow that had wandered upon the tracks. We
have also observed the custom of the Jain
priests wearing masks over their faces while
performing rituals so that their exhaled
breath would not kill invisible life forms in
the air,
Conversely, the taking of animal life for
other than food has been a prominent custom
in history as well. Animis, such as goats,
sheep, cows, and bulls, have been sacrificed
in religious rites since remte antiquity. In
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
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Pqge 47
From tlie pages of one of the most fascinating and accurate accounts of the
Great Pyramid, comes a revelation of super minds whose impact upon society
has been felt for centuries. W hat wonders lie hidden in this vast monument
of stone? W h at does it tell us of the future?
This account contains references to Sciences Iatest discovery, the hidden
subterranean passageways. of the Pyramid; it explains their secret purpose.
The
ROSICRUCIAN
SUPPLY
BUREAU
U. S. A.
R O S I C R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D ., S A N J O S E
L I T H O IN U S
December, 1960
Volume X X X I
No. 3
Rosicrucian Forum
A p rv a te
ED W A R D A. L IV IN G ST O N E, F. R. C.
inspector G eneral of A M O R C fo r M o n tre a l an d Eastern C a a d a
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Greetings!
V
W H A T IS L U X U R Y ?
DECEMBER, 1960
Page 51
The Rosicrucian Forufn is Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Departmerrl
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RATE: 45c (3/6 sterling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sterling) per year-FO R MEMBERS O N LY
Pqge 52
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belief one may often create a new and beneficial attitude toward life. From this then
comes a new adjustment to environment and
circumstances, sometimes a rejuvenation.
However, most superstitions create a nega
tive rather than a positive state of mind.
They usually induce fear and actually inhibit the mental powers instead of liberating
them. For this reason superstition should
always be replaced with knowledge and true
understanding. Practices are often established by priesthoods and political systems
to become superstitions and to compel the
minds of people to submit to the false suggestions they convey, the intention being to
enslave the minds of the masses.X
Reincarnation and Population Growth
A frater of England now rises to address
our Forum in this interesting manner: The
statement is made by mystics and scientists
alike that modern man is superior to his forebears; the moral judgment, brain capacity,
and reflexes are better adapted to this mod
ern life. In fact, through the ages he has
developed. The remains of Neolithic man
are scattered all over the world. The eoliths
or dawn stones he left behind are in practically every museum.
The Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon, and Azilian Man have brutish features and lesser
brain capacity than our present race; but we
are offshoots of such races, the evidence being
in our bone and cranial structure. The slow
process of evolution took millions of years to
develop the primal world to its present
stage.
The point is: primitive man in actual
numbers was in a very small minority.
In the United Nations Yearbook of 1956,
it was estimated that the population of the
world was 2,691,000,000, and increasing at
the rate of 42 million people a year. This
increase generation after generation seems to
presuppose entirely new individuis who
seem to have missed repeated incamations.
I thought first about the od civilizations of
Lemuria or Atlantiswould their population
account for the present numbers of this
modern world?
The whole puzzle to me is: A great many
individuis now being born are behind in
their incarnations, not a few years but
thousandsit may even be millions. Is this
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such progress is necessarily to be had by incarnation after incarnation. The fact that
one is born again does not mean that the
next life into which he is born will neces
sarily advance him.
Mystically, it is said that we can never
retrogress in our incarnation; but we can
remain inert in a lifetime, in the spiritual
sense. We may make no progress whatsoever
in one incarnation over what had been attained in the last one. There can be hiatuses
between incarnations. Thus, between a first
and sixth incarnation, for example, some in
dividuis may exhibit no development psychically at all. One who is a cynic and a
rank materialist, or amoral would, figuratively, be standing still during those periods.
Conversely, in one incarnation some per
sons may advance two or three planes of
consciousness. An individual, by study, medi
tation, and application, can in a single in
carnation advance beyond another who has
had several incarnations, but ones in which
he was indifferent to inner unfoldment. Thus
many today who have had no previous in
carnation may become more or equally developed in this period of existence than those
who have had a series of rebirths.
What cosmic law or principie may lie behind or co-ordinate with the biological ex
pansin of human life, as we know it today,
can only be theorized. Such speculation
would avail us nothing other than the intellectual satisfaction which it may pro
vide.X
This Issues Personality
It has been said that a true Rosicrucian is
a process of development. One may suddenly
become interested in the work of the Order
and affiliate. The individual, however, who
has been gradually tempered for the studies
of the Order by a series of preinvestigations
and inquiries gains more from his eventual
Rosicrucian membership. Such a person is
not easily led astray by fantasies and the
exaggerated claims of others. He learned before he entered the Order to separate the
chaff from the grain.
Consequently, he looks for no sudden
transformation of his personality or status in
life. Also, he does not expect someone else
to make something of him. Rather, he knows
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m i:
S A I T llM
OF
SELF
Look at
These Chapters
Profound
Yet Simple
Over 350 Pages!
I
II
II I
IV
V
VI
V II
V III
IX
X
XI
X II
X I II
X IV
XV
XVI
X V II
X V III
X IX
XX
XXI
X X II
X X I II
LITHO IN U . S . A .
February, 1961
Volu me X X X I
No. 4
Rosicrucian Forum
A
p rv a te
p u b lic a to n for m e m b e rs of A M O R C
GEORGE EM IL MEEKER, F. R. C.
Inspector G eneral of A M O R C for the State of Ohio
Page 74
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
Greetings!
V
P O P U L A T IO N A N D B IR T H C O N T R O L
Page 75
FEBRUARY, 1961
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of committing sin is the only adequate reason deterring people from this practice.
This view of the church is substantially
true. In other words, the average religionist
who will not practice birth control fears it as
sin. His objection is not founded upon any
rational grounds. Even those religionists
who admit the advantage of birth control to
society as a practical solution to excessive
population, reject it solely because it is a
sin, proscribed by their religin. Would it
not seem more morally circumspect, more in
accord with that divine love and compassion
expounded by religin, if men were to raise
well a few children rather than to have many
who by circumstances must be neglected?
Mystically, any function of man, even an
appetite, which is not perverted, is not
spiritually ruinous to the individual. Certainly sexual relations within the marital
status are not degrading to the conscience
of the individual. Further, it is hypocrisy
to assume that every child born in wedlock was conceived with intent. Modern
psychology and psychiatry have sufficiently
established the fact that sexual relations are
a factor in helping maintain mental health
and tranquility. Celibacy or unnatural restraint can, and often does, have serious effects upon the personality, regardless of the
idealism of the motive behind it.
We venture the prediction that, if there
is no adjustment to meeting the population
explosion in the relatively near future, there
will be legal restrictions placed upon procreation. As it is now required in many
countries of the world that individuis intending to marry must first pass physical
examinations before obtaining a license, so,
in the future it may be required that indi
viduis obtain permission from the state be
fore they can bring a child into the world.
Only those having the health, mentality, and
other required standards may be permitted
to raise a family.
Further, the number of children may be
strictly limited in relation to the mortality
ratean enforced practice of contraception.
Religin in the past in various parts of the
world has had to become realistic and adjust
to circumstances, and it may be compelled
to do so again.
The only other speculative solution to the
problem, except the destructive catastrophe
of a thermonuclear war, is planetary migra-
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ing of his company. A college student reported a similar experience on a long trip
back to school after a holiday, only the
building in his case was the football stadium
on his campus.
In these cases, the mind, in a state of fa
tigue, rebelled temporarily, and drecjged up
an object out of the subjects experience,
projecting it as a visual hallucination. It
was seen as plainly as though it had actually
existed, but in truth did not.
Another type of impression which we
might discuss would be illusion. Here, the
object which we see actually exists, but we
interpret it incorrectly. Examples of visual
or optical illusion surround us continually.
We are all familiar with such illusions as
the apparent meeting of parallel lines like
railroad tracks or the two sides of a straight
road at the horizon, or the fact that, of two
similar objects at the same distance, a lighted or brightly-colored object will appear
nearer than its dark-colored or unlighted
mate.
Of course, the final basic visual impres
sion is what we may term true perception:
We see an object which actually exists, and
we also interpret it properly.
Since this whole question could not be
covered in any such relatively short article
as this, what we want to do is speak of one
phase of it which often causes confusion, and
that is how illusion in general, and psychic
phenomenon in particular, and hallucination
relate to and affect one another.
We mention psychic phenomenon here
because many members, particularly Neophytes, are always looking for psychic ex
periences and occasionally have experiences
of a visual nature which they attribute to
the Cosmic.
Many of the experiences related in their
letters to their instructors fall to some de
gree into the category of hallucination. This
does not mean that there is anything wrong
with these members, but they give such emphasis and importance to the idea of having
a psychic experience that they forc their
minds to create something to satisfy this desire. Henee they are visited by a masterful
individual in a white robe holding a crux
ansata, or see a blue light permeating their
sanctum, or some other similar phenomenon.
In only a few cases are these genuine psychic
experiencesin fact, it can be said that in
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On the basis of this simple premise, every thing that happened was due to one of two
causes, either something that man did him
self and was conscious of, or something that
an invisible entity did and made him aware
of. When these events happened in a way
that was to his benefit, convenience, or pleasure, he interpreted the instigator of the forc
as friendly. When the events were to his disadvantage, discomfort, or loss, then the cause
was considered as being an unfriendly or evil
forc or spirit.
This reasoning was carried into all cate
gories of mans existence to the extent that
he believed that any modification in the
physical or mental health of the individual
was due to one of these evil spirits causing
disease, deformity, or difficulties. Therefre,
when an individual had an illness of some
kind, what was more natural for him than
to resolve the problem into a matter of
eliminating the evil spirit from the indi
vidual and the environment?
Out of these simple concepts there grew
systems of procedures and practice for dealing with both friendly and evil spirits.
Therefre, when we read that man believed
evil spirits were cast out or dispelled from
individuis, we are in a sense only dealing
with a terminology and not with an actual
condition. What we today cali inharmony in
the body, these individuis called evil spirits.
I believe that the reference made in such
literature is to the fact of harmony being
established in the person of the individual.
The casting out of evil spirits, then, was the
elimination of those elements which contributed to the individuals inharmonious
condition. By casting out these forces or
eliminating them from the body, the body
and soul were made harmonious, and in
terms of the Rosicrucian teachings, a state
of harmonium established.
Evil spirits are not then existing entities
in the sense that might readily be interpreted
by the term. The terminology grew out of
early observations, and regardless of how
erroneous it might be in its far-reaching ap
plication, it still applies to existing conditions
that contribute to inharmony.
We pride ourselves in not believing in
such superstitions as would cause us to think
that an evil spirit entered our body when
we had a coid or some other physical discomfort. What does enter our body, or what
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Rosicrucian Park
San Jos
California
U. S. A.
ffltftMettyitty tZuetiottvt,
...
At t e n d
ROSE-CROIX UNIVERSITY June -July
1 9
T H E R O S IC R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D .
L IT H O IN U . S . A .
April, 1961
Volum e X X X I
No. 5
Rosicrucian Forum
A
p r v a t e
p u b lic a t io n
fo r m e m b e rs o f A M O R C
G ABRIEL A N T O IN E PA N IER
Granel Councilor fo r P aris G ran d Lod ge o f A M O R C , France
Page 98
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
Greetings!
V
PA C IFISM A N D P R E PA R A T IO N
Page 99
APRIL, 1961
The world is smaller, psychologically, because no area is any longer greatly remte
from any other area and peopleeither in
time or in space. There is the conviction
that the world and its varied resources are
for all men, and that nationalistic restrictions
of these are a social evil and an obsolete
tradition that cannot be countenanced in
modern times. It is a realistic concept that
a plan, a method of equitable distribution of
facilities and resources is essential to world
peace. A divisin into the Have's and HaveNot's is no longer tolerable.
Such economic and social ideis are not
intended to be a support to any radical,
socialistic system. They are rather a realistic
view of the evils that trade barriers and
nationalistic restrictions inflict upon the
world.
The increasing number of small new
powers, who are in the main excluded from
the necessities of existence which lie within
the frontiers of other nations, constitute a
further menace to world peace. For ultimate
security, all men will eventually have to
sacrifice national advantages to some degree
even if it means lowering their standard
of livingthat others may be raised from
poverty to self-support.
InternationalismOne W orlda single
state of all humanity has recently been defamed as being Communism. It is true that
tyranny and despotism have falsely paraded
under such a banner of internationalism.
However, the misuse of the ame of a prin
cipie does not make the principie corrupt!
Much inhumanity has been committed under
the guise of religin, but that does not make
religin intrinsically wrong.
While these transitions occur, while man
is still not master of his passions and emotions, an absolute pacifism is not sane. A
people who are striving to construct a peaceful, intelligent world state, and who wish
to keep men from slipping back into bestiality, cannot afford to be defenseless. Savagery
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 ye ar-FO R MEMBERS O N L Y
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registered only in the storehouse of the subconscious. The individual was not consciously aware of it at the moment of experience.
For practical purposes, it was amnesia
because the experience was forgotten. Ac
tually, it was never realized objectively in
the first place. Later, when the experience
was re-established in the conscious mind,
there would be a strange, but unidentifiable,
familiarity about it. The individual might
misconstrue such an experience as being of a
past life.
We can likewise say that the subconscious
may receive impressions from sources other
than the receptor senses. It may receive a
m essage telepathically communicated, of
which the recipient is not objectively aware
at the time. This, then, is actually part of the
recipients mind. It is of his being, but he
has no realization of it.
Subsequently, in a passive state, perhaps
in meditation or contemplation, it may flash
into his consciousness as a mysterious idea,
seemingly coming from nowhere. At that
time he may realize the personality who
transmitted this message, may think of the
person simultaneously with the communica
tion sent to him.
However, if the recipient is familiar with
these psychic principies, he will realize the
relationship of the two, the personality and
the message. If he is not familiar with these
principies, he may think that such an indi
vidual is just at that moment thinking of
him.
It is necessary to state again that thoughts
harmful to our welfare or that of others can
not be projected to us and received by the
subconscious. As our teachings have many
times made quite clear, we have a guardian
of the threshold. This is our conscience, our
moral self, partly inherent and partly acquired. It prohibits the acceptance of any
idea contrary to our moral standards and
convictions. Our subconscious will reject any
projected idea not compatible with our sense
of rectitude.
There are also in our subconscious im
pressions inherited from previous generations
transmitted in the genes, in the protoplasmic
substance of our being. These are impulses
and inhibitions, compulsions and restraints.
They make up a great fount of knowledge
of the past. Much of such knowledge transcends anything we may yet have learned.
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he has put aside ideis that have made possible todays gains.
Man must begin to direct himself or he
will be directed: The forces of nature take
control where individual circumstances do
not allow for the function of the individual
mind. Today, man seeks primarily two
things in his daily lifematerial possessions
and personal enjoyment.
In his seeking for pleasure and possession,
man makes everything else secondary. This,
of course, is a statement that has been repeated through all generations of human ex
istence. But today many factors tend to
cause man to elabrate upon these ideas.
Entertainment has become to many a
valu sought without consideration of cost;
and, unfortunately, to exaggerate the valu
of entertainment is to interfere with real
vales, such as recognition of responsibilities
which will be ours if we achieve immortality.
With the coming of technological advances
into the realm of daily living, we are, in a
sense, tempted more than ever to deviate
from constructive effort. One illustration so
common we should all realize it comes to my
mind: the coming of televisin into the home
has brought with it the possibility for both
enlightenment and entertainment.
Unfortunately, the latter has become domi
nan! I do not claim that televisin is more
vicious than any other form of entertain
ment. It is peculiar in one particular phase
it has entered into the privacy of the home.
Years ago, we feared that the younger gener
ation would be corrupted through motion
pictures.
At least they could be controlled to a
degree; they were outside the confines of
family life. Now televisin as a form of
entertainmentand theoretically as a form
of instructionhas intruded itself within the
family life. To a certain extent, it is hypnotic. The reason for that as well as the
reason why it has become so popular, is that
it demands nothing of us.
The minds defense completely rests as we
watch. This might be considered of some
therapeutic valu except that the mind
should not be made to rest too muchany
more than the heart. The danger in tele
visinor the danger in any entertainment
that intrudes itself too much upon our daily
lifeis that we particpate without exercising
any selective faculty.
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monographs. Select one and use it consistently every morning and every night for
a week, a month, or even six months. Use
one exercise in the morning and another at
night, or change about week after week. The
important thing is to devote some time every
day. Give ten minutesa small part of your
whole dayfive minutes in the morning and
five in the evening, toward a conscientious
application of some of the simplest exercises.
It would be preferable if you spent half an
hour or an hour in your sanctum with these
exercises.
You may have a legitmate excuse for
time, or you frankly may be making time
the excuse. There is no excuse, however, for
not using a few minutes morning and night,
especially since you will gain your objective.
The advancement may be small in proportion to the small time used, but almost any
understanding of the process of learning will
confirm that the important thing is regularity. Try it for a while and see if the
results do not justify the time spent.A
Temple Symbolism
A soror asks: What is the meaning of
the salutation at the Shekinah at the begin
ning of a Rosicrucian convocation in a lodge
or chapter of the Order?
It is presumed that all members are famil
iar with the word, Shekinah. The word itself
is of ancient Hebraic origin but it has a distinctly mystical significance as used in
Rosicrucian ritualism, apart from any theological content. However, it is perhaps
advisable to quote from the Rosicrucian Man
ual on the beautiful symbology of the
Shekinah.
In the center of the Lodge, where lines
from the four points of the horizon would
meet, is the Heart of the Soul of the Temple.
This pointthe fifth point of the Lodgeis
occupied by the Sacred Triangle, called the
Shekinah (pronounced she-ky-nah, with accent on the middle syllable).
The Shekinah is the Symbolical Place,
representing the Presence of God in our
midst. It is the point within the inner
circle. (The outer circle is the Temple; the
inner circle is the Lodge.) Thus, it is the
Triangle within the two circles. It indicates, therefore, that God is in all places
(Lodgesmeeting places), at all times (Tem-
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We Proudly Announce...
an A U New Rosicrucian
EGYPTIAN TOUR
February - March 1962
O h . *1 1 0 1
London:
Visit Baconian landmarks such as
Canonbury Tower, Gorhambury.
and St. Michaels. Take a trip te
famous Stonehenge, and other sites
of mystical interest. Attend a per
formance at the Royal Festival Hall.
See historical landmarks of western
civilization in the London area.
Enjoy a Rosicrucian Convocation
with the Francis Bacon Chapter.
Cairo 2
Land of the pyramids, sphinx, ancient cities of Sakkara and Memphis
Attend the special initiation ceremony in the Kings Chamber of the
Great Pyramid. Visit mosques, Coptic churches, the Cairo Museum.
bazaars, and oriental restaurants.
Luxor:
The greatest center of ancient Egyptian culture, where stand the greai
temple at Karnak, the tombs of th(
Kings, Luxor, and Hatshepsut;
temple, with sunrise ceremony a
Luxor.
Abu Simbel:
...
$ 1 2 8 5 .4 0
(INCLUDES ALL CO STS)
Twenty exciting days, leaving New York February 22 and returning to New York March 13, 1962
(All costs round trip.) Grand Lodge staff members will be with you all the way. Forums, sightseeing, con
vocations, initiations, hotels, meis, transportation and travel insurance all included. You have dreamed ant
studied about the great mystery schools of Egyptnow you can visit them. Write today for full particulars-
The Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, in announcing this tour, is cooperating in good failh with the air line and th<
tour sponsor involved, and assum es no liability or responsibility in connection with this tour. It is presenting thi
information as a convenience for its^ members, and receives no remuneration other than a ten dollar fee per tou
member to cover the clerical and printing costs involved in presenting this inform ation to members.
R O S I C R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D ., S A N J O S E
L IT H O IN U S
June, 1961
Volunte X X X I
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
GEORGE FENZKE, F. R. C.
G ra n d Councilor of A M O R C fo r the W e st Central States
Page 122
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
Greetings!
V
PRO O F OF M Y ST IC A L PR IN C IPLES
a subjective feeling into an objectively perceived condition. He has thus proved his
anger to others who did not have his feeling.
The individual, however, does not need any
external evidence of the fact that he feels
his anger.
Let us use an analogy to elucidate this.
We will assume that three men are in
conversation together. A makes a remark
he knows will anger B. C, however, is not
familiar with the remark and its effect upon
B. Though A is angered, he does not display
his feelings. It would, therefre, be impossible for either A or B subsequently to prove
to C that A had ever been angered during
the conversation. However, both A and B
themselves know that the remark had been
caused by anger.
Mystical principies, in most instances,
cannot be proved by one person to another,
or others. The matters with which mysticism
is generally concemed are not of an em
pirical nature, that is, they cannot be demonstrated objectively. They are things which
must be undertakn by the individual him
selfthereby becoming a personal experience.
It, however, stands to reason that mysticism
would never have endured through the centuries if it had not been apodictical to its
devotees.
No intelligent person is going to assume
results which he cannot perceive in some
manner. Mysticism, though philosophical
and abstract in its doctrines, nevertheless postulates numerous exercises and acts to be performed for which specific results are claimed.
Obviously, if no one had ever experienced
such results, we repeat, mysticism would
never have survived.
One of the basic purposes of mysticism is
to provide an intimate experience with the
Absolute, cali it God, the Cosmic, or Uni
versal Consciousness, as you prefer. Though
difficult to define in detail to another, those
who have had the experience have analyzed
it sufficiently to be able to lay down the spe
cific effects that were realized. They have
JUNE, 1961
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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 year FOR MEMBERS O N L Y
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
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JUNE, 1961
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
more spiritual content than that in the flower he plucks or in his dog that looks at him
with an expression of mingled love and wonderment.
Of the dog we can say (paraphrasing a
source I have now forgotten):
He is loyal without expectation of reward.
He is courageous without arrogance.
He is beautiful without vanity.
He seeks to please for love alone.
He asks for nothing greater than your
friendship.X
Rosicrucian Ethics and Christianity
A frater rises to say: The traditional his
tory of the Rosicrucian Order indicates that
its origin was thirteen hundred years before
Christianity; and yet a statement is made in
the booklet, Who and What Are the Rosicrucians, to the effect that the Rosicrucian
JUNE, 1961
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
JUNE, 1961
Page 129
due to a desire to get away from ones worries or trouble. . . . To understand the problem we must look at it from the point of view
of the person contemplating suicide.
He believes that . . . he has reached the
end of his toleration of existing conditions.
Occasionally there is one who thinks that
greater troubles are about to cise in on him,
and there are those who commit suicide to
avoid some scandal or disgrace. The average
suicide, however, is due to a desire to be free
of any continuation of worries and trou
bles which have been tormenting them.
They think that because there is sorrow
and trouble all around them, they can get
away from this and be at peace by abruptly
ending their life. However, as the lessons
tell us, this peace is not forthcoming through
this type of escape route.
One of our monographs states, for ex
ample: We emphasize . . . that the most
real and important . . . part of man is spirit
ual and not physical, and that the physical
part is merely a cloak that enshrouds the
spiritual. But as long as we have that cloak
the bodywe must care for it.
We may strip ourselves of the body as
we would east off our clothing and go about
naked if we wish to do so. However, to do
this to the body in a complete sense would
mean that we would have to commit suicide
and allow the physical body to pass through
the change called death, thereby giving the
spiritual self complete freedom.
But suicide is a sin in itself and the
spiritual side of man would not be freed by
the commission of such an act, but would be
enslaved by regret, and faced with a long
period of Karma. Man has no right to attempt to control the coming and going of
his Soul and spiritual part within him.
One of the later Temple Degree lessons
explains that suicide is wrong because it is
an attempt to cut short the earthly experi
ences of the Soulan attempt, therefore, to
defraud nature of one of her intentions for
man, and to alter the operation of one of her
principal laws, which puts man on the earth
plae for good and necessary reasons for his
total development.
By eliminating some of the necessary in
dividual experiences, a gap is left which destroys the harmony between cosmic pattern
and individual experience, thus constituting
a sin against individual karma. To help us
Page 130
However, there is usually a feeling of calculated risk here. In other words, in the split
second of deliberation preceding the act, he
will conclude I think I can make it. This
tends to eliminate the element of suicide as
such. There is great risk, but at least the
possibility of survival.
The same point can be made conceming
men in combat. Even with the threat of
nuclear war, the front-line application of
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JUNE, 1961
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
Rosicrucian Park
San Jos
California
U. S. A.
JUNE, 1961
Page 141
NOTE The small letters after the page numbers refer to position on page: a , upper half of first column; b,
lower half of first column; c, upper half of second column; d, lower half of second column. Titles of articles
are italicized.
A
About Our Officers and Staff, 79b-81a
Absolute Truths? Are There, 65c-66d
Abstract Thought, 19a
Abundance, 50a-c
Adepts? Where Are the, 101b-103b
Affiliation, Discontinued, 9c
Agnostic, 77c-d
Alchemists, 105a-d
A Matter of Terminology, 139b-140d
AMORC:
Archives, 6b
Channels, 102b
Child Culture Institute, 83d
Grand Councilor, France, 28a-d
Grand Councilor, Pars, 100b
Grand Councilor, West Central States, 124d
Inspector General, 22b-d, 56c-57a, 76c, 77b
Retreat, 129a
Sponsors Child Culture Institute, 23a
AMORC Membership and Military Service, 33d-34c
AMRA and Tithing, 6c-8b
Law of, 7d
A New Feature, 132a-c
Anthropology, Research and Experimentation, 2a,
63d-65c
Appetite or Function, Physical, 76a
Are Monasteries Necessary? 127d-129a
Are There Absolute Truths? 65c-68b
Are There Evil Spirits? 87d-90a
Are There Negative Laws? 41d-42d
Aristotle, 103c-d, 104a
Armaments, 98b, d, 100a, 112c
Armed Services, 34b
Arrests, 35c-d
Ascetics, 19c-d
Aspiration, 114a
Atheists, Souls of, 77c-79b
Attainment, 9d
Attunement, 70c-d
B
Bacon, Sir Francis, 56c
Beautiful, The, 50d
Becoming, 106a, I ll a , 112a
Belief, 54a-c
Benedictine Order, 128b
Bereavement, Death and, 51d-53b
Bigotry, 35d-36a
Birth Control, Population and, 74a-76c
Bodies, Donating Our, 20d-22a
Books:
Bible, 46c
Mansions of the Soul, 119c
Philebus, Plato, 108d
Rosicrucian Glossary, 132a-c
Rosicrucian Manual, 117d, 118d
Rosicrucian Principies for the
Home and Business, 92c, 93c-d
Sepher Yezirah of the Kabala, 5d, 6a
The Book of Mercy (Arabian),
by Geber, 104b
The Gold Casket, by .Benedictus Figulus, 104b
The Little Brown Casket, 77b
Unto Thee 1 Grant, 20d
Brain Tissue, 33a
Brothers, Our Animal, 125a-126c
Buddha, 41c
D
Death and Bereavement, 51d-53b
Degree, First or Highest, 9c
Hypothetical, 8d, 9a, b
of Advancement, 9c
of Evolvement, 8c, 9a
Delusion, 70a
Democritus, 103d
Demonism, 88a
Descartes, Rene, 108d
Desire, 102c-d
Development of Life, Soul and, 119a-d
Development of Medicine, 21 d
Psychic, 56a-b
Personal, 116c
Discipline, 45b
Discouraged, 9d
Disease, Inhibit, 20b
Divine Love, 16a, b
Divine Mind, 14c, 15a, b, c
Wisdom, 41 d
Does War Retard the Soul? 131a-132a
Do Evil Thoughts Project? 44b-46a
Donating Our Bodies, 20d-22a
Dreams and Symbols, 16b-19a
E
Edwards, John W., Judge of a Supreme Court, 133b
Egypt
103c
Taxation, 6c-d
Einstein, Albert, 109d
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
F
Fact, Superstition and , 53b-54c
Faith, 26a
Fatalism, 136a
Fenzke, George, 124a-d
Figures and Facts Distorted, 35a
Fludd, Dr. Robert, Physician, 18d
Forc, 89a-b
Free, Man, 27d
Fumey, Gabriel, 28a-d
G
Gateway to Infinity, 14b
Galaxy, 94a, b
Geber, Arabian Alchemist, 104a, b
Genes, 107b
God, 32a-33c, 119d
Manifesting, l i d
Not Mathematical Entity, l i a
God? Is Goodness, 14c-16b
Gods Judgment, 32c
ame, 38c
Gods, 32b
Grand Lodge Officers, 79d-80a
Greek Teaching, 23b, 43a, 61c, 83c
Greeks, 83c
Guardian of the Threshold, 45c
Guesdon, Mlle. Jeanne, 28c
Guidance and Illumination, 82c
Guidance, Cosmic, 67b-68b
H
Hallucination, 84b-85d
Harmonium, 20c, 90a
Hebrews, 38c
Heraclitus, I l l a
Hermes Trismegistus, 104d
Heroism? (<Patriotic SuicideSin or, 129b-131 a
Himalaya and Andes Mountains, 95d
Hindus, 6b, 46a-b
Hocking, William Ernest, 12d
Humanitarianism, 136a-d
Hypocrisy, Religious, 34d-36a
I
Ideal, 61c
Idealism, The Psychology of, 86a-87d
Idealist, 58d, 60a
Ideis, Higher, 31c, 112a, d, 114a-b, 115b
Ideologies, 102d, 113a
Illumination, 67a-68b, 70b, 118d
K
Kabala, 5d, 6a
Kant, Immanuel, 66d, 109a-c
Karma, 32c, 46b, 115b, 129d-130d, 131a, b, d, 137a-b
Knowledge and Experience, 10a
Knowledge, of Mystical Experience, 8d
Applied, 117a
Perceptual, 26b
L
Law of Retribution, 30c
Causality (cause and effect), 137a
Karma, 32c, 46b
Laws? Are There Negative, 41d-42d
Leonardo da Vinci, 102a
Leucippus (being), 108c
Level of Interest, 28d-29c, 30a, lOlb-c
Consciousness, 29d, 37a
Levels of Experience, 122a, 123b
Levels of Thought, 28d-30b
Lewis, Dr. H. Spencer, 29d, 57a, 101b, 133c
Life, a Gift, 31a-b
Intelligent, 69b
Life Created by Science? 33a-33d
Life, Development of, Soul and, 119a-d
Life, The Elixir of, 103b-106a
Live Life Enjoyably, 58b-c
Livingstone, Edward A., 56b-57b
Lodge, Formation, 118c
Love, Divine, 16a-b
Loved One, 52a-d
Luxury? What Is, 50a-5ld
M
Machine, The Potential of the, 90a-92c
Man and Mysticism, The Practical, 57b-60d
Man, Cosmically Perfect, 111b
Man, The Origin of, 63b-65c
Manifestations of Energy, 88d
Masonic Order, 35b
Master, lOld, 102a, 103a, 104d
Masters, 94a, d
Mastership, Evolution Toward, 8d, 9b, 10a, 70a-c, 71 d
Materialist, 10b
Matter and Actuality, 61a
Meaning of Psychic and Spiritual, 42d-44b
Meditation and Contemplation, 60a-b, 107a
Meditation Passive or Active? Is, 81a-82d
Meeker, George Emil, 76c-77c
Memory, 106b
Men from Mars, 68d
Metaphysics, 100b, d, 101c, 107c
Military Service, AMORC Membership and, 33d-34c
Mind, 12a, 91c, 92a-b
Subconscious, 36b-37a
Minkowski, Hermn, 109d
Monasteries Necessary? Are, 127d-129a
Moral Codes, 32c-d, 45c, 127b-d
Pqge 143
JUNE, 1961
N
ame? Whats in A, 37c-39d
Nationalism, 99a-c, 102d
Nature, 14c
Animal, 132a
Neophyte, lOld, 102a
Neophyte Degrees, 101b, 117b, c
Nervous Systems, 44d
New Souls, 55a
Neolithic Age, 3b
Non-Live Bearers, 119a
Nous, 82d-83a
O
Objective Personality, 11c
Obligation, 33a, 40b, 118b
Officers and Staff , About Our, 79b-81a
Od Worlds and Souls, 94a-95d
Opinin, 26c-d, 27b, 32b
Origin of Man, The, 63b-65c
Other Worlds, Projecting to, 68b-70a
Our Animal Brothers, 125a-126c
P
Pacifism and Preparation, 98a-100a
Panier, Gabriel A., lOOb-Olb
Paracelsus, 104c
Parapsychology, 134a
Parmenides, (Nature of Being), 108b
uPatriotic Suicide Sin or Heroism? 129b-131a
Peace, Principies, 112c
Perception and Illusion, 84a-86a
Perceptual. Conceptual, Absolute, 108a, d,
109a-d, 110b
Perfection of Man, 3d
Perfection? What Purpose, 110d-112a
Persecution, 35c-d
Personality, Forming, 23b, 116c
Personality , This Issues, 22b-23c, 28a-d, 56b-57b,
76c-77c, lOOb-lOla, 124a-d
Pets for Children, 125d-126a
Philosophers Stone, 104d, 105a, b, c
Philosophy, 33a, 86a-b, 89b-d, lOOd, 101c, 102d,
112a, 113-114a
Hebrew, First Book, 5d
Hermetic, 103c, 105a, c
Materialistic, 9d, 91a
Mystical, 8b, 10b
Physical Existence, 137d-139a
Physical Standards, 9d
World Limitations, 10b
Physical Structure, Modifying, 88c
R
Rabbi Akiba, 5d
RealitiesProof, 122a-b
Reality, 106a
Reality, Running Away from, 19a-20c
Reason, 98b-99a, 100a
Recording for Preschool Age, 23c-d
Rectitude, Sense of, i07b
Refinement, 50d, 51a
Reincarnation, 56c
Reincarnation and Population Growth, 54c-56b
Relativity, 109d-110b
Release of Self, 39d-41d
Religin, Defied, 34d
Defined, 34d
Religious Hypocrisy, 34d-36a
Responsibility, 114b, 116a-b
Responsibility of Immortality, 112a-115c
Restriction and Rehabilitation, 32d
Rhythm, Cosmic, 112a
Ritualism, 103c, 117d-118d
Romn Catholic Hierarchy, 35a-36a
Roosevelt, Theodore, 34c
Rosicrucian:
Camera Expedition, 7b, 46c
Digest , 7b
Egyptian, Oriental Museum, 3b, 7a, 46c
Forum , 8c, 119c
Healing Methods, 20c
Humanitarian Activities, 8b
In Business, 102b
Library, 93d
Literature, 28b, 103a
Membership, 33d, 35c, 47d, 115d
Order, 126d
Philosophy, 8b-c, 32c, 34c, 86b, 105d
Rose-Croix University, 22d, 134a, 135c
Sunshine Circles, 124b
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
Whygs 45b
T
Taboos, 2b-d
Taxation, Egypt, 6c, d
Babylon, 6d
Telekinesis and Levitation, 132d, 135d
Telephone, 90c
Temple Symbolism, 117d-118d
Terminology, A Matter of, 139b-140d
Texas, University of, 33d
Theology, 69a
Theories as Explanations for Telekinesis, 135a-b
Theosophical Society, 35b
The Potential of the Machine, 90a-92c
The Psychology of Idealism, 86a-87d
This Issue's Personality, 22b-23a, 28a-d, 56b-57b,
76c-77c, lOOb-lOOc, 124a-d
Thought, in Mysticism, 8b
Pur, 29d
Substance, 44b
u
U-2 Incident, 129b, 130c-131a
Understanding, Logical, 13b
University of California Professors, 7a
University of Geneva, Professor Thury, 133b
Utterances, 4c-d, 5b
V
Valu of Skepticism, 26a-27d
Vales in the Cosmic, 111b, 113b
Vegetarians? Should We Be, 46a-47d
Victorian Age, 31 d
Visual Purple, 37b-c
Visualize, 36d
Vital Life Forc, 33b-c, 83a, 111b
Vocabulary, Average Student, 57d-58b
Voodoo, 88b
R O S I C R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D ., S A N J O S E
L IT H O IN U
August, 1961
Volu me X X X I I
No. 1
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
DR. LO U IS PRADAL, F. R. C.
A Granel Councilor o f A M O R C fo r Sou thw est France
Page 2
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
Greetings!
V
FR A T E R N A L E T H IC S
AUGUST, 1961
Page 3
The Rosicrucian Forum s Published Six Times a Year (every other month) by the Departmerrl
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 sferling) per yearFOR MEMBERS O N LY
Page 4
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
AUGUST, 1961
Page 5
Page 6
Natrn was commonly used in dehydrating the bodies of the dead in the process of
embalming or mummifying. Fumigation by
incense was accomplished by the priests, or
their acolytes, swinging the censer about the
King as they perambulated in a circle about
him. The incense, however, was more than
merely intended as an aid to fumigation. The
rising smoke was symbolic of the Ba (soul)
of the king ascending to a unin with the god.
Natrn was also given to the King to chew
as a means of cleansing the mouth. Again,
this too had a symbolic meaning. The water
in the ceremony was called water of life
and that which renews life. The water
was brought from a sacred pool with which
every temple seems to have been provided.
Today, the remnants of these sacred pools
may still be seen. When standing on the top
of the main pylon of the temple of Medinet
Habu, looking down upon the pronaos or
outer courtyard, one sees a partially excavated depression now filled with a slimy,
green water from an apparently still existing spring. It was once part of the extensive
ceremonial sacred pool of this temple.
Adjacent to Kamak Temple is the sacred
lake which has been well restored. At each
of the four corners of the small nearly square
body of water, stone steps and a ramp lead
down to its surface. Processionals of priests,
chanters, astrologers, and subalterns once
passed down these, carrying sacred images.
The candidates for initiation into the mystery schools followed. From here they en
tered a sacred barge upon which the final
initiation rites were held at night under a
full moon.
However, before the candidate was permitted to enter the barge, he had to indulge in
a rite of lustra tion. About thirty yards from
the lake, one may still see today a subterranean p assagew ay leading down stone
steps to a small lustra tion pool. There the
candidate either resorted to sacred ablution
or aspersin by priests.
Today this pool is congested with plant
life. The little stone wall and slab roof surrounding the dark entrance is hardly noticeable from the surface, being subordinated by
the more imposing nearby structures. Scenes
of these ancient sites and relies appear in
one of the sound and color motion picture
films now being produced by AMORC, and
available to members and the public.
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
AUGUST, 1961
Page 7
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
Death-Bed Confessions
One of the questions recently put before
the Forum was: Is there a mystical explanation for voluntary confessions of evil on
the eve of transition?
Shall we as Rosicrucians take these con
fessions as merely hallucinations, or were
they truly acts consciously committed against
their fellow men by these persons? Do these
confessions affect the Karma of these people,
especially when the confessions are true, or
do such death-bed confessions bring salvation from punishment?
This is a several-fold question, and one
which may be of interest to many. First of
all, it is quite possible in a number of cases
that such confessions may be true, at least
to some degree. However, it is also true that
manywho fear deathgive forth such
death-bed confessions when they are not true
or valid at all.
At this stage, the question is psychological,
not mystical, and has to do with the persons
belief in what occurs after transition, his
fear of punishment, and so on. The saying is
familiar that Confession is good for the
Soul.
Recognizing this, and fearing the punish
ment which most feel awaits them after
death, persons, especially those deeply connected with the more dogmatic religions,
confess their early transgressions in order to
spare themselves this punishment and to be
absolved of their sins through a show of
repentance.
The confession of deeds truly committed
is quite understandable when the religious
beliefs and mental and emotional states of
the persons in question are realized, but
what about cases where evil deeds are re
vealed which in truth were not committed
at all?
There is a psychological quirk or phenomenon, well known to most plice departments, which involves compulsive confes
sion. Often when a particularly brutal crime,
such as a murder or disastrous arson, which
has received a good deal of publicity, is com
mitted, there will be a number of persons
who voluntarily confess having done it.
Usually, the confession is an obvious contrivance, and the person is dismissed as a
crackpot; but occasionally, the story will
be so convincing that only after extensive
Page 9
AUGUST, 1961
Page 10
in particular; during which there were journeys never before undertaken, and the discovery of new lands. These brought about
conquests, and proved that the earth was
round.
Then, there was the eighteenth and nineteenth centuriesthe age of m echanics.
Great new machinery was developed to take
the place of centuries-old manual labor
methods. Communications were facilitated
with the telegraph and telephone. Transpor
tation was accelerated by the development
of the steamship and the railroads.
Next began the age of electricity on a
grand scale and its application as electronics,
with radio, talking motion pictures, tape recorders, televisin, and the various automatic
control devioes and computers. With the advent of aviation the peoples of the world
became air-minded.
Gradually they were being freed from
their earth-bound status, both physically and
mentally. Astronomy, a centuries-old science
ever concemed with the realms beyond
earth, was known to the man on the Street,
only in a limited, utilitarian sense. To him
it essentially provided the means for navigation and the determining of time. All
other aspects of astronomy were considered
by the layman as more or less abstract speculations of little concern or valu to him.
Mans principal focus of interest was still
geocentricthe earthjust as it had been for
centuries. The earth was his habitat. He
derived his livelihood and his comforts from
it. All his misfortunes and potential dangers
were likewise centered in the earth. Further,
mans sacrosanct religious literature referred
to the earth as a divinely chosen theater for
his existence and function.
His theology, as well, glorified man as the
most highly developed being in existence
and implied that he, alone, was in the image
of God. Consequently, the rest of the universe was as a sea of little concern. In fact,
the average man looked upon the heavens
and what lies beyond the earth with about
the same indifference as persons in the Middle Ages had for what might lie beyond the
horizon of the oceans.
Only that which was relatively near at
hand and contributing to his personal welfare occupied his interest. A transition has
occurred since World War II. The new
military projectsrockets and missilescre-
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
ated sensational interest. This latter scientific development was closely related to the
facts of astrophysics.
The new probability of space travel to
other planets removed such matters from the
realm of mere speculation or fiction. The
time-space continuum and relativity theory
of Einstein had a direct bearing upon the distance of these other bodies of the universe
from the earth. Gradually, the actual firing
of rockets and the popularity of scientific
articles about what the other planets might
be like in our solar system, aroused the
imagination of the masses.
Figuratively, the people of earth are now
slowly becoming less earth-bound. The uni
verse becomes the focus of their attention.
There had been no such revolution in mans
complete physical and mental dependence on
the earth since the time of Copemicus who
shocked the world by disclosing that the sun,
not the earth, was the center of the universe.
The more the average man became acquainted with the magnitude of the greater
universe and realized that there were millions of galaxies, each in turn consisting of
millions of solar systems as great as our own,
the more, to him, did the importance of the
earth diminish in the Cosmic scheme. That
the earth, a mere Cosmic speck, should be
selected as the sol habitat of life, of intelligent beings, seemed more and more im
probable.
The light now reaching us from some of
these remte galaxies began millions of years
before the earth had life. Therefore, these
other island universes could have evolved liv
ing organisms with a high degree of intelli
gence eons of time before the first living
creature carne forth from the ooze of the
ancient seas of earth. They would thus
share with human beings a divine effulgence.
If man conceived himself as encompassing a
divine essence called Soul, then so would
such other intelligent beings.
The full impact of the incomprehensible
distances of the Cosmos, and the revelation
that there were certain similar phenomena
throughout, gave emphasis to the possibility
that somewhereperhaps many places in
spaceconditions existed which would support life. The great distances also gave assurance that intelligent life could exist in
interstellar space without having awareness
AUGUST, 1961
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
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AUGUST, 1961
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becomes a slave to ideas which do not necessarily have any basis in fact.
To be constantly influenced by ones erroneous interpretation of events and phe
nomena that seem to have no explanation is
to build ones life in a realm of superstition.
One principie for which the Rosicrucians
have always stood is to abolish superstition
by directing man toward the accumulation
of knowledge.
Many of the so-called groups or cults that
exist today with ideas somewhat strange and
not completely compatible with logical experiences are no different insofar as their
function is concemed than the witch doctors
or superstitious leaders of tribes in mans
primitive era of existence.
In recent weeks, I have read literature so
fantastic that its interpretation can be nothing more than the appeal of the unknown to
man and the basis of creating in the minds
of the individual concepts which make up a
purely superstitious point of view. Why
does superstition have such a power over
man? Partly because some individuis, possibly all of us to a degree, like to be amazed.
The basis upon which much entertainment is built, particularly in the circus, the
sideshows, carnivals, and that type of entertainment, is the appeal of the unknown, the
mysterious. The individual responds merely
because of his desire to see, hear, or experience something that lies outside the pattern
of, shall we say, ordinary, day-to-day ex
istence.
Entertainment in itself is a form of super
stition, or appeal of the mysterious. It is a
means of escape from our immediate environment, from the problems and pressures
that exist, and as long as it, or any proc
ess, is used purely for that purposethat is,
to provide relaxation and temporary escape
from the pressures of daily livingit is com
pletely worth while, useful, and harmless.
However, when an individual goes to the
extreme of devoting his entire life to meth
ods or means of escaping the problems of
daily existence, the problems with which he
must cope, or the realization that his life
must be directed to some degree to evolving
the element or essence of the life within;
then that individual is wasting life because
he is in a sense coming under the spell of
superstition instead of proper direction.
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
AUGUST, 1961
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
AUGUST, 1961
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the shores of the sea. It requires disassociating oneself from vulgarity and that which
attracts only the physical nature of man. If
we do this, we acquire a strong conscience,
that is, the impulse to conform to righteousness.
The second stage of development is to objectify the subconscious urge of conscience.
It is to find that behavior, that kind of ac
tivity, that will particpate in the good which
we want to express and to live. This latter
aspect of conscience, the objective phase, can
often become distorted and illiberal.
It may be a personal interpretation that
is not acceptable to others. Further, it may
develop a tyrannical attitude of trying to
compel all others to submit to our own conception of conscience. This aspect of con
science, the objective one, requires the application of reason, of intelligence.
We must take into consideration that the
environment, associations, and background
of all humans are not alike. A general moral
code must take into consideration only those
very things that are necessary for a society
collectively, what, in other words, is neces
sary for the physical, mental, and spiritual
welfare of man.
The first two are relatively easy to arrive
at. We can, by observation and experience,
tell what conduct will be harmful to mans
body and mind. When, however, it comes to
determining what is necessary for the spirit
ual evolution of another, that is more diffi
cult. Therefore, in the objective sense, there
will be both a public and prvate conscience.
Some things, such as theft, murder, rape,
and falsehood, are obviously detrimental to
society, and public conscience should not
permit them. Prvate conscience, of course,
would include them as well. However, pr
vate conscience would transcend this and
include more but only to the extent of the
development of the psychic sense of the in
dividual.
One who has no awareness of the finer
impulses of himself will have no highly de
veloped prvate conscience. He must be
compelled, then, to abide by the public con
science of society, which procedure alone is
never very satisfactory. The individual has
to be educated to evolve himself personally.
In other words, the moral sense must first be
cultivated.X
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
AUGUST, 1961
Page 21
We find the spiral present as a phenomenon in the macrocosm, that is, the greater
universe. There are many spiral nebulae.
The spiral nebulae are a form normally assumed by a contracting nebulous mass. All
nebulae do not appear spiral to our observation. There are theories advanced as to
what these nebulae are. It is generally con
ceded that they are galaxies, universes, like
our milky way, in which our own solar sys
tem exists. Several hundred thousand of a
few different types of nebulae have been
observed.
Examples of spiral type of nebulae are
Ursa Major, the great spiral nebulae of
Canes Venatici, and the vast Andrmeda.
Photographs of their rotation disclose that
they are apparently moving clockwise, that
is, from left to right. Of course, these observations are from our position on earth. An
observer whose point of reference is the
opposite of ours (figuratively speaking, the
other side of the nebulae) would see them
as moving counterclockwise.
In other words, the nebulaes revolution
depends upon ones position in observing it.
Certainly these nebulae do not change their
direction of rotation, but what we designate
as the direction depends upon the position
of the observer. Consequently, we cannot be
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
AUGUST, 1961
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P'tefecvie tyotci
(?Cct&JHitict
T h e F o r m a t i v e Y e a r s those years when
fears, prejudice, misconceptions may creep
into the child mind. Notions, like parasites, may cling to the consciousnesss
later to warp the personality. Establish
in the young, inquiring mind the
proper positive thoughts that will
grow in breadthand be a source of
right direction all through life.
Love for your child is not enough
intelligent suggestion and guidance
are also required. Now, through this
vocal guidance recording, you can have
your childs thoughts directed toward
the inner selfand toward wondering
about the greatness of the natural world
around him.
This double-sided recording has little
exercises that the childboy or girlwill
enjoy listening to and doing daily. There
are also thoughts to be given just before
sleepthoughts to be carried on by the
subconscious during sleep.
Here is a simple, economical, and
wonderful way of assuring the future
welfare of your child. Ask for Child
Guidance Recording.
V O C A L G U ID A N C E
For The Critical Years - Between 3 and 6
A 10-inch double-sided recording.
Hi-fidelity. 33-1/3 RPM.
Of equal benefit to parents who are not
Rosicrucians. Makes a splendid gift.
Nonsectarian in subject matter.
Easily understood by children between
the ages of three and six years. Can be
used daily witli noticeable benefit.
A.
October, 1961
Volunte X X X I I
No. 2
Rosicrucian Forum
A
p rv a te
p u b lc a tio n fo r m e m b e rs o f A M O R C
R O S A DE TOLEDO, F. R. C.
Inspector G eneral o f A M O R C fo r Puerto Rico
Page 26
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
Greetings!
V
D O ES G O O D A LW AY S T R IU M P H ?
Page 27
OCTOBER, 1961
The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Sx 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 year FOR MEMBERS O N LY
Page 28
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
OCTOBER, 1961
Page 29
fuller life. As we evolve and, through transmitted experience as well as our own, fulfill
the growth that should be achieved in this
life, we develop those characteristics which
embody and express those principies.
Conscience, then, is that development with
in man which helps him segregate true vales
from the experiences and knowledge attained
in life. Through conscience we are able to
keep before us the ideis to which we aspire,
and the aims which we hope to achieve. By
conscience we are also reminded of the ob
ligation we have to ourselves, to our fellowmen, and to our Creator.
The inner guardian, then, is this con
science, the voice which we should heed.
However, the development of conscience to
the point where it can serve as a guardian
of our experience and of our lives is a process
that takes time and application.
Dr. H. Spencer Lewis once wrote, It is
easy to quell ones conscience with conveniently invented alibis and excuses. This
is true in all phases of our experience. The
child who takes something he has been forbidden to touch will think of excuses by
which he can forget or by which he can put
aside the injunctions that have forbidden him
to do certain things.
Probably all of us can remember that as
children we had a logical alibi or excuse for
every transgression although neither was
usually satisfactory to our elders, who had
established the rules by which we were supposed to abide.
The same is true in our more mature
years. As responsible adults, we have estab
lished for ourselves certain limitations with
in which to function, certain courses to fol
low. We have, for example, established a
code of behavior which, while leaving us to
a degree independent, will not infringe upon
the rights of others.
We learn from the Rosicrucian teachings
that certain practices are conducive to the
mastership which we seek. These are the
observance of the principies which have been
laid down in our teachings and the continued
use of exercises to help us develop a degree
of Cosmic consciousness.
If we listen to conscience, it will guide us
in being systematic and regular in these observances. If we try to find excuses to put
them aside in order to save time, or simply
because we do not want to tie ourselves down
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
However, there are, for example, the wellknown, historie Christian mystics, the Fathers of the Church. They advocated that
this personal unin with God be attained
through the mdium of the Church. At first
blush, this seems incongruous, for the
Church is an intermediary between the aspirant and his God. However, the Church
is said to become the instrument by which
man prepares himself for unity with the
godhead. The teachings of the Church are
expounded as awakening and cultivating the
spiritual consciousness by which man realizes the divine. In this type of Christian
mysticism it is declared that the mystical
consciousness is not otherwise attainable
through the individuals single effort.
There is also that religious mysticism
which advocates an intmate awareness with
a disembodied, divine intelligence. This,
then, is not theistic. It expounds no imagery
of a personal God. It is believed that there
is a disembodied mind, a prevailing intelli
gence, which has certain emotions which are
similar to those of human beings: compassion, sense of justice, love, etc. It is true
that this, in itself, is also a kind of anthropomorphism. It is the attributing of human
emotions, if not form, to a Divine Mind.
Further, religious mysticism is almost al
ways related to a particular religious sect in
which there are variations of the usual re
ligious rites and imposition of beliefs.
There is also that which we may term a
metaphysical aspect of mysticism. In this,
the individual desires personally to experi
ence the one-ness of reality, the Absolute,
the initial cause of all. He does not think
of this Absolute or reality in terms of a
theistic being, that is, a personal God.
He wants to transcend the diversity of
objectivity and experience the harmony
which he believes underlies the physical
world. He considers himself as a product of
the Great One. He has no consciousness of
that one-ness but he believes man has the
right to attain it. He wants the experience
of unity in the diversity of this world.
In this metaphysical application of mys
ticism, the same psychological realms are
dealt with. The individual attempts to have
realization on a higher level of conscious
ness. By this we mean having ideation, feel
ing, imagery on a level of consciousness that
rises above the state of diversity.
OCTOBER, 1961
He may follow various techniques to accomplish this end. The reasons for the unity
he desires also may not parallel those given
by the religious mystic. The metaphysical
mystic, if we may use this term, may not
expect any soul-salvation to be accomplished
through his one-ness with the Absolute.
He may think that such is not necessary
because his concept of soul may be quite
different from that held by a religious mys
tic. He may desire, instead, a personal peace
that liberates the consciousness from the demands of this life, or, he may find happiness
in the ecstatic stimulation derived from attunement with the One.
All of the living religions have a mystical
element in them. They all suggest in vari
ous ways, or instruct the individual how,
through prayer, meditation, and attunement,
to find refuge directly in a divine embracement. Whenever an individual endeavors to
communicate directly with what he may conceive to be the supematural, he is thus mystically inclined.
In philosophy there is a classification
designated vitalism. In substance, this alludes to the conception that behind, or inherent in the physical universe, there is a
vital forc, an intelligence or consciousness
of a higher order. In other words, this view
opposes pur naturalism or a mechanistic
universe.
There is, it is contended, a teleological
cause, a mind-force directing the develop
ment and the processes of the world. There
is often a mystical conception associated
with this philosophical vitalism, which makes
a kind of syncrasy. The student may believe
that for the full direction of his life, for the
understanding of himself and reality, he
must be intuitively directed. This intuition
he conceives as a direct flow through his
being of the intelligence of this universal,
vital forc.
The vitalist will resort to meditation in
order to become conscious of his intuitive
impressions. In so doing, he believes and
feels himself en rapport with the universe.
We find this type of mysticism expressed in
the writings of the noted French philosopher,
Henri Bergson. He refers to a Vital Impulse
as directing all development in the universe.
This Vital Impulse is not exactly what the
religionist would cali God. It is more
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
OCTOBER, 1961
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
and attunement. Actually, the word atone-ment is a corruption of the word atonement. At-one-ment means being at one
with God, the Cosmic or the Great Universe.
It is to bring us into harmony with the vibrations of the Cosmic.
In any form of attunement we are bringing ourselves into harmony with the vibra
tory nature of a particular thing. It is the
adjustment of the individual rates of vibration of our mental self to the vibrations of
something else.
We have used several terms so far, such
as sympathy, vibrations, and harmony. Be
fore proceeding let us understand these
terms. When anything is vibratory it has
an oscillatory motion; that is, a back and
forth movement. All wave motionswhether
water, sound, or electricare examples of
vibration.
We can all think of examples of the vi
bration of motion. Suppose we take a thin
piece of metal, like a piece of spring steel.
One end of it we put in a vise so that it is
firmly held. Then we pul back the free end
and let it go. It vibrates: It moves back and
forth from the normal vertical position.
There are three general characteristics
about the vibrations of motion. The first is
frequency. It means the number of times of
vibration in a given period. High frequency
is rapid vibration; low frequency is slow vi
bration.
The second characteristic is period. This
means the time it takes for a complete mo
tion, as for example, the number of vibra
tions in a second. The third characteristic
of vibration is amplitude. It refers to the
width of swing of an oscillation. To under
stand this, let us again refer to the analogy
of a piece of spring metal in the vise.
Amplitude means how far the top of this
spring metal will swing from side to side
when we pul it back and let it go. The
number of vibrations of a thing depends
upon how elastic its substance is. Substances
can be sympathetic to each other. By that
we mean they can have the same vibratory
nature.
They produce the same note or the same
number of vibrations. Since they are in
sympathy with each other, or in harmony,
they can affect each other. One can induce
motion, or some effect, in the other. For
example, suppose we have two tuning forks
OCTOBER, 1961
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
in terms of his realization. There are realizations, though, that we accept secondhand.
For example, none of us has personally examined the moon, but we accept as knowl
edge the experience of those who are better
qualified to judge its composition.
We realize the moon to be a body composed of physical substance, located at a
point in the solar system in relation to other
bodies about it. In that sense we accept this
fact as knowledge, as our realization, although in the physical sense of the word per
ception, we have not personally perceived it
or had the perceptive experience of dealing
with it as we would an object on a table
before us.
Judgment is the composite experience of
the individual and the composite accumulation of realizations enabling man to exercise
his Creative mind, not only in determining
a valid judgment but also in assembling the
results of previous experience and contemplation in a productive way. It causes him
to temper his beliefs to make them conform
within reason to other realizations.
OCTOBER, 1961
Page 45
Page 46
that this energy was released through fermentation and conferred, in turn, upon those
who imbibed the wine.
Rosicrucians have never advocated any
form of fanatical abstinence. They are not
ascetics, practicing self-mortification or the
abnegation of the appetites. The teachings
of the Order, throughout the degrees, have
always urged reasonable temperance, not
denial. The premise of this doctrine is to do
nothing that will cause ill health. Medically,
it has been shown that reasonable indulgence
in stimulants will not harm a normal person.
The psychic self is not inhibited in the least
when the health is not endangered.
The Rosicrucian teachings take the position that we can neither eat or drink our
way into a state of higher consciousness.
What we partake of in food or drink, or what
we refuse if it does not obstruct the normal
functioning and the harmony of our bodies
will not raise or lower the consciousness
of self or of the Cosmic. The position is fur
ther taken by the Rosicrucian Order that the
body is a vehicle for the soul-personality. It
is like a vessel, or container, in which certain
exalted functions and phenomena occur. As
long as the vessel is kept in good working
order, it fulfills its purpose. Beyond this,
nothing that one can do to the vessel will
alter the function of the soul-personality.
If the opposite of this were true, then every
physical culturist, every top athlete, every
Champion weight-lifter would be a superb
mystic by the fact of his supreme physical
condition. Of course, we know this is not
true. History has shown that some of the
mystics, though in good health, have actually
been quite frail in body. The mystical con
sciousness will be found in all types of bodies,
including those who indulge in all sorts of
dietas long as the body is not adversely
affected.
It is true that in some of our higher de
grees we do advcate a special diet for perhaps a week or two. This is a matter of
experimentation while the member undertakes some p a rtic u la r mystical exercise.
There are perhaps several thousand Rosicru
cians throughout the world who, from their
own personal point of view, do not choose to
smoke or partake of any stimulants. There
are others who are vegetarians. However,
there are also many more thousands who do
not subscribe to such abstinence. We know
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
that in either their understanding or application of the Rosicrucian teachings it is impossible to tell any difference between these
groups.
If a personal statement be permitted, I do
not smoke. I abstain from smoking, not because of any mystical edict or requirement,
but merely because I do not prefer it, just
as I might not prefer something else. One
must also recall that Jess supposedly drank
wine, not just ceremonially but as a drink
with his meisa rather common practice of
the times. As long as we maintain a golden
mean, that is, as long as we avoid excesses,
stimulants offer no obstacle to the attainment
of a higher consciousness.X
Selection of the Soul
A frater rises to ask our Forum the following: Is the soul-personality of an unborn
infant selected at the moment of conception
or at the moment of birth? Also, does the
mother have any reasonable influence in this
respect?
Mystical tradition and the doctrines expounded by the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC,
as well, declare that the soul forc or the
universal consciousness which conveys that
which we cali soul, enters with the first
breath that the child takes. The child then
becomes a separate living organism with
soul. Prior to that time while in the womb,
the child is part of the mothers organism,
vitalized by the mother and directly under
the influence of the mothers soul-personality,
as are any of her organs. The Rosicrucian
teachings and ancient mystical traditions say
that the life forc and soul consciousness are
conveyed by the air we breathe and depart
simultaneously with the last breath.
The term, selection of the soul, is an erroneous one. Divine selection would imply
a theistic or personal god shuffling souls about,
as one would some commodity stamped with
identifying marks. Such an idea is so anthropomorphic and primitive that it cannot be
entertained by real students of mysticism.
Further, mortals cannot desgnate the soulpersonality that their unborn child can
possess. The matter is not quite so arbitrary
as that.
The more nearly appropriate term to be
used, and consistent with mystical teachings,
is soul attraction. The attraction, accord-
OCTOBER, 1961
Page 47
A Daily Guide
This is not a book to be read through once or
twice and then placed on the library shelf. You and
each member of your family will be able to map
out the charts of your life every week, every day
in fact. The charts will be like maps of a voyage on
the sea of life showing just what can be expected
each week and month. The use of the book and its
information has been made simplewithout mathe^
matics or consultation of any other book or al'
manac. The book includes easily'understood da'
grams and tables. It is well printed and bound.
The first edition sold out in one month. The edi'
tion, now available, has a complete ndex.
SPECIAL PRICE
$2.85
L I T H O IN U . S . A
December, 1961
Volunte X X X II
No. 3
Rosicrucian Forum
A
p rv a te
of A M O R C
HUBERT E. POTTER, F. R. C.
Inspector G eneral o# A M O R C for W a sh in g to n , D. C., and the State of M a ry la n d .
Page 50
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
Greetings!
V
BO M B-SH ELTER E T H IC S
Page 51
DECEMBER, 1961
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 O NLY
Page 52
composing the active elements of the weapon. The heavier of these particles begin to
filter out almost immediately and constitute
the immediate fall-out danger downwind of
ground zero.
Much, if not most, of the radioactive ele
ments initially released are of quite short
duration and pose no great fall-out hazard.
Some, however, such as Strontium 90, have
persistent qualities and pose a very lasting
danger. The lighter of the upswept materials
are carried and held aloft so that it may
take years for them to filter back to earth.
Often, this fall-out material is brought back
with the seasonal rains; this is predicted for
the heaviest fall-out from the Soviet 50megaton explosion.
Fall-out from an atomic burst is a secondary hazard, and may be lesser or greater
depending upon the type of explosion.
Tactically, there are three types: Air, surface, and subsurface. Subsurface explosions
are of no tactical valu, militarily speaking,
although they produce extreme residual radiation in the earth immediately around the
point of detona tion. However, this is so
relatively limited that it has no strategic use.
A surface explosion causes somewhat wider destruction, but again has no great stra
tegic valu because its principal effects are
muffled or blocked by terrain and buildings,
thus minimizing its fullest potential. Let us
point out here that there are three effects
of a nuclear weapon: heat, blast, and radiation. Of the three, radiation is the most
widely publicized and the least effective.
Many more victims were taken by heat
and blast in Hiroshima alone than fell victim to radiation in both that city and Nagasaki, When a bomb is exploded on the
surface, it produces a tremendous cloud of
potential fall-out, and may contamnate a
small area for a number of yearsbut in
terms of full effect will cause relatively little
destruction.
We might also point out the tactical con
sidera tions of nuclear weapons: A nation
engaged in a war expects to be victorious.
To be victorious, it must physically occupy
its enemys land. Even in a nuclear war,
therefore, it would want to leave that ene
mys land in a condition to be occupied.
The use of an atomic air burst accomplishes
this.
The detonation of a weapon 1500 or 2000
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
PECEMBER, 1961
a child remains there, and all the Strontium 90 that he will take in is added to it
and builds up its effect within his body.
Thus, in a sense, we are leaving to our children a legacy of bone cncer, created from
the very milk that sustains them. Happily,
there are counters for this, although the
dairy farmer may be hurt by them.
Initially, since human females do not
process milk from vegetation, the newborn
child is not affected by the possible effects of
this particular aspect of fall-out. Later, the
solution lies in not using liquid cows milk,
but rather one of the soya-bean substitutes,
preferably powdered, and later dry-milk
powder. This is effective because Strontium
90 seems to limit itself fairly well to liquid
milk.
But the reader might ask, what about
future fall-out problems, those connected
with a nuclear war? The big question these
days concerns the fall-out shelter. Should
we or should we not build one? Here we
will speak of shelters, not with respect to
whether one should or should not build one
since this is a purely personal matter
but rather why they are recommended at all,
and how effective they would be.
Fall-out, according to a number of sources,
can be a hazard when its radioactivity is
intense enough to cause radiation sickness
or deathwhen the Roentgen count reaches
a point where the body cannot absorb any
further radioactivity. In the area of a large
nuclear blast, this period might last from 72
hours to two weeks.
After the cloud has gone on and the filtration of radioactive dirt has ceased, the radia
tion count drops and for the most part the
materials become absorbed to the point of
presenting no hazard. This, then, is the idea
behind a fall-out shelter. It is a place with
sufficient space and provisions to allow its
intended occupants to exist for one or two
weeks until the fall-out and the slight resid
ual radiation danger from an air burst pass.
The requirements have been somewhat
standardized although needs will differ depending on the proximity to a probable
target area. As an example, someone in a
remte mountain area, with a good deal of
mileage and many terrain features between
him and any nuclear target, will have fewer
considerations in his shelter plans than will
a person living right in a target area.
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to do so would merely repeat what was presented in the August 1961 issue of this pub
lication.)W
This Issues Personality
The theory of superiority or inferiority of
race is often disqualified by the lives of the
individuis of the respective races. En virn mental conditions can subordinate or accelerate the potentialities of individuis of any
race. The life of Hubert E. Potter, Sr., is
such an example of surmounting both racial
and environmental obstacles.
Frater Potter was born in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, August 31, 1912. His father
died when he was four years od. He was
thus raised and counseled by his mother and
grandmother. He was under their aegis for
the next twenty years. They encouraged
him to gain an education, even at a time
when economic circumstances were sever e.
Nevertheless, young Potter completed high
school in 1931 during the great depression.
In fact, it was not until the following year
that he obtained any employment.
His first position was with a large chain
shoe company. The desire for higher educa
tion, however, was still very intense with
the young man. Frater Potter was eventually
able to gain permission from the liberal
management of his place of employment to
have a few hours once weekly to pursue a
subject for a semester at the University of
Pittsburgh.
In the year 1936 fortune and his own
diligence brought results, for Frater Potter
received appointment in the Federal Govern
ment at Washington, D. C. This was the first
rung on the ladder of promotion. From a
beginning as clerk-typist he moved upward
through varied positions and responsibilities
to research technician and historian.
During World War II Frater Potter gained
further technical training in the Armed
Forces as a photographer and laboratory
technician. His natural curiosity prepared
him for opportunities that presented themselves. Even as a young man he had the
motto: Learn all you can about other peoples jobs. Some day you may have a chance
to do them.
In the fall of 1946 Frater Potter resigned
from his government position to enter Howard University. The higher education he
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that are limited to our material environment. It is when we are influenced by beau
ty, by emotions that tend to good feeling and
to well-being, that we reach a point where
we are able to grasp concepts and to experi
ence elation of a type not always traceable
to any material factor.
I wrote elsewhere recently that in our
daily existence there are times when we
momentarily gain a fleeting glimpse of some
thing, the full knowledge of which must be
conceived of as constituting some under
standing of our true end and purpose. For
that moment, we seem to glimpse a condition
that lies outside our physical experience. So
long as that glimpse persists, we enjoy an
anticipation and a realization of the nature
of absolute valu itself.
We who are a part of the evolutionary
stream which is life at these moments stand
for an instant outside and above that stream
and are permitted to withdraw from the
thirst and plague of impulse and desire. We
feel neither need or want, and losing our
selves in the contemplation of a reality
which is other than ourselves, become for
the moment, selfless. When we experience
those significant combinations of forms or
sounds to which we give the ame of beauti
ful in art, our contemplation is in a sense
free from the volitional effort of much of our
daily experience.
Our experience may be unexpected and
intermittent, as is characteristic of our pleasure in the beautiful in whatever form it
may take. Beauty can take us by surprise,
whether it comes as a view of a landscape,
or in harmony, such as a melody accidentally heard as we walk down the Street. It is
this type of concept that has led artists to
produce their greatest works. Regardless of
the knowledge we might have of art, we do
not express that art unless we try to convey
a feeling that we have for the beautiful.
To retum to the beginning of these considerations, valu cannot be defined because
emotion is the key that unlocks our sense of
valu. Words in themselves cannot be valu,
because they are only nominal expressions
of those things to which we give worth. Intellectual and emotional experience are both
important to us. Knowledge is the founda
tion upon which life is built, but the structure which we erect on that foundation is
the result of our feelings. Our feelings are
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But what about society? It strives to protect the property rights of others, and encourages honesty. Its thoughts and plans are
positive, too. Consequently, the plans and
deeds of the thief, in contrast to those of so
ciety, are negative. They defeat what society
is striving for. An evil thought is negative
in that it is contra to the positive ends of that
which is termed good. We see, therefore,
that evil is a matter of relativity.
Let us consider linear measurement for an
analogy. A length of one foot is positive in
itself. It is a full twelve inches. However,
if a needed object requires one yard as a
measurement, then by comparison to the
greater positive quality, one foot is negative.
It is negative because it falls short of meeting
the requirements.
Many evils are only relatively so. In
themselves, they may not be either harmful
or destructive. But, in relation to certain
standards of goodness, they are a contra, an
opposite, or negative state. In some communities in different parts of the world, re
ligin has had laws legislated prohibiting
dancing on Sunday. Their premise is based
upon their interpretation of the sacred writings; that is, that such an act on a sacred
day is evil. Proper dancing is neither morally
wrong or degrading. It is positive and con
structive in itself. However, if performed on
Sunday, then such laws in that community
confer upon it, by comparison, a negative or
evil status.
Mystics have said, and it is stressed in the
Rosicrucian teachings and in previous Forum
comments that the Cosmic protects against
evil thoughts. Is this statement psychologically sound? All thought, as a sensation, employs cerebral energy and is vibratory. The
exact frequency of thought is not yet known
and is still a matter of experimentation. A
thought that is malevolent conforms to the
same physical and psychological principies
of development and vibratory structure as
one that is accepted as noble and virtuous.
We have the projection of evil thought in
space, whichfrom a material point of view
is the same as the so-called good and noble
thought. Can such evil thought directed to
ward an individual bring him harm? Mysticism says that the Cosmic does not permit
such thoughts to enter the consciousness of
another so as to destroy him. How is this
protection accomplished?
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This organization carries on active campaigns of propaganda. As a part of its obligation, it offers the teachings to anyone who
has the inclination to investgate them, or
at least offers the opportunity for that investigation. This is partly due to a change
in both the circumstances of the times and
the evolution of the individual.
A thousand or two thousand years ago
man was at a different stage of evolution
than he is today. There was a relatively
small minority who could approach a system
of study such as the Rosicrucians offer today.
Some never even had the incentive or the
inclination. Others would have misinterpreted the teachings had they been given the
opportunity of such approach.
Today man has evolved to the point where
he is a very distinctive individuality. That
is, we have been taught through the era
known as modern times that the individual
can stand up for himself, can make his own
decisions. He has the advantage in most
civilized countries today of schooling, of
parental care, of instruction that did not
exist in some ages of the past.
The individual is trained from infancy to
make decisions, to decide upon the course
of his own existence, and in a degree to
determine what his life will be. Therefore
the individual should have the opportunity
to investgate any field of knowledge that
is available to the human race.
If we are not evolved enough to place this
decisin within the hands of individuis who
live today, then our evolution has been wanting in some manner. Man cannot continu
to progress intellectually, physically, or in
any other form, unless he also assumes the
responsibilities for that progress equal to the
benefits he may receive.
The individual today has developed a
world of mechanization; therefore he should
be responsible enough to assume some con
trol over that mechanization. Shall we say
that because there are hundreds of people
killed in traffic accidents each year, no
individual should be allowed to drive an
automobile unless he becomes an expert
mechanic?
The average individual today who drives
an automobile is not particularly mechanically minded. Many individuis know no
more about driving an automobile than the
manipulation of the various instruments
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plishments of modern science. Man has pitted his brain against the seemingly inexo
rable forces of nature and has bent them in
many ways to his service. Whatever has
clouded mans mental visin or seemed obscure has been a challenge to his intellect.
He has assumed the attitude that there are
no secrets in nature; only those which have
not yet been understood.
However, aside from the average mans
respect for the intellectual achievement that
underlies science, there is a strong appeal
that comes from its application. Man is surrounded with greater comforts and the thrill
of adventure that the new acceleration of
both space and time provide. There is also
the added stimulus and excitation provided
by the by-products of scientific development. All these transitions may be summed
up in three categories: (1) Greater leisure
and less exertion in the requirement of the
necessities of life; (2) The prolongation of
life and the diminishing of human suffering;
(3) The reduction of ignorance and of the
fear of nature.
These categories have merit. They do
constitute progress of a kind. Civilizations
have been evaluated in terms of such improvements. When man is freed to any de
gree from the bondage of enslaving labor,
he is emancipated. It has long been expounded that the esthetic nature of mans
pursuit of the beautiful and encouragement
of Creative effort come through leisure. If
man is required to devote every waking
hour to providing necessities, there is little
opportunity for the refinement of his environment.
It is likewise instinctive for man to desire
to live a long life and one as free as possible
from pain or turmoil. Whatever method or
activity of society brings forth such benefits as these will obviously receive mans
highest esteem because they are gratifying.
Such appeals are so basic that they receive
a universal acceptance on the part of mankind.
The intellectual advance of man, through
the educational facilities which science and
technology not only encourage but also make
possible, is likewise recognized as having
merit. However, to attain knowledge is a
labor. Therefore, it is not so popular as the
other categories that the new age of science
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reputation an opportunity to go there, providing they would agree to work in agriculture adjoining new clean towns for a few
years.
They would have been free in every sense
of the word. Some could later have started
businesses of their own or entered other
trades. Nevertheless many such young men
refused to reject their present environment
for the new one offered. They preferred to
sit and hope that less menial work might
develop in their impoverished homeland.
Another obsta ele to creating environment
is the habit pattern that one may form. One
may deplore his personal circumstances and
that he does not have the finer things in life;
yet he will not want to change his existing
environment. He keeps himself enslaved by
habits that have conditioned his will to the
acceptance of them.
Many anti-social persons living in slum
areas of New York City and Chicago, for
instance, detest the effeets of their environ
ment. They are really starved aesthetically;
there is little that is beautiful or harmonious
in their lives. They will, however, oppose
any attempt to get them to break with their
social contacts, their od friends, who actually affect them detrimentally. They resent
what they consider societys mistreatment or
neglect of them.
Such persons could go to small cities or
towns which are clean and wholesome and
begin work, perhaps in a menial way. They
could, in the interim, then prepare them
selves for more important job's. Their con
tacts would not be detrimental either to their
mentality or character. But their habit patterns are such that they remain in the
depressed and anti-social areas and become
more deeply resentful of mankind.
What is a pioneer but one who chooses
to create an environment that will correspond to a personal ideal? Pioneers have
done two things: The first is to reject an
environment that, at least to them, is un
alterable; the second is to seek out and
fashion a new environment into that which
is amenable to their aims. To create an en
vironment requires observation of ones sur
roundings, self-analysis, the establishment of
personal ends and, finally, the selection of
those conditions that appear to have the elements out of which an alchemy of transmu
ta tion can come forth.X
lite
cience
ojj lUijdicism
PERSONAL INSTRUCTION
R O S I C R U C I A N R E S S . L T D ., S A N O S E
^ |||* ^ ,
L IT H O IN U S
February, 1962
Volume X X X I I
No. 4
Rosicrucian Forum
A
p rv a te
p u b lic a tio n fo r m e m b e rs o f A M O R C
J A IM E J. G A R Z A
Inspector G eneral o f A M O R C fo r N o rthe ast M x ico
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
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Greetings!
V
W H Y W AR?
solution of disputes between nations or sovereign states. In this there has been no real
progress made in the last thirty centuries.
The fact of the formation of such bodies
as the League of Nations and the United
Nations is not indicative of a forward movement. History discloses: first, that there have
been other such temporary alliances in antiquity; and second, that the attempts in
the present century have all too obviously
failed in their purpose or are puerile in their
influence.
We know that the problem of health is
inherent in human nature. So long as the
human organism exists and is subject to conscious or unconscious abuse and the natural
decline of age persists, all of the elements of
disease, bodily and mental discomforts, will
also continu.
The various therapeutic sciences resort to
both preventive and curative means as a
partial remedy. They teach hygiene and
sanitation, the care of the body and mind,
the avoidance of that which causes ill-health.
At the same time, they continu the improvement of their technique of treatment for the
alleviation of suffering when ill-health does
occur.
The conditions which engender war are
also inherent in human nature. They are
found related to such functions as morality,
education, and society. Admittedly, we have
made little or no progress in our curative
methods of mass dissension or disagreement
among nations. Our final course today is to
continu to pay the price of the sacrifice of
human life, the destruction of cultural
achievement and of property. Since we can
not successfully cure the conditions of war
when they reach epidemic proportions, can
we as a preventive measure control its
causes?
Let us first consider the moral conditions
which contribute to war. In stating that
morality contributes to war, we may seem to
be inconsistent with the current writing of
the dergy and many prominent moralists.
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The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Sx 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 sterlng) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sterling) per year FOR MEMBERS O NLY
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wish, had gradually caused this person involuntarily to concntrate more intensely
than he realized upon what he was doing
and the ultmate aim which he wished to
attain.
His individual success, materially speaking, was the result of having mentally created what he wanted and brought that mental
creation into actual existence by systematic
application and hard work. The mistake in
this process, and possibly the mistake that
is sometimes made by younger people, was
that he had lost sight of the fact that contentment and peace of mind are not identical
with material security.
The reason this individual, or any indi
vidual, has not attained peace of mind is
that he has become completely out of balance.
Such a person is like an athlete running a
race. During the race all attention and effort
are directed toward the process of running at
the high rate of speed which will make him
the victor.
All this requires physical exertion and
mental concentration. When the person is
brought to a sudden stop, there is an actual
physical sensation of something being wrong,
of being temporarily out of balance. One has
to readjust his thinking and physical exer
tion to the changing sitation.
The individual with the material accomplishments and achievements is like the runner. He has not caught up with himself
mentally, spiritually, and psychically. Physi
cal achievements have gone way ahead due
to primary concentration upon the attainment of physical things. Therefore, it will
take time, thought, concentration, and meditation to lead to the ideal balance between
ones ideis and material ambitions, and be
tween ones psychic self and his life of sen
sual satisfaction.
To be perfectly truthful, few people ever
attain this ideal balance in their lifetime;
and those who do have accomplished one of
the most worth-while achievements in life.
Perfect balance and harmony within ones
mind and body, between self and environ
ment are conditions that contribute to peace
of mind.
There is no simple key or formula that
will make this achievement possible. It is a
condition that has to develop within our own
thinking and our attitudes. The basic phi
losophy of the Rosicrucian teachings contrib
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It is a condition that must grow. It develops just as the mental faculties develop
in terms of age. Intuition is sometimes difficult to develop to a high degree of efficiency
because few of us receive any encouragement
or training toward the use of it until we are
adults.
As a result, a mental faculty has lain
dormant and unused for years, and it cannot
be expected to reach fulfillment and perfec
tion by mere knowledge of the fact that it
does exist. Therefore, one word of encourage
ment might be given here to all students
that intuition is a process which grows gradually and over a period of time.
The transition from failure to use the in
tuitive process to the point where we begin
to find it somewhat effective is so gradual
that at no one point can we say that it is now
in existence where prior to that moment it
had been completely dormant.
The conscientious student who does more
than merely read his weekly monographs,
who applies the instructions and exercises
provided in these teachings as systematically
and as conscientiously as possible, will gradually develop this ability. He must learn,
however, that the nature of intuitive knowl
edge is not exactly identical to the nature of
objective knowledge.
The source of intuition is from the Cosmic.
It is the link that consciousness has with the
Supreme Intelligence. The very nature of
intuitive knowledge, therefore, makes us
aware of the fact that its manifestation will
be different from that of objective knowledge.
For example, there is no proof that intui
tion can be used reliably and at all times to
predict the future. One cannot, for example,
depend upon intuition to tell what horse will
win in the next race, or what number to bet
on in any form of gambling that involves
numbers.
There are two reasons why the nature of
intuitive knowledge is such that it cannot
always be relied upon for future predictions.
The first is that the above illustrations lie
outside the scope of the Cosmic in the broadest meaning of these terms.
Gambling in any form is a man-made and
man-devised institution. Certainlyand this
is irrespective of the moral vales of the sub
ject under considerationthe Creative mind
of the universe is of more consequence and
has more scope than to have readily avail-
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be Karma, for an infant is incapable of realizing a lesson from the causes and effects.
Why, then, did the infant lose its life?
We can only presume that the effect was a
lesson that others were to learn from the
tragedy, either relatives or society itself.
They were the ones who were willing to risk
the life of the infant to gain time for some
relatively superficial end. Someone must
have suffered tremendously because this lit
tle baby was lost in this terrible catastrophe.
Did that person need the experience? Did he
by his attitude toward others or in some
circumstance or incident create the cause
from which the infant was used as a lesson?
It is, of course, difficult for the finite mind
of man to ascertain what cosmically lies behind any effects which to mortals seem an
injustice. Men make many daring adventures. In their technological advances from
which they anticipate great advantages, they
assume great risks. These risks are causes
which they establish. If there is a loss of
life, if injustice seems to be done, who is at
fault, the Cosmic or the laws that man has
set into motion?
Air travel is here to stay. It provides nec
essary rapid transportation as we think of
necessity in terms of the modern society
which we have established. All such trans
portation involves risks. If we and our families invoke the causes, and the effects, as
said, do not inure to our benefit, that is
Karma. But who is responsible for such ef
fects? Certainly no unseen or supernatural
intelligence but man himself.X
Distinguishing Dreams From Incarnations
A frater rises to address our Forum:
When I recall from my memory a dream
experience, the process appears to me to be
the same as when I recall some experience
of this incarnation. My question, however,
is in regard to experiences of past incarna
tions. How am I to distinguish that which
was an actual experience of a past incarna
tion from that which was only a dream or
an imaginary experience of a past incarna
tion?
Dreams, as we all know, may have a
realism equivalent to the wakened state. In
fact, it has been a philosophic problem in the
past to require a student to try to explain
that his present conscious state is not a
dream. That a dream seems so real and
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U. S. A.
INDIA
i
M ystical A roma
o f the East
L,
Rosicrucian Su p p ly B ureau
San Jos, California, U. S. A.
R O S I C R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D ., S A N J O S E
L I T H O IN U S . A .
April, 1962
Volu me X X X I I
No. 5
Rosicrucian Forum
A
p rv a te
p u b lic a to n fo r m e m b e rs o f A M O R C
R O L A N D E. V IG O
Inspector G eneral of A M O R C fo r Eastern A u stralia
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Greetings!
V
SO U L S O N O T H E R P L A N E T S
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APR1L, 1962
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 year FOR MEMBERS O N LY
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ject thoroughly, we can see that, as the question originally pointed out, a certain degree
of pur individuality, both of expression and
taste, is quite possible. Nonconformity itself
tends to conform to certain social dictates,
and individual taste often finds expression
as a result of the trend of the social ideal and
not in spite of it.W
This Issues Personality
Out of great strife, even out of catastrophe,
noble events and experiences sometimes can
be born. It seems that truth, phoenix-like
can rise out of the ashes of despair and darkness. This was the experience of Frater
Roland E. Vigo, Inspector General of AMORC
for Eastern Australia.
Frater Vigo was born in the Lake District
of Westmorland, England, on April 3, 1923.
His father was the local Inspector of Taxes.
Young Vigo was sent as a boarder to a school
at Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, and later became
a day student. At an early age, Frater Vigo
was confirmed into the Church of England.
The ritual, the symbolism, though not thor
oughly understood at the time, made a deep
impression on the youth. It was then that
the first interest in the deeper meanings of
life began to develop within him.
The event of war brought to a cise Frater
Vigos introduction to the commercial world.
His family was obliged to leave the dangerous coast and move inland, severing all
familiar ties. In accordance with the need
for the defense of his troubled country,
young Vigo joined the Royal Marines at
Plymouth. He was assigned to active service
on the Russian convoys to Murmansk and
was subjected to combat and shocking experi
ences, including the sinking of his ship. With
the severi ty of the war, Frater Vigo experienced periods of personal hunger and privation. It was during this time, however, that
he had the good fortune to meet the young
lady who became his wife.
Subsequently, Frater Vigo was transferred
to a shore base. While there, he chanced up
on a member of the Rosicrucian Order,
AMORC. This frater was a member of long
standing, living and expressing the principies
of the Order, to which many members of today can attest. The character of this par
ticular member and his remarks greatly
impressed Frater Vigo. He was given by this
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formerly was. They will usually be acrimonious in their remarks toward their former and proper way of living. They will try
to ridicule and decry it, but all this is merely
a psychological smoke screen to cover up
their intimate consciousness of the fact that
their present manner of living is wrong.
They hate themselves for being weak enough
to turn their backs on what they know is
right just because they have experienced or
imagined some hurt. The very fact that they
display this caustic attitude discloses that
they have not really retrogressed in con
sciousnessor they could not so evalate.
Persons who complacently accept the
coarse and vulgar, and who never have any
concern about that which is intellectual,
cultural, or connected with social improvement, truly reveal a lower level of con
sciousness. They have not turned against
advancement because of some emotional
hurt; rather, they have never reached any
higher stage than their behavior indicates.
It is impossible for such persons to see any
advantage, for example, in good literature,
in art, music, charity, social order, or study
of any kind. They usually are motivated by
sensual interests only. Solely that which
titillates the appetites has any appeal to
them. They are incapable of deep concen
tration, of profound reasoning, or meditation.
Actually, any such effort aggravates them
and causes a mental and nervous irrita tion.
They, therefore, avoid all stimuli which
might be apt to elevate or develop them.
Is such a state permanent? It might be
for one entire lifetime, or perhaps for many
incarnations, until slowly through experi
ence the consciousness can pul itself out of
the morass, and advance.
How do such persons learn? Usually by
severe emotional shocks by which their
complacency is exploded. They feel then
that what they thought to be a foundation in
their lives is crumbling. In desperation,
they look for other interests, for some stabilizing factor to grasp. Some such individuis
then get religin, as the phrase is. In other
words, in their helplessness they turn to what
they think might be a transcendental source
of power and aid. Others turn to studies of
various kinds, even to the investigation of
mysticism and metaphysics. Their minds
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IN T E R N A T IO N A L R O SIC R U C IA N C O N V E N T IO N
July 8 - 13, 1962
Rosicrucian Parfc
U . S. A.
A Chance
To Prove
YOUR PERSONAL
THEORIES
Under Competent Direction at the
How many of your own ideas which you dismissed from your mind a s too different or newor
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, a s 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 lose, California, for a free copy
of The Story of Learning. It contains a complete
curriculum of the courses and tells how you may
enjoy the various privileges
ROSE-CROIX UNIVERSITY
R O S I C R U C I A N P R E S S , L T D ., S A N J O S E
L IT H O
IN U S
A.
June, 1962
Volu me X X X I I
No. 6
Rosicrucian Forum
A
p rv a te
p u b lic a tio n fo r m e m b e rs o f A M O R C
HUGH M. B R O O K S
Inspector G e ne ral of A M O R C fo r the St. Louis, M issou ri, a re a
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
Poge 122
Greetings!
V
W H A T AM O RC IS
Page 123
JUNE, 1962
He also investigates and studies the functions of his environment, the world in which
he lives, its substances and operations as
they are related to him and to the greater
universe or cosmos. This requires the study
of a fascinating, yet simple presentation, of
Rosicrucian sciences and psychology. The
practical application consists of employing in
useful ways the new knowledge acquired.
The inquirer may ask logically, why is
all this done by the member student of
AMORC? This now leads to the third divi
sin of this definition. We have given this
the appellation: Its Purpose. We are told in
the definition that the purpose is to enable
the member to live in harmony with the
Creative, constructive forces. . . .
All of us are aware that we make many
mistakes in our lives. The majority of them
are due to our ignorance of certain circum
stances. More often it is because we are not
aware of certain laws, forces, or conditions
which we wrongly oppose. We learn, then,
to cooperate, or to try to direct these forces
and powers to our advantage.
Such is called the trial-and-error method.
It is the equivalent of a child putting his
finger in a flame to learn that it burns and
hurts. We can and do save ourselves much
adversity by benefiting from what others tell
us or by rational investigation of that which
is as yet unknown. The more we live in
harmony, in accord with, or intelligently
with, our own natures and with that of the
physical universe generally, the more happy
and peaceful our lives can be.
But you will recall that the phrase from
the definition which we quoted was not com
plete. In the definition it also said that we
live in harmony with these things through
understanding for the purpose of . . . the
attainment of health, happiness, and peace.
This, then, is our goal, our purpose in
AMORC: health, happiness, and peace.
But these goals are to be gained not by
caprice, chance, or by some magical gift.
(Continued Overleaf)
The Rosicrucian Forum is Pubshed 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 O NLY
Page 124
They are to come through knowledge, a special, workable, livable knowledge embodied
in the Rosicrucian teachings. Further, it is
incumbent upon us to investigate, study, and
apply them.
The fourth section of the definition we
have designated, Its ame. We are told that
AMORC is international and that in all lands
in which it functions the initials, A.M.O.R.C.,
are an abbreviation of the full, authoritative
ame. This acquaints the inquirer with the
fact of the international scope of the Order
with which he may affiliate. He learns that
AMORC is not a mere local body following
the opinion of some local teacher. It has
recognition throughout the world thereby assuring the inquirer of the integrity of the
Order about which he is inquiring.
The fifth divisin of the definition is most
important. We have given this the ame,
Noncommercial. We are told in the defini
tion that AMORC does not sell its teachings.
It gives them freely to affiliated members together with many other benefits. This also
assures the inquirer that the organization is
not operated for the personal financial gain
of any individual or group of individuis.
The teachings have no price attached to
them. They cannot be bought, but they and
other items and services are given to a mem
ber as an incident of his membership. This
provides the Rosicrucian at this juncture the
opportunity to tell the inquirer that AMORC
is recognized as a nonprofit organization by
the government of every nation in the world
where it functions.
The sixth and last divisin of the defini
tion we have entitled: Source of Contad.
The definition states in conclusin: For com
plete information about the benefits and advantages of Rosicrucian association, write a
letter to . . . . The inquirer is made to realize
that the full explanation of membership and
what the member will gain by affiliating, and
his obligations as well cannot be set forth in
just a few words. He learns where free liter
ature or further explanation can be obtained
and without obligation to himself.
In wishing to organize your thoughts to
explain effectively your membership or to
interest another in affiliation, remember these
divisions of the definition: What It Is; What
It Does; Its Purpose; Its ame; Noncommer
cial; Source of Contad.
Fraternally, RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
JUNE, 1962
above those who do not believe in a proscribed set of principies, regardless of the
sincerity, ability, or the desires of another.
To the narrow viewpoint of some religions,
gracethat is, Gods favor or concernis
only bestowed upon a certain select group of
people, those who conform to certain prin
cipies and not to the doing of good to hu
manity, regardless of how sincere the motives
of the individuis may be. To gain a fuller
understanding of the concept of grace, we
need to analyze meanings that have been
assigned to the word in different times and
places.
At my request, considerable research was
done on this subject, and I have various
references to implications of meanings that
this word has carried in the history of human
thought. I am going to discuss these rather
informally and without particular order,
that is, simply bringing up one point of view
after the other, in order to supply a background for the meanings that have been applied to the word.
In the Eastem philosophies, the concept
of favoritism emphasized in the West, is
practically unknown. This is because the
concepts of deity in the religions and philoso
phies of the East do not consistently carry
the anthropomorphic concept so common
among some Western cultures.
God is not considered in the Eastern phi
losophies as being a glorified policeman, or
a director of mans destiny in the same sense
that an owner of livestock might control the
activities, movements, and functions of the
animals under his supervisin. God is, instead, usually considered more in the sense
of a forc or an original cause.
With that concept, the belief in these
philosophies is that grace has to do with the
participation of divine forces in the life of
mankind as a whole. Or to give this a slightly different shade of meaning, grace means
that a divine forc will be available and can
participate in the destiny of individuis who
will acknowledge that forc.
We should all, of course, acknowledge
such a forc because the essence of life in it
self resident within us is a part or one mani
festation of that forc. Consistent with the
Rosicrucian teachings, to avail ourselves of
the ability to be aware of this forc within
us is to place ourselves in a position where
we may utilize the divine forces or the Cos
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JUNE, 1962
Poge 127
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p e r so n a lity
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
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JUNE, 1962
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
JUNE, 1962
to control his emotions and avoid involvement that creates the suicidal impulse.
Certainly, also, the true mystic will have
sympathy and compassion for the suicide.
He will not condemn or ridicule him any
more than he would a person with any other
kind of affliction. In many other ways than
suicide, man places a low evaluation upon
his own life. He puts himself into many
hazardous conditions where the possibility
points to the sacrifice of his own life. Our
statesmanship today, our nuclear bombs and
armament race, place humanity on the verge
of mass suicide.
In war there are many acts of voluntary
sacrifice of life. Ordinarily we commend
these acts as being brave. However, if man
is morally wrong in taking his life to avoid
some situation, has he any more right to
destroy a divine gift, if we consider life such,
for some purpose which he considers noble?
After all, the soldiers of a nation (considered
by another country to be its enemy) have
often sacrificed themselves for what they
thought was bravery. Since they were an
enemy the opposing nation would think their
cause wrong and therefore their acts suicidal.
All of these conclusions are errors in human
vales. Fortunately, cosmic law functions in
a more profound and just way regarding the
taking of ones life.X
Suggestin to the Inner Self
A frater, addressing our Forum, says:
One problem with me, and probably with
a great many others is that I am not very
suggestible. My studies seem to have built
a defense against the suggestions of others
that also acts against my own attempts to
pass suggestions to the subconscious mind.
Can this be discussed in The Rosicrucian
Forum?
What do we mean by suggestion? Of what
does it consist? These questions come within
the scope of semantics, that is, the basic na
ture of a word itself. As we analyze the
conditions which give rise to the word, sug
gestion, we find that much which is ordi
narily attributed to it is actually not related
to it. A suggestion is a word, a sign or gesture
which conveys an idea not directly expressed
within the mdium, itself.
It will be noted that a suggestion is distinct from a symbol. The latter is intended
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
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JUNE, 1962
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
JUNE, 1962
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
The climax of the ceremony is the discovery of a foreign object in the thatch.
This is easy enough to accomplish since
small animals often carry bones, bottle caps,
glass, etc., into the hut roofs. However, the
doctor, clever in the theatrics necessary to an
effective job, always carries with him, hidden
on his person, some appropriate object to
exhibit in case his search does not reveal
anything there of its own accord. This, by
the way, also explains the removal of the
needle or other object from the individual
victim. The doctor brings it hidden, and
palms it, pretending to remove it magical
ly from the victim.
Thus with the removal of the bewitched
object, the spell is withdrawn, and the vic
tim or victims recover. From this, one can
see that the native doctor is serving a definite
social purpose, and will be needed as a prac
tical psychologist as long as people in primi
tive areas are subject to superstitious beliefs
as a major forc in their life.
In a sense, he performs the same sort of
function as the psychologist of western so
ciety, with the difference that he does not
attempt to reveal the true nature of the ailment, thereby affecting a permanent cure.
He merely relieves the immediate symptoms,
but leaves the person fully capable of being
bewitched again.
The key to this problem, one might say,
is education, and this is in large part true,
for with education comes elevation up the
social scale and greater awareness on the
part of the man in the Street. However, for
the majority of native persons in Africa this
goal will not be accomplished until such time
as education reaches all those living in remote areas or leading primitive existences.
At the very best, it will probably be generations before this occurs, at least to judge
by the fact that such beliefs hold forth to
some extent in many who are long removed
from primitive life, not only in Africa but
in other parts of the world as well. It will
require more than just trying to instil an
intellectual realization of the truth that black
magic, witchcraft, and supernatural beings
exist only in the minds of their believers, as
we attempt to do when we are question ed
upon these points.
It means actually working with the people
involved in order to prove to them through
demonstration that what we have pointed out
JUNE, 1962
Poge 139
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
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Rosicrucian Park
- San Jos
- California
- U. S. A.
JUNE, 1962
Page 141
Page 142
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
E
Earths Position in the Cosmic Realm, 98a
Ecstasy and Peace Profound, 32b
Education Is A Key in Magic Problem, 138d
Education to Evolve, 20b
Education, Universal, and War, 57a, b, c
Egypt and Babylon, 45d
Einstein, 10c
Electroshock, 111b
Emotion, 15c, 38a, 59a, 67c
Emotional Stress, and Greatest Inspirations,
States, 64d
Emotions, and Instincts Dominant, 50a
Engram, 64b-c
Environment, Creating Our, 70b-71d
Errors of Perception, 41a
Essence, God As, 79b-81a
Essence of Life WithinThat Forc, 125b-c
Ethics. Bomb-Shelter, 50a-51c
Ethics, Fraternal, 2a-4a
Evil A Power? Has, 62b-63c
Evil: The Enduring Problem, Good and, 129b-131c
Evolution, 13b-c, 45b, 68b, 71b
Evolutionary Progress of Man, 27b
Evolvement, Key to, 119d
Examinations, The lmportance of, 89d-90d
Exercises, Success With, 39d-41d
Experience and Knowledge, 18d
Of Cosmic Consciousness, 32a
Religious, 33a
Experiences Essential for Unfoldment, 47a
F
Factor for Peace, 75d
Fall-Out: What It Is and What We Can Do About It,
51c-54a
Family Shelters in Russia, 53c
Fatalism, 16b, 18b, c
Feelings Are Insights, 58d-59a
Financial Contributions? Does AMORC Make , 139a140d
Fission-Type Explosion, 51 d
Flying Saucer, llb-d
Fraternal Ethics, 2a-4a
Fraternities Familiar to People, 122d
Free Will, Philosophy, 16b
Fusin (Hydrogen) Bombs, 51 d
G
Gaining Illumination, Development of Insight, 125c
Galaxies, Universes, Milky Way, 21 d
Gambling, Numbers, Intuition, 81 d, 82a, b
General Antituberculosis Association, Puerto Rico,
28b
Genes Transmit Emotional Reactions? 64a
Glossary, Rosicrucian, 60b-c
Goal of AMORC, 118a
God
Essence, 79b-81a
Good Always Triumph? Does, 26a-28a
H
Hallucinations, 8c, 9a, 33a
Harmonium, 12b, 13b
Harmony, 23c, d
Harmony and Infinite Vales, 131b-c
Has Evil A Power? 62b-63c
Having the Right Membership Spirit, 113b-l 14d
Heliopolis, 5d
Heredity, Reincarnation and, 63c-65a
Hierarchy of Souls, 99c
Humanitarian Acts, Charitable, 39b
Laws, 70a
i
Ideis, Individual Taste and Social, 102a-103c
Imagination? Is There Unconscious, 104b-105c
Imagination the Key, 15c
lmportance of Examinations, The, 89d-90d
Incarnations, Distinguishing Dreams from, 92d-93d
Incense, Use in Egypt, 5b, 6a
Individual, Consider Objective, 70d
Dignity and Evolution, 12b
Is Responsible, 27a
To Judge Valu, 13a
Trained to Make Decisions, 65d
Individual Taste and Social Ideis, 102a-103c
Individuis and Physical World, 108a
Induction to Service, 42a
Inductive System (Science), Sir Francis Bacon, 112b
Influencing World Leaders, 6d-8b
Initiation Possible? Is Personal, 93d-95d
Initiation Rituals, 6b, 114a
Initiatory Ceremonies, True Structure of, 94b-95b
Inner Guardian, Conscience, Our, 28d-30a
Inner Self, Suggestion to the, 133b-135a
Insane and Insanity not Wholly Medical Terms, 110c
Inspiration and New Ideas, 105a
Intolerant Position; Preconceived Ideas, 101a
Introverting the Consciousness, 19d, 31c
Intuition Confused with Reason, 81b
Intuition, Link to Supreme Intelligence, 81 d
Is Charity Ever Unwarranted? 38b-39d
Is Personal Initiation Possible? 93d-95d
Is Sex the Answer? 60c-62a
Is There Unconscious Imagination? 104b-105c
K
Karma, 8c, 9b, c, 26c, 27a
Karma? Do Infants Suffer, 91d-92d
Karma Not Retributive, 9 Id
As a Law, States, 92a
Karnak Temple, 6b
Knowledge and Experience, 18d
Knowledge Fundamental to Proficiency, 40b, c
Knowledge, The Nature of Intuitive, 81a-82d
Knowledge to the Mystic, 69c
L
Law of Causality, 91 d
Laws and Principies of Nature, 13c
Laws of Nature, The, 117d-118a
Leaders, New Spiritual, 20c-21c
Page 143
JUNE, 1962
Lewis, Dr. H. Spencer, 29c, 63b
Literature Printed for Illiterate, 140a
Locke, John, 75d
Loyalty, 75b
Lustration, Egyptian, 5b-c
M
Map of Time , 135b-136c
Married People Attuned, 36b
Master, within, Greatest, 21b
Mastership, 30a, 41c-d, 83d
Materialists Deprecate Metaphysical Concept of
Valu, 56a
Maturity, The Meaning of, 88b-89c
Mayas, Ancient, 19c
Meaning of Grace, The, 124c-126c
Meaning of Maturity, The, 88b-89c
Meaning of Terms, Words, 100c, 101c- 102a
Medinet Habu, 6a
Meister Eckhart, 110a
Membership Spirit, Having the Right, 113b-114d
Mendel, Gregor Johann, 63c
Mental Illness, 33a, 107a
Mental Illness, Drugs and, llO c-llld
Messiahs: Akhnaton, Zoroaster, Buddha, Hind Sages,
Moses, Christ, Mohammed, 20d
Metaphysical Aspect of Mysticism, 30d
Metaphysics, 2c, 6d, 11 Id
Mice Susceptible to NoiseAn Experiment, 63d-64a
Milk Contaminaron, 52d
Milk Substitutes, 53a
Mind Assembles Facts, 82b
Monograph Study, Selective Service and, 42a-d
Moral Code, 20a, 76a-b
Sense, 19d, 20b, c, 21b
Morality in Abstract, 87b
Music, Taste in, 102d
Mysteries in Oriental World, 93d, 94a
Mystery Schools, 6b
Preserved Knowledge, 65b
Mystic and Prejudice, The, 37b-38b
Mvstical Elements in Religions, 31a
Pantheists, 31c, 99d
Mysticism, 2c, 3d, 4a, 109 c-d
N
Nationalism, Obsolete Tradition, 76d, 77a
Natrn, 5c-d, 6a
Nature o^ Finite and Infinite, 131a-b
Nature of Intuitive Knowledge, The, 81a-82d
Nature, The Laws of, 117d-l 18a
Of Soul, 127c-128d
Neophvte, Initiation, 6c
Neurotic Linked to Fantasies and Illusions, 89a
New Spiritual Leaders , 20c-21c
Nile Symbolized Osiris, 5b
Nonconformity, Nonconformist, 102b-d, 103c
Nous. 84d, 85a-d, 86a
Number of Vibrations, 35a
O
Obiectifying the Subconscious Urge of Conscience, 20a
Obligations, Moral, 2a
Membership, 3a. 113b. 114b-d
One-Eyed Monster or Rainy-Day Friend?
Televisin, 33b-34b
Opera, Chinese, 102d
Oppose Religin? Does Philosophy, 111 d-113a
Osiris. Deity of Fertility, 5b
Other Planets, Souls on, 98a-99d
Outing for Children. 39b
Overbreathe? Can We, 84b-86d
P
Pantheism, 79b, c, d. 80a. b, 81a
Peace and Plenty , 77b-78c
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
Page 144
Rosicrucian Forum, 16b
Rosicrucian Glossary, 60b-c
Rosicrucian Harmony and Inner Self, 131b-c.
Healing, 22b
Is Religious, 108d
Methods of Attunement, 53d
Obligation and Privilege, 66b
Pantheist, 81a
Philosophy, 12b, 14a
Philosophy and Ultmate Reality, 89c
Teachings, 7b, 12b-c, 14d, 16d, 2 Id, 66a
Available in Graded Form, 66b
Limited? 66a
Rosicrucian, Religin and the, 107a-110b
RosicruciansNonsectarian, 122d
s
Sacred Pool, 6a, b
Sacrifice of Life in War, 133a-b
Sacrifice to Atone, 19c
Saint John of the Cross, 110a
Saints, Standpoint of Religin, 108a
Science Editors, Reporters, Must Produce, 86c, d
Secret? Should Knowledge Be, 65a-66d
Selective Service and Monograph Study, 42a-d
Self-Mastery, 21b
Self-Mastery? What ls, 66d-68a
Self, the Ego, 87a, b
Should Knowledge Be Secret? 65a-66d
Should Rosicrucians Use Stimulants? 45c-46c
Silent Presence, The, 82d-84b
Social Conscience, 19a
Society, 50d-51a-b, 67c
Something New Under the Sun, 90d-91c
Spiral of Cosmic Power, The , 21c-22c
Sorokin, Dr. Pitirim A., Study of War and Education,
57a
Study on Religious Conversions and Subsequent
Behavior, 57c* d
Soul, A Dichotomy, 23a
A Divine Essence, lOd
Attraction, 46d
Carrier of Experiences, 128c
Extensin of Divine Consciousness, 99a
Forc, 6c, 128a
Vital Forc, Consciousness, 23b, 128a-c
Soul Mates, Theory of, 22c-23d
Soul-Personality, 22d
Personality Evolvement, 47d
Evolution Elsewhere, 100a
How It Survives, 129a-b
Souls on Other Planets, 98a-100b
Soviet Citizens Attend Survival Courses, 53c
Union Leader of Communist Bloc, 53d
Space Travel? Why, 9d-12a
Spiritual Happiness the Highest, 27d-28a
Spinoza, 79b, 80c, d
Spiritual Leaders, New , 20c-21c
Spiritual Purification, 4c-6c
State Assumes Care of Aged, 105d
Stimulants? Should Rosicrucians Use, 45c-46c
Strontium 90, 52a-53a
Student Applies Teachings, 66d
Study , Time For, 118b-119d
Subconscious Self, Guardian of Threshold, 63a
Discredited, 64c
Influenced by Genes, Possible, 64d
Success With Exercises, 39d-41d
Suggestion to the Inner Self , 133b-135a
Suicide, 117d
Suicide? What Penalty, 131c-133a
Sun, Center of Universe, 10c
Sun, Something New Under the, 90d-91c
Sunshine Circle, Charitable, of Order, 139d-140a
Super Race, Developing a, 68a-70a
Superstitions and Unknown, 13d, 14a-c
Sympathy, 19b. d
T
Talisman, Amulet (African), 137a, d, 138a-b
Taste and Social Ideis, Individual, 102a-103c
Teachings Not for Sale, 124a
Teachings Put to Test, Should Be, 42d
Technique, Acquiring of, 40c, 41c
Technique for Using Teachings, 14d
Televisin lOne-Eyed Monster or Rainy-Day
Friend? 33b-34b
Temple Guard, 28d
Terminology of Religin of Grace, 124c-125a, d
Theism, 79c
Theistic Mysticism, Object of, 30b
Theology, 10b
Theory of Soul Mates, 22c-23d
Theory, TimeSpace Continuum and Relativity, 10c
Thinking, Individual and Independent, 78c-d
This Issues Personality, 4a-c, 28a-d, 54a-55a, 78c-79a,
103c-104b, 126c-127c
Brooks, Hugh M , 126c-127c
De Toledo, Rosa, 28a-d
Garza, Jaime J., 78c-79a
Potter, Hubert E., 54a-55a
Pradal, Dr. Louis, 4a-c
Vigo, Roland E., 103c-104b
Thought, an Influence, 6d-8b
Thought, Positive, 62b
Thoughts, Mans Geocentric, 98c
Thoughts of Others and Misfortune, 63b
Time for Study , 118b-l 19d
Time, Map of, 135b-136c
Tolerance of Differences, 23d
Tradition or Religin Dictates Art, 103a, b
Tranquilizer, llO d-lllb
Truth, 112b-d
R O S I C R U C I A N P R E S S , L T D ., S A N J O S E
u
Universe and Other Worlds, Life, 98b
Universe Within, 36a
Utopia-Near Absolute Valu, 56c
v
Valu, An Approach to Absolute, 55a-59a
Vales, Moral, 50b, d
Vegetarians, 46b
Veil of Ignorance, 76d
Vibration, Sympathetic, 22d
Vibrations, Frequency, Period, Amplitude, 34d
Vibratory Frequency, 22d
Vital Impulse Directs Development, 31b
Vital Forc, 23b
V. L. F. and Divine Consciousness, 132a
Volition, Use of, 125c
w
War, 50d, 51b-c
Sacrifice of Life, 133a-b
War, Why? 74a-77b
Water, Symbol of Purification, 4d
Of Vital Life Forc, 5b
What Actually Reincarnates? 127c-129b
What AMORC Is, 122a-124b
What Is An Accident? 16a-18d
What Is Self-Mastery? 66d-68a
What Penalty Suicide? 131c-133a
Why Space Travel? 9d-12a
Why War? 74a-77b
Will to Determine, 20d
And Reason, 23d
Wisdom, 16a, 20d, 21a, b
World Leaders , Influencing , 6d-8b
World War II, 10b
L IT H O
IN U . S . A
August, 1962
Volum e X X X III
No. 1
Rosicrucan Forum
A
p r iv 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
PIERRE LEON G U Y O N , F. R. C.
Granel Councilor of A M O R C for Morocco
Page 2
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
Greetings!
V
U N IV E R SA L E T H IC S
AUGUST, 1962
Page 3
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 ,a t Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, California.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sterling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sterling) per year FOR MEMBERS O NLY
Page 4
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
AUGUST, 1962
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AUGUST, 1962
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such a complex state as to be able to perceive sufficiently its own nature that there
gradually develops that self-consciousness of
which the attributes of soul consist. In this
regard, then, a flower, an insect, a tree, as
well as man, are infused with the divine
essence from which the notion of soul eventually arises in such a being as man.
By contrast to this vital forc, matter is
finite and limited. However, the very laws
of the structure of matter and of all physical
phenomena are also an aspect, that is, one
polarity of the monistic divine source, as we
have said. There is then, in this sense, even
in matter, a kind of subliminal consciousness
manifesting in the atom and in its sub-particles.
From this conception, the divine essence
really exists in all things, both in animate
and inanimate objectsthe expressions, of
course, being different in each one. All
things, then, are of the divine essence. The
divine permeates everything. It is not corrupted by being immanent in every creation,
as many of the od theologies and some philosophical systems have proclaimed. To them,
matter contaminated anything divine with
which it carne in contact. This point of view
is not to be construed as meaning that any
one thing or even a collection of things represents the entire nature of God.
All things are of Him, but all things are
not just Him , for the divine has a greater
sum of attributes, as Spinoza posited, than
any manifestation which we know or which
we can perceive. So, no group of things of
which we have awareness in themselves,
could be held to be God merely because they
are of the divine and the divine is in them.
No mystical pantheist, for example, would
worship any object or collection of things as
being divine. He would respect and accept
everything in nature as being of the divine,
not just as an original creation of the divine
but through which it functions. For this
reason the mystical pantheist cannot conceive that anything is fundamentally evil,
or that there is anything other than creations
of the Divine Mind.
The mystical pantheist is able to feel a
closer attunement with the divine than are
most theists or those who believe in a per
sonal God. Everything about the mystic, in
his environment, the sands of the beach, the
lea ves of a tree, a flower or an animalevery
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Anyone today who carries a racial prejudice because of the belief that a person can
be judged by the color of his skin is living
in ignorance and, I believe, creating a karma
that will be a detriment to the attainment he
himself seeks. Races are equal insofar as
their rights and attributes as human beings
are concerned, and it certainly should make
no difference to any individual what the
color of another individuals skin is. The
individual should be dealt with on the basis
of what he isan individual.
Another basis for the formation of minor
ity groups is at a social level. In politics,
economics, and religin, the minorities are
usually those who have different opinions
from the majority. It is not a question of
right or wrong; it is a question of difference.
As I have already stated, the majority can
be wrong just as frequently as the minority,
and it must be acknowledged in social life
that all individuis have the right to express
their opinions and to live their lives so long
as they do nothing detrimental to themselves
or to other members of society.
If we cannot find any better way to reach
decisions than through the majority rule
and certainly no better system has yet been
universally advanced or acceptedwe can at
least realize that the individual who happens
to be of a different political, economical, or
religious belief than the majority, has probably arrived at his opinions in the same manner that we have arrived at ours, and he
should be given freedom to express and live
in accordance with those opinions.
Closely related to the social divisin is that
of an ideological divisin because majorities
and minorities exist on the basis of beliefs
and convictions determined by the social divi
sions. We are all entitled to our own beliefs
and convictions if, as I have already stated,
we do not unnecessarily impose the results
and conclusions of our beliefs and convictions
upon others.
If I want to believe in a certain principie,
and if it in no way interferes with the social,
economic, and political life of the society of
which I am a part, I not only have that right
but also I should be encouraged to maintain
the convictions at which I have arrived, and
I should be tolerant in recognizing the right
of others to do the same thing.
There would be no problems of minorities
if the minorities were not exaggerated and
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AUGUST, 1962
emphasized simply by being fewer in number. Minority problems do not exist because
of minorities but because of the attitude of
majorities, who, in the final analysis, make
the decisions that affect society as a whole.
We hope there will come a time when an
enlightened society may find a more equitable way to adjust its differences than by
majority rule; but until it does, the majority
must realize that not only has it been given
the privilege of a strong voice in decisions
that are made, but that that privilege also
carries a responsibility in preserving the
rights of those who disagree.A
This Issues Personality
The Rosicrucian studies require that we
integrate the various aspects of which the
self consists, namely, the physical, mental,
emotional, and psychic. True harmony of
living consists in giving each of these parts
of being their proper expression. Concentration on any one to the neglect of the others
can cause various disturbances in ones per
sonal life. Pierre Len Guyon, Grand Councilor for Morocco, learned these facts as a
young man, and the result was a transformation in his way of life.
Frater Guyon was born the 18th of April,
1920, in Champagnole, a little town in
Franche-Comt. The environment was inspiringbeautiful meadows, bubbling, danc
ing streams, towering forests, and inviting
lakes. Frater Guyons parents were of humble station and he was obliged to spend his
youth in east France. Under the circumstances, he was given a strict education, but
in accordance with the economic affairs of his
parents, he was obliged to begin work after
one year of secondary school.
Young Guyon tasted life through a variety
of occupationsas a baker, a shop man, and
through Service in the navy of France. Being
of good health and robust, he became proud
of his physique, but his mind was npt at
peace. He became involved in various distractions and frivolities of his age.
In 1939, at 19 years of age, he entered the
war as a volunteer. When an armistice was
signed with Nazi Germany, young Guyon
was thoroughly disgusted with the proceedings. He showed his reaction by leaving
France and going to North Africa and joining
the forces of General De Gaulle. He was not
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us only because we are accustomed to relegating to the heavens or to the infinity above
the earth that which to our minds appears
as supreme, limitless, and beyond human
control.
That which is finite, possible of error or
immorality, is conceived as of the earth.
Progress is thus always upward and regression downward. These, we can see, are purely
arbitrary directions. It matters not whether
good is up or down. We know its qualities
are contrary to that which is thought of as
evil, and that is the important point.
The fraters last question also is not diffi
cult to answer. In general, destruction requires very little organization, planning, or
method. Conversely, construction, as we all
know from experience, requires intelligent
effort, bodily and mental exertion which is
controlled so that results may conform to a
purpose held in mind.
Construction has a specific end, or seeks a
definite result; whereas destruction is a very
general effect. We may use the analogy of
childrens building blocks. To build, let us
say, with a dozen blocks a definite design or
form, requires thought and organization. One
misplaced block and the whole purpose is
defeated, the design in mind not realized.
To tear down, all one needs to do is to
disrupt existing forms. It is immaterial how
they are torn down, what method is used,
or what the appearances may be afterward
so long as the existent become nonexistent.
Construction would be as facile as destruc
tion if it were just a process with which we
were concerned and not a particular end.
In other words, if we were not particular
what the design would eventually be so long
as something carne about, we could just toss
the blocks into a pile and be satisfied with
the result. Such kind of construction as a
process would be as simple as the process of
destruction, knocking down the blocks.
From this, we can see that construction is
a process related to the creation or bringing
into existence, not just anything, but a
specific thing. Destruction is just a process
that of doing away with a thing or condi
tion, regardless of what may ensue. To walk
to a definite place requires more effort than
just to walk, does it not? Likewise, persons
who are aimless in their living, find life less
demanding and more effortless than those
who wish to attain and realize an ideal.
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cosmic sense, there must also exist an opposing group if the law of opposites is to apply.
Such a group would constitute an unholy
assembly.
My personal explanation is that nothing
can be acceptable to the Cosmic unless its
rate of vibrations harmonizes with the cosmic
vibrations. Thoughts that are evil, representing the absence of good, must be of such a
low rate of vibration that they do not enter
the higher phase of the Cosmic, but are
chained to the brain transmitters of the
humans emitting them. Opposed to the
White Brotherhood which works for good,
there must be a Black Brotherhood opposing
the good. Is it possible that the so-called
devils conceived by mankindif such an
organized group existsmay thus find a
counterpart in a group of minds which influence one while he is in a passive mental
state?
Any group of men and women who diligently seek to oppose what is proclaimed to
be cosmic principies or the positive manifestations of the divine may be truly called
an unholy assembly. However, they are not
evil in nature but extremely negative in
their activities. If such persons were truly
enlightened, they would not so act, for they
would have a full realization of their acts
and would not want to do less than would
be to their advantage. They act evilly, then,
only in the sense that, having an undeveloped
consciousness of the good or moral sense, they
conceive it to be the best.
The thoughts of such an unholy assembly
are truly body-bound, confined to the objec
tive nature of the individuis of the assembly.
Their thoughts are of rates of vibration
which, though of the Cosmic (as are all
vibrations), are of the antipole of its oscillating activity. If such thoughts as a vibratory
forc were to be absorbed into the positive
vibrations of the Cosmic, they would then be
transmuted into what we would conceive as
the good, and could not in themselves be
destructive any longer.
Members of such a so-called Black Brother
hood can attune themselves to the minds of
others who may be in a passive state, just
as can any other humans familiar with the
necessary principies through which such is
possible. They cannot, however, dominate
the consciousness of another whose inner self
is in accord with the more positive vibrations
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'P'iefecvie tyom
gAM& 'Mwd
October, 1962
Volunte X X X III
No. 2
Rosicrucian Forum
A
p r v a t e
p u b lic a t o n f o r m e m b e r s o f A M O R C
SO R O R O LIVE ASHER, F. R. C.
Inspector G eneral of A M O R C for the M n n e a p o ls-St. Paul, M in n e sota, A re a
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Greetings!
V
SH O U L D WE C O N D EM N A G N O ST IC S?
OCTOBER, 1962
Page 27
reality and that man has never directly established evidence of what he perceives such
a creator or Creative power to be.
Consequently, we note that the agnostic
is a skeptic in all matters concerning theology
and such subjects of reality as are devoted to
the abstract or first cause of all or the spir
itual properties within man. The agnostic
is damned by the religionist principally because he is opposed to the doctrine of an
absolute acceptance on faith.
Most theologists make it absolutely incumbent upon the devotee to accept all of their
dogma on faith. In fact, most of the books
they hold to be sacred admonish man to
accept unquestionably on faith the words of
the founders or spiritual exponents. Succinctly, it is made to appear that, if one will
not accept upon blind faith, he or she is
irreligious and sacrilegious. Therefore, the
agnostic is put in the light of an enemy of
organized religin and of religin generally.
We do take a stand in favor of the spirit
of much of agnosticism, if not the specific
utterances of some of its followers. After
all, modern science without attempting to
be anti-religious has shown to open-minded
persons that much that was once accepted
on faith in religin is an erroneous con
ception.
The agnostic of the past, who refused to
accept it unless further evidence of real
knowledge could be produced, has been vindicated by the passing of time. For example,
the literal acceptance of statements such as
that the world was created in six days or
that creation began 4004 B.C. have now been
torn asunder by the sciences of astronomy,
geology, archaeology, anthropology, and the
related fields of inquiry and fact.
Also, much that men now believe to be
truths of their spiritual being and which
agnostics of the day will not accept on the
ground that such is not knowable, will have
a different connotation twenty or thirty
years henee. This does not mean that the
time will come when man will be proved to
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 O NLY
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When we are taught in our early monographs that possession can be a detriment to
spiritual progress, we are concerned about
possession to the extent of its monopolizing
our efforts and attention. Possession used
simply as an incident, like the laboreras drink
from the spring, can have no harmful effect
upon our spiritual evolvement and our even
tual attainment of Cosmic Consciousness.A
About Aura Attraction
A frater now rises to ask our Forum:
Would you please explain why the law
of the composition of matter (likes repel,
unlikes attract) does not apply to auric vi
brations?
This does at first seem to be confusing.
If, for example, opposites in electricity and
magnetism attract, why do not human auras
OCTOBER, 1962
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works. We must realize that the subconscious mind could not use a unique cosmic
language, one of its own, as such would be
meaningless to us. We can only think in
terms of our familiar language.
This subconscious mind, these other levels
of self, reach out in their consciousness into
what we term the Cosmic. They contact
that harmony, a vital power of which we are
not ordinarily objectively aware. The sub
conscious, therefore, is influenced, affected by
subtle impulses that transcend our receptor
senses, that is, impulses of which we could
not be aware objectively.
When we have a problem, we exercise our
reason syllogistically, that is, inductively and
deductively, to try to arrive at a solution.
However, if we are not successful, this prob
lem is often carried into the greater self, the
subconscious levels of consciousness. These
are the levels of intuition. These subcon
scious levels, then, continu with the work
of solutiononly we are not conscious of that.
We may say that these higher levels are
cosmically guided in their arranging and
rearranging of the ideas with which one previously struggled unsuccessfully. In some
way, then, a process of higher judgment goes
on in this realm. Certain harmony is found
between the ideas so that they come to pro
duce a definite clarity and acceptability.
Then they are suddenly flashed into the con
scious mind as a hunch, as an intuitive idea.
We may draw something of a parallel be
tween intuition and the modern electronic
Computer. Information or data is fed into
the Computer, which segregates it into vari
ous categories. If a certain question subsequently is asked of the Computer, all the data
having a relationship is electronically associated, that is, integrated and is released by
the machine as a comprehensive whole. The
machine cannot give out any particulars that
were not first fed into the device at a pre
vious time.
The Computer does not manufacture revolutionary new ideas unrelated to familiar
knowledge because man would not be able
to comprehend them. However, the Com
puter does arrange the data it has into a
new form more quickly and in a way impossible for the human mind without the use
of the apparatus. So, too, in a sense, does
intuition function. That which we cali intu
ition is in harmony with the cosmic intelli-
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OCTOBER, 1962
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YOU
SELECT
THE
WEEKS
|lio ip ij
Summer Study
Program
. . . PeiSttal Cnstluctiou. ai
Rose-Cloix ZimOeistij*
Sat.
6 7
8\N A
11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30
*This program is a revisin of the Rose-Croix University summer session, and remains under the auspices of the University.
R O S I C R U C I A N P R E S S , L T D ., S A N J O S E .
L I T H O IN U S . A .
December, 1962
Volume X X X I II
No. 3
Rosicrucian 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
T O M S C LIX M O N C A D A , F. R. C.
Inspector G eneral of A M O R C for Central A m erica
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
Greetings!
V
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PECEMBER, 1962
of these rising costs of living. In other instances, they are shamefully retarded or
backward.
We wonder how many of our fratres
and sorores realize the impact of such costs
upon AMORC, a nonprofit organization.
A commercial organization manufacturing
a product or Service will, without hesitation,
increase the prices of its commodities as soon
as the ingredients or labor costs increase.
In other words, a manufacturer is obliged to
pass it on to the consumer. Rarely, if ever,
does a manufacturer attempt to absorb the
rising costs. In fact, he could not do so for
long if he intended to stay in business.
AMORC uses a variety of commodities and
services just as does a commercial organiza
tion such as an industryin fact, much more
than many other organizations. Our envelopes, of which we use several million in a
year, have steadily increased in price, as have
our printing, stationery, typewriters, desks,
office machinery, clerical help, postage, and
thousands of other items.
What does an organ ization such as
AMORC do under such circumstances? The
member rarely hears about what it does. The
Order pays the increase, absorbing the costs.
But this type of absorption can only be done
for a limited time. The Order would then
need to live on its reserve funds and when
they are gone become inoperative unless
relief is had.
Let us look back in our personal lives to
the year 1926, or 36 years ago. There is
hardly a thing or Service in our personal
lives that has not increased in cost from 100
percent to 500 percent since that time! To
some extent, of course, our individual incomes have kept pace with such cost increases. If they had not, we could not have
survived. AMORC has also been subject to
those tremendous increases in costs during
the last 36 years.
But what about AMORCs income in that
same period? Has it kept pace even with the
average individuals personal income? The
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 Parle, San Jos, California.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sterling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sterling) per year FOR MEMBERS O NLY
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Concept of God
Repeatedly, the Rosicrucian member has
asked for a further statement regarding the
concept of God. This has frequently caused
me to try to explain why it is that man is
interested in defining God. It seems that
man might be categorized as a defining en
tity. He likes to know what he is talking
about.
Subconsciously, man knows that words are
symbols, and he wants to be sure of what
exactly a symbol he is using represents.
Surely a symbol as important as the one
which we form in the English by the letters
G , O, and D bears a certain amount of definition.
Yet, on the other hand, while man has, as
far as we know, tried to define the Infinite,
the Aboslute, the idea of God for all the time
that we have record of man existing, it certainly must occur to him that definition is of
less importance than action. It would be far
better to consider God, Gods way, and the
means by which man might live more closely
in accord with Gods laws than to consider
seriously just what God is or what his con
cept of God should be.
Regardless of how man may speculate or
philosophize upon the nature or the concept
of God, there is one fact of which we can be
assured, and that is that merely because of
the fact that man has speculated upon His
nature, God will not change in His manifestation or in His being if we think of Him as
an individual entity.
On the other hand, to define God as an
entity is one matter. To consider God as a
concept is an entirely different matter. De
fining has a limiting influence. If I turn to
a dictionary to read the definition of a word
with which I am not familiar, I learn two
things simultaneously : I learn what the word
means according to the accepted uses of the
language with which I am concerned, and I
learn what it does not mean.
The process of defining is a dual process,
which is at the same time inclusive and ex
clusive. To carry the illustration a step fur
ther, the process of defining tells what a
thing may include and what by the same implication it exeludes. The word wet, for ex
ample, means impregnated with a liquid to
the point where it is apparent to our physical
senses.
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losophy is also set forth in Rosicrucian terminology when we use the phrase, God of our
hearts.
The implication of this phrase is that God
is a concept that exists within ourselves. It
is a realization. If we have a concept of God
as a prototype of an earthly ruler; then He
will be conceived as a king ruling arbitrarily
in a dictator-type of government.
If we consider Him as a law-enforcement
officer, such as primitive people did, or as do
those who subscribe to certain fundamental
religious beliefs, we will think of Him as a
director or a type of policeman who super
vises the existence of the human race and of
each individual entity.
These concepts are realizations on the part
of individuis. They do not define the nature
of or attempt to define the Infinite. They
simply tell what we as individuis believe in.
When we say that we believe in the God of
our hearts; then we are being extremely tolerant. We are stressing the fact that each
individual has his own capacity to conceive
of God, and the concept which he develops is
the realization that comes to him within his
experience and process of living.
God, then, instead of being an entity sub
ject to definition, is an infinite quality of
which we can perceive and gain a concept as
an experience. In this sense, God changes
for the individual because our experience
varies, and we grow in our realization of God.
I say that we grow, our realization of God
evolves because since God is infinite, any
thing that we learn of God, His nature, or
His manifestations and laws, is an advancement because we are finite and God is in
finite.
As we learn, we are moving toward infinity. We are evolving. Experience, then, is
growth in concept. The God that I believe
in today, the concept of Godthat is, the
God of my heartis not the God I believed
in yesterday. Not that God as an entity has
changed, not that the Infinite has in any way
been modified, but rather that the finite, that
is, I, my own limited comprehension, my
outlook, has grown.
We must constantly bear in mind that the
primary purpose for which we are incarnated on earth is to develop a soul-personality,
not a soul. We are incarnated as souls into
a physical being or body. The soul already
exists. We might say, it had prior existence,
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To a great extent most businesses are autocratically operated. The chief executive is
given a wide range of power to act, and over
this he alone is responsible. If the business
were wholly democratic and if the executive
had to poli each of his subordinates before
actingwhether they were qualified or not
many financial opportunities would be lost to
the enterprise. Such a business w7ould soon
fail because of its encumbrances.
The Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, is also
an autocratic body. The Rosicrucian Order
has always been so. The Imperator is the
executive officer and holds office ad vitam.
His edicts are final, being the last authority
of the Order. However, his autocratic author
ity is channeled through the powers of the
Constitution of the Supreme Grand Lodge.
In other words, his authority has bounds.
Constitutionally, he cannot act contrary to
the traditional principies of the Order or
vilate the laws of the respective country in
which the Order exists and functions. Con
sequently, the autocratic power of the Imperator is, and must be, benevolent in its
function. Further, of course, the Imperator
is legally elected to his office by the Board
of Directors of the Supreme Grand Lodge.
There is no automatic succession of persons
to this office.
As for the universal spiritual system, it
would obviously be autocratic. The Cosmic,
as a system of universal laws and powers,
would not be obliged to obtain sanction and
approval for its functions from a subordnate,
from any of its own creations. Nevertheless,
in such an autocratic system as we find in
nature there is also an inherent equality.
To nature there are no specific vales or
gradations in the sense of one phenomenon
being superior or inferior to another. All
that is and that functions partakes of Cosmic
and natural law and therefore is equal in a
sense. It is the human mind that evaluates
aspects of nature in relation to itself and
classifies them accordingly as good, bad, excellent, beneficial, etc.
The traditional, mystical principie of the
Celestial Hierarchy was first publicized by
the writings of the mystic, Dionysius. He
spoke of a gradation of the exercise or mani
festation of the Cosmic powers. Those intelligences at the top of the hierarchal spiral
were held to be infinite in the Cosmic powers
which they manifested.
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Another category of magic is that technically known as homeopathic, more commonly called the principie of similarity. As
the records of his beliefs indicate, man early
in his ascent observed certain regularities in
the phenomena of nature. He noted the rising and setting of the sun, the return of the
seasons, the tides, the courses of the planets,
and so on. Other phenomena were irregular.
Both of these kinds of events had their effect
upon man, beneficially or adversely. If he
could control these forces, he could make life
more as he desired it.
In this desire primitive man anticipated
the purpose of modera science, though the
methods adopted were entirely different.
Man imagined that, through effects, he could
influence their causes. Consequently, he
mimicked rainfall as, for example, by pouring water on the ground, hoping to induce
by this similarity an actual rainfall. He
mimicked all effects desired, imagining that
the mere likeness in appearance meant that
there was a bond between the phenomena or
things that could be utilized by him.
In accordance with this principie of simi
larity, man made models or images, similarities which represented the influence he
wished to acquire. He clapped stones together
to simlate thunder and to suggest to nature
to bring about a storm and rainfall. The
Papuans place in their gardens round stones
called yam stones to invoke by similarity a
bountiful crop of yams. Shamans, medicine
men, and individuis themselves of primitive
culture will make images in beeswax. These
images of persons or things will be treated
in various ways so as to influence the original
of which they are re presen tations.
Again, it is similarity of appearance that
constitutes the belief in the nexus between
the representation and the object that will
transmit the influence. An image in beeswax
of an enemy may be pierced with sharp
instruments in the regin of a vital organ.
It is thought that the victim will experience
a disease, a pain, or loss of a similar organ.
An image is placed in a stream to be slowly
washed away. It is imagined that the one
it represents will be stricken with a disease,
to slowly die as the image disintegrates.
Another divisin of the belief in magic is
talismans and amulis. This is the belief that
an object has or can possess an invisible pow-
Page 68
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
DECEMBER, 1962
other magical concepts. The word is primarily of Portuguese originfeiti^oand literally means to do. Fetishism is the worship
of an inanimate object. These objects are
thought to have an intrinsic power that man
can direct by certain artifices. A fetish, how
ever, is not an image or a symbol of an
extraneous power or spirit. Fetishes are worshipped for themselves as having an inherent
power. However, the word fetish is often
used today in a manner that is not relevant
to its origin and technical meaning.
An object becomes a fetish by the attraction which it exerts. In other words, what
ever may compel attention sufficiently may,
to the primitive mind, become a fetish. Thus,
a bright colored pebble or an oddly shaped
piece of driftwood, since it holds the atten
tion of the individual, is believed to possess
a spirit which has reached out and exerted
an influence upon the observer. Simply put,
the cause of the attraction is made to be a
vital factor, a living forc. This inherent
factor is then appealed to in various ways to
serve the desires of the one possessing the
object. The person who carries lucky coins
or good luck pocket pieces is resorting to a
form of fetishism.
ames have long been thought to harbor
magical qualities. With many primitive
people, ames are thought to be related intrinsically with the whole person and not
merely as a means of identificatin. The
ame is imbued with the essence of the
personality and the living forc of the person
himself. It has, therefore, a contagious
magical relationship by association. What
ever is done to a ame or the manner in
which it is used will influence the person
whose ame it is. Primitive people, conse
quently, will often guard well their ame so
that misuse cannot adversely affect it. Among
some tribes a man will not reveal his ame
to a stranger since it bears this magical nexus
with his personality.
Psychometry is the belief and practice that
material objects retain something of the
vibratory nature of the person that possessed
them. It professes that a psychically sensi
tive person can by holding an inanimate
object tell something of the character and
personality of its owner. Upon first blush,
this may seem to be nothing more than a
modern continuation of sympathetic or con
tagious magic as we have here considered
Page 69
Page 70
only the vital qualities but intelligence likewise departed. These then were conceived to
be immortal, to live on in another existence.
What man has really wanted to associate
with the concept of immortality is the survival of his personality, the continued reali
zation of himself after death.
He wants survival to be more or less an
extensin of the personal existence which he
has had on earth. He wants to be conscious
of certain sensations, to possess a memory of
earthly events, to indulge his ideis, to ex
perience the ecstasy that he has imagined,
or that his religin has taught, prevails after
death.
These emotional and mental qualities are
a mere transference from the mortal man
to the immortal man. Man believes that
there can be no survival unless these categories of his being continu to exist. That
which, to a great extent, is a product of the
finite man, he wants to continu in an in
finite or cosmic realm.
Those who think it ludicrous for man after
death to have a physical body, or at least a
physical appearance, nevertheless often think
of the immortal life in terms of the mental
and emotional nature of the human being.
Actually, one concept is really as primitive
as the other.
But, it may be asked: If, then, man is
immortal, what of him does survive? We
must rationally assume that death strips man
of his human-like qualities. Not only will
his body disappear, but all those emotional
and mental functions which arise directly
out of the mechanism of the body. If the
musical notes of a violin are the consequence
of its physical structure; then we cannot expect the musical notes of that particular
violin to continu after it has been destroyed.
We can only assume that the soul-person
ality creates an harmonic of itself in the
cosmic spectrum of energy and consciousness
that remains after the cause, the human
body, no longer exists. For analogy, it would
be like the footprint of a dinosaur molded in
clay remaining millions of years after the
reptile had become extinct.
We can think further of the cosmic forces
as being a receptive kind of mdium with
which the impression of the soul-personality
becomes impregnated or at least is retained
for an indefinite time. Again, it would be
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
DECEMBER, 1962
Page 71
Z*tj4f,
PERSONAL
CONTACT
ikvm yk ik * SPOKIN WORD,!
Ever since man learned to reproduce the spoken word mechanically, he has utilized this marvel o f technology to comprehend and m aster the elements of his universe. Recordings m ake far things seem near. They bring intimacy and
understanding. They enlarge mans perspective, and bring about a communion o f minds. The use o f m ans inventive
genius to enlarge his own knowledge o f his environment is the highest purpose to which reason can be employed.
Since in so many cases inventive genius has coincided with Rosicrucian training and perspective in the past, it is only
fitting that Rosicrucians everywhere employ the discoveries o f their brothers in these Creative felds. It is with this in
mind that we urge members to obtain these excellent tape recordings of the instructive discourses and m essages of
their officers and teachers. Our list of subjects is growing monthly, and if you have even the simplest tape recorder
available, you will enjoy hearing the discourses below.
Title
Voice
Approx .
Length
Cost
R. M. Lewis
C. A. Poole
R. M. Lewis
H. Miles
R. M. Lewis
H. P. Stevens
R. M. Lewis
R. R. Clayson
C. A. Poole
J. D. Freeman
19 min.
13
24
45
21
24
14
20
14
16
$3.50
3.50
3.50
6.00
3.50
3.50
3.50
3.50
3.50
3.50
M. Chard
P. Falcone
C. A. Poole
R. M. Lewis
22
24
23
13
Sfuohen
b it e c t ly ,
*7 a
*1 /0 4 4 ,
3.50
3.50
3.50
3.50
The above titles are only a sam ple o f what is available. A complete
list will be sent with your order or upon separate request. All tapes
are made at 7^4" per second. Send your order to:
R O S I C R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D ., S A N J O S E .
California
L I T H O IN U . S . A
U. S. A.
February, 1963
Volume X X X I II
No. 4
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
W IL L IA M G O R D O N BAILEY, F. R. C.
Inspector G eneral of A M O R C fo r London and Envrons
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
Page 74
Greetings!
IN V E S T IN G TIM E W ISELY
Page 75
FEBRUARY, 1963
require a large portion of the time you intended to give your particular interest. This,
then, could become demoralizing; it could
result in the disorganization of the time for
your self-expression and bring about a tendency to abandon such activities. In fact,
the interest, under such conditions, could
actually be lost.
Suppose that out of the balance of avail
able time shown under the column of de
mands, you have seventy-five minutes a day.
Assign only forty minutes of that to your
Number 1 desire and the balance to Number
2, or divide it between Numbers 2 and 3.
Then if a sudden and unexpected demand
on your time arises, you could sacrifice desire
2 and even 3 to preserve the time for your
preferred desire.
It is because some Rosicrucian members
do not make a systematic appraisal and use
of their time that an accumulation of unstudied monographs results. There is always
something arising that makes a demand upon
them, and they have no reserve time set up.
Consequently, their sanctum period is sacrificed.
Of course, the matter of will power enters
into the regulating of the use of our time.
If we are to do certain things, we must have
the power of will to execute them. Most of
our duties are forced upon us by nature or
other exacting conditions, and therefore we
cannot escape them. If our real desires are
intense and we do want to do them, we will
create the time for them.
If we are always easily and quickly substituting something else for our study time;
then it is not a matter of time but of an
actual lack of desire. If this is the situation
in your case, place a line through those de
sires. Do not deceive yourself; they are not
your real desires. If your desires are genuine, make the time for them.
Fratemally,
RALPH M. LEWIS,
Imperator.
The Rosicrucian Forum is Pubshed 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 O NLY
LITHO IN U S A
Page 76
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
houses and physicians, and they have exploited the public to its detriment, if not to
its death at times.
There are pharmaceutical houses which,
after a limited amount of experimentation,
test, and trial, distribute drugs as samples to
physicians. Accompanying such samples are
advertising blurbs extolling their merits
and setting forth their remedial powers.
Some physicians, before checking in a reliable medical joumal to see if such results
have been confirmed, will offer the medica
tion to a patient.
Something to this effect may be said:
Here is something new that is stated to be
a remedy for your condition. I would like
you to try it and let me know how you get
along. Such physicians are using their patients as experimental subjects. Fortunately,
these are relatively few. The side effects, if
there are any, are not known to the physi
cians, and in so experimenting they risk the
health of the patient.
There are many simple methods other than
drugs used to assist one who is not suffering
from severe insomnia. Every physician tries
to diagnose the cause of insomnia first before
treating the effect. Where ordinary methods
prove to be of no relief and the patient suffers
from lack of sleep; then artificial help, such
as sedation and sleeping pills, are necessary.
These various barbiturates and other extracts of narcotics can become habit-forming,
and must be used with the utmost caution.
As Rosicrucians, we would not recommend
the abolition of sedation for sleep or as an
anodyne. Such a recommendation would be
radical. All natural methods recommended
by a physician or as included in such meth
ods as the Rosicrucian teachings should be
tried first before sedation is used. Then, if
the condition contines, one should resort to
drugs as prescribed by his physicianat least
as a temporary measure.
Unfortunately, most of us are more con
cerned with regaining health when we are
ill than with retaining good health when we
have it. Rarely is it necessary for a normal
person to take drugs to retain health because
proper diet, exercise, and related factors will
do that.
Our Rosicrucian teachings if applied conscientiously will help one to achieve and to
maintain health. Because of the demands
made upon us, or which we impose upon our-
Page 77
FEBRUARY, 1963
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
FEBRUARY, 1963
A M O RC and Religin
Must one discontinu his Rosicrucian
afiliation because he becomes a church
member?
It has been frequently stated in our literature and elsewhere that we are not a religious
organization. By this it is not meant that
we are opposed to or unsympathetic with organized religin. It means specifically that
we are not a religious sect. We are not promulgating a religious creed. We advcate
no particular system of salvation. We ha ve
no religious founder or messiah.
The fact is that, as a worldwide organiza
tion, we have members of many diverse religions who are active Rosicrucians. We
have, for example, Hindus, Jains, Parsis,
Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Shintoists, Moslems, and so on. These persons are in the
main faithful adherents of their religious
sects, and yet they are Rosicrucians. They
find that the Rosicrucian teachings greatly
strengthen their spiritual allegiance. The
Rosicrucian teachings confirm a belief in a
supreme Intelligence or Cosmic Mind.
It is quite possible that some of the doc
trines of the Rosicrucian teachings do not
parallel the dogma of some religious sects;
but this does not detract from the benefit of
the Rosicrucian teachings or does it make
them hostile to religin. For example, we
have thousands of Rosicrucian members living in lands all over the world who have
been and are Christians.
They have found that the Rosicrucian
teachings do not lessen their ardor for the
Christian faith. Many have said that the
Rosicrucian teachings have actually made
them better Christians. The teachings have
revealed the mystical symbolism and significance of much of the church dogma. The
teachings have shown them the eclectic
sources of many of the points of the Christian
theology.
Nevertheless, now and again we receive a
letter from a member, requesting that his
membership in the AMORC be discontinued
because he is now a Christian. It is as though
there were a definite incompatibility between
being a Christian and a member of the Rosi
crucian Order. Just recently, for example, a
letter carne to our attention, which said:
Please discontinu my membership in the
AMORC. I have been reborn in our Lord
Jess. I am a Christian again.
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
a result, he spent hours in meditation, contemplating what to him seemed to be mysteries. Such introspection was quite in
advance of his age. Young Bailey was an
avid reader of both fiction and nonfiction.
His imagination was particularly intrigued
by tales of the alchemists and historical accounts of ancient Egypt.
His mother, although a nominal Anglican,
insisted that he take his secondary education
at St. Josephs College, a Romn Catholic
institution. Its excellent academic standard
was her reason for this; but it also afforded
young Bailey an opportunity for insight into
the Romn Catholic religin to which, however, he never became converted.
At an early age, Frater Bailey exhibited
a fascination for mechanics and science.
Electronics and chemistry became his hobbies. He particularly experimented with
ideas that to others might have seemed
radical and without foundation. There was
always lurking in his mind the belief that
some great knowledge had been suppressed
or lost in the past and that it should not be
forgotten. His experiments with the unconventional was with a kind of hope that some
such knowledge might be revealed. In keeping with this hope for the unusual, he loved
to explore nature, to observe her works. He
accumulated as an adjunct to such ventures
a number of pets.
While still a lad of twelve, he noticed an
advertisement of the Rosicrucian Order,
AMORC, in a popular science magazine. He
was impressed by it and vowed that when
he was of age he would affiliate with the
Order. He had already had certain experiences that could only be explained as being
of a psychic nature.
The economic situation of the 1930s had
a profound effect upon him. Though his
own family was not distressed at the time, he
experienced around him the effects of unemployment, poverty, and disease. These realities had a serious tempering influence upon
his personality.
In 1940, after commercial training as a
Marine Radio Engineer, he served on a Norwegian vessel, and as a result had an oppor
tunity to see much of the world. In 1944,
while he was in the United States, he saw
another advertisement by AMORC, in a
popular science publication, announcing its
booklet the Mastery of Life. This booklet
FEBRUARY, 1963
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
FEBRUARY, 1963
Page 83
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
FEBRUARY, 1963
or each incarnation may afford the soul-personality the opportunity of further experience and evolvement. Each incarnation is
like a rung of a ladder by which the selfconsciousness ascends to at-one-ment with
the Cosmic.
Ultimately, this doctrine further expounds,
the soul-personality reaches perfection. It is
in harmony with the universal soul or cosmic
mind and, therefore, needs no further mortal
existence. The cycle of incarnations is then
said to cease.
The period of time or the interval between
incarnations vares according to different
doctrinal ideas. The reason for the cosmic
interval is also explained in various ways.
In general, it is held that it affords a period
of psychostasia, that is, an opportunity for
self-evaluation, or weighing of the souls experiences in a previous incarnation.
What is to be noted is that the rebirth, in
almost all philosophies or rligions advocating reincamation, is not intended as a form
of retribution or punishment. In Buddhism,
however, rebirth is not a desired State. To
live in a mortal form is to experience suffering. The wheel of rebirth, however,
must keep revolving until the soul has
reached its highest level of conscious experi
ence. Then its revolutions or incarnations
cease.
In the religious systems in which the belief in transmigration is included, it is usually conceived of as an act of retribution or
punishment. The soul is obliged to incarnate
in an animal, reptile, bird, or insect to com
pnsate for, or expiate, certain sins committed while residing in human form. The
soul is imprisoned in that kind of physical
state until released by some spiritual act of
another, or until it has atoned for its previ
ous misdeeds.
Hindus are reluctant to destroy any form
of life, even to kill insectsas are many
primitive peoples elsewherein the belief
that they may be destroying the earthly
form of an incarnated soul of a suffering
human. This conception, which is transmi
gration, is repugnant to the devout believers
in reincarnation.
There is one parallel between the India
of today and ancient Egypt. India has had
a long period of civilization, though not so
long as that of ancient Egypt, and there, as
in Egypt, the earliest and most primitive
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
Religious Devotion
Frequent articles have appeared in this
Forum and in other parts of Rosicrucian
writings concerning terminology and the
importance of agreeing upon it before discussing or entering into arguments about
certain concepts. If terminology is not agreed
upon before discussion, two individuis discussing a certain subject may because of the
terminology used actually be discussing two
different subjects entirely and, therefore,
have no basis for possible agreement.
This is particularly true in regard to
terminology frequently used in controversial
subjects. This was brought to my attention
very strikingly by a question asked at a
Forum conducted at a Rosicrucian meeting
some time ago. The question asked was, In
the Rosicrucian Manual? it says, under the
heading religin, The true Rosicrucian develops a real religious devotion due to his
knowledge of God. Please explain how the
feeling of religious devotion can be experienced without religin.
In the first place, the quotation was slightly in error. The individual referring to the
Manual probably quoted from memory
rather than from direct reading. Referring
to the Rosicrucian Manual, I find, under the
heading of religin, two sentences which are
as follows: The knowledge of God and Gods
ways leads to a real religious devotion on
the part of Rosicrucians, and the Mystic is
always a true student of essential theology.
But aside from uniting with sectarian
churches in order to assist in the great work
they are doing, the Rosicrucian is broad and
tolerant in his religin and finds God in
everything and every one of His creatures.
You will notice that in this statement, a
real religious devotion comes about through a
knowledge of God and of Gods ways
through a knowledge and realization of the
functioning of the Divine within the uni
verse.
It is not necessary that we relate religious
devotion directly to the ordinarily accepted
concept of religin. I believe the individual
who presented this question was confused
and interpreted the statement to mean that
since this organization is not a religin, we
need have no concern for religin in any
form whatsoever. This is a point of view developed because of the individuals not wish-
FEBRUARY, 1963
Page 87
perience, and explanation causes an awareness of the fact that true reality is something
toward which man can only grow and never
completely comprehendat least with the
equipment with which the human being has
to work.
Religious devotion is therefore a realiza
tion that we are entities connected to and
yet removed from the higher forces and
manifestations of the cosmic scheme: We
are insignificant and can only witness and
be aware of these great forces. To the degree
that we raise our consciousness toward them,
we come to appreciate the majesty and beau
ty of phenomena which lie beyond our con
trol. Since we are controlled by the cosmic
forces set into operation by divine agency,
we are rightly awed and feel humble at their
manifestation.
Religious devotion, in my estimation, is
the acknowledgment of our individual smallness in comparison to the whole scheme of
being. To be devout is to be willing to
admit our shortcomings and, at the same
time, to walk humbly in those paths which
will help our consciousness grow into a reali
zation of a scheme and system that far outreaches anything that we as individual
entities can conceive of here on earth.
There is no reason why we should condemn religin, and even though as an indi
vidual a person may not be religious, he can
still be devout. We can develop a devotion
to God and to all that He has created because
we know that there is a source from which
we carne and to which we will return, and to
which we are in the broadest sense of the
word accountable.
For these reasons, we must not confuse
the petty limitations that have been set up in
the ame of religin; instead we must realize
that religin is a ame applied generally to
all mans thoughts of the Divine. Anyone
sufficiently unselfish to look outside himself
for valu and inspiration is to a degree re
ligious, whether or not he fits into any of
the behavior and belief patterns established
by other m en -A
Evaluating Your Membership
It is most advantageous for us periodically
to analyze and appraise our affiliations and
various relationships. Such an examination
is often most revealing. It may show, for
instance, that we are not availing ourselves
Page 88
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
FEBRUARY, 1963
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
receive a gratification from poetry and literature. The esthetic sense consists of sensations that appeal to the more sensitive psychic
nature of man as distinct from the physical
appetites. Some are much more psychically
attuned and responsive to vibrations which
do not excite others.
The esthetic senses are not in the least
dependent upon ones moral sense. One can
have these esthetic feelings, be a lover of
music and art, and yet behave in a way that
society would cali evil. The moral impulse
not the moral codeis only one aspect of
the psychic functions of man. When, how
ever, the moral impulse is also related to the
other aspect of the esthetic and psychic
senses, we then may have what is called a
great mystic or a spiritually illumined
person.X
W as the Universe Created?
A frater rises to ask: Was the universe
created? Was it a fat of a mind, a god, or
did it, in some way, come into a spontaneous
existence? What are we to believe in the
light of the discoveries of modern science?
We may never have the absolute answer but
at least we like to have a belief founded upon
some reasonable explanation.
At the present time, one is obliged to take
his answer to such a question from one of
two generally opposed sources of information
and opinion. In the sense of the Book of
Genesis of the Od Testament and the accounts of other hagiographies, a Supreme
Deity brought the Cosmos into existence by
a fat, or in some instances, it is held, by his
thought alone. In other accounts, creation
was by the power of the spoken word, which
objectified the Creative thought.
From the astronomical point of view, re
ligious concepts to one side, being already
existed in substance of a kind but through a
catastrophic phenomenon assumed its more
or less present state. Further, it is conceded
by one school of scientific thought that the
greater universe is under a constant state of
devolution and evolution. In other words,
there is the deterioration of celestial bodies
and the formation of new ones.
The creation of the universe by a divine
being postula tes the philosophical question,
From what did the Cosmos come into ex-
FEBRUARY, 1963
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FO RUM
manifest. The channel in which that aptitude would be expressed would be imma
terial and, as said, it could be quite different.
Another reason for this difference, aside
from heredity, is that of environmental influence. We are not altogether puppets being
pulled by the string of evolvement in some
past incarnation. We are also subject to the
appeal of things of our environment. For
example, one may have a methodical and
systematic bent of mind in the scientific
realm, which would be an inheritance of his
soul-personality. He would thus be drawn
to all such activities as would require that
type of mentality and personality. Any sci
entific activity in his environment might
appeal to him, even though it were different
from that pursued in a previous life.
An individual with a love for metaphysics
and mystical philosophy which led him into
the Rosicrucian Order in this life would undoubtedly retain that same cultivated love
for such subjects. He would not know, in
most instances, of course, of his previous
affiliation with the Rosicrucian Order. He
would, however, search for something that
would gratify his yearning for such subjects.
He might contact numerous activities expounding similar interests before finding the
Order again. In the event that he lived in
a land where the Rosicrucian Order did not
exist, his interests would lead him into some
thing which would to some extent satisfy
his desires, even though not fully.
We see examples of this every day. Per
sons who have affiliated with the AMORC
say: I have been searching for something
like this for years. I have read this and
studied that but have never been quite satisfied. Something has kept impelling me on in
my search. Now that I am a member of the
AMORC, I feel that I am home, that I have
at last found that for which I was searching.
Undoubtedly, these persons were in a past
life affiliated with the Rosicrucian Order,
AMORC, or with one of the related Initiatic
Orders.
We must reiterate that the od traditional
not mysticallaw of the 108-year cycle of
dormancy for the Order may possibly never
be enforced again. This law was not a cos
mic decree but a practice established by the
Order itself in past centuries for reasons that
were definitely secular. By this we mean for
practical reasons such as the avoidance of
FEBRUARY, 1963
political and religious suppression and tyranny. In fact, the Order had to resort to a
cycle of 108 years of dormancy so that it
might survive.
The selection of the number 108 had to
do, of course, with mystical principies generally. Such reasons for dormancy are
similar to those which forced many cultural
and liberal movements underground during
the Nazi regime and even in some Communistic countries today. At no time, how
ever, was the Rosicrucian Order ever com
pletely dormant publicly, that is, outwardly,
throughout the world. Where, for various
reasons, it may have retired from public
notice in one country, it was still active in
one or more others.
Unless there is some radical change in
world conditions, the general liberality that
prevails throughout the world today will
never compel the Order again for a length
of time such as 108 years to remain sub
rosa. Further, today the Rosicrucian Order
functions as an international unit to a greater extent than did the organization in the
past: We have numerous Grand Lodges but
they are all affiliated with and empowered
by one Supreme Grand Lodge. A Grand
Lodge in one area may become inactive for
a time due to circumstances, but other bodies
of the same parent organization elsewhere
certainly will be active.
In our modern world the closely tied lines
of communication are such that if for any
unforeseen reason, such as suppression by
the Romn Church or the political ideology
of some government, the Rosicrucian Order
were compelled to be dormant in one coun
try, the seekers for it would know of its existence elsewhere. Such sincere persons
would find ways and means of contacting
the Order in those other countries.
Today, for example, through the political
channels of the Franco government, the
Romn Church suppresses the Rosicrucian
Order as well as Freemasonry and similar
societies in Spain. Modern communication,
however, has acquainted those in Spain who
were interested in these channels of enlightenment with the fact of the existence of the
Order in other lands. They have, therefore,
the opportunity of affiliation of which they
may avail themselves.X
Pqge 93
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THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
FEBRUARY, 1963
Page 95
AUcUninCf
Q om c Gg4iA<U(U4Am& &
PeMo+tal ORAL INSTRUCTION
April, 1963
Volume X X X III
No. 5
Rosicrucian Forum
A
p rv ate
ELLW OO D ALLEN C R A IG , F. R. C.
Inspector G e ne ral o l A M O R C for Southern Ca lifo rn ia
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Greetings!
PO V ER T Y C A N BE A ST A T E O F M IN D
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The real student, by contrast, recalls exercises and laws that he can try. Further, he
has at his disposal the little index booklets.
By referring to them he can see at a glance
certain exercises or principies that might be
very helpful to him in his present predicament. He then refers to the degree monographs and page numbers which are given
and reviews those sections with much benefit
to himself.
What we as Rosicrucians must realize is
that our study is not a fairweather enterprise, a recreation, or a sort of intellectual
pastime to be indulged when we have nothing else to do. It is not something to be
abandoned immediately when an unfavorable condition arises. In fact, it is then that
the real worth of the teachings as a practical
philosophy is most often proved. The one
who is enthusiastic about his Rosicrucian
membership is the real student, not the
nominal member who just belongs. He is
enthusiastic because he has proved to his
own personal satisfaction the efficacy of the
Rosicrucian teachings. He is demonstrating
them.
Study of any kind is not easy at first
especially if one has been away from school
for some time. This is principally because
to study one must concntrate. Most persons
have actually gotten out of the habit of concentrating. They only retain something
which happens to be a forceful stimulus and
thereby makes a definite impression on their
minds without their effort. It has to be
something that, figuratively, comes to them.
They have gotten out of the habit, if they
ever had acquired it, of projecting their
thought, of reaching out with the conscious
ness to gain new ideas.
To explain this point, we may use the
crude analogy of someones needing water
(the water, we will say, is knowledge) and
placing an empty pan out to collect it. If
it rains and the rain enters the pan without
his effort, he has the water. If it doesnt
rain or if there is very little of it, he has no
water. He does not make the effort to find
and bring water to the pan. Every student
must reach out with his mental processes,
that is, concntrate and analyze what he perceives so as to retain its worth. With practice, this soon gets to be a habit requiring
less and less effort. He becomes habitually
observing and as a consequence derives much
more from lifes experiences.
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that many of our customary activities, previously accepted as commonplace, are really
the true contributions to our stability and
happiness.
There is no one who has not tasted of lifes
adversities and thereby been able to form
some real vales. The more severe our hardships or the greater the tragedy, the more
personal analysis and re-evaluation of our
status are forced upon us. One who has been
shielded from lifes traumas soon finds life
becoming dull. The good, the pleasures that
others occasionally experience, become habit
ual with him and he becomes satiated with
them. They lose their power to provide
pleasure and then create a contra state. In
other words, they become a monotonous
irritation.
Consequently, an individual should not
try to escape life. Rather, he should face it
and fortify himself against its disastrous and
possibly tragic effects. In witnessing them
and their effects upon others, he can realize
the consequences to himself if they should
befall him. He can then realize and respect
the favorable conditions which he does enjoy.
Do we evolve through personal suffering?
Yes, if we learn a lesson as a result. If we
know the cause of the suffering and how it
can be avoided, we have evolved in that re
spect. We are then less inclined to instgate
such conditions as may result in ourselves
or others being subject to them.
Is, however, such suffering always necessary for personal evolvement of the moral
sense and soul-personality? We answer by
saying that it depends upon the level of con
sciousness of the individual, the degree of
psychic refinement and development he has
attained. There are those who have acquired
the sensitivity and corresponding insight to
readily perceive and comprehend things and
conditions which may cause tragedy or suf
fering. Though they personally have not
had the experience, yet they have a realization of it. They are then obedient to their
own introspective visin and so adjust their
lives as to evolve without the need of the
personal impact of certain events upon them.
Each of us, however, is aware of some
whose level of consciousness is not of that
attainment. They do not or could not com
prehend the probability of events causing
misfortune for themselves or others. They
blunder forth and are often seriously hurt
in some manner. Usually, thereafter, they
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rather than ideis and concepts that are conducive to growth, prosperity, and general
advancement.
This generally accepted idea of tolerance
as being a statement or indication of an in
dividuaos social adaptation, and intolerance
as being exactly its opposite, has placed the
term intolerance in a wholly negative light.
There are occasions when it is necessary to
be intolerant.
We should, as already illustrated, be in
tolerant of those who vilate good laws for
their own personal and selfish ends. The one
who steals, murders, or commits any other
crime which is detrimental to another or to
a group is a type whom we cannot readily
tolera te. To tolerate his actions without taking any steps to modify them is in a sense to
approve of them. Therefore, we are in a
sense intolerant, and rightly so, of those who
interfere with the social structure in which
we live.
There are other degrees of intolerance that
can also be excused. We can rightly be
intolerant of the individual who loudly proclaims his own views without ever considering anothers. In other words, we become
intolerant of anothers intolerance. We can
become justifiably intolerant of groups that
tend to overstep their rights and privileges.
I, personally, am intolerant of religious
groups who attempt to forc their opinions
and beliefs on those outside a religious area.
I do not believe that a religious organization,
for example, should actively participate in
or attempt to direct the political affairs of
society or tell individuis what their political
beliefs should be. I believe that religin and
politics should be separated, and I am, there
fore, intolerant of the one who attempts to
forc his beliefs on my actions in one field
and change my beliefs in another.
Tolerance and intolerance are attributes
of human behavior. As long as individuis
exist as thinking entities, there will always
be those who have opinions different from
their fellow creatures or from the generally
accepted concepts of the society in which
they live.
If there were not differences of opinion,
there would probably be a static society.
Much that we have gained in technological
areas that have made possible many of the
modern conveniences and refinements of liv
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zation, e x t r a s e n s o r y p e r c e p t i o n ,
mental telepathy, reasoning, illusions, judgment . . . and other in-
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June, 1963
Volum e X X X III, No. 6
Rosicrucian Forum
A
p rv a te
p u b lic a tio n fo r m e m b e rs o f A M O R C
J. ENRIQUE M A N C E R A , F. R. C.
Inspector G eneral of A M O R C for Ecuador
THE R O S IC R U C IA N FORUM
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Greetings!
V
CO SM IC E T H IC S
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JUNE, 1963
The Rosicrucian Forum is Published Six Times a Y e a r (every other month) by the D epartm ent
of Publication, Suprem e C oun cil of A M O R C , Rosicrucian Park, San Jos, C a lifo rn ia
95114.
RATE: 45c (3/6 sterling) per copy; $2.50 (18/3 sterling) per year FOR MEMBERS O NLY
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San Jo s
C alifo rn ia
U. S. A.